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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
I’m still not sure if it’s a novel or biography but I enjoyed it a great deal
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I was so intrigued by the idea of a D&D book being found in North Korea and the ripple effect that could have on someone's life there. It was a fascinating story, but there were a couple things I found strange... First, And second, the way the ending flows so seamlessly into what feels like an author's note but could also just be part of the narration was a little confusing. I really want to know which parts of this story actually happened (if any) and which parts are "based on a true story." True or not, I was totally invested in this book and finished it in a day. You don't really have to know much about D&D to appreciate it.
Spoiler
the inclusion of the attempted assault seemed so random and out of place. I guess I wanted Teacher Kang to be a more sympathetic character because of his important role with the game. It does set up a later conflict, but I feel like that could have been done in a less icky way. It's possible that this was one of the nonfiction elements and that's why it needed to be included, but the I don't think we as readers get to know for sure.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I picked up this book at the same time I picked up The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui and I think the stark differences of storytelling really says it all. There's a compassion that Bui has for the people she's talking about, her parents, that is just not present in this book. I was expecting to read a novel about Cho Jun-Su, like he was actually the main character, but this book did not deliver on that. The Sorcerer of Pyongyang relied too heavily on source materials, and not enough on storytelling. It didn't feel like a love story, it didn't feel much like a story at all. I'd argue this is more of a nonfiction book, than a fiction book. When people say write what you know, I think it's important to stick to that, not as a rule, but because when Theroux was writing this story, there were so many moments where I felt like he was not writing a real character, with real thoughts, but a caricature with Theroux's opinions. "An entire lifetime of political indoctrination seemed to be culminating in this moment" (66). Like, seriously? That's what you think Cho Jun-Su is thinking at this moment when he's awestruck by Kim Jong-Il? I just don't believe it. The whole story feels like a cheap retelling of someone else's life, because it is. And I think that the title of this novel is so great, and the actual work of this piece is not. My one star is for the beautiful cover.
“In the darkness before the yut sticks do their work, Jun-su thought, we are nothing: neither Cat, nor fox, nor Yankee bastard, nor troll, nor pure-blooded descendant of Tangun. In the moment before you first drew breath, you were only quickening pulse, one point in an unthinkable vastness of stars. Who decided how it had to be? Who chose your destiny?”
More like 3.5. It gave a great glimpse into life in North Korea while also connecting it to D&D. I enjoyed it but felt the story needed more.