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A review by phee
The Vagrant by Peter Newman
4.5
A new favourite.
A mute man, a baby and a goat, that was all I had to hear about this book to pick it up. This is one that, I think, slips under the radar somewhat. People take one look at the synopsis and think that a mute protagonist isn’t going to make the reader care about him, his mission or the world he lives in.
How can you enjoy a character so much when he doesn’t speak? How can you learn his motive and his emotions. It shouldn’t work, but my goodness it does work, it works in such a beautifully unique and abstract way. The Vagrant doesn’t utter a single word, his means of communication are much more subtle. A look, an expression, his actions. His story starts eight years prior and is told through intermittent flashback chapters. Normally, time jumps are a real annoyance for me. I find they interrupt the flow of the story and break the pace. In the Vagrant however they are essential. They tell the story that the Vagrant himself can’t tell. Giving the reader a glimpse into what drives this badass hero forward. They start eight years ago and slowly come to the where the story began. The Vagrant as a protagonist has become one of my favourites. He does whatever is necessary to succeed in his mission to get the baby to the north. But he has compassion and makes sacrifices along the way. He saves those he can and protects those that need help. True heroic qualities in a man that is a complete badass with his own mysterious singing sword.
The world was built up slowly which I appreciated as I find a sci-fi/dystopian worlds hard to grasp, especially if the book starts out with an info dump. Which thankfully this one didn’t. The world itself felt to me a lot like a mix of the video games ‘Fallout’ and ‘Dark Souls’. (Two of my favourites by the way.)
It’s bleak, miserable and full of terrors and mutations. Beautifully written and very believable.
I would like to give a huge mention to the cast of side characters that made this book even more impressive. Whilst one of the deaths in this book didn’t make sense and left me feeling quite sad, the other characters and their stories were a welcome distraction. One of my favourites was the Goat. The damn stubborn Goat. Vital for the baby’s survival, there is no doubt her role is important. I was sure that it was going to get eaten very early on in the book, since reading though, I now know that goats are quite resilient.
I both read the paperback and listened to the audiobook at the same time to read this. Something I have been doing to help me with books I find more challenging, for personal reasons.
I would highly recommend the audiobook, Jot Davies narrates it and does a spectacular job. All the characters are distinct and well recognisable. The voice is also well suited to the story.
I’m so happy I picked up this book and it has now found a comfy place on my favourites shelf. Now I’m going to spend the rest of my day off playing Fallout.
A mute man, a baby and a goat, that was all I had to hear about this book to pick it up. This is one that, I think, slips under the radar somewhat. People take one look at the synopsis and think that a mute protagonist isn’t going to make the reader care about him, his mission or the world he lives in.
How can you enjoy a character so much when he doesn’t speak? How can you learn his motive and his emotions. It shouldn’t work, but my goodness it does work, it works in such a beautifully unique and abstract way. The Vagrant doesn’t utter a single word, his means of communication are much more subtle. A look, an expression, his actions. His story starts eight years prior and is told through intermittent flashback chapters. Normally, time jumps are a real annoyance for me. I find they interrupt the flow of the story and break the pace. In the Vagrant however they are essential. They tell the story that the Vagrant himself can’t tell. Giving the reader a glimpse into what drives this badass hero forward. They start eight years ago and slowly come to the where the story began. The Vagrant as a protagonist has become one of my favourites. He does whatever is necessary to succeed in his mission to get the baby to the north. But he has compassion and makes sacrifices along the way. He saves those he can and protects those that need help. True heroic qualities in a man that is a complete badass with his own mysterious singing sword.
The world was built up slowly which I appreciated as I find a sci-fi/dystopian worlds hard to grasp, especially if the book starts out with an info dump. Which thankfully this one didn’t. The world itself felt to me a lot like a mix of the video games ‘Fallout’ and ‘Dark Souls’. (Two of my favourites by the way.)
It’s bleak, miserable and full of terrors and mutations. Beautifully written and very believable.
I would like to give a huge mention to the cast of side characters that made this book even more impressive. Whilst one of the deaths in this book didn’t make sense and left me feeling quite sad, the other characters and their stories were a welcome distraction. One of my favourites was the Goat. The damn stubborn Goat. Vital for the baby’s survival, there is no doubt her role is important. I was sure that it was going to get eaten very early on in the book, since reading though, I now know that goats are quite resilient.
I both read the paperback and listened to the audiobook at the same time to read this. Something I have been doing to help me with books I find more challenging, for personal reasons.
I would highly recommend the audiobook, Jot Davies narrates it and does a spectacular job. All the characters are distinct and well recognisable. The voice is also well suited to the story.
I’m so happy I picked up this book and it has now found a comfy place on my favourites shelf. Now I’m going to spend the rest of my day off playing Fallout.