The Absolute Book
Ratings8
Average rating2.5
15
Ratings8
Average rating2.5
A bewitching epic fantasy about a revenge killing, a mysterious scroll box that has survived centuries of fires, and the book that changed everything "Intricately plotted and gorgeously written, The Absolute Book is a cinematic tale that is by turns dark and dreamlike, yet ultimately hopeful." --Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches "An instant classic . . . It is everything fantasy should be." --The Guardian Taryn Cornick believes that the past--her sister's violent death, and her own ill-conceived revenge--is behind her, and she can get on with her life. She has written a successful book about the things that threaten libraries: insects, damp, light, fire, carelessness and uncaring . . . but not all of the attention it brings her is good. A policeman, Jacob Berger, questions her about a cold case. Then there are questions about a fire in the library at her grandparents' house and an ancient scroll box known as the Firestarter, as well as threatening phone calls and a mysterious illness. Finally a shadowy young man named Shift appears, forcing Taryn and Jacob toward a reckoning felt in more than one world. The Absolute Book is epic, action-packed fantasy in which hidden treasures are recovered, wicked things resurface, birds can talk, and dead sisters are a living force. It is a book of journeys and returns, from contemporary England to Auckland, New Zealand; from a magical fairyland to Purgatory. Above all, it is a declaration of love for stories and the ways in which they shape our worlds and create gods out of mortals.
Reviews with the most likes.
DNF. Too many vague conversations, wandering plot lines, and random mythical characters. I made it until a crocodile attacked one of the villains–in northern England.
A huge disappointment. This was an absolute mess of a book. I had been hearing a lot of hype for this one, but this really was not a good read. Borderline incoherent, this story has a plot that jumps all over the place, thinly developed characters and world and a distinct lack of fun. I can kind of respect the ambition presented, but it falls flat on its face quickly and never really gets back up again.
As far as I can tell the main themes seem to be about the power of books and knowledge - a constant theme seems to be the burning of libraries and a search for a scroll containing the language of god. The importance of these things are only loosely alluded too though. Elizabeth Knox appears to have attempted a melding of literary fiction with fantasy, and I can respect that the prose is good. The plot however crawls along at a snail pace. It moves glacially slowly, and I am still not convinced that there is more than a few pages worth of relevant information in this massively long book. This lack of plot is a criticism I have made of literary fiction before as well, and it seems particularly out of place in what is marketed as an epic fantasy (where plot is vitally important!).
Ultimately I was bored and confused by this. Biggest disappointment so far this year.
This book is too schizophrenic for my taste. DNF'ed.
2.5 and I'll be the first to admit that I probably will need to do a reread later on. I just get the feeling I missed something. I was also frustrated by the hard left turn the Epilogue takes. I'm all for a save the earth bit, but (like I said earlier) I either missed it heading in that direction or it was a forced turn. That being said, I loved the mythology and world building. And honestly would have enjoyed more Taryn on the book tour circuit. I want to read her book.
