A review by thestarman
Ariel: A Book of the Change by Steven R. Boyett

3.0

1983 cover
Ye Original 1983 Cover, versus darker 2009 version.
My, how our future visionings have changed.

Which cover is more accurate? Read it and see! (Hint:
Spoiler Neither is spot-on
).

SUMMARY: First published in 1983. Post-Apocalypse world with some magic. Stars a young man and a certain mythological (?) creature. Adventure, humor, sadness, sword fights, a villain, and more.

There's also a sequel, published many years later (2009): [b:Elegy Beach|6421529|Elegy Beach (Change #2)|Steven R. Boyett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348769899l/6421529._SY75_.jpg|6610746]

First Line: I was bathing in a lake when I saw the unicorn.

VERDICT: 3.67 stars. The world needs more sci-fi/fantasy mashups that are not completely ridiculous (and this one's less ridiculous* than most sci-fantasy attempts).

* Okay, I admit that some of the fight scenes in ARIEL were way-out completely ridiculous. I'm talking comic book level, or worse. This, along with some other minor to moderate quibbles, prevents me from awarding it the full 4 stars it may deserve.

But the rest was pretty good, if occasionally frustrating. It's the kind of book where you sometimes want to slap the protagonist, and can't decide if you want him to live or die--in a good way, I think.

I had some problems with the LACK of science here (specifically, the NON-decay of gasoline, car tires, rubber shoes, clothing etc.), but you may not give a whit about such details, because you are distracted by a unicorn with a sense of humor, and a human with an inferior one.

PS: I laughed out loud at least twice--probably at inappropriate times.