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bunrab's review against another edition
5.0
Rereading this as I unpack more books, and of course it's a keeper - I'm not offloading this one. Even though I am really peeved at the author that apparently we will never get to see the sequel, which isn't really a sequel, it's the second half of the book, because this one stops right smack in the middle of a scene, practically the middle of a sentence.
If you haven't already read it - alternate history, sort of, where the procyonids rather than the prosimians went on to become the large, sapient, omnivorous, tool-using apex predators. It's different, and it's good, and it's a fascinating story.
If you haven't already read it - alternate history, sort of, where the procyonids rather than the prosimians went on to become the large, sapient, omnivorous, tool-using apex predators. It's different, and it's good, and it's a fascinating story.
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
After a near mishap while exploring a cave, Jim Bentley emerges to find a humanoid raccoon using a fishing pole. What strange world has he stumbled into? And will he ever find his way home?
Since we're both dorks, my lady friend and I have had multiple conversations about which animals would be likely to evolve once humanity is dust in the wind. Raccoons are said to be one of the most adaptable species so they get my vote. When this book, complete with humanoid raccoon cover, popped up on my Goodreads feed, it was a no brainer.
The Architect of Sleep is told in alternating chapters, ones from the point of view of Jim Bentley and ones from the point of view of the intelligent raccoon he has nicknamed Truck. Bentley is a fish out of water, learning the sign language of the raccoons while he explores the world in Truck's company. Truck has her own reasons for wandering...
The world Steven R. Boyett has created is well thought out. If primates stay in the trees and raccoons step up, lots of things change. The raccoons ride llamas, for instance. They have pre-Renaissance level technology and have carved up what would have been the United States into their own territories, each with a spiritual leader called The Architect of Dreams.
Lots of time was put into the crafting of the culture of this world, raising it above the sword and raygun adventure it easily could have been. The plot turned out to be pretty intricate.
The only complaints I have are that the writing was a little dry and, much more major, the book just ends and the second half was never published! What the hell happens to Jim, Zorba, and Fagin? And does Truck get her throne back? Son of a damn bitch!
3 stars. Just don't expect any sort of closure.
Since we're both dorks, my lady friend and I have had multiple conversations about which animals would be likely to evolve once humanity is dust in the wind. Raccoons are said to be one of the most adaptable species so they get my vote. When this book, complete with humanoid raccoon cover, popped up on my Goodreads feed, it was a no brainer.
The Architect of Sleep is told in alternating chapters, ones from the point of view of Jim Bentley and ones from the point of view of the intelligent raccoon he has nicknamed Truck. Bentley is a fish out of water, learning the sign language of the raccoons while he explores the world in Truck's company. Truck has her own reasons for wandering...
The world Steven R. Boyett has created is well thought out. If primates stay in the trees and raccoons step up, lots of things change. The raccoons ride llamas, for instance. They have pre-Renaissance level technology and have carved up what would have been the United States into their own territories, each with a spiritual leader called The Architect of Dreams.
Lots of time was put into the crafting of the culture of this world, raising it above the sword and raygun adventure it easily could have been. The plot turned out to be pretty intricate.
The only complaints I have are that the writing was a little dry and, much more major, the book just ends and the second half was never published! What the hell happens to Jim, Zorba, and Fagin? And does Truck get her throne back? Son of a damn bitch!
3 stars. Just don't expect any sort of closure.
fihman's review against another edition
5.0
It is so frustrating that the second part was never published!
mysta's review against another edition
4.0
Despite the cheesy-dimestore-SciFi-fantasy cover that totally had me fooled for a long time, this is one of the most interesting novels I've read. It temporarily got me out of a reading funk when I was in university and didn't have the energy to read more than what was required of me unless it was particularly good. The style in which it's written is very interesting, almost like the main character is actually sitting down and talking to you, going off on tangents and mentioning things that will happen later, etc. A bit disappointing that we'll never get to see the rest of the series (why do people have to ruin a good thing?), but I've never minded open-ended stories, even ones as open-ended as this one. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone interested in language or world building, because that is where this book excels (and also, I mean, how can you go wrong with bipedal racoons who ride llamas?)
sagauthor's review
3.0
I enjoyed the journey of this science fantasy. There are two narrators in the story who are different in every way. They become friends and allies in the conflict for the new world.
Like other reviewers, I wish the sequel were available. I found the world and struggle in the alternate world to be compelling and interesting.
The most interesting feature of the story to me was the beginning of learning the signing language of the raccoon people. The author was very clear and realistic in explaining the difficulty in learning communication between the human and raccoon.
This book is very erudite, educated and sophisticated. I had to look up a few words in this story, which is very unusual for me. This book is probably best for very educated readers. Readers who are looking for a simple action story would likely be disappointed. The most detail in the story is the psychological relations between the different characters. There is some fighting, armed and hand-to-hand raccoon fighting, but this is just incidental to the plot.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone looking for a deep look at alternate raccoon society.
Like other reviewers, I wish the sequel were available. I found the world and struggle in the alternate world to be compelling and interesting.
The most interesting feature of the story to me was the beginning of learning the signing language of the raccoon people. The author was very clear and realistic in explaining the difficulty in learning communication between the human and raccoon.
This book is very erudite, educated and sophisticated. I had to look up a few words in this story, which is very unusual for me. This book is probably best for very educated readers. Readers who are looking for a simple action story would likely be disappointed. The most detail in the story is the psychological relations between the different characters. There is some fighting, armed and hand-to-hand raccoon fighting, but this is just incidental to the plot.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone looking for a deep look at alternate raccoon society.
alyyks's review
3.0
Interesting world building, but that there is no sequel to this book is an pretty big frustration.
spoth's review
3.0
This is the first (and only) book of a series. I heard the author wrote the second book decades ago, but it was never published because of a disagreement with the publisher. It's okay... by the end of this book, you can kind of guess where things are going, and fill in the rest yourself. The interesting bits - the exploration of the new world and its inhabitants - are over and done with in this book anyways. The sentences are well-crafted, and there are some nice scenes and moments.
encgolsen's review
3.0
I'd had this book on my shelves forever when I finally read it. The author's writing style was a little cornball at times, but all in all I was enjoying his imaginative exploration of an alternate reality where raccoons had evolved into the sentient species instead of apes. Until I got to the end--apparently this book was envisioned as the first in a series, only the other books were never published. If you don't mind loose ends, it's still worth a read, but it was a little frustrating for me.
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