A Different Alchemy (The Great De-evolution) by Chris Dietzel

May 06, 2014 Aditi rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, fantasy, my-reviews, ya

After reading this amazing dystopian drama, A Different Alchemy by Chris Dietzel, I'm a big fan of dystopian books, and so I'm vouching for more.

Read this review on:
http://thewordbite.wordpress.com/2014...

First of all, a huge thanks to the author, Chris Dietzel for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Since I've not read the first book, I googled about the first one and found out that in the first book, it revolves around the idea that since women cannot produce After reading this amazing dystopian drama, A Different Alchemy by Chris Dietzel, I'm a big fan of dystopian books, and so I'm vouching for more.

Read this review on:
http://thewordbite.wordpress.com/2014...

First of all, a huge thanks to the author, Chris Dietzel for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Since I've not read the first book, I googled about the first one and found out that in the first book, it revolves around the idea that since women cannot produce healthy babies anymore, the human mankind is on the verge of extinction. The babies that are born are either physically or mentally challenged.

A Different Alchemy is also of the end of human race and people are facing the situation. All these events are seen through the eyes of a man, Jeffery, who has a mentally challenged son or rather coined as a Block. But one day the people of the city, where Jeffery resided with his family, decided to put an end to all the Blocks of this city, by burning them in a stadium, which included Jeffery's son too. Eventually Jeffery had to leave town and headed towards north instead of south, where people were migrating in large numbers in hope of possibilities. In his journey, we see how a man copes the with loss of his only son, also his flashbacks about his past happy life and about few people living up on the north.

Through his book, Chris has tried to give us a message which is, if we are facing the end of the world, we should look around ourselves to help protect us from the situation, like small things can come in real handy, and also we should unite together to protect us from this situation, unlike by migrating or killing. Reading this book will certainly make you realize that we should treat one another with love and care and also how to forgive oneself!

This book is very emotional one and a highly addictive book, once you start reading, you're unable to keep it down! The writing is very smooth so it won't be a difficult thing to read this. And also if you haven't read the first one in the series, it won't be a much problem, because what has happened in book 1, that is already been mentioned in book 2, a lot of insights of the first book.

This book definitely deserves 5 golden stars. There's a lot of things to learn from Jeffery's journey, so A Different Alchemy become a must read for everyone.
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Sep 09, 2014 Michele rated it it was amazing

I first read The Hauntings of Playing God a few years ago and was struck by how unusual a book it was among post-apocalypse novels. It left a lasting impression, and I recommended it to all and sundry. I'm not sure why I waited so long to read the others in the set, but I'm glad I finally did.

There is no huge catastrophe in Dietzel's books: no drought, no radiation, no rival warring tribes, no government guilty of misprision, no starvation, no battle against the elements. There is only homo I first read The Hauntings of Playing God a few years ago and was struck by how unusual a book it was among post-apocalypse novels. It left a lasting impression, and I recommended it to all and sundry. I'm not sure why I waited so long to read the others in the set, but I'm glad I finally did.

There is no huge catastrophe in Dietzel's books: no drought, no radiation, no rival warring tribes, no government guilty of misprision, no starvation, no battle against the elements. There is only homo sapiens winding to a slow end, only a lone survivor meditating on what matters when everything is gone. In each of the novels a solitary narrator wrestles with the choices he or she has made, with love and loyalty, grief and anger, regret and hope, and ultimately the question of what gives life meaning.

You might think that an author would have trouble crafting a solid and engrossing story out of such a simple premise, yet Dietzel does it not once but three times. In The Hauntings of Playing God, the lone survivor was an old woman left to care for the last few insensible remnants of humanity; the theme of that one seemed to be the call of duty, the desire within each of us to do what we can to the best of our ability. In The Man Who Watched the World ned, an old man is left with his unresponsive brother in a decaying subdivision called Camelot; the theme of this one I would say is love.

This one, A Different Alchemy centers on a man whose wife has done the unthinkable; the theme I see here is regret. The story circles back several times to the narrator's regret for having persuaded his wife to have a child, knowing that it would be almost certainly be a victim of the universal malady; for leaving his silent and immobile son alone one night leading to his momentary kidnapping; for rejecting his wife's pretense that their son has sent him a father's day card; for the places he never took his son and the things they never did. In the end, he is alone but it's by his own choice, and he finds a kind of salvation in becoming the deus ex machina of another man's chance to get south to his family. Regret is transmuted to hope -- not his own, perhaps, but still hope. ...more

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Apr 05, 2014 Becky rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, favorites, post-apocalypse

I should start by saying I read this book through in one sitting, which I did not expect. I expected the end of the world, but the story itself felt much smaller, and because of that, infinitely more human. The story encompasses the great whimper at the end of civilization, as people's actions become governed by the increasingly inevitable realization that tomorrow isn't coming. Its focus, though, is on one man as he struggles to come to terms with his own personal losses, and his attempt to ...more

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Oct 08, 2014 Bob Keeney rated it liked it

Perhaps one of the most depressing books I've ever read. I kept waiting for something good to happen in this book and it just. never. happens. Stay away from this book if you have a special needs kid.

Essentially it's about a father who abandons his wife after she takes their Block child to a stadium with thousands of other Block children and the place is burned to the ground (along with the kids). Block children are the result of De-evolution and it means the end of humanity since Block kids ...more

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Dec 11, 2013 Bruce rated it liked it

A Different Alchemy is Chris Dietzel's follow-up to his debut novel, The Man Who Watched the World End , taking place in the same setting (the Great De-evolution) about 50 years prior. The first book focused on an old man coping with the utter finality of the human race's gradual extinction. A Different Alchemy follows Jeffrey, a grieving father who embarks on an unlikely journey through the "wasteland" of the Great De-evolution, as he struggles to come to grips with both the loss of his son A Different Alchemy is Chris Dietzel's follow-up to his debut novel, The Man Who Watched the World End , taking place in the same setting (the Great De-evolution) about 50 years prior. The first book focused on an old man coping with the utter finality of the human race's gradual extinction. A Different Alchemy follows Jeffrey, a grieving father who embarks on an unlikely journey through the "wasteland" of the Great De-evolution, as he struggles to come to grips with both the loss of his son and the devastating betrayal leading to his son's death.

The story is told in an intriguing style, with Jeffrey's narrative alternating between his forward-moving journey up the East Coast, and his direct recollection of the weeks leading up to his son's death. The journey itself was for me the more interesting of the two narratives as it afforded a wider look at the world of the Great De-evolution, as opposed to the decidedly myopic picture of The Man Who Watched the World End. Dietzel's portrayal of a world crumbling into ruin is highly effective and believable. I was often reminded of an old adage my father taught me - that running away or ignoring my problems was never the proper way to handle them. Since the people in Dietzel's world hold no hope for a future, they simply stop caring about things that once seemed important and literally try to run away from the biggest problem in history.

I also thought the ending of the story, while not earth-shattering, was quite cathartic and oddly hopeful, similar to the feeling I got at the end of reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road .

That being said, I did not find this book as enjoyable as Dietzel's debut. While I again appreciated the easygoing, introspective prose style, in my opinion it did not always lend itself to effective dialogue between characters in this book. Simply put, some of the passages that might have worked fine as internal monologue came across as stilted and unrealistic when put to voice. I also perceived a lack of variety among the characters, as too often they sounded similar in structure and tone to Jeffrey's own inner thoughts.

My main issue was the oft repetitive cycle of Jeffrey's obsessive thought process around his son's death. While understandable and realistic, it made for a dull read at times. I also didn't think Jeffrey's journey provided quite enough conflict; while there were a few tense moments, even those were more or less easily resolved. Given the setting that was a bit difficult for me to reconcile.

Despite the flaws I do consider this to be a good book, albeit one that plays things a bit safe. While I think there are still some good stories left to be told in this world, I'd love to see something that expands the scope of the narrative beyond "solitary man does a lot of thinking about the past."

Reviewer's note: The author provided this reviewer with an advance copy of the novel free of charge, in exchange for an honest review to be posted on Goodreads when completed reading, and at Amazon.com at publication. ...more

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Nov 09, 2014 Paul rated it liked it

If you didn’t have anyone to take care of, it was easy to forget the world was full of people less fortunate than you.

Three and a half stars.

You know, I always felt that our species would end with a whimper rather than a bang. It seemed to be flavour of the decade to end humankind with exotic disasters such as an evil-minded asteroid giving our cute planet the death kiss. Or maybe a supervolcano popping like a megapimple, spewing its pustulence (my own word) across the face of the world. Heck, If you didn’t have anyone to take care of, it was easy to forget the world was full of people less fortunate than you.

Three and a half stars.

You know, I always felt that our species would end with a whimper rather than a bang. It seemed to be flavour of the decade to end humankind with exotic disasters such as an evil-minded asteroid giving our cute planet the death kiss. Or maybe a supervolcano popping like a megapimple, spewing its pustulence (my own word) across the face of the world. Heck, for all we know, there could be a simultaneous outbreak of severe flatulence causing our atmosphere to catch on fire and barbeque us all. In reality, we’ll probably disappear from the “current species” list through something boring like entropy, slow climate change, gradual starvation, and a bit of disease thrown in. How uninteresting.

Chris Dietzel’s idea is that there is a sudden, world-wide genetic problem, causing all our children to be born catatonic. A bit “out there”, but the idea has merit. There is a strong argument for Dysgenic Mutation affecting our mental capacity. In Cyril Kornbluth’s “The Marching Morons”, a man is transported to a distant future where humankind has devolved into mass stupidity – no doubt with machines doing our work while we sit around picking our noses. Hmmm...some days I think we are well on our way!

Anyway, here we have a man who has an obsessive relationship with his catatonic (Block) son; insistent on sitting on the porch with him each day, so that he can unload the day’s woes onto him. Well being a Block makes you a good listener at least. After the tragic death of his son, and in a fit of depression, he decides to steal a tank (he’s in the military after all) and get away from it all. Now here’s where you have to turn your “disbelief” button to the OFF position. He heads North, when everyone else is heading South – to where the action is. Society has been in decay for at least a decade, the roads are falling apart, infrastructure is in ruins, and yet our Jeffrey (the dad) manages to keep finding the 450 gallons of fuel to gas up the tank to complete his long journey! Not likely...but there you go. The story seems to be a bit repetitive at times, but you can’t help feeling a bit sorry for poor Jeffrey. He does kill a couple of innocent people, which tarnishes his character a bit, but maybe we would all be guilty of that given the circumstances.

I found “A Different Alchemy” to be thought provoking and entertaining. I’m glad I read it. Good job Chris.
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Sep 29, 2014 Casey rated it it was ok

I got an e-mail about this book being on sale and decided to check it out. The reviews were overall positive, and end of world scenarios are usually interesting reads. That was not the case in this book.

Without giving away the major plot points, the main character of the book suffers a personal tragedy very early in the story. The rest of the book rotates between flashbacks of his old life, and the details of his current life moving foward. The flashbacks always go something like this: He and ...more

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Dec 29, 2013 Jess Probert rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-fiction

I really loved this book.
Dystopian isn't what I usually go for, but there was something that attracted me to 'The Man Who Watched the World End', so I bought a copy and really wasn't disappointed and when Chris asked me if I'd read his second novel early, I was only too happy!
There was no disappointment here either. I love the general setting of both the books and was very pleased to see it return in 'A Different Alchemy' and I loved the physical and mental journey that the main character, ...more

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Nov 21, 2013 Barracuda rated it it was amazing

This is the story of a pained father, suffering from a tragedy while trying to make peace with his wife and with the community he once loved. I can understand Jeffry’s agony and could easily see myself in his state of mind if what happens to him happened to me. His two journeys, the one on land and the one of personal growth, were both powerful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought provoking story, regardless of what types of books they normally read.

One of the ...more

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Jan 11, 2018 Joanne rated it it was amazing

A Different Alchemy is an amazing installment in the De-Evolution series of books. It is filled with love, betrayal, anger, discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance. I mentioned in my review of "The Last Teacher" that this book has uncanny parallels to "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, right down to a bird with a broken wing, and to "The Stranger" by Albert Camus, which basically questions the reason for life.

Alchemy is the supposed magical process of turning lead into gold. Its less well-known A Different Alchemy is an amazing installment in the De-Evolution series of books. It is filled with love, betrayal, anger, discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance. I mentioned in my review of "The Last Teacher" that this book has uncanny parallels to "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, right down to a bird with a broken wing, and to "The Stranger" by Albert Camus, which basically questions the reason for life.

Alchemy is the supposed magical process of turning lead into gold. Its less well-known meanings include: "The discovery of a universal cure for disease" and "The discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life." It can also mean: " A power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way", and I think that is the definition most applicable to this book.

This is the story of Jeffrey and Galen, his Block son. There are other characters, such as his wife and parents, but this book is about a father's love for a son who is incapable of returning his love. It also fills in some details about what life was like as the de-evolution progresses and humanity makes it final journey to the south.

Jeffrey is in the armed services. He is about fifty and "works" at Fort Dix. Working in the de-evolution means getting up and going where you used to work to do nothing. Most people don't bother, but Jeffrey goes every day. His wife wants them to move south to become part of one of the communities, but he isn't ready to go. She has always felt like Jeffrey forced her to get pregnant and resents him for it. He resents her because she can't love their son. They don't talk about this, however.

Jeffrey can't share normal things with his son, but the one thing he has always had are nights on the front porch, sitting with Galen to watch the sun set. He told Galen the deepest thoughts he couldn't tell his wife. He held his hand and they listened to the birds and he watched Galen breathe. He loved his son and didn't understand why his wife couldn't accept him.

As they are almost ready to head south, a tragedy occurs and Galen dies. Katherine is complicit in his death. Jeffrey is consumed with grief. He doesn't go home, but, instead, goes back to Fort Dix and steals a tank. Well, it's not really stealing anymore.

As the rest of the world heads south, Jeffrey heads north, always keeping close to the ocean--reference to "The Awakening". He is free from his wife and from the world. He can go where he wants and do what he wants--and he does. He goes through all the northern states and into Canada. He meets a few people along the way, but isn't interested in any new relationships. At each places he stops, all he cares about is that he can find a safe place to live and a good library. Jeffrey is spending the rest of his life reading.

Thinking back to, "The Last Teacher", you can wonder what the point of reading books is anymore. Most people would say there is no point and it's a waste of the time they have left. That's not what Jeffrey believes (neither did The Last Teacher). It's what he wants to do. He reads "The Awakening" and "The Stranger". He says "The Stranger" had been one of his favorites, but now the ending made him feel like there was no use in anything. The ending talks about the absurdity of the human condition and the meaninglessness of freedom, existence and responsibility. There is also a statement saying people have no right to judge others for their actions or for who they are.

I think this entire series is encapsulated in those few sentences. What is more absurd than the human race being extinguished because life can no longer pro-create? Having children is the reason people can survive knowing they are going to die because a part of them will still live on in their children.Their lives will not simply cease to exist because they will be remembered.

The Blocks ended that. Although human, they can't reproduce and they can't remember their parents. They don't even know they exist. Something--something absurd--caused the very source of life to end life. It only happened to humans. Animals thrived and reclaimed the world. Humanity is ended by its own DNA.

Jeffrey goes as far north as he can, gives his tank to a man he meets, forgives Katherine, and, as in "The Last Astronaut" comes to terms with the life and loss of Galen. He "remembered those memories with fondness", just as The Last Astronaut was able to smile about Bob and put the pain behind him. Both men, as they face the end of their lives, are able to remember the good things and let go of everything else. That is the opposite of all the people heading south, thinking they can outrun death and never accepting the end of all things.

We don't know what becomes of Jeffrey. Does he live a natural life span and die on his own terms or does he decide to walk into the ocean without stopping, also ending life on his own terms? That is the question at the end of "The Awakening" and it is what we are left with at the end of "A Different Alchemy."

This is an amazing book and it didn't leave me feeling sad and hopeless. I lived Jeffrey's life with him. The character is so well-written, you can feel his pain, his love, his longing, and his need to just go away. Jeffrey came to terms with life and death through Galen; The Last Astronaut did it through Bob. I think the book is saying that as long as you have experienced happiness and love in your life, you don't need children and a future. The fact that you loved and were loved is reason enough to live. ...more

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Aug 24, 2014 Terry rated it it was ok · review of another edition

NOT Earth Abides

NOT Earth Abides

Ok premise but formulaic and just average apocalyptic fiction. Wanted it to be like Earth Abides but nowhere near it.

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Feb 13, 2014 Fran rated it it was amazing

A Different Alchemy

Devolution, de-evolution or backward evolution: when species can change into more primitive forms over time. Evolution means progress to more advanced organisms. Each organism becomes more complex in structure and function over time. Evolution is thought or supposed to make species more advanced not primitive. But, some modern species have lost some of their more complex functions that were indicative of their ancestors or forebears and have or might be degenerated forms. The A Different Alchemy

Devolution, de-evolution or backward evolution: when species can change into more primitive forms over time. Evolution means progress to more advanced organisms. Each organism becomes more complex in structure and function over time. Evolution is thought or supposed to make species more advanced not primitive. But, some modern species have lost some of their more complex functions that were indicative of their ancestors or forebears and have or might be degenerated forms. The term “devolution according to dictionary.com is defined as going from an advanced state to a less advanced state or an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting would define the term alchemy or any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance usually of little value into a substance of great value. But, what happens when the opposite occurs? What happens when something strikes normal, healthy infants, children and turns them into non-responsive humans incapable of showing emotions, movement or any type of communication? What happens when the world refers to these children as Blocks and parents throughout the world find themselves caring for children that are not disabled in the normal sense but are not there but have no idea why. In a world that is diminishing, where fires have destroyed much of the landscape and structures,
When mankind gives up and shows no sign of up what happens will be revealed within the pages of this novel. From the author of The Man Who Watched the World End comes a novel that will make you wonder: Can this really happen? What happens to people when things go wrong? When panic strikes why do we often get violent, give up home and forget whom we are? When the world becoming devoid of people and those that are left begin to travel south what you will see as the author describes the devastation, despair, ruin and abandoned cities is a graphic depiction of a world that had decayed. Close your eyes: Can you small the fresh air? Do you see the beautiful flowers in a garden? Can you see the children playing the schoolyard or having fun shooting hoops? Can you see the beautiful highways lit up with the lights that help drivers see? Do you see the amazing houses, villages, stores and towns with their wares in the window? Open your eyes to reality: It’s all gone. Cities hunger for people, cars are left abandon on highways, and people are violent and will kill for just a tank of gas of a new tire. Mankind has become wanton, unfeeling, desperate, deceitful, and violent: of have they always been that way and we have not taken the time to notice?
This is the story of Jeffrey, Katherine and Galen. A story filed with hope, love, despair, frustration and anger. Nothing could be more powerful or painful than losing a child. What happens when your child receives so much love and care but cannot respond to the world around him? Within the pages of this novel you will hear the word Block. Blocks are children born after a certain time period unable to cry, scream, yell, walk, eat, talk, walk or do anything that would show that they are part of this world other than being able to breathe. Some feel that it was a great illness that caused children to be born this way. Others have no idea what the reason and found using them as scapegoats a fun pastime, blaming them for the shortages of food and other important life sustaining supplies their out. Others felt that would be a burden on the state. But, when cities were evacuated and homes left vacant why did their former owners burn them? The loss of a son that might have been avoided had his wife not fallen prey to false promises and dreams that their son would be okay if she left him with others at a stadium and somehow he might be okay. But, when the harsh reality of what she had done comes out and the fact that not only did the stadium burn but those within it too, Jeffrey finds it hard to ever face Katherine again and decides to leave his old life behind and instead of heading south like everyone else, he goes north. A Block Son but Jeffrey’s love is unconditional and at times we the author brilliantly shares conversations within this character’s mind with his son. Treating him as if he understands make him feel whole. Letting him know that he will always protect him despite the fact that he does not understand the mark of a dedicated parent. So, how can he forgive Katherine? The volatile nature of the public, the many newscasts, the flashbacks to where it all began as he reminds himself of why Galen might have become a Block blaming it on the timing of when they decided to have a child. But, is that the real reason? Scientists did not even fathom a solid guess and thought it was a strange illness that caused it and never worked on a vaccine or cure. It was easier to eliminate these children or adults by setting them on fire, leaving them in a shelter, leaving them behind so that they could justify fleeing to another town. As the author allows us to hear Jeffrey’s thinking, logic and sometimes rants we meet other survivors whose only goal is to find a way to the south, north or anywhere not caring for others or willing to help anyone along the way. Mankind became hard, unfeeling, distant and selfish as some had the implements needed to travel why others went in directions that would cause their deaths.

The author cleverly flashes back to discussions between Jeffrey and Katherine including arguments they had, the blame each one puts the other for Galen and the end result that caused his death. Author Chris Dietzel’s vivid descriptions of the decayed landscape, the fallen cities, the broken fences, the brown grass, the dead bodies strewn all over the streets, highways and cities and the smell of death all around brings to story to life for readers. Each chapter fosters memories of things that happened within this small family, things that he wished could have happened and the hopes and dreams he had for his son that he knew would never come to pass. The baseball games he would never play. The girls he would never meet or date and the fun getting drunk for the first time as a teen. How can Jeffrey forgive Katherine when he cannot forgive himself? In the military at Fort Dix the soldiers and those in charge do not report. Many of the officers just left and have not returned. Security has been eliminated and the airwaves had all of the spies from different countries divulge their hidden secrets. Wouldn’t that be interesting if that happened today and everyone worked together?

There are many major issues or themes revealed within this novel. Many feel that because of their inability to communicate or take care of themselves that block children or people have no value. Blocks cannot have children. The population might never grow unless something happens. The Great De-Evolution: Will this really happen if we are not careful?
The setting takes place in Philadelphia as those living there have abandoned their city and his wife caused him what he thinks is his son’s death. Putting thousands of these children in danger in a stadium and allowing it to burn was just where the chain of horrific events began with the justification that you might say but was left unsaid was for the greater good.

Meeting a man on the road enrages him as she realizes that he had something to do with the death of his son and the other Blocks. The rafe is real, the fire lingers in his mind and as his knuckles crack after hitting the side of the man’s skull you would think he would stop, rethink what he’s doing but he does not. Hoping that the man would take his last breath he leaves to wallow in his own blood and finds a grocery store to stop up on supplies as if nothing major happened and the fact that the man might be dead did not affect him in the least. What if he had left years ago? What if they had tried to have a child when they first married? What if the tank he us traveling in gives out? Imagine this as a movie more powerful than others depicting the decline of the world and its population. Reading the Road and seeing the movie this book presents many of the same issues of survival, greed, anger, violence and revenge but the powerful hope of forgiveness makes this one stand out even more. Taking books from bookstores or libraries, providing himself with sustenance and the what he needs to survive the pictures that the author relate4s as he thinks of Katherine driving their son to the stadium, flesh burning, the screams that would never be heard and the despair of a parent who would never see his son again. A man, bloody broke and dead in front of his tank did not bring any emotional response form Jeffrey. His swollen eye and purples did not matter to him. The man was a thief who wanted to steal his tank and prayed and begged for his own death. What did the world look like before the Blocks and the decline of the human race? What would have happened if people just accepted them and did not panic? What would have happened if they had stayed put? Imagine this world where food processors can do anything and generators never give out. Traveling from Philadelphia to cities across the country and stopping to find food, and using what others left behind, running water, the internet working and gangs trying to kidnap the blocks, what kind of world do we live in and would the same thing happen if this were reality today?
Bombed out cities that looked like they had never been rebuilt, stores City Hall and the Statue of Liberty falling apart, the smell of dead animals, the burning flesh of the Blocks and the forgotten homes and people he meets along the way will haunt Jeffrey and readers as the author brings the story to a dramatic close. People that traveled to Washington and were turned away. Using his food processor preparing meals for himself and strangers he met. The final chapters bring back the last days when he was on his military base, saying goodbye to friends, convincing others that their block children would be okay as the author flashes back to when some had hope before the siren blared and reality set it. Then he replays the beginning in his mind hoping that the end result will not be the same as Katherine states that the man on the TV said to bring all of the blocks to the stadium. An ending that will keep you wondering what is next for Jeffrey and where will he wind up. Will he continue until he runs out of land or will he finally find peace and settle somewhere? Will the author continue the story until we learn what the end result is for everyone? This is a powerful story that will keep you thinking about how we treat others, why people do the things they do, their actions and the fact that forgiveness is powerful but can he forgive himself first?
Fran Lewis: Reviewer

Five Golden Hugs For Galen

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Jul 16, 2017 John Wiltshire rated it really liked it

I'm about 20% into this novel. Do not read if already depressed would be my advice. This is a beautiful, poignant rendition of mankind winding down. Horrific, compelling and heartbreaking. At last, someone is tackling those tiny questions--not the gore, the cannibalism, the growth in new wacky religious cults which permeate other apocalyptic stories, but when do you just stop going into work? When do you stop maintaining your house? Yourself? When do you just...stop? The MC of this book isn't I'm about 20% into this novel. Do not read if already depressed would be my advice. This is a beautiful, poignant rendition of mankind winding down. Horrific, compelling and heartbreaking. At last, someone is tackling those tiny questions--not the gore, the cannibalism, the growth in new wacky religious cults which permeate other apocalyptic stories, but when do you just stop going into work? When do you stop maintaining your house? Yourself? When do you just...stop? The MC of this book isn't ready for giving up just yet. He's stolen a tank and he's heading north, against the flow of people going the other way, against the despair, although he's carrying that in his heart too. He's a kind man. I'm reminded of the father and son on the road in The Road, speaking of carrying the fire--which I take to be the boy's innate kindness, which is needed in a world utterly without hope. Just occasionally, in that book, this "fire" inside the young boy is intensely annoying. I'm inside the father's head, furious as he's forced to give away their precious hoarded rations. But in this novel, Dietzel has the fire inside the man. A man with a tank. I'm intrigued and delighted to have found this novel approach to the end of the world.
I'll update when done.
I finished this last night. It's very short, more a novella than a full novel. Up to the end, the poignancy of this book holds you spellbound. What would happen to mankind if all new babies born come out utterly unable to respond in anyway to their surroundings--healthy otherwise, but just inert, and, critically, barren? The last generation of humans ever now nicknamed "blocks". This is the story of one father who loved his block son beyond reason and who, when he loses him, loses a tiny thread of sanity which chained him to a dying, insane world. Or, did he finally become sane and see life for what it really is?
A haunting meditation on what it means to be alive and human, but not to be read unless you're pretty chipper and able to take it. ...more

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Nov 20, 2017 Bonnie Dale Keck rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Kindle unlimited, though some of his are and some are not; depressing, but then again rather assume these type stories usually are. The one not included is The Last Teacher (The Great De-evolution) {not sure where this one belongs in the order of books} mentioned at end in list of these books, but my mind gets tired after reading so many back to back.

As the human population continues to decline, most people travel south to maintain a semblance of the life they know. Entire cities are abandoned. ...more

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Aug 22, 2019 Sabtael rated it really liked it

Shelves: great-writing, adult, read-in-a-day, anticipation, dystopie, written-by-men, 3rd-person, read-in-english, male-lead, death

I'll probably read the other ones in the series as the premise was very interesting, but not before a long time. It's a very depressing read to be honest, and as someone suffering from depression it didn't put me in a good mental state.

Still this idea of a quiet apocalypse is amazing. Humanity doesn't go off with a bang; it just stops being able to produce a new functional generation, and the consequences are interesting to read about.

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Apr 28, 2014 Anna rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In the end, I enjoyed the book. There were a few things that got glossed over and/or which seemed too convenient such as the food processors and the actual state of the Blocks. I presume, from the description, that there is no brain function in the Blocks beyond that necessary for the automatic processes of breathing, etc, but I don’t recall any discussion of the clinical evaluation of whether or not these people have any measurable awareness regardless of their capacity to express it.

In the end, I enjoyed the book. There were a few things that got glossed over and/or which seemed too convenient such as the food processors and the actual state of the Blocks. I presume, from the description, that there is no brain function in the Blocks beyond that necessary for the automatic processes of breathing, etc, but I don’t recall any discussion of the clinical evaluation of whether or not these people have any measurable awareness regardless of their capacity to express it.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read…because it tackled a different view of the apocalypse and invited thought. An apocalypse of attrition. Interesting. I admit I find it an almost more believable rendition of what the actual end of man-kind might be…Blocks not withstanding. What would society be like with no “next generation” to think about, plan for, dream of? Would we all just give up? Would we become that paranoid mass of people clinging so desperately to the diminishing herd that we give up home, history, morality?

That said, the issue of the Blocks troubled me. Not so much their existence. I could conceive of a genetic mutation that rendered procreation impossible or limited, that invited birth defects and disabilities, etc. So that’s fine. I had a hard time swallowing the lack of discussion regarding actual brain function. That troubled me.

The fact that, as morally corrupt as a society might become, the solution to the Block problem turns out to be a fire-bombing? That bothered me even more. Not just because it’s a horrible thought but because I don’t buy it. I would think, if one were to take the position (as some of the Philadelphians apparently do) that the Blocks have no brain function, no soul, no value, that there would be easier, more humane and less messy methods. Poisoned nutrition bags? I feel creepy contemplating it but you get my point.

And, I’ll be honest, were society to be inundated with Block children with clinically confirmed lack of any higher brain function…I have a feeling society might well institute a method of humane euthanasia. The idea, as defined in the book, that eventually there’d be a population comprised 90% of Blocks and 10% forced caregivers? Society would not stand for it. And I suspect the “solution” society would come up with, horrible as it sounds, would be a clinical one…rather than a violent one. That’s just me theorizing though.

Jeffrey, our guide through this apocalyptic world, is meant I think to represent the last vestige of human morality and kindness. His love for his son is, I suspect, meant to warm the heart. But I found him to be selfish and judgmental and his love for his son, as genuine as he thinks it is, shallow. It’s untested. It’s uncomplicated. He never acknowledges the horror or difficulty in caring for a Block, not even in passing. Most people, no matter how much they might love a child such as Galen, would at one point or another acknowledge how awful that responsibility is, bemoan the lack of return, get frustrated and angry with the responsibility. Jeffrey delights in his son’s inability to cause problems or be disappointed by him. I wonder if he’d love a non-Block son half as well, a son who would challenge him, who wouldn’t be a captive audience to his talking every night.

Jeffrey’s love for Katherine is certainly limited. He blames her for not loving their son in the way he does (which is not to say she does not love the boy). He blames her for taking his son to the stadium (when there’s nothing to suggest she’d even dream they would fire the place). He blames her for not rushing into having children. He blames her for making him beg for a child, for making him promise to change every diaper (a promise he does not fulfill btw). He leaves her alone every day to deal with the reality of their Block son while he attends a job that has no purpose. And then he blames her for not being the carefree woman he married when he spends every second of the book finding fault with her. He abandons her after the stadium without even verifying his son died there. He doesn’t check on her even once, not even when he hears about the Philadelphians being turned away from Washington. He is not a loving husband.

Nor is he any ideal of humanity. He beats a young boy senseless for what seems a cruel but ultimately harmless prank. He beats a pathetic fellow traveler to a pulp for wanting his tank. He avoids interaction with humanity. And always is obsessing over the loss of a son who could never reciprocate instead of embracing those who could. In the end, he is no better than the people he sits in judgment on.

One might think I disliked the book from this review. Far from it. The fact that I found this main character, while at surface so sympathetic, so objectionable…that I spent such time contemplating what I felt and why…that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Any book that makes me think is one worth reading.

Is it perfect? No. The narrative sometimes seemed to be omniscient, at other times limited. There were issues, as stated earlier, that were glossed over. Other elements were a little easy. But it was an interesting and worthwhile read. Would I recommend it to others? Yes.
...more

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Sep 11, 2018 Lynda rated it it was amazing

another book set in the 'block' world with views from a different angle. the first book followed a man with his block brother, this one follows a father recounting his life with his only son who was born a block. if you liked the first book you will also enjoy this one.

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Sep 17, 2017 Anne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: z2017-books-read

Another stunning look into the human psyche.

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Jul 03, 2018 Seaellem rated it liked it

Shelves: ebook

Modern day Neville Shutes "On the Beach"

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Jan 23, 2018 Antonio Morales rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Interesting

Thoughtful but ultimately falls short of the first book - The Man who watched the world end. Great writing style.

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Jan 02, 2017 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was by far my favorite book from the De-Evolution series.

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Nov 21, 2013 Matt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hard-rain, media-ebooks, indie-ingenious

Another chapter on the way to the end of humanity!

I was put in the fortunate position to read this book prior to its official release and to write a candid review in exchange:

Mankind has a problem: At a certain point only children were born, so-called Blocks, who spend their entire lives in a kind of persistent vegetative state. They can breathe and operate metabolism, but that's about it. In particular, these pitiful beings cannot procreate. The logical consequence of this phenomenon: The human Another chapter on the way to the end of humanity!

I was put in the fortunate position to read this book prior to its official release and to write a candid review in exchange:

Mankind has a problem: At a certain point only children were born, so-called Blocks, who spend their entire lives in a kind of persistent vegetative state. They can breathe and operate metabolism, but that's about it. In particular, these pitiful beings cannot procreate. The logical consequence of this phenomenon: The human race will become extinct in the not too distant future. This is the time of the Great De-Evolution.

Jeffrey, protagonist of this story, and father of a Block, lives with his son and his wife in Philadelphia until one day the unthinkable happens. The inhabitants of the city of brotherly love decide to deal with the "block problem" by putting thousands of them, including Jeffery's son Galen, in a stadium and let it go up in flames. For Jeffrey, this means the farewell to his hometown. Like most other people he is leaving the city. But not like the others to the South, to lead a supposedly sufficient life without Blocks, but to the solitude of the North, where almost all people have left years ago. The book tells about his journey, undertaken by Jeffrey in a rather unusual vehicle, about his thoughts, impressions and encounters with the very few people who still live up there. Woven in it are flashbacks about what happened to the family in Philadelphia prior to the unspeakable human combustion.

If I had to describe this book in one word, I would probably say it is a desperate, melancholic road-movie with life-affirming overtones. It's probably not as desperate as The Road by Cormac McCarthy since some of the infrastructure is still working in Jeffrey's favor. But unlike the father in McCarty's novel, Jeffrey apparently has nothing left worth fighting for, especially not a son to take care of. It's amazing how Chris Dietzel succeeded in giving Galen, an unresponsive Block, an important role in his novel. It's also amazing how Jeffrey carries on. Most of us would probably just put a gun to our heads or jump off a building. But Jeffrey somehow manages to combine the painful memories of his son with the good and bad memories of past and future in the crucible of his mind and find some peace. In this sense, the book is actually an optimistic one. True to the quote, attributed to Martin Luther: Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.

I can entrust this book, along with its predecessor The Man Who Watched The World End, to anyone who likes good dystopian literature with a strong, original premise, and I'm already looking forward to the next book of the Great De-Evolution.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. ...more

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Sep 27, 2014 Karyn Folan rated it liked it

A fascinating premise: the kind that makes the reader confront something about what he or she believes about what constitutes "a life" and what we believe about which lives are worth living and which are not.

The story takes place when, for unknown reasons, the entire population begins to have children who are unable to speak or move or procreate. Confined to wheelchairs, silent and catatonic, they are nicknamed "Blocks" because these people can do nothing for themselves. Eventually, society
A fascinating premise: the kind that makes the reader confront something about what he or she believes about what constitutes "a life" and what we believe about which lives are worth living and which are not.

The story takes place when, for unknown reasons, the entire population begins to have children who are unable to speak or move or procreate. Confined to wheelchairs, silent and catatonic, they are nicknamed "Blocks" because these people can do nothing for themselves. Eventually, society de-evolves and Blocks are the only humans born. It's a slow end of the world scenario: in decades the Block's parents will become too old to care for them. Since the Blocks are unable to care for themselves, they will slowly die when their caregivers die.

No more people to have children, to create things, to maintain things. With this negative population growth, one by one, large cities begin to crumble as they no longer have enough manpower to sustain their continued operations. Governments fail for the same reason, and the remaining population is in continuous movement from city to city, consolidating in each new place to form large enough numbers to maintain some semblance of life as they once knew it.

This is interesting stuff, but while that is the backdrop of the story, the real conflict is the internal stuggle of the protagonist, Jeffrey to come to terms with the violent death of his Block son (to tell you more would be a spoiler), Galen, at the hands of those who resent the burden on a failing society Blocks represent. While everyone he knows is moving south to consolidate with the functioning cities there, Jeffrey heads to the abandoned cities of the North, searching for a way to come to terms with his son's loss and his wife's role in it.

I often wish there was a way to add a half star to your review. This book hovered between a three and four star rating for me. When it was good, it was very good; when it was bad it was pretty bad. The good was in the concept and the story's steady forward movement. There were aspects of Jeffrey's character development that were very solid, believeable and real. I rooted for him.

But...

There was a deliberate redundance in the story that, I suppose, was reaching for some artistic symmetry: a full circle from grief to acceptance, as it were. I hated it. It was unnecessary and boring to re-read the same events. Perhaps that just makes me a philistine; I'm willing to accept that as a possibility. But it felt overwrought and forced, "trying to be art" rather than simply being it. Then there were the conversations Jeffrey had along the way that were just a bit too "on the nose" about releasing his anger and grief. Ugh. And when I use "ugh" in a review, it's pretty much shorthand for this: Cut it out, writer! You're insulting my intelligence!

This book would have been a solid five stars with a different kind of editing: not grammar and spelling, but a ruthless content editor who told the author: "I know you like this lovely bit of explanation, but you dont need it. You don't need to tell them that again. Move on to the next scene. Have faith enough in your reader to let the story stand. They'll get it."

The difference between a truly memorable, heartbreaking book and book that's just so-so, isn't always MORE words. Often it's less. A Different Alchemy had a great premise, but in this case, less would have been so very much more.

...more

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Sep 28, 2014 Bayard West rated it liked it

3.5 stars.
Sub-genre: Post-Apocalyptic (PA)
Conflict: man vs. ??????

POV: 3rd person
Multiple-POV: no
Solid editing/polish:
Fun characters: no
Witty repartee: no
Great "how-it-works" technology descriptions: no
Thought provoking:
Great ending: ?

A Different Alchemy follows a mourning father, Jeffrey, as he makes his way through a post-apocolyptic landscape. Like The Children of Men, mankind is rendered infertile. What would happen to your household, city block and neighborhood if civilization came ...more

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Feb 07, 2014 Terry Reid rated it liked it

A Different Alchemy is author Chris Dietzel’s dabbling into the end-of-the-world dystopian drama. The book revisits an incident briefly mentioned in his previous work - The Man Who Watched the World End.

After Jeffrey learns that his son, who is completely paralysed, has died in a stadium fire along with Philadelphia’s other paraplegics, he steals a tank and heads north to come to terms with his death.
If you have not read the original book, the series revolves around the idea that mankind is A Different Alchemy is author Chris Dietzel’s dabbling into the end-of-the-world dystopian drama. The book revisits an incident briefly mentioned in his previous work - The Man Who Watched the World End.

After Jeffrey learns that his son, who is completely paralysed, has died in a stadium fire along with Philadelphia’s other paraplegics, he steals a tank and heads north to come to terms with his death.
If you have not read the original book, the series revolves around the idea that mankind is going extinct because women can no longer produce healthy babies. All babies born into the world are fully paralysed and mentally unaware - dubbed Blocks.

Jeffrey’s story alternates between the days he spends on the road heading north and past events of his life; from getting married, to having a Block son, to the day his son died.

While A Different Alchemy kept my attention I did not find it as addictive or disturbing as The Man Who Watched the World End. I felt a lot of ideas from the first instalment were reiterated, which is ok if you’ve not read the previous book but if you have, it’s a bit repetitive. That said, there were some fresh ideas in here as well, like how badly some parts of society, like the disabled, are treated by certain people. While this book is fictional, it does make you wonder about the injustices in real life carried out against those in the past who are unable to defend themselves.

Also, I felt the theme of man’s decline was overused. I appreciate it is integral to the book’s plot but in the flashbacks of Jeffrey’s life, all TV programmes and news seem to centre around this and Blocks every hour of every day. It also seems to be the only thing anyone ever talks about. I know the end of the world will be a scary time but since it takes place over so many years, I found it very difficult to belief that it is the only thing people ever talked about.

Some other things seemed a bit silly as well, like how fast certain cities rotted away. I’m not a civic engineer by any measure but this seemed to happen a little too fast. Also, I seriously doubt military installations would be left unlocked for anyone to wonder into - especially in the US. The same idea of houses going on fire and no fire crews attending and hospitals being closed, also sounded a bit ridiculous. I think there still would be emergency services, even on a smaller scale, operating at this point in the population decline.

That aside, Jeffrey’s journey coming to terms with his son’s death was well captured through the narrative. You could really feel his hurt and heartache at such a tragedy and that is to be applauded. ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Papaphilly rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, apocalyptic, independent-author

A Different Alchemy by Chris Dietzel is a heartbreaking tour de force. Reminiscent of of Children of Men and On the Road, Chris Dietzel looks at where one man will go to find peace after a devastating loss in his life. This is a road novel where the protagonist, Jeffrey, watches the world as he passes through, noting, but never involving himself. Jeffrey has given up on humanity and just wants to be left alone and find inner peace. The world is ending and the last people are moving south to ...more

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Dec 02, 2013 Rune rated it really liked it

Shelves: apocalyptic

Chris Dietzel follows his wonderful "The Man Who Watched The World End" with "A Different Alchemy". I really enjoyed "The Man..", but had some issues with the narrators existencial endeavours. The issues were well outweighed by the story and the really interesting take on The End Of The World. Because in Chris Dietzels De-Evolution, the world doesn't end with a huge bang. Or with zombies eating everything.

It just slowly ends as people grow old and there's nobody to take over, as all newborns Chris Dietzel follows his wonderful "The Man Who Watched The World End" with "A Different Alchemy". I really enjoyed "The Man..", but had some issues with the narrators existencial endeavours. The issues were well outweighed by the story and the really interesting take on The End Of The World. Because in Chris Dietzels De-Evolution, the world doesn't end with a huge bang. Or with zombies eating everything.

It just slowly ends as people grow old and there's nobody to take over, as all newborns are born infertale (and immobile).

You could read this as a stand alone-book. But you would really get rewarded by reading "The Man Who Watched The World End" first. It's hard to put down, so it won't take you long.

It will make give you context on the opening of the book, as the situation leading our main man Jeffrey, and his painful journy through the "lost" parts of northern America is mentioned in the previous book.

"The Man" also explains the trimmings of the De-Evolution in a bit more detail, especially the food-processors and the reason the roads are deteriorating with such speed.

But, as I said - "A Different Alchemy" can very well be read as a stand-alone book. Because it really is a wonderful book, worth spending some time on.

Jeffreys ghosts in this desolate world are the worst to come to terms with, but while he meets other people on his journey - the main part of the book is his struggle with himself and the things that has happened in his life - up until the situation that sends him on his journey to find a reason for it all.

The thing I missed in this book was a bit more depth in his encounters with the other "survivors", if we can call them that. I would have liked for Jeffrey to explore those people a bit more - but I do understand his need to be alone and work out his issues by himself.

All in all, a recommended book! Not only for those interested in apocalyptic literature, but anyone wanting a story with strong characters trying to find their place in an ever changing world. ...more

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Jan 27, 2014 Brian rated it really liked it

I dont think I spoiled anything but read my review with a little caution so as to not ruin anything.

Let me start by saying this author has some real talent. I was hooked instantly and found the beginning addictive and thought provoking. I was daydreaming the story as I was reading it. Terrific!

I wish I could give it 4 1/2 stars. But it's not a five....but could have been for me.

I dont want to spoil it. But the awesome story and intersections were so good that I wanted more depth. The table was ...more

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Nov 26, 2013 Megan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dystopia

Wow. A Different Alchemy was a powerful book. I was a bit nervous to get started, because the first in this series (The Man Who Watched The World End) punched me in the gut. I had to binge on silly fun for a month after. Balance. I need balance.

So, I finally worked up the courage to read A Different Alchemy. And I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed this so much more than the last, and his experiences really resonate with me. The story flows very well, and just like the first book, I could feel the ...more

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Jan 06, 2014 Benoit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thriller, anglais, lit-usa, numerique, owned

Wow, this book is amazing!

When I first read the description of this book on Goodreads, it really got my attention. I guess the part of me so anti conforming got intrigued by the idea of a man going on a solo trip north while everyone else were heading South.

I finally bought it and jumped into it. Curious about what will happen to this man. I didn't know what to expect from the author because it was the first time I've heard of him. But seriously, I really loved the way Chris Dietzel wrote this ...more

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