Scan barcode
A review by alexfromatlanta
Flicker by Theodore Roszak
5.0
I did not see this book coming. At all. It starts simply enough as a fictional story about a young man discovering the beauty and artistry of film, then becoming particularly engrossed in the work of an obscure German director, Max Castle. As the story progresses, our protagonist grows and learns, traveling deeper and deeper into a trench of mystery that gives way to a secret religious order, an underground conspiracy to corrupt mankind and subtle manipulations of some of the most famous films of all time.
On the whole, the story is compelling and interesting, despite my having no previous experience with classic film. It reads like a high-end Davinci Code but is built with both greater complexity and subtlety. I was particularly impressed with the author's creation of a fictional school of French critical film theory, uniting neuroscience and structuralism. Even as the protagonist is at odds with the theory's main proponent, one can't deny that it isn't a compelling theory.
And the interweaving of very real gnostic doctrine with film is artfully accomplished. By the time the author reveals the secret agenda of sinister hands, the pieces fit together so well you almost feel dumb for having missed it.
My only complaint about this book is the ending. The book covers the entire career of the protagonist at near breakneck speed but still clocks in at over 600 pages. So I began to despair when I entered the 500's with still no resolution in sight. With so little room left to work with, the story collapses on itself in the end. The last 50 pages or so serve no purpose other than to wrap the story up and make a last desperate case for both the genius of the, at this point almost mythical, Max Castle and the malignancy of the principal antagonists. The reader is left with a feeling of despair and impotence in the face of a potentially global threat. I recognize that this could certainly be by design, reflecting the inner workings of so many of the films detailed in the story, but still, I'm a sucker for a happy ending.
On the whole, the story is compelling and interesting, despite my having no previous experience with classic film. It reads like a high-end Davinci Code but is built with both greater complexity and subtlety. I was particularly impressed with the author's creation of a fictional school of French critical film theory, uniting neuroscience and structuralism. Even as the protagonist is at odds with the theory's main proponent, one can't deny that it isn't a compelling theory.
And the interweaving of very real gnostic doctrine with film is artfully accomplished. By the time the author reveals the secret agenda of sinister hands, the pieces fit together so well you almost feel dumb for having missed it.
My only complaint about this book is the ending. The book covers the entire career of the protagonist at near breakneck speed but still clocks in at over 600 pages. So I began to despair when I entered the 500's with still no resolution in sight. With so little room left to work with, the story collapses on itself in the end. The last 50 pages or so serve no purpose other than to wrap the story up and make a last desperate case for both the genius of the, at this point almost mythical, Max Castle and the malignancy of the principal antagonists. The reader is left with a feeling of despair and impotence in the face of a potentially global threat. I recognize that this could certainly be by design, reflecting the inner workings of so many of the films detailed in the story, but still, I'm a sucker for a happy ending.