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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Damien Knight’s first book is a Hero Tale that passes through a few disguises before revealing its true identity. First as a family drama, then a family tragedy, and finally the hero tale promised by the synopsis. It just takes a little while the roll the boulder up the hill.
Imagine opening the blu ray case for Cheaper by the Dozen and finding Superman inside. Believe me, this is a victory.
Main character Sam’s trials of being a teenager, in a foreign country no less (though the primary language remains the same, so the barrier is relatively narrow), soon give way to those of being a form of Kwisatz Haderach that allows him to access to the future and to return to the past to prepare for forthcoming. It’s similar to Peter Parker’s experience with the discovery of his powers (because he's a teen and a hero and he just happened to pop into my head first), which I appreciate, though Sam doesn’t possess any additional skills or abilities that complement his newfound powers in the same fashion as Peter's scientific, or sewing, acumen. With exemption to empathy, which is an excellent place to start for anyone with special powers that puts them at a distinct advantage over their fellow humans.
Everyone knows what happens when sociopaths find themselves blessed with phenomenal cosmic power.
Nooooope.
Yes.
It isn’t until about a third of the way through the story that the plot develops into something demonstrably more than a teenager’s coming-of-age story. At this point we jump back in time to a character we’ve visited in the past, Michael, a teenage casualty of the Vietnam war, to learn more about his, and Sam’s situation.
I found Knight’s book strangely compelling. One won’t read the book and jot down individual passages to wear on t-shirts (that’s not true—you might). It won’t change your life or make you a better person (I suppose this is also not true—it might). The writing didn’t possess a voice of profundity or ingeniousness, but it told the story effectively without taking the reader out of the tale. And the ability to tell a story without overwriting, that doesn’t distract from itself, is a significant accomplishment. Many writers, including myself, have difficulty with this sort of achievement.
Despite the added color provided by the perspectives of the various characters associated with Sam, my preference would have been to stick with a smaller number of viewpoints, ideally those of Sam and Michael. These characters were the central and most interesting characters, so I naturally wanted to come back to them most. However, Knight was able to use these extra perspectives to provide exposition and insight Sam and Michael could not have offered so easily.
Nevertheless, the plot was a slow burn that proved rewarding in the end. If this book was a Marvel film it’s likely half the story would have been excised and relegated to flashbacks. Or, sweet heavens, like The Gunslinger, in which there were flashbacks inside of memories inside of flashbacks. But that’s the advantage of the printed word and what is sacrificed in cinema is often sorely missed when character development is replaced by action. Thankfully, Knight has no such restrictions and takes his time developing his story.
Time travel is a hard plot device to work around. Paradox is tough. But Knight handles it effortlessly and plausibly. In most books/films in which time travel plays a role one can usually point to at least one incident or inconsistency that would have fouled up the entire story. The method in which Knight approached this subject never caused concern or threatened my suspension of disbelief, which is the single largest concern the synopsis created for me. To get through the book without my suspension being violated was very gratifying.
Knight has a sequel in mind, so it’s possible, with the Hero Development out of the way, he might focus on a more action-oriented rather than character-development plot next time around. Or he could run off on a completely new tangent. Whichever he chooses, I’m confident my sense of paradox is in good hands.
Imagine opening the blu ray case for Cheaper by the Dozen and finding Superman inside. Believe me, this is a victory.
Main character Sam’s trials of being a teenager, in a foreign country no less (though the primary language remains the same, so the barrier is relatively narrow), soon give way to those of being a form of Kwisatz Haderach that allows him to access to the future and to return to the past to prepare for forthcoming. It’s similar to Peter Parker’s experience with the discovery of his powers (because he's a teen and a hero and he just happened to pop into my head first), which I appreciate, though Sam doesn’t possess any additional skills or abilities that complement his newfound powers in the same fashion as Peter's scientific, or sewing, acumen. With exemption to empathy, which is an excellent place to start for anyone with special powers that puts them at a distinct advantage over their fellow humans.
Everyone knows what happens when sociopaths find themselves blessed with phenomenal cosmic power.
Nooooope.
Yes.
It isn’t until about a third of the way through the story that the plot develops into something demonstrably more than a teenager’s coming-of-age story. At this point we jump back in time to a character we’ve visited in the past, Michael, a teenage casualty of the Vietnam war, to learn more about his, and Sam’s situation.
I found Knight’s book strangely compelling. One won’t read the book and jot down individual passages to wear on t-shirts (that’s not true—you might). It won’t change your life or make you a better person (I suppose this is also not true—it might). The writing didn’t possess a voice of profundity or ingeniousness, but it told the story effectively without taking the reader out of the tale. And the ability to tell a story without overwriting, that doesn’t distract from itself, is a significant accomplishment. Many writers, including myself, have difficulty with this sort of achievement.
Despite the added color provided by the perspectives of the various characters associated with Sam, my preference would have been to stick with a smaller number of viewpoints, ideally those of Sam and Michael. These characters were the central and most interesting characters, so I naturally wanted to come back to them most. However, Knight was able to use these extra perspectives to provide exposition and insight Sam and Michael could not have offered so easily.
Nevertheless, the plot was a slow burn that proved rewarding in the end. If this book was a Marvel film it’s likely half the story would have been excised and relegated to flashbacks. Or, sweet heavens, like The Gunslinger, in which there were flashbacks inside of memories inside of flashbacks. But that’s the advantage of the printed word and what is sacrificed in cinema is often sorely missed when character development is replaced by action. Thankfully, Knight has no such restrictions and takes his time developing his story.
Time travel is a hard plot device to work around. Paradox is tough. But Knight handles it effortlessly and plausibly. In most books/films in which time travel plays a role one can usually point to at least one incident or inconsistency that would have fouled up the entire story. The method in which Knight approached this subject never caused concern or threatened my suspension of disbelief, which is the single largest concern the synopsis created for me. To get through the book without my suspension being violated was very gratifying.
Knight has a sequel in mind, so it’s possible, with the Hero Development out of the way, he might focus on a more action-oriented rather than character-development plot next time around. Or he could run off on a completely new tangent. Whichever he chooses, I’m confident my sense of paradox is in good hands.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I wasn't sure if I was going to love this book when I started. It has a slow build of every day life and teenage issues and then quite literally with a bang everything changes.
I loved the intelligence of the writing and thoughtfulness of the fast paced plot.
I'm very curious to get my hands on the rest of the series and find out what happens next.
I loved the intelligence of the writing and thoughtfulness of the fast paced plot.
I'm very curious to get my hands on the rest of the series and find out what happens next.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
For a coming of age story with elements of science fiction it is an ok read. Since this is part of a series it has an open ending, so many things are going to be up in the air. An enjoyable read to get distracted but not necessarily a good intro series for adults.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacts my opinion.
DNF @ 6%
Y-I-K-E-S. I went into this one anticipating it to be pretty good since some people I am friends with on Goodreads have enjoyed it but I could barely get through the first page without wondering what was happening. This one tries to start off with the "INTENSE SCENE" then FLASHBACK thing, but it just does not work in this case and it made me feel more confused than interested in learning what happened. But I soldiered on and was even more confused by the "conflict" and the move to America storyline, which was obviously just a catalyst for whatever the plot was. We are then introduced to Sam's sister, Chrissie, who is depicted as literally a psychopath and I was cautious but thought maybe I could stomach that. But then I came across this beauty,
and I knew this book was not for me. I did read on a bit further than this and thought that I could maybe push on but then I decided it wasn't for me. I'm not sure I would recommend this one, tbh. It might be interesting but I was mostly just confused and uninspired by the characters.
DNF @ 6%
Y-I-K-E-S. I went into this one anticipating it to be pretty good since some people I am friends with on Goodreads have enjoyed it but I could barely get through the first page without wondering what was happening. This one tries to start off with the "INTENSE SCENE" then FLASHBACK thing, but it just does not work in this case and it made me feel more confused than interested in learning what happened. But I soldiered on and was even more confused by the "conflict" and the move to America storyline, which was obviously just a catalyst for whatever the plot was. We are then introduced to Sam's sister, Chrissie, who is depicted as literally a psychopath and I was cautious but thought maybe I could stomach that. But then I came across this beauty,
His father turned to leave, flabby white buttocks wobbling with each step. He stopped in the doorway, farted loudly and said, "Happy birthday," before slamming the door behind him.
and I knew this book was not for me. I did read on a bit further than this and thought that I could maybe push on but then I decided it wasn't for me. I'm not sure I would recommend this one, tbh. It might be interesting but I was mostly just confused and uninspired by the characters.
Okay
This wasn’t my favorite and the writer mixes some British speaking with the American characters, I like a book that grabs me and won’t let go, this wasn’t it. I will read the next as the last did leave me with questions...
This wasn’t my favorite and the writer mixes some British speaking with the American characters, I like a book that grabs me and won’t let go, this wasn’t it. I will read the next as the last did leave me with questions...
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
DNF @ 2%
You know how you can pick up a book and just know it won't work for you? Yeah. That happened here. Nothing worked for me. Nothing made sense. The sister was just an extreme mess, and I find it hard to believe that, after what she did years before, she wouldn't have had a psych evaluation. It didn't help that there was too much unnecessary detail.
Maybe it should become standard practice for authors to send the first 10-15 pages along with review requests, as I would have said no to this opportunity if I'd read that. Sorry, but this just wasn't for me...
DNF @ 2%
You know how you can pick up a book and just know it won't work for you? Yeah. That happened here. Nothing worked for me. Nothing made sense. The sister was just an extreme mess, and I find it hard to believe that, after what she did years before, she wouldn't have had a psych evaluation. It didn't help that there was too much unnecessary detail.
Maybe it should become standard practice for authors to send the first 10-15 pages along with review requests, as I would have said no to this opportunity if I'd read that. Sorry, but this just wasn't for me...
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. There was quite a bit of violence at the end but it was so well written that it didn't feel gratuitous. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series because once I finished I wanted more!