Ratings8
Average rating3.6
What does it take to change the world? The “epic adventure” (Booklist) of a band of unlikely heroes on a quest to save one innocent life who may end up saving us all. For decades, Judge Margot Burr-Nadir has worked tirelessly, case by case, to administer justice from the federal bench of the Eastern District of the United States. Her position already seems like the highest possible honor. So she is surprised when a call comes from the President of the United States inviting her to accept his nomination to the Supreme Court—not least because in choosing her, in an unprecedented attempt to heal a divided nation, the President has reached across party lines. For Margot, this should be among the brightest spots of an already charmed existence. But the call comes on a family trip to visit their oldest daughter, Story, who has, without warning, vanished as if spirited away in the middle of the night by forces unseen. Margot soon finds herself thrust onto the national stage in the middle of every parent’s worst nightmare. The desperate search for Story’s whereabouts soon intersects with the mission of teenagers Simon Oliver, Louise Conklin, and a young man known only as the Prophet. Together, they have escaped from the Float Anxiety Abatement Center in Chicago on the trail of man known as The Wizard: an unimaginably wealthy, almost mythical figure of unspeakable evil who has for years been taking whatever he wants without reaping the consequences. Stopping him, this band of young people hopes to accomplish what their elders can’t or won’t do: fix a broken world. Noah Hawley’s new novel is an adventure that finds unquenchable lights in dark corners. Unforgettably vivid characters and a plot as fast and bright as pop cinema blend in a Vonnegutian story that is as timeless as a Grimm’s fairy tale. It is a leap into the idiosyncratic pulse of the American heart, written with the bravado, literary power, and feverish foresight that have made Hawley one of our most essential writers.
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This a dark story of America rapidly falling into dystopia in all-too familiar fashion, while simultaneously a story of a group of young misfits overcoming odds to save one of their own from evil exploitation. Every element & character in this novel is rather transparently transcribed from current events and notorious people (risky on the author's part because it can become rapidly dated, and indeed, you can see that happening already). I would recommend this book because I really enjoyed it, it reads like Kurt Vonnegut with a shade of Steven King thrown in, and would no doubt qualify into the magical realism camp as well, if one wanted to shelve it there. Indeed, I enjoyed it, but, without being too critical, it did read like ersatz Vonnegut in many places at which I did cringe, a bit. I'd also warn readers that Hawley changes character perspective fluidly and without warning in many places, which kept me on my toes, and may not be every reader's cup of tea. The author wears his perspective on his sleeve, but, in a good way. Despite this and other nit picks, it gets the solid thumbs up for an engaging read.