E.G. Stone's Blog, page 28

Book Review: The Alehouse Wars by Michael Evan and JMD Reid

Satirical fantasy is a subset of comedic fantasy, in which all the tropes of fantasy that we know and love are used and then laughed at. Basically, logic is suspended—or used to such a high degree that all the familiar tropes make no sense, which achieves essentially the same result—and the ridiculous is expected. It’s a commentary on what we find interesting, and it takes itself perfectly seriously. It just doesn’t expect the readers to do so. So when I say that The Alehouse Wars by Michael Evan and JMD Reid is a highly entertaining satirical fantasy, you should know precisely what to expect. Only…add seals and walruses.

1. Thoughts on the plot

As with the typical epic-style fantasy, there is an outside threat that, well, threatens the way of life of our entire cast of characters. In this case, the harbour seal community and their beloved ale. The threat is epic—everyone is going to die or become slaves and their ale is going to be taken—and the response must be similarly epic. This sort of plot is fairly familiar, given that it is used in many large-scale fantasies. If you ignore the fact that the characters are seals, the threat is from walruses, and the stakes are beer, then everything is familiar. The fact that this plot contains all of those things allows us to smile at the ridiculousness of taking something as familiar as a way of life, and trivial as beer (says the non-drinker), is entertaining. It has a battle scene, a daring rescue, and all the associated character development.

2. Thoughts on the main character

We have two main POV characters in this book, Matthias—the patriarch of his family and general leader of the seals—and his son JM, who is, well, your typical angsty not-quite-adult with a crush. These two take on the world, er, walruses, in order to save the beer and the crush respectively. They are, in essence, the ordinary person who is raised to hero status. And, frankly, they are both a bit absurd. Highly entertaining and a bit absurd. I enjoy them both. JM is perhaps the more interesting to me, simply because I find snark highly amusing.

3. Favourite part

There are two bits I enjoy for this: one, the narrator basically saying we should ignore all the illogic and just go with it; two, the whole deus ex machina being, well…openly discussed. 

4. Critique

The ending. While highly interesting and terrifically tragic, it has nothing to do with anything. I get that it’s satirical fantasy, and there are certain expectations to maintain, but…I have no idea what was going on. I still enjoyed it thoroughly, but that particular out-of-nowhere trope is one of my least favourites. Apparently, even when it’s being openly satirised. Of course, this is just my own opinion, so the critique is more or less invalid. Oops!

If you’re looking for a bit of fun in the style of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, then this is the sort of thing you would enjoy. Irreverent, snarky, entertaining, slightly illogical, so on and so forth. Oh, and it’s about seals. A very good book. 

Book Review: Night Warrior by Jordan J. Scavone

I think that every author dreams of what would happen if their characters came to life. If the creations of their mind, the depictions of themselves, were to appear in real life. For the main character in Jordan J. Scavone’s Night Warrior, this actually happens. And it’s nothing like what she anticipated.

1. Thoughts on the plot

I really enjoyed seeing this twist on the typical YA portal fantasy, where instead of being pulled into a magical world, the characters of Viranda’s fantasy novel are pulled into our world. This presents a whole slew of very interesting possibilities: technological difficulties, interacting with “normal” people, what happens when magic appears, etc. I think the plot was fairly good in combining the events of the magical world of Lingard with the reality of Earth. Each situation was of a higher degree of danger and drama and the characters had to learn to face it accordingly. I would say that a lot of the worldbuilding was a bit info-dumpy, since we learned of the situations through doors in Viranda’s mind being opened and revealing lots of information at once. 

2. Thoughts on the main character

Viranda is an interesting main character, given what one usually sees as the stereotype in YA novels featuring a female lead. Instead of the pretty and perfect magical warrior who just doesn’t know it yet, Viranda is flawed. She injures herself at the beginning of the novel and that stays with her. She is uncertain and deals with normal emotions like jealousy and fear and selfishness. But she also is a good friend, determined to help solve the problems, and willing to do what it takes. I like her, basically. I think it would have been nice to see a bit more development in her actions and interactions with others rather than being informed of what it was that was happening with her, but on the whole I like her.

3. Favourite part

This isn’t really a specific scene, but rather the fact that when Viranda injures herself at the beginning of the book, the injury takes time to heal. It doesn’t magically go away. It stays with her throughout the book and becomes another challenge to overcome. I like it when things like this are consistent throughout a story, because I’ve seen too many books where a character gets injured and then ignores it until all the action is done. It made this more real.

4. Critique

My main critique is to do with the worldbuilding. Viranda learns about the situations with her characters and the world of Lingard by means of doors in her mind opening and revealing information. This could be done to very cool effect, and is, for the most part. However, there are some parts near the end of the book where Viranda seeks information and things that have not been hinted at or mentioned at all throughout the book appear to flesh out a character or to provide a solution to the problems that have been plaguing them the whole book. It feels a little like a McGuffin and throws a solution at us without really having an impact on the characters or the plot that we’ve seen thus far.

Overall, I would say that Night Warrior is a fun book that twists the typical YA portal fantasy into something new and entertaining. The plot is interesting and there is enough going on to keep you engaged. I would say that this is a solidly good book.

Book Review: Shadow Pantheon by Eric Nierstedt

Reading the sequel to a book that you enjoyed can go one of two ways: either you hate it, or you’re stepping back into a world that you loved and everything feels more, better, the adventure a perfect extension of book one. Shadow Pantheon by Eric Nierstedt was like that. 

1. Thoughts on the plot

This book would have a hard time being as world-changing and dramatic as book one, but somehow, it managed that quite well. This time, our pantheon of gods stuck in the modern world have a better handle on how to deal with the world around them. That doesn’t make the challenge they’re facing any easier, though, because what they’re facing is their past. And if there’s one thing that people have a difficult time with, it’s the past. I can’t really tell you anything more specific than that because of spoilers for book one and book two, but I shall tell you this:

The plot was, as expected, well thought out. The pieces were a mystery at first, but they seemed to flow together very well so that by the end, you knew exactly what was going on and desperately needed our characters to fix it. And the way that was done…well, it was a great application of mythology, fantasy, and highly capable storytelling. (And this mythology was done right.)

2. Thoughts on the main character

As with book one, there are several main characters in this book. They are our pantheon of gods from various different cultures, living in New York and doing their best to get along with mortals. I really liked seeing these characters again. They are precisely as you would expect, coming from the first book, but there is enough further development in consideration to the new situation and the resurgence of the past that you don’t get bored with them. You get to grow along with them (although I’m not sure Coyote really grows, but more moves sideways to expectations). I enjoyed reading them just as much as before. Balder is still one of my favourites, but this time Anubis probably takes the top slot for me.

3. Favourite part

I enjoyed the particular plot with Anubis and Carlos, the boy holding a part of Anubis’ past. I think there was really great depiction of the characters from mythologies, without watering it down like you would see in some television or movies. The essence was captured perfectly, but the human side of Anubis as Mustafa was just as intriguing as the mythology. Definitely a great piece of the story. (Though, the plot twist at the end was really great, too.)

4. Critique

I think the only issue I had with this book was to do with some of the unanswered questions at the end. Of course, this is more to do with my curiosity than anything, so there isn’t really a problem with the ending. Actually, the ending is quite good. I just…I want to know more. How they continue, what comes next, all the usual things that happen when a book I really like is finished. Sigh.

Overall, I’d say that Shadow Pantheon is a fantastic sequel to the first book. The characters are still wonderful to read, the situation is new and interesting while retaining what they learned before, the plot twists are fun, and it was a great modern exploration of various mythological and religious systems. Essentially, a VERY GOOD book.

Book Review: Vile by Keith Crawford

I have a great fondness for books—especially spec fic books—that deal with the minutiae behind politics and revolutions. (It’s possible that this is so because I wrote a sci-fi/dystopian piece about how language invoked a revolution, but I digress.) Keith Crawford’s Vile is one of the best books I’ve seen in a while that deals not only with a potentially politically (and otherwise) explosive situation, but the minutiae behind it. Oh, and it was spectacularly well written, too.

1. Thoughts on the plot

There is a lot going on in this book. Magistrate Elianor Paine goes to Shadowgate to bring back a Vile (the father or the children) to vote in the next election, ostensibly for one goal and quietly for another. However, there are things going on in Shadowgate that involve the long-gone threat of the Kindred, secrets between family members, and rivalries that divide the town. Every piece initially seemed like a separate thing, something that didn’t quite fit with the others but was still important. And then I read on. 

The sheer capability of weaving each piece together so that one leads seamlessly to another, and when put together create a whole image is hugely impressive. I enjoyed going through the plot and figuring things out immensely. I would say that this was absolutely well thought out and well crafted. Basically, it was great.

2. Thoughts on the main character

For all her capabilities, Elianor Paine doesn’t initially seem like a likeable character. (Okay, yes, this is grimdark and yes, that means morally grey characters, but still.) She has her own motives and is a bit arrogant. However, the more I read about her and the other characters, the more I liked them. Oh, yes, they were absolutely morally grey and perfect for grimdark. (coughPersephonecough) But their motivations were so perfectly woven into the plot, and their backstories superbly well done. Basically, I enjoyed all of the characters, but especially Elianor. She was a perfect main character. Perhaps manipulated, but not dumb. And certainly very capable.

3. Favourite part

The revelations of all the characters as they finally figure out what is going on in their lives. This was done so as to be a surprise, and yet expected. I felt what the characters felt and I absolutely thrilled in it. 

4. Critique

Actually, I don’t really have one. I think the language was well crafted, the characters entertaining and, if not likeable then at least intriguing, and the plot superb. I really want to know more. 

This book is beautifully written. It fits perfectly into the questionable characteristics that make grimdark what it is. The minutae are described well and pieced together to form a whole that is the perfect start to a series. Definitely on my best books for 2020 list.

Book Review: The Unwanted by ZT Soyoye

The Unwanted by Z.T. Soyoye is a story about a fifteen year-old Alex Charon, who is trying to come to grips with a new school. Oh, and new powers, too. He is trying to learn these powers when he witnesses the kidnapping of his friend. Now he must perfect these powers to fix what was wrong, without falling into despair.

1. Thoughts on the plot

As far as plot goes, this is a fairly standard anime-style urban fantasy middle-grade novel. Our main character develops powers. As he does, something terrible happens to his friends and he must do his best to try and fix things. This takes place at a school and the cast of characters is precisely what one would expect from this sort of story. Which is all grand, excepting one thing: the plot twists don’t feel much like twists. They feel more like precise representations of what you would expect from the genre.

This is not a problem, necessarily. Genre fiction always contains the expectations and tropes of that genre. Many books contain similar plots and ideas. The trick is trying to make them unique enough that you’re not reading the same thing over and over. This book does a decent job at that.

2. Thoughts on the main character

Alex fits the role of main character for this sort of novel exactly. He has principles. He has doubts. He is trying to fit into a new world and perhaps pushing himself too hard to succeed. So when things go wrong, he takes that drive to the extreme. This fits well with the story and Alex is a likeable character. I will say that some of his internal monologue is a bit existential and asks questions that are more telling us what is going on than showing us how Alex is dealing with a situation. (Yes, I know it’s a cliche to use those terms, but that’s what it felt like.) Most of this is fine, but near the end when things go all sorts of wonky, the internal monologues felt like they broke up the story too much; we were focusing on Alex’s internal struggle rather than the fact that external struggles were doing their best to pulverise him.

3. Favourite part

I liked the mash-up of urban fantasy with an anime-style story. It’s done frequently enough that you see this sort of thing in the genre a lot, but I still liked the execution. 

4. Critique

A lot of my critique for this book is to do with the fact that things were pointed out to the reader very plainly. There was no mystery. No intrigue. The questions were answered fairly quickly and the things that weren’t answered quickly did not necessarily follow any sort of logic. I felt a little like the author was trying to explain the world instead of show me the world. Don’t underestimate your readers, no matter how old you expect them to be. (I was reading my way through the entire catalogue of 19th century literature, and Shakespeare, by the time I was eleven. This is not uncommon in people who read.) They’re smarter than you think.

On the whole, as far as a middle grade anime/urban fantasy mash-up goes, this fit the bill precisely. The characters were what you would expect, and the plot was, too. I think that there could have been more done to create a bit of intrigue or struggle for the readers, but overall, it’s what you would expect. I would say, therefore, that this book is FAIR.

Book Review: The Big Smoke by Nathan Srith

Dystopian novels serve a very important and specific purpose for society. They paint a picture of what could happen if things continue in a particular direction, and warn us away from it. In the case of The Big Smoke by Nathan Srith, the warning refers to what could happen when social media and charisma go too far, when ideals get mixed with ideology, and when power is within one’s grasp.

1. Thoughts on the plot

Generally speaking, having a dictatorial leader who rules by fear and force or by charisma alone is not an uncommon feature in political-based dystopian novels. This one is unique in that it features a female dictator and also the role of social media. This lends a few interesting points to the escape from her rule. And the fact that this novel focuses also on both the rise to power and the subsequent escape by our main character, Nick, allows for a greater range of events than the simple “escape” sequence, including discussion of the role of politics and social media. 

2. Thoughts on the main character

Overall, I like Nick. He’s a guy with ideals and principles. He may have a firm belief on how the world should be, but he is also flexible enough to listen to other opinions (namely his sister) and adapt to the changing environment. He’s battling his demons and his role in the new world of the Independent State of England (what used to be London). This makes him a good character, a decent hero, and an interesting main character to follow. I do have one problem with him, though; he only fought back against his role after his sister was captured. Every other horrible thing that happened up to then he acknowledged as bad, but he only seemed to break away after his sister was captured. This makes it hard for me to like him for his strong principles, because he seemed able to ignore them prior to the start of the novel. 

3. Favourite part

The ability to find food in a completely looted city.

4. Critique

My main critique for this book is plausibility. Dystopian novels are usually a bit implausible, simply because they take problems and move them into the extreme. However, there has to be a certain amount of believability, or the whole point of dystopian novels being used to warn society becomes moot. In this case, the ability of The Boss to take over the British government and then subsequently wall off London, support a rebellion and continue her rule is highly implausible for a couple of reasons. One: the dissolution of government. The British government system can be dissolved by means of what is essentially a vote of no confidence by the PM or the other parties. Or, the monarchy can call of the same thing, depending on the circumstances. Barring that, an election must be held every five years. So the Boss remaining in power after such horrid events seems highly improbable. Two: the walling off of London into an independent state. As London is the capital of England, and a cultural and economical mecca, it would not be allowed to fall into the hands of a rebel people or party. The military would step in. And, even if they did manage to keep the military out initially, there is no way that the rest of the world (which is supposedly continuing on as normal) would allow a dictatorial state to appear in the midst of one of the larger powers of the Western world. 

Everything else with the book is perfectly acceptable, as long as you can suspend disbelief of the initial premise. Unfortunately for me, that premise is difficult to ignore.

Overall, I would say that this book has all the proper hallmarks of a dystopian novel. The politics, the warning, the world falling to pieces, even our hero’s disillusionment. As long as the problems with the process of how this world came to be can be overlooked, then this novel is perfectly fine. For me, though, this reads too much like a Snake Pliskin movie. I would say that it is AVERAGE to GOOD.

Book Review: Salem Moon by Kristin Bapst

Salem Moon is the second book in the Six of Salem series by Kristin Bapst, an urban fantasy that combines several different mythologies into something both familiar and unique. Being the second book in a series, I was already familiar with the characters and the story that came before. That did not change the fact that this book managed to create an immersive world for these characters and their struggles.

1. Thoughts on the plot

As a continuation of the series, Salem Moon explores the coven (the Six of Salem) and their continuing battle against evil. This book focuses on Rose, the youngest, and her growth into new powers and into adulthood. There are also discussions of relationships—healthy and unhealthy—and an exploration of self. As far as the plot goes, I think everything fit together really well. The characters were drawn from event to event both by their own volition and choices, and by the overwhelming momentum of the events themselves. I would say that there were a fair number of scenes that I would have liked to see more of. For example, the various arguments felt truncated, and the training scenes felt too short. This is mostly to do with a lack of sensory description of the world around the characters, instead focusing on character interaction to move things along in the scene. Which is fine, but it felt a little too fast.

2. Thoughts on the main character

Rose is a perfect example of someone who is trying to figure out her place in the world. She is in university for an arts degree, trying to navigate loss—see book one—and the start of a new relationship. I think her character is expertly done; she feels real in her emotions. Her reactions ot things are realistic and relatable. Also, she’s got awesome powers, which is fun. I would say, again, that I want to see more of Rose’s development or personality through the way she reacts (non-verbally) to the world around her (something that comes from sensory description rather than dialogue or dialogue tags). Still, I like Rose a lot. Having read book one, I think that she is probably my favourite of all the characters.

3. Favourite part

The food. This has nothing to do with anything, but my goodness, the food described just sounds so good. I mean, yes, I liked all the other bits too, but seriously? The food. 

4. Critique

As previously stated, I think this book could do with a bit more narrative or sensory description. It doesn’t necessarily detract from the story to not have this—everything plays out really quite well—but I just want to explore the world a bit more. See more of what’s going on. It would add a little…je ne sais quoi to the book.

This series is one that I enjoyed a fair bit. I think the use of mythology is great, the characters are interesting, and the plot entertaining. If you are fond of magic, witches, battling against evil, and a little extra spark when people find their soulmates, then this is definitely a book for you. I would say that this book is good, and could be very good with just a little more exploration.

Book Review: Diamond Stained by JMD Reid

There is a lot that goes into the making of a good fantasy novel. There is worldbuilding, the dramatic and often impactful nature of the plot, the characters who are affected by this plot, plus so much more. Oftentimes, you see fantasy novels that focus on one thing above others: worldbuilding or characters or plot. Rarely do you see all of these. JMD Reid’s Diamond Stained, the first book in his Secret of the Jewels series, manages to capture all of these elements and blend them together into something that is unique, epic, entertaining, and a pleasure to read.

1. Thoughts on the plot

This book starts off small. The main character, Ōbhin, finds himself in a situation he’d rather not be in. He performs his duty—which in the grand scheme of things is a relatively minor thing—and events spiral outwards from there. Things grow organically, one event leading into another which then presents more and eventually, the whole realm (so far) is involved and Ōbhin finds himself at the centre. The way that this plot builds is expertly done, not something you see often when the standard is to throw the characters—and the world—into the midst of a crisis (also a perfectly good way to do a story, just entirely different). I found myself really enjoying the way things grew and watching how the characters pushed the plot along, as opposed to the plot pushing them.

2. Thoughts on the main character

Ōbhin is a great main character to have. He has some of the standard fantasy hero qualities—follows a strict set of principles, dangerous but with a good heart, a tragic back-story—but there is so much more that goes into his character. He is perhaps quieter than most heroes, with more time to think and reflect on his action. His blushing sense of propriety is another thing which helped to flesh him out and make him real. As far as characters go, he is definitely one of the most developed that I’ve seen in a while, which was truly great to read. I will say that his tragic backstory does make him a little less three dimensional and more like a character from a book than a person you would interact with, but as this doesn’t occupy his every thought, it works well.

3. Favourite part

I think I probably enjoyed all the character interactions the most. They helped to move the plot along and made the characters more realistic, which was great to read (especially in a genre where you usually see the dialogue doing one or the other, depending on the focus of the book). Smiles was hugely entertaining, poor man. Fingers, too, but Smiles wins that honour.

4. Critique

The main critique I have for this is to do with Avena, our secondary protagonist and a character as entertaining and interesting as our main protagonist. The section later on in the novel where she reflects on her actions and her emotional well-being feels a little forced. The conclusion that she comes to makes sense, but the way that she thinks about it reads a little too stiffly. However, she is a great character in all other regards, so I would say that this critique is minor.

Overall, Diamond Stained was a truly great book to read. I was drawn through the novel as though I were with the characters. The worldbuilding was expertly done—not too much information, but not too little, either. I could picture things perfectly. The characters were well developed and fun to read. And by the time the plot really hit exploding point, I was so invested in the outcome that I almost freaked out at the end. Therefore, I would say that this book is VERY GOOD.

Book review: Spider in the Laurel by Michael Pogach

One of the things I love about dystopian books is the fact that they basically describe what could go wrong in the world, in great detail. And that list is almost endless. It’s fascinating to look at the way that things we take for granted, or believe to be innocuous, can be morphed into something entirely different. Michael Pogach’s Spider in the Laurel does this exceptionally well.

1. Thoughts on the plot

This book takes place in a parallel reality to our own. In essence, the United States and much of the world has gone through a series of revolts or revolutions that have basically forbidden all talk of Belief, which includes religion, mythology, even much of mythic history. The new world order is doing its best to control what people believe, because if they can do that, they can control their people more absolutely—of course, they don’t say this out loud. Enter Rafael Ward, a Professor of mythic history who has been conscripted into helping take down believers. On his first mission, though, he gets in over his head and starts on a world-wide chase to recover something that may be lost to legend, but could change the world.

This plot is incredibly well-thought out. There is a lot going on, and it would be easy to get lost if it weren’t for the fact that everything is relatively logical and there are enough details and explanations of history and mythology to ground the reader. I enjoyed the massive scope of this novel; it was great to puzzle through and to think about. The characters made it even more entertaining, because their place in this interconnected maze was sympathetic.

2. Thoughts on the main character

Rafe Ward seems like a guy caught up in things beyond his control. He’s been conscripted into the REC to help destroy artefacts of Believers, but he teaches mythological history at university. The world surrounding him is incredibly complex and there are machinations behind machinations. Only, Rafe is far from dumb, so he figures things out before anyone would like him to; this only puts him into greater danger.

As a character, Rafe is very interesting to read. His character development from start to finish is quite staggering. Part of it is that we learn a considerable amount about him throughout the novel. Part of it is that the circumstances push him to his limit and he is forced to grow. But the amount of depth that Rafe displays is impressive. The only other character that comes close is MacKenzie, who also shows a good deal of depth, but not nearly as much as Rafe. Which, frankly, reads perfectly well.

3. Favourite part

I really enjoyed all of the historical digressions, discussing things that are apocryphal or mere legend. There was obviously a great amount of research done and I really liked to see the integration into the wider plot of the novel. That, and I just really like the application of history to the wider context of a book. 

4. Critique

I think the only thing that was a bit off was to do with some of the more intense action sequences. They read well, but every now and again something would seem to jump and I would have to backtrack and figure out how we got from point A to point B. On the whole, this did not interfere with the story at all, but it was a little jarring and took me from within the story to without. 

If you’re interested in a book that is both incredibly well written, and incredibly well thought out, this is definitely one for you. I would say that the intricate nature of this book was done extraordinarily well. I rarely see something so massive done to this degree of capability and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This book has great characters, fascinating world-building, a whole slew of entertaining plot points and history thrown in for good measure. Spider in the Laurel is definitely on my list of best books for 2020.

Book Review: The Dog Who Ate the Vegetable Garden and Helped Save the Planet, Dori and Meg Hurley

The Dog Who Ate the Vegetable Garden & Helped Save the Planet by Dorothea Orane Hurley (the dog) and Margaret Hurley is a book that talks about ethical veganism from the perspective of a white boxer, Dori. This book explores the why behind ethical veganism and also explores the life of a vegan dog.

Now, before I get into the review, I would like to mention that I am not an ethical vegan. I am a dietary vegetarian and have coeliacs (gluten-free). I tend to go all natural—which often includes, but does not always mean veganism—in all my skin care, hair care, cleaning products and the like as well, but that is because I don’t process chemicals well. At all, really. So while I often use and consume vegan products, I am not an ethical vegan. Ethical veganism is a philosophy that a person should consume and use no animal products in any aspect of their life because that would entail cruelty to animals and enables many of the large corporations in using and exploiting animals.

Okay, now that we’ve got the definitions cleared up, let’s get on to the book.

I think, generally, that it is an interesting idea to tell a story from the perspective of a dog, or other innocent party, so that the reader can experience the world or idea from the ground up. Often this allows for a greater exploration of a concept, which, when trying to persuade or inform, is a very useful tool. In this case, I understand the idea and think it very interesting, I just don’t think it was executed well.

The prose was extremely difficult to get through. Not because of spelling inconsistencies or grammatical issues, but because the sentences were broken up into incomplete thoughts. This would be like: I went. To the store. Yesterday. The full thought that makes up the sentence is broken up. And, because our brains are trained to treat periods as a full-stop, I had to pause at each and every one. This made reading incredibly difficult. I couldn’t follow the train of thought and a lot of the impact of the story was lost to a headache. If that sort of linguistic phenomenon doesn’t bother you, then the rest of the prose was fairly coherent. 

As for the story itself, that is a difficult one. A lot of times, the arguments behind ethical veganism appeal to emotions. They argue that consuming such things as dairy or eggs or meat involves a great deal of harm to the animals, because they are crammed into small spaces, mistreated, forced to endure great discomfort at the hands of humans, etc. A lot of the language I have seen in the past regarding ethical veganism is designed to be inflammatory, because the argument is being made that humans are cruel and violent beings in regards to animals, and that needs to stop.

I understand the emotional appeal. However, it is not an argument I often appreciate. Nor is it one that works well on me. For me, logic and science are two things that will make a lasting impression. Mentioning the emotional impact once or twice is plenty; I get the message. But repeating it over and over with as graphic imagery as possible—that actually pushes me away from the argument. I find that the best way to persuade—at least in my case—is with the presentation of logical arguments backed up by science. I saw a few logical arguments here, in the form of descriptions of what is done to animals, but little science to inform me why I should pursue a vegan diet or lifestyle. At the beginning, science was mentioned once in that it hadn’t been proven that veganism was bad for a person. There were a couple of other times where the difference between animal protein and vegetable protein were mentioned, but that was about it.

As a story with a tale to weave from beginning to end, I think this lacked in coherence because of the prose. As a political or philosophical argument, I think that the inflammatory emotional descriptors were far less effective than a logical, sequential argument. I understand that the perspective of the dog was meant to create empathy, but I didn’t feel particularly connected to Dori.

Overall, I would say that the book is not bad. It was definitely difficult for me to read, though I understand the reasoning behind using such an unusual and choppy sentence structure. And the arguments were designed for people who are not quite so logic-based as am I. So, I think this could be a good book, even a very good book, just not for me.