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A review by mdjohnson
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart
2.0
A favorite quote: "What good did worrying do? At this very moment Sticky was sitting beside him on the step, recounting a study he'd read on the 'potentially salubrious effects of daydreams on mental health,' and below them Constance was attempting to retie her shoe with her mittens still on, and Kate was there in the yard, spinning with her arms out wide and gazing up at her falcon in the sky. Reynie took a mental picture, and saved it." (p. 36)
Did I cry?: no/a little bit/a good amount/wept
Loved:
I love the idea of basing this book around the "prisoner's dilemma" presented at the very beginning. The themes of loyalty, trust, and honor are interwoven throughout the story, forcing both the reader and the characters to face the "dilemma" in a variety of scenarios.
Other notes:
We all know this is the weakest book of the original trilogy. The pacing is a little weird. Nothing really "happens" until about halfway through the book, and by the time you get to the end, everything is happening very quickly.
This book's sense of "purpose" isn't as strong as the first two, at least to me. The first book, like any good introduction to a series, establishes the characters and their enemies in an action-packed adventure. The second book takes those characters we have grown to love and lets them bloom; each member of the Society experiences a good amount of character development. But what does this book do for the characters? It's obvious to me that Stewart intended this to be the original ending to the series, although we now know he wrote a fourth book about a decade later. Of course, I haven't read the fourth book yet, so maybe this is coming. But for the original ending of the series, it just doesn't stick the landing. Maybe this re-read just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm open to the possibility that I might revisit this book in a few years and love it and think it's actually the best book in the series.
Did I cry?: no/a little bit/a good amount/wept
Loved:
I love the idea of basing this book around the "prisoner's dilemma" presented at the very beginning. The themes of loyalty, trust, and honor are interwoven throughout the story, forcing both the reader and the characters to face the "dilemma" in a variety of scenarios.
Other notes:
We all know this is the weakest book of the original trilogy. The pacing is a little weird. Nothing really "happens" until about halfway through the book, and by the time you get to the end, everything is happening very quickly.
Spoiler
Stewart spends all this time building up Mr. Benedict potentially being able to cure his narcolepsy using the Whisperer, and then when Constance is actually able to cure him at the very end of the book, the scene is about two pages long and gives no real details as to how she actually did it.This book's sense of "purpose" isn't as strong as the first two, at least to me. The first book, like any good introduction to a series, establishes the characters and their enemies in an action-packed adventure. The second book takes those characters we have grown to love and lets them bloom; each member of the Society experiences a good amount of character development. But what does this book do for the characters? It's obvious to me that Stewart intended this to be the original ending to the series, although we now know he wrote a fourth book about a decade later.