What do you think?
Rate this book
Books of the Cataclysm #1
The Crooked Letter
When mirror twins Seth and Hadrian Castillo travel to Europe on holidays, they don't expect the end of the world to follow them. Seth's murder, however, puts exactly that into motion.
From opposite sides of death, the Castillo twins grapple with a reality neither of them suspected, although it has been encoded in myths and legends for millennia. The Earth we know is just one of many "realms," three of which are inhabited by humans during various stages of their lives. And their afterlives...
In the tradition of Philip Pullman and Ursula K. Le Guin and inspired by numerous arcane sources, the Books of the Cataclysm begin in the present world but soon propel the reader to a landscape that is simultaneously familiar and fantastic."
From opposite sides of death, the Castillo twins grapple with a reality neither of them suspected, although it has been encoded in myths and legends for millennia. The Earth we know is just one of many "realms," three of which are inhabited by humans during various stages of their lives. And their afterlives...
In the tradition of Philip Pullman and Ursula K. Le Guin and inspired by numerous arcane sources, the Books of the Cataclysm begin in the present world but soon propel the reader to a landscape that is simultaneously familiar and fantastic."
508 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
22 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Sean Williams
277 books468 followers#1 New York Times bestselling Sean Williams lives with his family in Adelaide, South Australia. He’s written some books--forty-two at last count--including the Philip K. Dick-nominated Saturn Returns, several Star Wars novels and the Troubletwister series with Garth Nix. Twinmaker is a YA SF series that takes his love affair with the matter transmitter to a whole new level. You can find some related short stories over at Lightspeed Magazine and elsewhere. Thanks for reading.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 24, 2011
I wanted to like this book so much. It had an interesting premise, but the only really good characterization came in Hadrian's part early on, when he's clearly in love with a girl that's getting down with his brother in the next room. This never really develops any more, and then one is pelted with a lot of random things that are apparently inspired by real mythology or arcane lore, but are so out there that they don't mean anything to anyone without a religious studies doctorate. That, and Sean Williams' consistent vague and indecipherable descriptions of things or beings in the fantasy world that leave you with nothing clear to visualize...
It's clear that Sean Williams has some skill, but this book is chock full of pointless, boring, repetitive world building. There isn't any major points of tension in the last 50 pages of the book, and it comes out of nowhere. The final conflict is a long, boring, droning conversation, and the deus ex machina is leaned on so heavily throughout that it almost breaks.
I hate to say this, because I love genre fantasy and I want it to be good, but I can't see how the person capable of writing this can ever produce anything truly entertaining.
It's clear that Sean Williams has some skill, but this book is chock full of pointless, boring, repetitive world building. There isn't any major points of tension in the last 50 pages of the book, and it comes out of nowhere. The final conflict is a long, boring, droning conversation, and the deus ex machina is leaned on so heavily throughout that it almost breaks.
I hate to say this, because I love genre fantasy and I want it to be good, but I can't see how the person capable of writing this can ever produce anything truly entertaining.
February 28, 2012
Cannot get through that one. I loved "the change" series and really wanted to like this one too. This book consists of pointless descriptions of another world with some equally pointless action in it. The only interesting bits are from before the world has changed that are intertwined with the... I was going to write "plot" but I don't think there is any....so... Anyway big disappointment. 200 pages in and I don't care about characters at all.
May 8, 2013
This novel is a tale of twins who are used by an alien god to start an apocalypse. The story takes place in a twisted-from-true version of our world and in a bizarre afterlife, both of which are imaginative and well-fleshed out.
Although the prose is good and the ideas in the book are pretty sophisticated and intricate, I didn't find the novel successful in what it was trying to do.
The imagery is often very surreal, which could be a great thing, but I usually found I had trouble picturing the world. I wish the author had taken more time to make things bloom to life in the reader's imagination, because the greatest strength of this book could have been its wild landscapes. I would have enjoyed the ride a lot more if I'd been seeing the scenery--instead, I usually had only a vague idea of how to picture what was being described.
The afterlife depicted in the book is pretty bizarre and cool, but that leads to problems too. The first half of the novel seems to involve little except the two protagonists being dragged around and informed of facts by creatures more knowledgeable (and interesting) than themselves. The sheer weight of information that the author tries to convey to the reader in this fashion bogs the story down and saps it of urgency.
The resolution of the novel was mostly satisfying, but the surreal nature of the story again got in the way. Things made sense but still seemed to come out of left field simply because it was all a bit random. Better foreshadowing might have helped, but the issue seemed to be that the world didn't have well-defined rules. Anything could happen--which means what did happen carried no emotional weight.
One last, small thing: I have no idea why the book is called The Crooked Letter. None. I can't think of anything in the book that would make that a logical title for it.
In summary, this is a book that seemingly could have been something spectacular and weird, but it instead seems to have tripped over its own aspirations and wound up being a pleasant-enough read, but a bit of muddle nevertheless.
Although the prose is good and the ideas in the book are pretty sophisticated and intricate, I didn't find the novel successful in what it was trying to do.
The imagery is often very surreal, which could be a great thing, but I usually found I had trouble picturing the world. I wish the author had taken more time to make things bloom to life in the reader's imagination, because the greatest strength of this book could have been its wild landscapes. I would have enjoyed the ride a lot more if I'd been seeing the scenery--instead, I usually had only a vague idea of how to picture what was being described.
The afterlife depicted in the book is pretty bizarre and cool, but that leads to problems too. The first half of the novel seems to involve little except the two protagonists being dragged around and informed of facts by creatures more knowledgeable (and interesting) than themselves. The sheer weight of information that the author tries to convey to the reader in this fashion bogs the story down and saps it of urgency.
The resolution of the novel was mostly satisfying, but the surreal nature of the story again got in the way. Things made sense but still seemed to come out of left field simply because it was all a bit random. Better foreshadowing might have helped, but the issue seemed to be that the world didn't have well-defined rules. Anything could happen--which means what did happen carried no emotional weight.
One last, small thing: I have no idea why the book is called The Crooked Letter. None. I can't think of anything in the book that would make that a logical title for it.
In summary, this is a book that seemingly could have been something spectacular and weird, but it instead seems to have tripped over its own aspirations and wound up being a pleasant-enough read, but a bit of muddle nevertheless.
February 25, 2011
Apparently I can't put half stars on here, but I would give this one a 3.5. It's a very ambitious series, the world and the rules and physics and imagination it took to come up with the Realms is astounding, and very, very creative. The one place where I think this novel falls down though is definitely in the characters. They're really more ciphers than people, which I GUESS makes sense given where this all ends up, but I'm not sure if I want to continue reading about the Twins. I mean, they're so boring that even the author got them mixed up at least once. I'm still going to give the next book a go, because I have been pretty spoiled with character studies lately, but really, no one character was really that compelling.
October 16, 2020
Unfortunately I couldn't give 0 stars, 1 star is too much for this piece. I really did try to enjoy it but the bland, unrefined main characters were just a jumbled mess the whole way through, I think there was a plot? I'm unsure after struggling to get passed the sentences where the author himself forgets which character he's talking about. I wish I was joking when I say that the main characters are basically the same person...because they are. They're so similar, so boring and shallow that Sean Williams somehow got this book published with a mistake, he called one character by the name of the other and it was quite obvious in this part of the story that it was a huge mistake. This may seem small to some but come on...really?
This story is rushed, jam packed full of nonsense and retconning that I almost physically couldn't sit through it, the only reason I did was to figure out how and why in the nine hells there are 3 other books after this dumpster fire. Honestly it's as if Williams took a bunch of his ideas, mythical creatures, vague details of 'relevant history' and unrelatable, dumbass characters put them all in a blender and churned out this book. I truly wish I could find more words for my distaste for this awful book, almost as much as I wish I could forget I ever read it.
So unless you enjoy hate reading, I suggest skipping this one. Go find some Douglass, Guin or Sanderson instead!
This story is rushed, jam packed full of nonsense and retconning that I almost physically couldn't sit through it, the only reason I did was to figure out how and why in the nine hells there are 3 other books after this dumpster fire. Honestly it's as if Williams took a bunch of his ideas, mythical creatures, vague details of 'relevant history' and unrelatable, dumbass characters put them all in a blender and churned out this book. I truly wish I could find more words for my distaste for this awful book, almost as much as I wish I could forget I ever read it.
So unless you enjoy hate reading, I suggest skipping this one. Go find some Douglass, Guin or Sanderson instead!
June 14, 2012
This is a potentially interesting mythic fantasy that plays with theme of determinism vs free will in a context exploring an alternative explanation for the Fall and the Flood. It's way too long and, regardless whether you're a believer or an atheist like me, I suspect you will find this as anything more than an OK read.
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...
October 12, 2022
The murder of an inverse twin (identical twins but everything is mirrored, including their organs) screws up our reality and starts bringing two of the three known realms together.
Intriguing plot, some uneven pacing, but mostly good.
Intriguing plot, some uneven pacing, but mostly good.
March 31, 2020
One of the best books i have read. Compelling story line all the way through, always leaving me wondering what comes next
Amazing!!
Amazing!!
January 4, 2024
This book was interesting, but it had some pros and cons that make it hard for me to say it was great or it wasn't.
Premise
The good: This is a story about a reality where different realms exist and our world is one of three that are connected, which is a pretty fun idea. The possibilities are practically endless and the book does a great job of capitalizing on that. The events, characters, and locations in both realms are imaginative and unique. I enjoyed the creativity of the second realm and trying to picture the absolute insanity being described at times.
The bad: Beings from these other realms are responsible for all religion in the world, and this manifests mostly in character names throughout the book and a lot of quotes. This aspect didn't do it for me- it seemed unnecessary and often disconnected when it came up. Also, this is what it is, but there's times where the world is clearly beyond explanation. There were some descriptions that were perhaps too detailed or distracting from the flow of the story.
Main Characters
The good: The twins are both on very different adventures, and are clearly different people even when they don't feel like it. I feel like this book really does a great job of showing you how each feels, because you really get the emotional impact of having a second "you".
The bad: A lot of the twin's adventures are not cleanly separated by chapters, and often jump between stories unexpectedly. There were at least two instances where the wrong twin's name was used, which forced me to stop and confirm which twin was being referred to.
The Story
The good: Pretty crazy, and I definitely enjoyed each twin's adventure.
The bad: Without spoilers, the ending is almost too huge in it's scale. I can't say I completely understood it as things continued to escalate to new levels of reality bending.
Overall, glad I read it but not yet decided if I am interested in reading the next one. Also, I've been thinking about it and I just can't figure out what the hell the "crooked letter" in the title refers to!
Premise
The good: This is a story about a reality where different realms exist and our world is one of three that are connected, which is a pretty fun idea. The possibilities are practically endless and the book does a great job of capitalizing on that. The events, characters, and locations in both realms are imaginative and unique. I enjoyed the creativity of the second realm and trying to picture the absolute insanity being described at times.
The bad: Beings from these other realms are responsible for all religion in the world, and this manifests mostly in character names throughout the book and a lot of quotes. This aspect didn't do it for me- it seemed unnecessary and often disconnected when it came up. Also, this is what it is, but there's times where the world is clearly beyond explanation. There were some descriptions that were perhaps too detailed or distracting from the flow of the story.
Main Characters
The good: The twins are both on very different adventures, and are clearly different people even when they don't feel like it. I feel like this book really does a great job of showing you how each feels, because you really get the emotional impact of having a second "you".
The bad: A lot of the twin's adventures are not cleanly separated by chapters, and often jump between stories unexpectedly. There were at least two instances where the wrong twin's name was used, which forced me to stop and confirm which twin was being referred to.
The Story
The good: Pretty crazy, and I definitely enjoyed each twin's adventure.
The bad: Without spoilers, the ending is almost too huge in it's scale. I can't say I completely understood it as things continued to escalate to new levels of reality bending.
Overall, glad I read it but not yet decided if I am interested in reading the next one. Also, I've been thinking about it and I just can't figure out what the hell the "crooked letter" in the title refers to!
February 12, 2014
Crooked Cliches
Like any good nerd I have stacks of books to get through. I have about a year to get through those stacks before I will have to pack some up and discard the rest. So, there is a bit a pressure to make some headway in the towers of paper that fill an alcove in our bedroom. For the longest time it has been a point of pride for me that I finished every book I started. True, this says a lot about the low standards I have for myself, but I finished even the bad ones. I would always convince myself that the book might get better as I read on. Many times by the end of a book I could happily say it was a good read after all. As I got older and my time for reading diminished, like my youthful zeal, I viewed this point of pride as a waste of time. I read some pretty bad books. I could’ve spent my time on something else, like a better book. Nowadays I allow myself to get mid-way through a book and then assess whether or not I should continue. That assessment came a little while ago for The Crooked Letter: Books of the Cataclysm: One by Sean Williams. I found it lacking.
I found this book on a trip to the library and I am sad to say I got suckered into taking it home because of the cover art and the brief description on the flap. Thankfully libraries let you take books for free. I saw this great apocalyptic painting on the front with only a human and a demon looking person walking through a ruined city underground. The flap talked about mirror twins, Seth and Hadrian Castillo, who while on vacation get pulled into the events of the end of world when Seth is murdered in front of his brother. Hadrian is left in a corpse filled city and Seth goes to the afterlife to have his own adventure. I began to think I had found a great surrealist post-apocalyptic novel, like the fantasy version of The Road. I had high hopes, much like William’s publishers. The bottom of the flap said Williams was compared to Ursula K. Le Guin and China Mieville, though it doesn’t say by who this comparison is made. It should have said he wanted to emulate these authors, for I think that is what he was trying to accomplish.
This story is flawed in so many ways, and I hate saying that, for Williams is a professional author, published and all that, but it is. Williams creates two surreal worlds, three really but only talks about two, supplies them with norms and rules and then violates both. Seth goes to an after life ruled by will alone, but than can die again, pass on to another realm, because of a fall, or being eaten by the locals. Will power can move him and strengthen him, yet he must travel by boat, that isn’t really a boat, through a tube, that isn’t really a tube, because what, he can’t will himself to fly through an airless afterlife? Hadrian isn’t in one city, he is in all the cities of earth. They have become a Frankenstein mash up that he can travel through in a big metal car driven by an old lady, yet it takes them hours to get anywhere and the rest of world is apparently fine. So, how can Hadrian drive through destroyed Earth cities at the same time as people are still living in them?
There is also Williams heavy use of mythology. Many stories under the Speculative Fiction umbrella have made use of Earth’s many mythologies, there is nothing wrong with that. However, Williams is trying to use all of them in some capacity or another at once. Yet, even with such a huge grab bag of tricks, he pulls out the less common dominator of all, Christianity. This Cataclysm, of which the Castillo brothers are witnessing, are moments when three different realms of life are some how forced to merge together. The previous Cataclysms were the fall of the Morning Star, and then Noah and then Jesus. So, perhaps this cycle has something to do with his second ‘coming’. Not sure, as I didn’t finish the book, but yes Jesus is mentioned, except Williams spelled his named differently. As a matter of fact, many figures from mythology make guest appearances or are talked about, places as well, all with unique spellings provided care of the author. The cliches are piled on thick. Like peanut butter on the roof of a dogs mouth, I kept chewing by couldn’t swallow.
The writing is lacking as well. Characters are not fully developed, motivations for their actions seem weak, unjustified or just not there. The dialogue between between people is stale, it reads like a Japanese RPG. Seth and Hadrian both have guides that they talk to learn about the worlds they now inhabit. Each exchange with these people is like a video game tutorial. There is also a character Ellis, a woman both brothers sleep with and become obsessed with and get jealous over. Yet, she disappears in the first few chapters and that creates a ghost love triangle. Everyone is sick of love triangles, especially with dead people. Williams is weak as a word smith. He tries so hard to explain these surreal otherworldly places and experiences but comes off as cartoonish.
So, to conclude, I find The Crooked Letter to be on par with contemporary young adult fiction. Some people are going to like this book, but I really think those folks would be teenagers. This book is perfect for that demographic, by the way. Younger readers could use this as a place to start, before they are ready for more complex surrealist authors. They could also just start with H.P. Lovecraft like I did. Cut to the chase I say. Sadly, this book was filed with adult science-fiction and it lacks the development to be such. One of my favorite authors is Clive Barker, who is known to be experienced at the otherworldly. As I read Sean Williams I kept thinking he wants to be Clive, he really wants to be Clive. I don’t blame Sean for wanting to write like Clive Barker. I wouldn’t mind some of his talent rubbing off on me. While Sean Williams is a lot further along to that goal than I am, he needs to try harder than this.
Like any good nerd I have stacks of books to get through. I have about a year to get through those stacks before I will have to pack some up and discard the rest. So, there is a bit a pressure to make some headway in the towers of paper that fill an alcove in our bedroom. For the longest time it has been a point of pride for me that I finished every book I started. True, this says a lot about the low standards I have for myself, but I finished even the bad ones. I would always convince myself that the book might get better as I read on. Many times by the end of a book I could happily say it was a good read after all. As I got older and my time for reading diminished, like my youthful zeal, I viewed this point of pride as a waste of time. I read some pretty bad books. I could’ve spent my time on something else, like a better book. Nowadays I allow myself to get mid-way through a book and then assess whether or not I should continue. That assessment came a little while ago for The Crooked Letter: Books of the Cataclysm: One by Sean Williams. I found it lacking.
I found this book on a trip to the library and I am sad to say I got suckered into taking it home because of the cover art and the brief description on the flap. Thankfully libraries let you take books for free. I saw this great apocalyptic painting on the front with only a human and a demon looking person walking through a ruined city underground. The flap talked about mirror twins, Seth and Hadrian Castillo, who while on vacation get pulled into the events of the end of world when Seth is murdered in front of his brother. Hadrian is left in a corpse filled city and Seth goes to the afterlife to have his own adventure. I began to think I had found a great surrealist post-apocalyptic novel, like the fantasy version of The Road. I had high hopes, much like William’s publishers. The bottom of the flap said Williams was compared to Ursula K. Le Guin and China Mieville, though it doesn’t say by who this comparison is made. It should have said he wanted to emulate these authors, for I think that is what he was trying to accomplish.
This story is flawed in so many ways, and I hate saying that, for Williams is a professional author, published and all that, but it is. Williams creates two surreal worlds, three really but only talks about two, supplies them with norms and rules and then violates both. Seth goes to an after life ruled by will alone, but than can die again, pass on to another realm, because of a fall, or being eaten by the locals. Will power can move him and strengthen him, yet he must travel by boat, that isn’t really a boat, through a tube, that isn’t really a tube, because what, he can’t will himself to fly through an airless afterlife? Hadrian isn’t in one city, he is in all the cities of earth. They have become a Frankenstein mash up that he can travel through in a big metal car driven by an old lady, yet it takes them hours to get anywhere and the rest of world is apparently fine. So, how can Hadrian drive through destroyed Earth cities at the same time as people are still living in them?
There is also Williams heavy use of mythology. Many stories under the Speculative Fiction umbrella have made use of Earth’s many mythologies, there is nothing wrong with that. However, Williams is trying to use all of them in some capacity or another at once. Yet, even with such a huge grab bag of tricks, he pulls out the less common dominator of all, Christianity. This Cataclysm, of which the Castillo brothers are witnessing, are moments when three different realms of life are some how forced to merge together. The previous Cataclysms were the fall of the Morning Star, and then Noah and then Jesus. So, perhaps this cycle has something to do with his second ‘coming’. Not sure, as I didn’t finish the book, but yes Jesus is mentioned, except Williams spelled his named differently. As a matter of fact, many figures from mythology make guest appearances or are talked about, places as well, all with unique spellings provided care of the author. The cliches are piled on thick. Like peanut butter on the roof of a dogs mouth, I kept chewing by couldn’t swallow.
The writing is lacking as well. Characters are not fully developed, motivations for their actions seem weak, unjustified or just not there. The dialogue between between people is stale, it reads like a Japanese RPG. Seth and Hadrian both have guides that they talk to learn about the worlds they now inhabit. Each exchange with these people is like a video game tutorial. There is also a character Ellis, a woman both brothers sleep with and become obsessed with and get jealous over. Yet, she disappears in the first few chapters and that creates a ghost love triangle. Everyone is sick of love triangles, especially with dead people. Williams is weak as a word smith. He tries so hard to explain these surreal otherworldly places and experiences but comes off as cartoonish.
So, to conclude, I find The Crooked Letter to be on par with contemporary young adult fiction. Some people are going to like this book, but I really think those folks would be teenagers. This book is perfect for that demographic, by the way. Younger readers could use this as a place to start, before they are ready for more complex surrealist authors. They could also just start with H.P. Lovecraft like I did. Cut to the chase I say. Sadly, this book was filed with adult science-fiction and it lacks the development to be such. One of my favorite authors is Clive Barker, who is known to be experienced at the otherworldly. As I read Sean Williams I kept thinking he wants to be Clive, he really wants to be Clive. I don’t blame Sean for wanting to write like Clive Barker. I wouldn’t mind some of his talent rubbing off on me. While Sean Williams is a lot further along to that goal than I am, he needs to try harder than this.
January 31, 2023
I very much enjoyed This Book however i do Have a few opinions. It seemed to drag on as nothing really “happened” in many chapters and it was just following characters on their constant journey. Names of things in the alternate world were hard to follow with sometimes as they were not in any language like English. Yes, they are at the back in the key so I suggest going back anf Reading what they mean. The ending was a bit hard t understand since it was so sudden.
I love How one of the central characters is fron Australia And the Same Part as me! Made it more fun to get to know her as it was almost made more relatable.
I will definitely read the next few books in the series to see what happens next as I do need closure for the ending!
Thank you!
I love How one of the central characters is fron Australia And the Same Part as me! Made it more fun to get to know her as it was almost made more relatable.
I will definitely read the next few books in the series to see what happens next as I do need closure for the ending!
Thank you!
June 10, 2022
Not engaging....DNF
One would think that with a world ending cataclysm, battles with evil forces, etc. this would be a compelling story. Yet I did not find it so compelling. I stuck with it for 40% of the way, but I'm just feeling no compunction to continue on. I don't particularly like either brother, and their whining and their demands. Therefor their journeys didn't matter to me. The crazy settings were occasionally interesting, but not enough to make me want to continue. So I did not finish. I'm giving up on Sean Williams' Cataclysm series. I liked a collection of his short stories. I'm hoping the next novel of his I pick up engages me.
One would think that with a world ending cataclysm, battles with evil forces, etc. this would be a compelling story. Yet I did not find it so compelling. I stuck with it for 40% of the way, but I'm just feeling no compunction to continue on. I don't particularly like either brother, and their whining and their demands. Therefor their journeys didn't matter to me. The crazy settings were occasionally interesting, but not enough to make me want to continue. So I did not finish. I'm giving up on Sean Williams' Cataclysm series. I liked a collection of his short stories. I'm hoping the next novel of his I pick up engages me.
December 22, 2024
This book was recommended to me when visiting Australia (prior to emigrating there)...and I stopped in an independent bookstore and asked for recommendations from Aussie authors...and this was the first book given to me. I didn't realize at the time how this one story was connected to the other two trilogies...but I will say that the book is strange, but it links the full series to the real world in a way that I found innovative and creative. If you find yourself thinking about death and the afterlife a lot...you will find this an interesting read. (And if you study chemistry, you'll appreciate the nod to chirality.)
July 16, 2020
I really wanted to love this book because it was so detailed and such an original storyline, but I felt like the author bit off a bit more than he could chew in terms of what he was trying to fit into this book. There were threads I wish were explored more but the book was already nearly 500 pages so I get why they were left. I'm not sure if the books that continue in the season will go into more detail, but I don't think I was drawn in enough to find out.
November 20, 2020
13 years, I've been reading trying to read this book.
Things always came up, in the long long ago it was the library that wanted it back before I finished. Other times it was college or work demands.
It stuck in my mind all that time and I kept coming back to it every few years.
I like this book, not the best i've ever read but i really vibe with the cosmology.
Things always came up, in the long long ago it was the library that wanted it back before I finished. Other times it was college or work demands.
It stuck in my mind all that time and I kept coming back to it every few years.
I like this book, not the best i've ever read but i really vibe with the cosmology.
January 27, 2020
I wanted to like this book, but couldn't. I felt it wasted too much time and space on trying to impress the reader with just how weird this universe was. On the other hand, I've now found something that reads a little like H.P. Lovecraft ...
September 22, 2019
Liked the idea and some of the descriptions were nice but I didn't care about the characters. It took me more than a year to read this book because it was so exhausting.
did-not-finish-or-start
July 17, 2021DNS 7/16/2021
November 23, 2014
Pyr sent this over to me quite a bit ago and I'm woefully behind in reviewing it. Thankfully this is the second to last title I have left. I liked the way THE CROOKED LETTER sounded with the mirror twins and all the different bits of mythology getting thrown into the book and it piqued my interest. Enter said amount of time later and I finally got around to reading it.
Initially I was a little put off by the thickness, mainly because I'm inherently put off by thick books because they're such a time commitment and I'm really bent on not DNFing books this year so if I ended up not being thrilled with it, well, that's one hell of a slog. Luckily the print is normal so it really didn't take me forever to read and it really got the point quickly. Within the first fifty pages the world's already gone a bit sideways but I didn't know the extent of it until a bit later. Not much later but beyond the fifty page mark. The book opens with a fight between the brothers that really sets up their relationship but then they're torn apart and you're forced to get to know them as individuals and they really do stand out from each other. So between the characters and the world it had my attention.
I really liked the world(s) Williams created and how familiar they were but were still foreign at the same time. The concept was that many people, after they died, went to the second realm where they experienced a new level of existence mutually exclusive to the first realm, or the one we live in. Earth's myths and legends were loosely based on the creatures and stories from the second realm and a lot of the facts were lost in translation because a lot of it just couldn't be translated. There are elements of the second realm that just don't transfer to the human one. The third realm is more of an afterlife as we know it, where if you die in the second that's where you go. And then there's the underworld and the semi-world that the Nail, who's trying to merge the first and second realms so he can wreak havoc on the worlds, occupies that exists in this kind of active limbo. It's not as complicated as I'm making it sound, if I'm even describing it correctly, but it's all incredibly detailed and there was never a moment where I couldn't picture what was going on in my head regardless of how foreign and fantastical the worlds were.
I also liked how individual Hadrian and Seth became over the course of the story and how Ellis, even with her twist, was still the Ellis that I kept seeing in flashbacks. Her personality never really deviated despite her transformation. And the same goes for Seth and Hadrian. They grew as characters but despite everything they were going through they remained individuals within a drastically changing world instead of bending to its will. They were all incredibly real and I was actually invested in their stories. I cared about them and I wanted to know where they ended up and whether their mission was successful or not.
The middle kind of sagged a bit, especially with Seth's story because he didn't seem to be moving at the same pace as Hadrian. His wheels were spinning more and his storyline was more about personal transformation and character development despite being in a whole new world. Hadrian's story was more plot-driven and since I prefer that kind of story I was a bit more endeared to his storyline than Seth's. There was a bit more action, less stalled travel and more adversarial encounters that, for me, made it more interesting.
Also I wish the editing were a touch better only because there were a couple of times where the brothers weren't kept straight. I would start reading a chapter and it would say it's about Seth to start only to have Hadrian's name pop up as a POV a couple paragraphs down. The book was really good about POV transitions so these were rather jarring. Especially since the brothers occupy two different worlds to have it start as one POV only to have it really be another had be wrenched from one world to another. Even more jarring. It happened enough to be noticeable (maybe twice) but nowhere near enough that it bothered me all that much.
THE CROOKED LETTER is a great blend of apocalyptic and fantasy that mixes a slew of mythology with the destruction of the world and isn't heavy-handed about it. The characters are some of the most authentic I've ever come across and while the middle is a little saggy, it's easy enough to get through with all that's going on. There's a lot here to appeal to a wide range of people with a myriad of different tastes. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, especially, but if you're into the whole it's the end of the world as we know it, you might want to try it out too. It may surprise you.
Initially I was a little put off by the thickness, mainly because I'm inherently put off by thick books because they're such a time commitment and I'm really bent on not DNFing books this year so if I ended up not being thrilled with it, well, that's one hell of a slog. Luckily the print is normal so it really didn't take me forever to read and it really got the point quickly. Within the first fifty pages the world's already gone a bit sideways but I didn't know the extent of it until a bit later. Not much later but beyond the fifty page mark. The book opens with a fight between the brothers that really sets up their relationship but then they're torn apart and you're forced to get to know them as individuals and they really do stand out from each other. So between the characters and the world it had my attention.
I really liked the world(s) Williams created and how familiar they were but were still foreign at the same time. The concept was that many people, after they died, went to the second realm where they experienced a new level of existence mutually exclusive to the first realm, or the one we live in. Earth's myths and legends were loosely based on the creatures and stories from the second realm and a lot of the facts were lost in translation because a lot of it just couldn't be translated. There are elements of the second realm that just don't transfer to the human one. The third realm is more of an afterlife as we know it, where if you die in the second that's where you go. And then there's the underworld and the semi-world that the Nail, who's trying to merge the first and second realms so he can wreak havoc on the worlds, occupies that exists in this kind of active limbo. It's not as complicated as I'm making it sound, if I'm even describing it correctly, but it's all incredibly detailed and there was never a moment where I couldn't picture what was going on in my head regardless of how foreign and fantastical the worlds were.
I also liked how individual Hadrian and Seth became over the course of the story and how Ellis, even with her twist, was still the Ellis that I kept seeing in flashbacks. Her personality never really deviated despite her transformation. And the same goes for Seth and Hadrian. They grew as characters but despite everything they were going through they remained individuals within a drastically changing world instead of bending to its will. They were all incredibly real and I was actually invested in their stories. I cared about them and I wanted to know where they ended up and whether their mission was successful or not.
The middle kind of sagged a bit, especially with Seth's story because he didn't seem to be moving at the same pace as Hadrian. His wheels were spinning more and his storyline was more about personal transformation and character development despite being in a whole new world. Hadrian's story was more plot-driven and since I prefer that kind of story I was a bit more endeared to his storyline than Seth's. There was a bit more action, less stalled travel and more adversarial encounters that, for me, made it more interesting.
Also I wish the editing were a touch better only because there were a couple of times where the brothers weren't kept straight. I would start reading a chapter and it would say it's about Seth to start only to have Hadrian's name pop up as a POV a couple paragraphs down. The book was really good about POV transitions so these were rather jarring. Especially since the brothers occupy two different worlds to have it start as one POV only to have it really be another had be wrenched from one world to another. Even more jarring. It happened enough to be noticeable (maybe twice) but nowhere near enough that it bothered me all that much.
THE CROOKED LETTER is a great blend of apocalyptic and fantasy that mixes a slew of mythology with the destruction of the world and isn't heavy-handed about it. The characters are some of the most authentic I've ever come across and while the middle is a little saggy, it's easy enough to get through with all that's going on. There's a lot here to appeal to a wide range of people with a myriad of different tastes. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, especially, but if you're into the whole it's the end of the world as we know it, you might want to try it out too. It may surprise you.
April 16, 2014
I've read this as part of my great Read Everything I Own but Haven't Read Yet pledge, which I'm hoping to make serious inroads into this year. We'll see...
I got this a number of years ago as part of a show bag at a Swancon. I had read some Williams before, but not much. Since then I have read large chunks of his SF, but - until now - none of his fantasy except for the Troubletwisters books with Garth Nix. (It's actually been a while since I read much fantasy at all, which is curious to realise.)
Williams clearly has a thing for twins. In this, the twins are mirrors of one another, down to one of them having his heart on the righthand side of his chest. Their names are Seth and Hadrian - and I'll admit to being a bit disappointed with the name choice, given that both lend themselves to some nice tricksy name-association, just not with each other. Moving on... Seth and Hadrian are on holidays in Europe. They end up travelling with a girl, Ellis, and then everything gets weird when one of them is stabbed. That's not the weird part, though - the weird part is the non-stabbed one waking up and realising that the world is very, very different from when he last had his eyes open. And then things just get worse. For both of the twins.
There are some really nice elements to this story. Overall I thought the twins' relationship was a well-developed one, nearly perfectly balanced between love and... not hatred, but perhaps despair at being tied to this same person in so many ways for so long. Occasionally I got a bit bored by the whinging, but perhaps that's teenagers for you. The cherry-picking of mythology and characters from all over the world was a nice touch - it certainly avoided being eurocentric, which is always nice to see, and plays into a bit of a Jungian idea of the great subconscious with these commons themes that can (maybe) be seen. And I especially loved that Hadrian's adventures mostly took place in a city - THE city, the great underlying city, what every city dreams of being. While I do love me some epic horse-riding and camping out, grand fantasy played out on city streets also has a lot of appeal.*
There are, though, some aspects that grated. Hadrian's absolute insistence on finding Ellis - and that people are willing to help - strained credibility: Sometimes the mashing of multiple mythologies did not gel for me, and the explanation of the Three Realms really didn't work for me. I can't explain why; I don't think it's my faith getting in the way, since it rarely does with this sort of fantasy (that is, the sort that's clearly playing with pagan ideas, rather than Crystal Dragon Jesus types).
I did finish it, which means I did enjoy it even if I didn't adore it. I own the second Books of the Cataclysm, The Blood Debt. While it's not next on my list, I will definitely be reading it at some point... and from there I'll see whether I get around to the other trilogy that this is actually a prequel to, the Books of the Change.
*Hmm. Do I need to read Lord of the Rings again sometime? I'm getting an itch...
I got this a number of years ago as part of a show bag at a Swancon. I had read some Williams before, but not much. Since then I have read large chunks of his SF, but - until now - none of his fantasy except for the Troubletwisters books with Garth Nix. (It's actually been a while since I read much fantasy at all, which is curious to realise.)
Williams clearly has a thing for twins. In this, the twins are mirrors of one another, down to one of them having his heart on the righthand side of his chest. Their names are Seth and Hadrian - and I'll admit to being a bit disappointed with the name choice, given that both lend themselves to some nice tricksy name-association, just not with each other. Moving on... Seth and Hadrian are on holidays in Europe. They end up travelling with a girl, Ellis, and then everything gets weird when one of them is stabbed. That's not the weird part, though - the weird part is the non-stabbed one waking up and realising that the world is very, very different from when he last had his eyes open. And then things just get worse. For both of the twins.
There are some really nice elements to this story. Overall I thought the twins' relationship was a well-developed one, nearly perfectly balanced between love and... not hatred, but perhaps despair at being tied to this same person in so many ways for so long. Occasionally I got a bit bored by the whinging, but perhaps that's teenagers for you. The cherry-picking of mythology and characters from all over the world was a nice touch - it certainly avoided being eurocentric, which is always nice to see, and plays into a bit of a Jungian idea of the great subconscious with these commons themes that can (maybe) be seen. And I especially loved that Hadrian's adventures mostly took place in a city - THE city, the great underlying city, what every city dreams of being. While I do love me some epic horse-riding and camping out, grand fantasy played out on city streets also has a lot of appeal.*
There are, though, some aspects that grated. Hadrian's absolute insistence on finding Ellis - and that people are willing to help - strained credibility: Sometimes the mashing of multiple mythologies did not gel for me, and the explanation of the Three Realms really didn't work for me. I can't explain why; I don't think it's my faith getting in the way, since it rarely does with this sort of fantasy (that is, the sort that's clearly playing with pagan ideas, rather than Crystal Dragon Jesus types).
I did finish it, which means I did enjoy it even if I didn't adore it. I own the second Books of the Cataclysm, The Blood Debt. While it's not next on my list, I will definitely be reading it at some point... and from there I'll see whether I get around to the other trilogy that this is actually a prequel to, the Books of the Change.
*Hmm. Do I need to read Lord of the Rings again sometime? I'm getting an itch...
October 31, 2013
Interesting and ambitious ideas betrayed by lazy, sloppy writing and execution.
There's a lot I want to like about this book. I am usually a sucker for what I think of as "Alice In Wonderland" type books -- ones where a protagonist is thrust into a world the rules of which they don't comprehend. You know the type -- Gaiman's Neverwhere is the one that springs to mind, but there are scores of examples across all kinds of media. That's what this is. Unfortunately, it's a big letdown.
The Crooked Letter is the first entry in Sean Williams' series and concerns itself with Hadrian and Seth, a pair of "mirror twins," or twins who are reflections of each other, right down to one of them having his heart on the wrong side of his chest. They are, of course, special and distinct from other twins, because blah blah blah plot device. (I have never heard of "mirror twins" and I assume the author made up the concept but I haven't bothered to check.) The book splits time between their perspectives as they attempt to stop the world from being completely destroyed.
Almost immediately, although I don't think it was intended, we learn to hate the protagonists, because both of them are irritating, whiny, immature babies. Along the way we meet a wide cast of otherworldly characters, whose primary functions are generally either to attempt to kill one of the protagonists or to keep other characters from doing so.
In classic bad book trope fashion, our would-be heroes "just know" things with alarming frequency. Sometimes events transpire the apparent importance of which is underscored via repeated references, yet are then not explored. Entire characters are introduced to no apparent purpose beyond cryptic mutterings. The climax contains a deus ex machina most notable for its blatancy. All of this is packaged in uninspired prose.
I really can't recommend this and don't intend to continue the series. Two stars for the strength of the ideas that do work.
There's a lot I want to like about this book. I am usually a sucker for what I think of as "Alice In Wonderland" type books -- ones where a protagonist is thrust into a world the rules of which they don't comprehend. You know the type -- Gaiman's Neverwhere is the one that springs to mind, but there are scores of examples across all kinds of media. That's what this is. Unfortunately, it's a big letdown.
The Crooked Letter is the first entry in Sean Williams' series and concerns itself with Hadrian and Seth, a pair of "mirror twins," or twins who are reflections of each other, right down to one of them having his heart on the wrong side of his chest. They are, of course, special and distinct from other twins, because blah blah blah plot device. (I have never heard of "mirror twins" and I assume the author made up the concept but I haven't bothered to check.) The book splits time between their perspectives as they attempt to stop the world from being completely destroyed.
Almost immediately, although I don't think it was intended, we learn to hate the protagonists, because both of them are irritating, whiny, immature babies. Along the way we meet a wide cast of otherworldly characters, whose primary functions are generally either to attempt to kill one of the protagonists or to keep other characters from doing so.
In classic bad book trope fashion, our would-be heroes "just know" things with alarming frequency. Sometimes events transpire the apparent importance of which is underscored via repeated references, yet are then not explored. Entire characters are introduced to no apparent purpose beyond cryptic mutterings. The climax contains a deus ex machina most notable for its blatancy. All of this is packaged in uninspired prose.
I really can't recommend this and don't intend to continue the series. Two stars for the strength of the ideas that do work.
March 24, 2015
Okay, this is definitely an intellectuals science fiction. This book is the first in a series about twin brothers. After one is murdered, you follow each brother as they travel through two realms. The one of the living, and the one of the dead. The problem is that these brothers are mirror twins, and when only one dies it causes devistation in each realm, as they try to merge together, into one realm. I was lost through most of this book. The author combined every religion, every mythology, and a lot of imagination to describe the realms, as they were desinigrating. As a result I had a hard time distinguishing between the realms, and remembering which companions were aiding each brother, as everything was so foriegn and unusual.
That aside, I like the story. Mr. Williams is very good at describing the enviroment, no matter how crazy it is, and the story itself was quite an adventure. You will definitely need your thinking caps on when you read this, so don't expect a quick easy read.
That aside, I like the story. Mr. Williams is very good at describing the enviroment, no matter how crazy it is, and the story itself was quite an adventure. You will definitely need your thinking caps on when you read this, so don't expect a quick easy read.
September 10, 2013
I checked this book out of the library and read it the first time about a year or so ago. I intended to read the others but I promptly forgot both title and author. I remembered that the plot had something to do with twins causing the end of the world and that the authors last name fell either at the very end or the very beginning of the alphabet.
Finally, last week I saw the book on the library shelf. A second read made me realize that it is not quite as exciting as I remembered. The plot is interesting but jumbled and it took me a little while to get into it. Its a fun enough read if you have some time on your hands but I can't say it will rank high on my "must own this book" list. Partially because I will read almost anything and partially because I did like the ending, I still intend to read the second and third, hoping that the books get better.
Finally, last week I saw the book on the library shelf. A second read made me realize that it is not quite as exciting as I remembered. The plot is interesting but jumbled and it took me a little while to get into it. Its a fun enough read if you have some time on your hands but I can't say it will rank high on my "must own this book" list. Partially because I will read almost anything and partially because I did like the ending, I still intend to read the second and third, hoping that the books get better.
November 27, 2008
This uninspired first installment of the Books of Cataclysm series is a jumbled paint-by-numbers type of fantasy novel. The writer had several books under his belt before churning this one out (mostly Star Wars books) but despite the literary "warmup" he still manages to come across as a first-time writer.
The book's early reviews were very positive, which was ultimately what led me to the purchase. Despite really, really trying I ended up giving up on it halfway through. The story feels so bloody derivative, cobbled together from many different places without much soul of its own. Lazy character development, weak story, and often trying too hard to feel like a book for grown-ups, this book fails to deliver the goods.
The book's early reviews were very positive, which was ultimately what led me to the purchase. Despite really, really trying I ended up giving up on it halfway through. The story feels so bloody derivative, cobbled together from many different places without much soul of its own. Lazy character development, weak story, and often trying too hard to feel like a book for grown-ups, this book fails to deliver the goods.
August 28, 2014
This was unlike any fantasy book I've ever read. I have to say that Williams doesn't shy away from dispatching characters, but doesn't do it as willy nilly or as pointlessly as G.R.R.M.
This book is confusing and fascinating. It attempts to describe the indescribable and explain the unexplainable; which at many points leaves the reader as frustrated as the characters. Which isn't necessarily a complaint.
This book took me well out of my comfort zone and I appreciated it. I believe it's meant to be sort of a book of Genesis for the rest of the series and if so I may return and change this to up to four stars at least.
This book is confusing and fascinating. It attempts to describe the indescribable and explain the unexplainable; which at many points leaves the reader as frustrated as the characters. Which isn't necessarily a complaint.
This book took me well out of my comfort zone and I appreciated it. I believe it's meant to be sort of a book of Genesis for the rest of the series and if so I may return and change this to up to four stars at least.
March 15, 2009
A fairly decent book, but not all that special. It's along the lines of a Neil Gaiman or Tad Williams story, wherein Average Young-ish Person is thrown out of his or her Ordinary Life when he or she discovers that The World Is Not How It Seems, and that he or she is, in fact, Needed To Save The Day.
While I do enjoy that sort of story, this guy makes a bit of a hash out of it. The story is pretty well-paced and full of action, but it makes a lot of really obvious choices that seem ham-handed at times.
While I do enjoy that sort of story, this guy makes a bit of a hash out of it. The story is pretty well-paced and full of action, but it makes a lot of really obvious choices that seem ham-handed at times.
July 24, 2009
Interesting premise and very different world-building--I should have loved this book. Instead, I put it down half-way through and haven't gotten back to it. I had difficulty envisioning Williams' descriptions of much of the setting and the plot wore me out: both sets of characters journey from one potential source of assistance to the next in rapid succession. Maybe I'm simply over-"quested" as fantasy rarely seems to employ any other storyline. Regardless, sci-fi fans might enjoy this one given its alter-urban setting.
July 27, 2012
I almost stopped reading the series after this one. I found it hard to follow and at times felt like the author was just making up more outlandish stuff to try and out-do himself. But I persisted and really enjoyed volumes 2 and 3. There are some interesting characters (though sometimes I think there might be too many at the expense of depth) and I am attached to some. And the contest to see how fantastical things can get seems to be over in 2 and 3 while still holding on to some great imagery and creativity and magic.
February 6, 2014
I liked it, did I like it enough to continue reading the series...not sure. But it is an interesting read for fantasy fans. Imagine if Dante's Inferno was written by Neil Gaiman and that is how The Crooked Letter reads. I like the story and the characters, it was well written and paced. But I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around the world the author created, it was too weird and fanciful. I found it hard to keep up with the different areas and what was happening. But overall it is not the worst book I've read lately.
August 22, 2007
I picked this book up because of a Hal Duncan blurb on the back of one of the sequels. I was curious to see if it was similar in structure to Vellum, which it wasn't. A quick paced read though, even at 500 pages. As much as I love my genre fiction, I realize that sometimes, there's not much more to books like this than plot. (or at least, maybe, that's as deep as my surface attention went)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews