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rpnelson 's review for:
The Mirror Thief
by Martin Seay
This is an ambitious book, and one I quite enjoyed. Three stories featuring Venice (the hotel in Las Vegas, the beach in SoCal, and the actual city circa the late 1500's), each with a mysterious anti-hero that all reflect in on one another. The historical detail about the 16th century city is particularly amazing.
Ultimately, I'd say the the book doesn't quite pay off all its early promises. The alchemical magic that Stanley appears to possess is never explained, nor is any of his life between teen-age delinquent and dying older man. However, this is one of those pieces where the journey is the reward, rather than then end, which relies a bit heavily on chase scenes and battles. There's some lovely language though, especially in the argot of the beatnik-era Venice Beach and the descriptions of the Italian city.
I get the comparisons to Eco, especially in the first half of the novel, but he's not quite as assured as that writer, nor does he have the pure storytelling genius of Salman Rushdie. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book to anyone who's not afraid of obscure vocabulary words and amazingly descriptive prose.
Ultimately, I'd say the the book doesn't quite pay off all its early promises. The alchemical magic that Stanley appears to possess is never explained, nor is any of his life between teen-age delinquent and dying older man. However, this is one of those pieces where the journey is the reward, rather than then end, which relies a bit heavily on chase scenes and battles. There's some lovely language though, especially in the argot of the beatnik-era Venice Beach and the descriptions of the Italian city.
I get the comparisons to Eco, especially in the first half of the novel, but he's not quite as assured as that writer, nor does he have the pure storytelling genius of Salman Rushdie. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the book to anyone who's not afraid of obscure vocabulary words and amazingly descriptive prose.