Book Review: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

Summary

Joel can afford to attend Armedius Academy only because he’s been granted full tuition by the principal. His mother cleans the campus, and his father used to make chalk for rithmatists, before he died. Joel, sadly, is not a member of the small secondary school within Armedius. He’s not a Rithmatist, despite always wanting to be one. The fact that he’s obsessed with rithmatics and has a natural mind for the geometry that forms the core of rithmatics doesn’t matter. Joel isn’t one of them.

But this summer, Professor Fitch lost a duel that forced him to tutor students, and Joel manages to get himself assigned as Fitch’s research assistant. Now, Joel has a real chance to learn some rithmatics. He just has to get past the other student Fitch is tutoring, a struggling, highly annoying rithmatist named Melody. Add in the new, arrogant professor Nalazar, who won that duel against Fitch, and the fact that rithmatist students have suddenly begun disappearing from campus, and suddenly, Joel has his hands full with more than just trying to find a way to become a rithmatist.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://brandonsanderson.com/

More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings—merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery, one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.

Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings his unique brand of epic storytelling to the teen audience with an engrossing tale of danger and suspense—the first of a series. With his trademark skills in worldbuilding, Sanderson has created a magic system that is so inventive and detailed that readers who appreciate games of strategy and tactics just may want to bring Rithmatics to life in our world.

Context

It’s difficult to lock down a real time period in The Rithmatist, but I’d put my guess sometime in the late 60s or maybe in the 70s. Don’t quote me on that, though. It could well be set in the last few years. Thanks to the novel being set in an alternate America featuring a form of geometric chalk magic a few centuries old, it’s impossible to say if social norms would have progressed the same way and times they did in our reality. But considering Joel ends up at an ice cream shop where a scoop is expensive at nine cents, and where there’s a little hubbub about one of the clerks at Armedius being a woman, well… it’s easy to surmise if impossible to confirm.

The alternate America Sanderson built is highly intriguing, and I wish I knew more about it. We don’t have 50 states. America is a series of islands, 60 of them, including the warfront of Nebrask, the California Archepelago, Georgiabama, and East Carolina. I got such flutters of laughter whenever I heard another tidbit of the United Islands’ names. Georgiabama made me outright laugh the first time I heard it. It struck me as a nice little snack that still had the familiar ring of home to it (though I don’t live in Georgia or Alabama.) There’s a pleasant creativity to the islands that is perfect for the story Sanderson wrote.

Style

My only experience with Sanderson before reading The Rithmatist was with his closing out Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. I’d never heard of him before then, and I think I must have been living under a rock or something. A lot of me wondered what Sanderson’s own voice was like after reading Wheel of Time, because the only experience I had was of him writing someone else’s characters and world. I found some bits of writing that were obviously him, but so much of it still sounded like Jordan, I didn’t have a lot of insight into his style.

Yeah, his voice was there. In reading The Rithmatist, I was able to reconcile the two. Sanderson’s voice comes out clear in Wheel of Time, if The Rithmatist is any indication. Sanderson has an exciting clarity with just a tad of quirkiness to his writing style. He’s easy to follow while not being simplified. There is much to this novel that is character-centric, and the people populating this novel are spot-on. One could take just about any line of dialogue from the novel out of context and still know who said it. The three main characters, Joel, Melody, and Fitch, are easiest to identify. There’s no blandness to Joel as a protagonist. He’s definitely a teenage boy, and Sanderson nailed the qualities that make it easy to pin down his age. I guess that’s probably because Sanderson was once a teenage boy himself.

My Thoughts

Having read his closing of the Wheel of Time series, I was eager to get to know Sanderson on his own turf, and The Rithmatist was a good first choice. The magic system of rithmatics is intriguing, with the chapter openings often describing diagrams of different defenses or outlining a tidbit of rithmatic theory that ends up coming into play during that chapter or later ones. This was an excellent bit of extra understanding that prevented infodumps and keeps the reader from being lost in the rithmatic practices. That was masterfully done.

I’ll admit that, this having a mystery to it, I started guessing who I thought “done it”. I don’t normally do this, but sometimes I just can’t help being struck with a theory about how things will pan out. I ended up suspecting three people. One was merely on principle, one because I really thought he was the culprit, and the third because I was second-guessing my confidence in that second guess. Sanderson ended up completely flipping the mystery on its head for me, and while the very back of my head was shouting, “I knew it! I knew it!” I was pleased that I’d been duped. He’s avoided cliches with this mystery, but doesn’t rub it in if the reader was wrong.

The Rithmatist was an utter joy to experience. The depth of the magic system and how it ties in to religion and the history of this alternate America are well-thought-out and permeate the world. It makes sense. This is one of those novels where the protagonist may not always get what he wants, and neither does the reader… but both can be okay with that.

Would I Recommend This Book? Most definitely. The Rithmatist is YA, but anyone can enjoy this. Sanderson tells a tight and intriguing story with some great comedy, a great mystery, and fully fleshed-out characters you can’t help but want to spend more time with. I give The Rithmatist a chalk-drawn 4 out of 5 stars.

For more on the author, visit http://brandonsanderson.com/

Book Review: Shadows on Snow by Starla Huchton

Summary

Rae and her sisters lost their kingdom to an evil king. Now, their stepfather is at it again, trying to take over another throne by deposing another queen and her son, Prince Leopold. Only by offering Leopold her help, along with that of her six sisters, can Rae keep history from repeating itself? Only a mirror, an apple, and a glass coffin are standing in her way.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://www.starlahuchton.com/

“Once upon a time, a dark evil crept into my kingdom, stealing my loved ones and the happy life I knew. The world turned against me, and I swore to become stronger, to keep myself safe.

Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince, hair dark as ebony, skin as pure as the freshly driven snow, and I became the only one who stood between him and death.

Once upon a time, our stories intertwined, and now, healing my heart may be the only way to save us all from the evil that threatens to destroy what little we have left.”

Context

If you want to read Snow White like you've never read it before, this is the book for you. Huchton has made some amazing changes to the surface of the story while keeping the core of it true. You'll recognize the key points: the apple, the description of the "Snow White" character, the coffin, even the mirror. I came into this knowing that it was a new retelling of Snow White, but even if I hadn't, I would have recognized it. It's a great take on the tale, and Huchton more than does it justice.

And even better, it is a genderflipped version. We get the girl saving the prince, but it's not done in a way that makes the genders imbalanced. The prince is a man, definitely, and is strong. Rae is a powerful young woman, worthy of the adventure she's up against. She has her weaknesses, too, which makes her journey all the more powerful.

Style

I've read a fair few of Huchton's works now (you can find one here) and she has one of the most pleasant styles I've come across. She's straightforward and fun, keeping things vivid and engaging from start to finish. In Shadows on Snow, her little homages to the "traditional" fairy tell style, specifically in the beginning and end, work as a wonderful gateway between the real world and the story itself. This is a book you can just sink into. It's comfortable in being a familiar old story, but still new enough to keep the attention peaked.

And the dialogue... some of what these characters-- particularly Rae-- say is true to life. I had a moment where I just wanted to Z-snap at someone after Rae made a comment. It was brilliant. Huchton has really tapped into some good material for YA readers.

My Thoughts

This book is a real winner and a joy to read. I don't know if I can attribute this to the story itself or just the fact that Snow White isn't a favorite fairy tale of mine, but I really didn't care overmuch for the Snow White parallel character, Prince Leopold. That isn't to say Leopold is unlikeable. Quite the opposite. Then again, this wasn't really his story. This is Rae's story, and she is a heroine to relate to and admire. She's definitely a teenager with an opinion and skills, and reading things from her perspective is a blast.

The world Huchton created around the elements of the original story are rich and full, making this a world with lots more stories to tell. I hope to see more fairy tale retellings set here. This is an excellent read for young adults and not-so-young adults.

Would I Recommend This Book? Definitely. If you like fairy tells, this is a great one to add to the collection. It's witty, thoughtful, and full of surprises that revitalize the original fairy tale. I give Shadows on Snow a salted 4.5 of 5 stars.

For more information on the author, visit http://www.starlahuchton.com/

Book Review- Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff

Summary

Andy Gage is only a few years old. The body he's in, though, is almost thirty. Andy is just one of many personalities that inhabit his body. he's the newest, the one intended to run the body, while his "father" Aaron, runs things inside, keeping the personalities under control. Things are actually going well, until Andy gets a new coworker. Penny is clearly a multiple, just like Andy is, but Penny has no idea. At the behest of their boss, Andy reluctantly starts trying to bring Penny into awareness of her other sides. Helping Penny-- or Mouse, as she's usually called-- find herself leads Andy on a path that could tear down the order inside his own head.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://www.bymattruff.com/

“I suppose I should tell you about the house…The house, along with the lake, the forest, and Coventry, are all in Andy Gage’s head, or what would have been Andy Gage’s head if he had lived. Andy Gage was born in 1965 and murdered not long after by his stepfather…It was no ordinary murder: though the torture and abuse that killed him were real, Andy Gage’s death wasn’t. Only his soul actually died, and when it died, it broke in pieces. Then the pieces became souls in their own right, coinheritors of Andy Gage’s life…”

Andrew Gage was “born” just two years ago, called into being to serve as the public face of a multiple personality. While Andrew deals with the outside world, over a hundred other souls share an imaginary house inside his head, struggling to maintain an orderly coexistence: Aaron, the father-figure, who makes the rules; Adam, the mischievous teenager, who breaks them; Jake, the frightened little boy; Aunt Sam, the artist; Seferis, the defender; and Gideon, the dark soul, who wants to get rid of Andrew and the others and run things on his own.

Andrew’s new coworker, Penny Driver, is also a multiple personality—a fact that Penny is only partially aware of. When several of Penny’s souls ask Andrew for help, he reluctantly agrees, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy the stability of his house. Now Andrew and Penny must work together to uncover a terrible secret that Andrew has been keeping from himself…

Context

Who knows what the heck is going on in the minds of those around you? We could all have more than one soul in our heads, for all we know, and some of us just deal with it better than others. Who didn't have imaginary friends as a kid, or try to pretend they were someone else? How often have you seen someone behave completely out of character (for them) and wonder if you really knew them at all? Don't think I'm making light of dissociative personality disorder. I'm not. It's just the closest I can personally come to identifying with it. I don't know if this is how it really is for people with such a disorder, but it's how I imagine it is. This book does, at least as far as I can tell, a good job of portraying what having multiple personalities could be like.

Style

The changes in POV between Andrew and Penny were skillfilly done. There could so easily have been confusion, with all the different souls in their bodies, but I didn't have any trouble keeping track of things as the book went along. If Andy is in the "POV position", it's 1st person. If we're behind Penny/Mouse, it's 3rd. We get to see their different personalities from their eyes, but the changes in person-narrative make it easy to remember whose body you're in.

The writing itself is easy to follow, very thought-like. It was honestly like being in my own head... at least, in how thoughts progressed along with the events.

My Thoughts

Set This House in Order was recommended to me by Cat Rambo. What a recommendation! This is a masterful piece of work and bears rereading. I plan to let it settle in my head for a few months before I pick it up to read it again. Ruff demonstrates an amazing talent for setting up great moments of climax as early as the first few paragraphs of the book. It's stunning, really, how perfectly the book reflects itself.

I spent a lot of time reading this forming theories of what was going on, what connections between characters (or souls) were, and how things would wrap up. I was almost unerringly wrong. Every time.

I LOVED it. This is a book of reveals, not only for the reader, but for the characters. There is one reveal about halfway through the book that really got me, but looking back, the clues were there. It is so subtly done, so skillfull... Ruff really wields his pen (or typewirter, or computer, or whatever) like a scalpel, with such precision that it is a work of art.

Would I Recommend This Book? Multiple yesses. (Is that how you spell yesses? Well, it is now.) This book is intriguing, deep, annoying at times (both the plot and the characters), confusing (both the plot and characters) but in the best ways. I give Set This House in Order a mist-covered 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information on the author, visit http://www.bymattruff.com/

Book Review- Streets of Payne by Jeff Brackett

Summary

Trying to get to the bottom of a missing person's case is all in a day's work for Detective Amber Payne. She and her partner, Kevin Glass, didn't expect anything odd from this contract. But when they discover the missing person kidnapped himself, it leads them down a road of questions. Why did he want to go missing? What's this super-secret project he was working on?

And why is the result of that project suddenly in Kevin's head and screaming to get out?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://jlbrackett.com/

Detective Amber Payne and her partner Kevin Glass must solve a case of corporate espionage that quickly turns into a fight for survival in a world where cybernetic implants are commonplace, cyberspace is a realm of its own, and no one is what they appear to be.

Context

It's never really clear just what year Streets of Payne is set in, but that's not a big deal concerning the plot. It's a futuristic/cyberpunk world, not too distant from our own, and that's enough for me. There are hints at elemnts of life from the here and now, with some tweaks- Chocaffeine, for example, which I picture as a mass-produced mocha latte, maybe, and Plasteel, a building material. The important thing with this is that none of it is odd or out of place for Amber. It's her world, and she's comfortable in it. That helps the reader immediately be comfortable and take new elements in stride, accepting them as normal at the same time as absorbing it and reveling in its newness.

Style

Brackett has a semi-simplistic writing style that gets ideas across without words getting in the way. He's descriptive without being flowery, informative without being pedantic. It's a wonderful style to read (or in my case, listen to), that lets the reader focus on the story rather than how it's told. He's unobtrusive, but on those occasions that I actually focused on the words themselves, I got a pleasure in listening to them one by one. He has a rhythm and flow to his writing that is very pleasant.

My Thoughts

I don't read a lot of cyberpunk, but that isn't because I don't like it. I do enjoy the genre, especially when they're written like Brackett wrote Streets of Payne. There's enough of the world outside of computers and enough inside the technical world to keep things technological without going over the head of someone who's semi-techno-fluent, like me. It's easy enough to follow along with the jargon, especially since there's a lot that's explained-- but many explanations came far enough after the introduction of the concept that I had a chance to guess at what it was. Inferring the meaning of a lot of these made the book semi-interactive, and it's pretty easy to guess what you're looking at, so it feels good to have it confirmed later.

Plotwise, this was a very tightly-told story. Threads stuck out from the central ball and then turned and wove back in, thickening the mess Amber and Kevin had to sort through. it was very well done and logical, perfect for the world Brackett set up. The whole thing was highly satisfying.

Would I Recommend This Book?  I certainly would! If you're a cyberpunk or even a detective mystery fan, this is definitely a book for you. Brackett's characterization is spot-on, his setting is excellent and compelling, and the plot is a tangled mess it's fun to unravel. I give Streets of Payne a modified 4 of 5 stars.

For more information on the author, visit http://jlbrackett.com/

Book Review- Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup

Summary

There is no way an unschooled, 18-year-old orphan who works as a waiter could win the top prize on Who Will Win a Billion, Mumbai’s popular quiz show.

Ram Mohammad Thomas is such a person, and he’s won, answering all twelve questions correctly. But now, not long after the show has been taped, Ram has been arrested. The show’s producers are convinced it is impossible for him to win. He’s cheated, somehow. Only a mysterious lawyer, who Ram has never seen before, comes to his rescue. Ram tells her all about his life, how the experiences he’s had have given him the answers to the quiz’s questions. Life and a fair amount of luck have turned a penniless waiter into India’s first top prize-winner.

But will he be able to keep his winnings?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://www.vikasswarup.net/

I have been arrested. For winning a quiz show…

Vikas Swarup’s spectacular debut novel opens in a jail cell in Mumbai, India, where Ram Mohammad Thomas is being held after correctly answering all twelve questions on India’s biggest quiz show, Who Will Win a Billion? It is hard to believe that a poor orphan who has never read a newspaper or gone to school could win such a contest. But through a series of exhilarating tales Ram explains to his lawyer how episodes in his life gave him the answer to each question.

Ram takes us on an amazing review of his own history — from the day he was found as a baby in the clothes donation box of a Delhi church to his employment by a faded Bollywood star to his adventure with a security-crazed Australian army colonel to his career as an overly creative tour guide at the Taj Mahal.

Context

Surely we all remember Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Imagine what you could do with that money. In the wake of Millionaire, Mumbai has brought on W3B, their own show with an even larger prize, one billion rupees. It was so easy to get behind players in Millionaire, to be amazed at the random knowledge in the contestants’ heads and see if they knew enough odd facts to get them the top prize. It’s the same with W3B. The questions are random, and it doesn’t exactly take formal schooling to know some of this trivia. Following in Ram’s life in a modern world, seeing how experience is its own form of education, is an amazing journey.

Style

I listened to Slumdog Millionaire through Audible. It’s an experience well worth the time. Swarup’s writing style is very easy to listen to and follow, and the chapter breakdown— being question by question (1,000 Rupees; 10,000 Rupees; etc.)— is perfect for how the story is told. The chapter format has Ram telling the part of his life that gave him the answer to the quiz question, but you don’t actually get a glimpse of the quiz show— or learn what the question actually was— until he’s done telling his story. This was brilliant. By the time I was up to the second question, I was pondering each story of Ram’s life, trying to guess what the trivia question might end up being based on what I was hearing. I was wrong almost every time, but it wasn’t upsetting. This, to me, was a huge bonus point to the author. I was completely drawn in, and as much as I thought the show itself would be the most intriguing part of the story for me, it wasn’t. Ram’s life was a wonder, the telling was exciting while not being overly complicated, and I was hooked. Just the style of Ram’s voice, when he’s telling his past, is straightforward and clear. Even though his life jumps around with each question, I never really lost track of the timeline itself. It was masterfully done.

My Thoughts

Slumdog Millionaire is a quick read (the Audible recording is just over ten hours) and if I’d been actually reading it, I think it’s one that I would have been frustrated having to put down. As it was, I listened to it in its entirety in a single day at work. I usually listen at double speed, but I start at normal speed just to make sure I can follow everything well. The fact that the story is set in India, a place I’ve never been, with a culture I’m only minutely familiar with, I didn’t feel lost. I was swept away. No, I don’t think I could go there and make sense of anything, but for the time I spent there with Ram, I belonged in that world. What culture shock I had was surprisingly unimportant. I suppose you could argue that the story could happen anywhere, but I honestly think the setting was perfect for the tale Swarup was telling. I honestly cannot imagine this story set in America.

There is so much tying Ram’s past to his present life during and after the taping of the show, that I have to give great commendation to the author. Swarup left no loose ends, even wrapping up one that I hadn’t really thought of as being a loose end. He brings characters you think are somewhat inconsequential, or ones that walk into and out of Ram’s life, back into his adult life from his childhood in ways that are both surprising and satisfying. The questions for the quiz are great, and seeing the behind the scenes filming of the quiz show was enough to make me giddy while still making me hate the show’s producers for how they look down on Ram. Swarup has created an amazing character with a huge heart, one that you cannot help but sympathize with, even when he makes wrong or poor decisions. It’s easy to understand Ram without having to be dragged through his every thought process. On the whole, this is just an amazing, well thought-out novel that is pulled off well in the writing.

Would I Recommend This Book? Most definitely! It’s a highly engrossing read that will get you involved very quickly, and it is not a particularly hefty book. It’s just long enough for what it wants to say, and believe me, it has plenty to say. There’s so much fun in the book, especially when you get to the quiz questions. It’s almost like having a study guide, trying to see if you paid enough attention to Ram’s life to know the answers before he gives his answer. Or, like me, to guess what the question might be before it’s read. I give Slumdog Millionaire a rupee-winning 5 out of 5 stars.

For more on the author, visit http://www.vikasswarup.net/

Book Review: Murder at Avedon Hill by P.G. Holyfield

Summary

Arames Kragen is trying to use the mountain pass controlled by the Avedon family. Unfortunately, the pass has been closed due to a recent murder in the town of Avedon Hill. Arames will only be able to earn passage if the murderer is found. Most of the townspeople are convinced Greta Platt was killed by a vampire. Arames thinks differently. Will he be able to solve the murder in time to get to the conference he’s traveling to? And more importantly, will he and the other townspeople survive, or is the murderer ready to strike again?

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://podiobooks.com/title/murder-at-avedon-hill/

Lord Avedon has a problem. Generations of Avedons have watched over Avedon Hill and controlled the only pass through the Lantis Mountains. Traditions are important to the Avedon family, but one tradition has tragically come to an end. Gretta Platt, Housemistress of Avedon Manor, has been murdered. A member of the Platt family has always served the Avedons as Housemistress. until now. Only a handful of people live at Avedon Hill, and most are suspects. Arames Kragen, retired Aarronic Advisor and scholar of prophecy, arrives at the gates of Avedon Hill, hoping to gain access to the mountain pass. Lord Avedon is not in a giving mood, however.

This is the story of Arames Kragen and his attempt not only to discover who killed Gretta Platt, but also to uncover the truth about a town that apparently has more secrets than inhabitants.

The Land of Caern: It is a world where the gods, the Children of Az, can choose to be born as mortals to directly affect events in the world, and often do. It is a world where the Priests of Caern frantically search for the mortal incarnations of any of the Children, in order prevent the Prophecies of Iberian from coming to pass.

Context

As you probably know, I’m a big fantasy fan. Murder at Avedon Hill is an amazing introduction to the land of Caern… a land filled with things I hadn’t expected. I was looking forward to a fairly standard fantasy world— European-ish, tradesmen and nobles, that sort of thing. I’ve been through a few mysteries and was eager to see how Holyfield melded the two genres.

I hadn’t expected the supernatural to come and play in Avedon Hill. But vampires and moonbeasts (lycanthrope-type creatures) make their appearances, and I was thrilled. This isn’t a simple whodunit mystery. This is a no-holds-barred mixed up alibis-and-mystic-quests, interrogate-and-question again and again novel that really brings out the best of a mystery plot. Couple that with there not always being a simple answer, thanks to the supernatural coming into play (not to mention a bunch of gods who have their own designs on the world) and you’ve got a great mix of world and wonder.

Style

I listened to Murder at Avedon Hill through podiobooks.com. This was a wonderful way to experience the novel. I do feel like it would be just as good an experience (maybe even a better one) if just plain read in print or ebook. There are a lot of small details about this different world that I think would be easier absorbed through print rather than audio. Still, this was a great experience and a wonderful mystery. Arames and his student Arrin go through their investigation with such perfect methodology, but there is also the side quest to just get started, and other questions to be answered along the way. There’s much to chew on for the traditional fantasy fan, but the mystery reader won’t be disappointed, either.

My Thoughts

I was pulled into Murder at Avedon Hill from word one. Holyfield’s characters are true to their own personalities and natures from start to finish. His dialogue is very real, although I do think Arames tended to say, “Just one more question,” a few too many times. But that could just be his nature, and if so, he was definitely true to that. There’s plenty to uncover in Avedon Hill, and the growth of the more prominent characters is admirable. Holyfield manages to subtly take away layers of details to reveal more and more intrigue in this little town. As a whole, it is beautifully done.

For the audio, a great cast lined up to voice the characters themselves. That definitely helped with the audio version. Even though the cast isn’t huge, the separate voices really made a difference for me in keeping track of who was who and what their stories and alibis were. I’ll admit, there was one character toward the end that came sort of out of left field for me, but I think I can chalk that up to my own overlooking him rather than it being a failing in the audio or the writing. I got a few of the very minor characters mixed up, but it didn’t really detract too much from my enjoying of the end of the novel.

Would I Recommend This Book? I absolutely would! This is a great novel for the fantasy or mystery fan. If you like either, give it a shot, and if you like both genres, well this is the book for you. The mystery is solid, the characters are a real community, and the outsiders (Arames and Arrin) definitely do not fit in, which builds some great tension. I give Murder at Avedon Hill a secretive 4 of 5 stars.

Before I go into the author’s website, I do want to make a mention. Sadly, P.G. Holyfield recently lost a battle with an aggressive and inoperable form of cancer. He is sorely missed. Please, if you read and enjoy his work, consider helping his family with a donation to help cover medical costs and provide for the children he’s left behind. Since Murder at Avedon Hill and much of his other material can be downloaded for free, this would be a wonderful way to show your appreciation. You can make donations through podiobooks.com or his GoFundMe page at http://www.gofundme.com/pgfund

For more on the author, visit http://www.pgholyfield.com/maah/

You can purchase this book at Amazon or get the audio version for free at Podiobooks or iTunes.

Book Review- A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Summary

Everyone in town knows Owen Meany. If not for his stature, then definitely for his voice. Owen’s voice is not only “broken”, but powerful. He’s highly opinionated, very present wherever he is, and he has, quite possibly, the strongest faith of anyone in New Hampshire, if not in the entire USA.

Johnny is Owen’s best friend. Johnny may be one of the most faithless people in town. But through his best friend’s unwavering belief that he is an instrument of God and his unquestioning faith that everything has a purpose, Johnny is about to find his own belief in God. And in Owen Meany.

That's my summary. Here's the one I pulled from http://john-irving.com/

“I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he was the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.”

In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy’s mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn’t believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God’s instrument. What happens to Owen, after that 1953 foul ball, is extraordinary and terrifying.

Context

If I were to compare A Prayer for Owen Meany to any other story, it would probably be that of Forrest Gump. There’s a passage of time that just makes sense in the story, and seeing how Johnny, Owen, and the people around them pass through the years is very well done. The war in Vietnam takes a prominent role in some portions of the narrative, but it’s a world even that plays in the background of the beginning of Johnny’s adult life. As the narrative goes on, we see Johnny retelling the story as an adult in his forties, putting us in the late eighties when the story is actually being recounted. If a little before my time, it’s still a very poignant story for anyone with even the most basic sense of history. I am FAR from a history fanatic, but I gained an appreciation for at least the time Johnny and Owen grew up in that I didn’t have before. This book is not going to make me a historian. I have, as Johnny says a few times, no historical sense.

The faith is another thing entirely. I wouldn’t honestly put the word “preachy” on this book or even on Owen himself. He’s devout, yes. Opinionated, yes. Pushy at times, yes. But he doesn’t expect everyone to hold to his own beliefs the way someone who is “preachy” would. It’s hypocrisy that grates on him. False faith. And that, I think, is the real underlying issue with faith addressed here.

Style

I’m not a memoir reader. The only thing I’ve ever read that is considered a memoir is On Writing by Stephen King. After that, the closest thing is The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. A Prayer for Owen Meany is a blend of novel and memoir that I appreciate. If memoirs are generally presented this way, I can definitely see the draw of them. There is a lot to this novel that makes it difficult to remember that it is a fictional story and not a true one. For that, I commend John Irving.

My Thoughts

I picked up this book in part because I’m familiar with (and in fact a fan of) the movie based on it, Simon Birch.

Wow, are they two very different animals. The message is the same. Many of the key points are the same. But, as is true with nearly all book-to-screen adaptations, the book traverses a whole few extra dimensions the movie simply cannot touch on. I can’t go as far to say that Simon Birch ruined A Prayer for Owen Meany for me, or that now finally listening to the book ruined the movie for me. They are each something to be appreciated for their own merits. The differences are so drastic that it’s… not unrecognizable as the same story, but at least so different that it’s like comparing an apple to a pear. They’re very similar, yes, and one may be descended from the other, but one is so transformed that they’re just not easily compared anymore.

I love Simon Birch. I loved A Prayer for Owen Meany. They are two very different experiences, and both worth having.

Would I Recommend This Book? Very much so. Whether or not you’ve seen Simon Birch, I’d recommend this book. While sometimes a little meandering (not much, but a little) the narrative in A Prayer for Owen Meany is highly interesting, full, and damn does Irving know how to pull threads back together at the end and give everything a purpose. I give A Prayer for Owen Meany an under-3-second 5 out of 5 stars.

For more on the author, visit http://john-irving.com/