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snowmaiden's review
4.0
Another reviewer here said that this is a novel of the 90's, and that's definitely true. The machinations of the plot are secondary to the voice of the narrator as he spins out his crazy tale. I can't tell you too much at all without getting into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that this is the gonzo version of [b: Lathe of Heaven|59924|The Lathe of Heaven|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433084322l/59924._SX50_.jpg|425872], but it also reminded me a lot of the better works of [a: Jonathan Carroll|23704|Jonathan Carroll|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1222900262p2/23704.jpg], as the events of the story, improbable as they may be, are always grounded in a real emotional truth.
As you can probably tell, this book kept throwing me for a loop. To add insult to injury, the copy I got from the library, which was very brittle, literally fell apart in my hands as I was reading it. This seemed very fitting. (I hope the library doesn't bill me for the replacement cost, but given how unpopular this book is, I doubt they'll want to replace it anyway.)
All the blurbs on the back cover and the advance reviews I found online make it pretty clear that this book and its author were supposed to be The Next Big Thing, but obviously that didn't happen. I can't quite figure out why. For some reason, it just didn't catch on, but if you want a good example of a bonkers 90's novel of ideas, look no further. (If you can find a copy that isn't on the verge of falling apart, that is!)
As you can probably tell, this book kept throwing me for a loop. To add insult to injury, the copy I got from the library, which was very brittle, literally fell apart in my hands as I was reading it. This seemed very fitting. (I hope the library doesn't bill me for the replacement cost, but given how unpopular this book is, I doubt they'll want to replace it anyway.)
All the blurbs on the back cover and the advance reviews I found online make it pretty clear that this book and its author were supposed to be The Next Big Thing, but obviously that didn't happen. I can't quite figure out why. For some reason, it just didn't catch on, but if you want a good example of a bonkers 90's novel of ideas, look no further. (If you can find a copy that isn't on the verge of falling apart, that is!)
gengelcox's review
4.0
There seems to be a resurgence in time-travel novels, although they seem to be taking unusual shapes and forms. Or maybe I'm just hitting a bunch in a row: John Kessel's humorous take on time, Connie Willis' upcoming novel set in the same world as her award winning "Time Watch," and now this unusual novel, a combination of conspiracy paranoia, aliens among us, questionable reality, and time shuffling. It's a strange combo, but it works magically.
First off, I have to give credit where it is due. Lawrence Person told me to read this, and although we don't always agree on literature, Lawrence knows my taste in SF and can often identify books that I will enjoy (it was he who pointed me in the direction of William Browning Spencer's Zod Wallop, I believe). This time Lawrence was number one with a bullet! Door Number Three pushes several of my buttons, most importantly the study of dreams and the fluctuation of reality.
The subject matter reminds me of Philip Dick. What is the nature of humanity? Why do we do the things we do? These are Dickian subjects (at least in the SF genre), and O'Leary tackles them within a framework that Dick might have used. However, the style with which he describes his world and ideas is what Dick would have used it he were still alive. Trying to describe this, I have to resort to the simple description of this as a 90s novel--in 20+ years time, we will be able to definitively identify this as being written shortly before the turn of the century.
The basic story concerns John Donnelly, a psychologist whose new client, Laura, claims to have been in contact with aliens and if she can convince one sane person of this, they will let her stay on earth. But the real story is about John himself, his life, his family, and his personal adaptation to life. As such, it is not "true" science fiction, or, at least, science fiction as it is assigned as a label by most people. If the fantastical elements were less, or if O'Leary had been a little more post-modern with his prose, this would have been the latest hip college novel, rather than a forgotten debut on the SF shelf.
It is a strong novel, which should appeal to most readers. Be open to it, however, because many things are not as they first seem. And at a little less than 400 pages, there's a lot of space for twists and turns.
First off, I have to give credit where it is due. Lawrence Person told me to read this, and although we don't always agree on literature, Lawrence knows my taste in SF and can often identify books that I will enjoy (it was he who pointed me in the direction of William Browning Spencer's Zod Wallop, I believe). This time Lawrence was number one with a bullet! Door Number Three pushes several of my buttons, most importantly the study of dreams and the fluctuation of reality.
The subject matter reminds me of Philip Dick. What is the nature of humanity? Why do we do the things we do? These are Dickian subjects (at least in the SF genre), and O'Leary tackles them within a framework that Dick might have used. However, the style with which he describes his world and ideas is what Dick would have used it he were still alive. Trying to describe this, I have to resort to the simple description of this as a 90s novel--in 20+ years time, we will be able to definitively identify this as being written shortly before the turn of the century.
The basic story concerns John Donnelly, a psychologist whose new client, Laura, claims to have been in contact with aliens and if she can convince one sane person of this, they will let her stay on earth. But the real story is about John himself, his life, his family, and his personal adaptation to life. As such, it is not "true" science fiction, or, at least, science fiction as it is assigned as a label by most people. If the fantastical elements were less, or if O'Leary had been a little more post-modern with his prose, this would have been the latest hip college novel, rather than a forgotten debut on the SF shelf.
It is a strong novel, which should appeal to most readers. Be open to it, however, because many things are not as they first seem. And at a little less than 400 pages, there's a lot of space for twists and turns.
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