Jess
This book started out beautifully. Set in the frontier of the Pacific Northwest it follows a man and his nephew as he tracks a giant salamander to exact revenge for the death of his best friend as well as bring him back to life. This salamander seems to make all those who see it mad, driving many to suicide or fanaticism.
The book began with a dream-like quality, falling somewhere between magical-realism and fantasy. But it also had the added feeling of the grittiness of the early days of the settling of the west. Unfortunately, about halfway through the novel all that dreaminess abruptly fell away which left me feeling disappointed and confused. The salamander itself became a background character and the story turned into one I felt I had read a thousand times before.
Even with that sudden change I did like the book enough to carry on and finish it. And there were interesting philosophical points about life and death and religion made throughout. So I think it was a good effort for a debut novel and I’d be willing to read another by this author.
This book started out beautifully. Set in the frontier of the Pacific Northwest it follows a man and his nephew as he tracks a giant salamander to exact revenge for the death of his best friend as well as bring him back to life. This salamander seems to make all those who see it mad, driving many to suicide or fanaticism.
The book began with a dream-like quality, falling somewhere between magical-realism and fantasy. But it also had the added feeling of the grittiness of the early days of the settling of the west. Unfortunately, about halfway through the novel all that dreaminess abruptly fell away which left me feeling disappointed and confused. The salamander itself became a background character and the story turned into one I felt I had read a thousand times before.
Even with that sudden change I did like the book enough to carry on and finish it. And there were interesting philosophical points about life and death and religion made throughout. So I think it was a good effort for a debut novel and I’d be willing to read another by this author.