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publius's review
4.0
With Crecheling, D.J. Butler defies YA genre stereotypes to create a dystopian future that is vibrant and dangerous, where characters act like real people, and where death and pain are real and unavoidable, even for his heroes. The result is a story that is gripping, characters that are sympathetic, and a plot that grows under momentum that increases until the last pages.
For the most part, I avoid reading young adult fiction, including those that might otherwise consider because they are in genres I might enjoy (i.e. science fiction or fantasy), especially in recent years when YA has exploded as a genre. It seems like I can't turn around without bumping into the last young adult dystopian/urban fantasy romance, complete with zombies, vampires, or oppressive Nazi types. Some are probably very good, but so many seem dripping with the angst that irritated me even when I was a young adult (or, as is probably a better label, a teenager) myself that I'm turned off by the characters. Because of that, I probably would never have picked out Butler's Crecheling except that I had already read his City of Saints (steam punk set in the old west) and his Rock Band Fights Evil: Hellhound on My Trail (urban fantasy, I think), and found myself thoroughly entertained. Still, it took a few months to pick it up.
It didn't take long to regret my delay. Crecheling starts of with a coming-of-age feel, with Dyan preparing to leave her childhood an accept a role in the utopian community that has raised her. There's hope, a romance, and a perfect society, and, to be honest, it seems like a decent place to live.
Except that it's nothing like what it seems, and as the pages turned, the stakes grow and Dyan's coming-of-age tale becomes something much more dangerous, more of a "will I survive?" tale that is more credible and more interesting. At its heart, Butler appears to examine the question that so many dystopian novels address in one way or another--can a perfect society be created without abusing the humanity of its members--but it's easy to forget that there's a moral question at play while his heroes are fighting to stay alive. No, it's not The Hunger Games, but rather something more subtle and credible than a spectator sport with life or death stakes. Yes, life or death is on the line, but in a way that can be believed, sans the faux romance (yes, there's still romance--we're talking about teens, here. It's just not so forced).
I ran into Butler at Salt Lake Comic Con this last month, and he says that he's working on a sequel to Crecheling (I think he said Urbane is the working title). Butler's writing never really gives you the whole picture, and you never really know more than the characters, which isn't much. But the effect is like a flashlight in a dark room--you see glimpses of a vast and detailed world, one that provides a setting, but never gets in the way of the story. Butler's proved himself in his previous novels, and I look forward to Urbane.
For the most part, I avoid reading young adult fiction, including those that might otherwise consider because they are in genres I might enjoy (i.e. science fiction or fantasy), especially in recent years when YA has exploded as a genre. It seems like I can't turn around without bumping into the last young adult dystopian/urban fantasy romance, complete with zombies, vampires, or oppressive Nazi types. Some are probably very good, but so many seem dripping with the angst that irritated me even when I was a young adult (or, as is probably a better label, a teenager) myself that I'm turned off by the characters. Because of that, I probably would never have picked out Butler's Crecheling except that I had already read his City of Saints (steam punk set in the old west) and his Rock Band Fights Evil: Hellhound on My Trail (urban fantasy, I think), and found myself thoroughly entertained. Still, it took a few months to pick it up.
It didn't take long to regret my delay. Crecheling starts of with a coming-of-age feel, with Dyan preparing to leave her childhood an accept a role in the utopian community that has raised her. There's hope, a romance, and a perfect society, and, to be honest, it seems like a decent place to live.
Except that it's nothing like what it seems, and as the pages turned, the stakes grow and Dyan's coming-of-age tale becomes something much more dangerous, more of a "will I survive?" tale that is more credible and more interesting. At its heart, Butler appears to examine the question that so many dystopian novels address in one way or another--can a perfect society be created without abusing the humanity of its members--but it's easy to forget that there's a moral question at play while his heroes are fighting to stay alive. No, it's not The Hunger Games, but rather something more subtle and credible than a spectator sport with life or death stakes. Yes, life or death is on the line, but in a way that can be believed, sans the faux romance (yes, there's still romance--we're talking about teens, here. It's just not so forced).
I ran into Butler at Salt Lake Comic Con this last month, and he says that he's working on a sequel to Crecheling (I think he said Urbane is the working title). Butler's writing never really gives you the whole picture, and you never really know more than the characters, which isn't much. But the effect is like a flashlight in a dark room--you see glimpses of a vast and detailed world, one that provides a setting, but never gets in the way of the story. Butler's proved himself in his previous novels, and I look forward to Urbane.
errantdreams's review
4.0
Why must so many guys portray women as fiercely competitive with and unable to trust each other, particularly in love? Why must their young female characters always be on the arm of one man or another? It's a bad stereotype that leaves a black mark on an otherwise original and interesting book.
That brings us to the good stuff. Butler really does give his characters–the one glaring exception being Cheela–a great deal of depth. Characters have emotional range and real personality. I think if he hadn’t been so set on that one stereotype he probably could have made Cheela less one-note as well (this is one reason why stereotypes suck–because they tend to circumscribe your writing in certain ways). Magister Zahara in particular is enigmatic and has some interesting effects on the story. Eirig is my favorite character with his sense of humor, and Cheela is my least favorite because she’s such a shrieking harpy.
The action is quite good. The weapons are vicious, and all the Crechelings are skilled in their use. There are all sorts of violent potential ends awaiting the unwary once away from the System, and Butler is clever in getting the most out of them. There’s also plenty of good skulking around and use of tactics. I did have a little difficulty with the fact that a character lost most of an arm and it barely slowed him down (before getting any medical attention other than a tourniquet he still climbed a rope quite handily, and no one ever stopped him to comment on the fact that he’s newly missing half of his arm). There’s plenty of tension, and other than the one item above I really enjoyed this book, despite the fact that dystopias and Westerns aren’t my favorite genres. The fact that the author really made it about the characters kept things engaging and interesting.
Consider my rating a 3.5.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2018/10/review-crecheling-d-j-butler/
That brings us to the good stuff. Butler really does give his characters–the one glaring exception being Cheela–a great deal of depth. Characters have emotional range and real personality. I think if he hadn’t been so set on that one stereotype he probably could have made Cheela less one-note as well (this is one reason why stereotypes suck–because they tend to circumscribe your writing in certain ways). Magister Zahara in particular is enigmatic and has some interesting effects on the story. Eirig is my favorite character with his sense of humor, and Cheela is my least favorite because she’s such a shrieking harpy.
The action is quite good. The weapons are vicious, and all the Crechelings are skilled in their use. There are all sorts of violent potential ends awaiting the unwary once away from the System, and Butler is clever in getting the most out of them. There’s also plenty of good skulking around and use of tactics. I did have a little difficulty with the fact that a character lost most of an arm and it barely slowed him down (before getting any medical attention other than a tourniquet he still climbed a rope quite handily, and no one ever stopped him to comment on the fact that he’s newly missing half of his arm). There’s plenty of tension, and other than the one item above I really enjoyed this book, despite the fact that dystopias and Westerns aren’t my favorite genres. The fact that the author really made it about the characters kept things engaging and interesting.
Consider my rating a 3.5.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2018/10/review-crecheling-d-j-butler/
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