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amypeveto 's review for:
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang
by Marcel Theroux
“It was a moment that Cho Jun-su would replay in his imagination for the rest of his life. In years to come, he would joke that it was like a celestial object falling from the sky to be discovered by some bewildered nomad and made the centerpiece of a new religion.”
Finding the right book at the right time can be life-changing, especially when you live in one of the most isolated countries in the world. When middle schooler Jun-su finds a forgotten copy of The Dungeon Master’s Guide, he is introduced to worlds far beyond North Korea. But soon it becomes clear that his discovery has put him directly in conflict with everything he was raised to believe — and the government that can decide whether he lives or dies.
Like many readers, I picked this up because of the Dungeons & Dragons connection; unlike many readers, I appreciated that gameplay wasn’t the actual focus. I love how Theroux made it the bedrock of the story, showing how Jun-su’s learning the concepts/themes and how to play impacted his decisions throughout his life. That said, the plot itself was a little predictable, and I found the combination of third-person and first-person distracting. I didn’t need a narrator (who we don’t meet until the last chapter) interjecting their personal opinions and observations on things I’d rather have interpreted on my own.
Read this if you like character studies, D&D (without the nitty-gritty gameplay), and learning about a country most Americans never even think about.
Finding the right book at the right time can be life-changing, especially when you live in one of the most isolated countries in the world. When middle schooler Jun-su finds a forgotten copy of The Dungeon Master’s Guide, he is introduced to worlds far beyond North Korea. But soon it becomes clear that his discovery has put him directly in conflict with everything he was raised to believe — and the government that can decide whether he lives or dies.
Like many readers, I picked this up because of the Dungeons & Dragons connection; unlike many readers, I appreciated that gameplay wasn’t the actual focus. I love how Theroux made it the bedrock of the story, showing how Jun-su’s learning the concepts/themes and how to play impacted his decisions throughout his life. That said, the plot itself was a little predictable, and I found the combination of third-person and first-person distracting. I didn’t need a narrator (who we don’t meet until the last chapter) interjecting their personal opinions and observations on things I’d rather have interpreted on my own.
Read this if you like character studies, D&D (without the nitty-gritty gameplay), and learning about a country most Americans never even think about.