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samanthawattam's review against another edition
3.0
Many people purport to glimpse heaven during a near death experience for Keith Chapman it is Qantoum he sees. When he realises it is a real place he wants to know more and about the mysterious statement "Go now, we'll meet again … under the black sun, at the end of a thousand years".
My initial impressions after reading the first half of this book is that it would struggle to maintain the attention of many young adults at which this novel is aimed, it certainly struggled to maintain mine as an adult. It is original in its setting and storyline but the narrative is slow in getting going and there is a distinct lack of interaction with the characters initially. It seems to me that more should have been made of Keith's journey to Qantoum, he decision to go, persuading his family (who we don't meet at all) and his journey that all happened too quickly.
It did capture what I imagine it would be like to live in an isolated area with people who have been cut off from outside influences and as the modern world starts to intrude the clash of cultures. It is fascinating how much smaller the world is fast becoming - that the internet has changed our world whereas it would have taken months now it takes seconds for news to travel and for people to react to that news. One point It made that I found particularly interesting was how lying/deceiving someone even in a minor way and done without malice can have unforeseen consequences something Keith finds out the hard way.
Well over half way through I found myself drawn in more and more wanting to know about the Sturyat where they came from and where they were going and the mysteries that surround them and Qantoum and its people. But I fear that people who don't have my OCD tendencies of having to finish a book they start would have given up by this point, which is a shame. But I have to be honest that I was no clearer at the end than I was at the start. So if you are hoping for answers to your questions I'm afraid you will be disappointed.
My initial impressions after reading the first half of this book is that it would struggle to maintain the attention of many young adults at which this novel is aimed, it certainly struggled to maintain mine as an adult. It is original in its setting and storyline but the narrative is slow in getting going and there is a distinct lack of interaction with the characters initially. It seems to me that more should have been made of Keith's journey to Qantoum, he decision to go, persuading his family (who we don't meet at all) and his journey that all happened too quickly.
It did capture what I imagine it would be like to live in an isolated area with people who have been cut off from outside influences and as the modern world starts to intrude the clash of cultures. It is fascinating how much smaller the world is fast becoming - that the internet has changed our world whereas it would have taken months now it takes seconds for news to travel and for people to react to that news. One point It made that I found particularly interesting was how lying/deceiving someone even in a minor way and done without malice can have unforeseen consequences something Keith finds out the hard way.
Well over half way through I found myself drawn in more and more wanting to know about the Sturyat where they came from and where they were going and the mysteries that surround them and Qantoum and its people. But I fear that people who don't have my OCD tendencies of having to finish a book they start would have given up by this point, which is a shame. But I have to be honest that I was no clearer at the end than I was at the start. So if you are hoping for answers to your questions I'm afraid you will be disappointed.