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Through the Heart
A young boy is traded by his father to Oasis--a monstrous vehicle that moves inexorably across the wasteland, dispensing treatment for "The Crying", a plague of madness that has destroyed the land. "A daring and fearless writer, possessing uncommon ambition, talent, and literacy"S
384 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1991
141 people want to read
About the author
Richard Grant
105 books24 followersRICHARD GRANT was born in Norfolk in 1952, attended the University of Virginia, and served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He lives in Rockport, Maine, where he has been a contributing editor of Down East magazine, chaired the literature panel of the Maine Arts Commission, and won a New England Journalism Award for his column in the Camden Herald.
After a 20-year career writing science fiction and fantasy, he turned to historical fiction.
After a 20-year career writing science fiction and fantasy, he turned to historical fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 24, 2017
The third book set in a post-climate change world (and written before that term became widely known), and my favorite book of Grant's. A dark coming of age story on the surface, underneath the endless cycle of experiencing disease at a remove. It's bleak, but adolescence is bleak, and suffering is bleak. All this coupled with his great sentence constructions. Absolutely worth the ride.
October 13, 2024
4.5 stars, Metaphorosis reviews
Summary
Kem, from the wagon community, is sold by his father into servitude in the Oasis, a massive, tank-like machine that travels from place to place, serving its Residents, or perhaps its Investors. As Kem unravels more and more of the Oasis' complex structure, he understands it less and less. But he's starting to feel there's something very wrong about it.
Review
Nobody (I assume) likes to feel stupid. I don't. Yet there is a very small number of authors whose books I really enjoy and yet never really feel that I've understood. Richard Grant is among that group (of four, I think, with A.A. Attanasio, Elizabeth Hand, and Paul Park). Much as with his protagonist Kem here, in this book I felt I lost in Grant's metaphors, constantly groping in the mist for what he was trying to say. The thing is, though, that rather than be irritated or feel that Grant just wasn't writing clearly, I loved it. I think Grant is an excellent author, and that, like Kem, I'm just not seeing the whole picture.
Through the Heart (set, perhaps, in the same world as Rumors of Spring ) is straightforward in concept - Kem is sold into servitude in the giant, tank-like Oasis as it crunches through the world on a regular circuit. Kem rises (literally) through the machine and sees some of the outside world, but never really knows quite what it all means or what's happening. I didn't either, and maybe Grant didn't. But it's enthralling nonetheless.
Grant doesn't help himself with immense 50 page chapters. It's not easy to stop in the middle of one and find your place again, simply because so much is uncertain. And I felt that the ending was a little bit too much of a sop to readers like me, who just want something clear and definite to happen.
But (much as I said about Views From the Oldest House ), while the above may not sound appealing to you, I promise there's a very good read here. In fact, all three of the books mentioned above are well worth a look. After this, (and I haven't read them all), I felt Grant lost his way a bit. But I highly recommend this book to anyone who's willing to work a little bit to enjoy a great story.
Why aren't his books out in e-form?
Summary
Kem, from the wagon community, is sold by his father into servitude in the Oasis, a massive, tank-like machine that travels from place to place, serving its Residents, or perhaps its Investors. As Kem unravels more and more of the Oasis' complex structure, he understands it less and less. But he's starting to feel there's something very wrong about it.
Review
Nobody (I assume) likes to feel stupid. I don't. Yet there is a very small number of authors whose books I really enjoy and yet never really feel that I've understood. Richard Grant is among that group (of four, I think, with A.A. Attanasio, Elizabeth Hand, and Paul Park). Much as with his protagonist Kem here, in this book I felt I lost in Grant's metaphors, constantly groping in the mist for what he was trying to say. The thing is, though, that rather than be irritated or feel that Grant just wasn't writing clearly, I loved it. I think Grant is an excellent author, and that, like Kem, I'm just not seeing the whole picture.
Through the Heart (set, perhaps, in the same world as Rumors of Spring ) is straightforward in concept - Kem is sold into servitude in the giant, tank-like Oasis as it crunches through the world on a regular circuit. Kem rises (literally) through the machine and sees some of the outside world, but never really knows quite what it all means or what's happening. I didn't either, and maybe Grant didn't. But it's enthralling nonetheless.
Grant doesn't help himself with immense 50 page chapters. It's not easy to stop in the middle of one and find your place again, simply because so much is uncertain. And I felt that the ending was a little bit too much of a sop to readers like me, who just want something clear and definite to happen.
But (much as I said about Views From the Oldest House ), while the above may not sound appealing to you, I promise there's a very good read here. In fact, all three of the books mentioned above are well worth a look. After this, (and I haven't read them all), I felt Grant lost his way a bit. But I highly recommend this book to anyone who's willing to work a little bit to enjoy a great story.
Why aren't his books out in e-form?
October 14, 2012
If you enjoy not knowing what on earth is going on, this is your book. The protagonist doesn't ever seem to know what's going on (and when he does seem to, he certainly doesn't explain it). I just saw when I clicked the book that this won a Philip K Dick award, which certainly makes sense.
I think I can say that it's a dystopian novel, but that's about as much as I feel confident about. The thing is, like other Richard Grant books, it was enough to keep me reading. Unlike other novels (say In the Land of Winter, which I like quite a bit), the resolution didn't leave me satisfied. But I didn't hate it, for whatever that's worth.
I think I can say that it's a dystopian novel, but that's about as much as I feel confident about. The thing is, like other Richard Grant books, it was enough to keep me reading. Unlike other novels (say In the Land of Winter, which I like quite a bit), the resolution didn't leave me satisfied. But I didn't hate it, for whatever that's worth.
April 11, 2023
Grant is a favourite of mine, one of those solidly interesting writers whose interests and stories lie a little off the beaten path, and yes, include having imbibed a number of substances at one time or another. So, I've kind of hoarded a few of his novels for a rainy day, (although the sun has been shining the whole time I read this latest). In this offering Grant explores a dystopic Earth, ruined by yours truly, but people get along in various ways. Kem, sixteen, is sold by his father to 'the Oasis' for some tools to fix his wagon -- a behemoth machine on treads that roams about what appears to be the ravaged midwest. Kem works first in the galley, then down in the engines, but he is soon brought to the notice of the higher-ups as he is somehow unusual (he has no clue about that, but really, it is simply that he has the kind of curiosity that gets cats in trouble and he's smart). He needs to figure what the Oasis is all about, what it's purpose is, and that gets him in heaps of trouble. The first half of the book was gripping, the second was interesting, but a bit convoluted, which is a thing that happens with Grant in some of his books. Put simply, some continue to fiddle with nature in ways that harm, some are pushing back (while a goodly portion just concentrate on getting along and surviving, like Kem's father in his wagon.) The mantra from Kem's friend Sander is to realize that nothing on the Oasis (or anywhere else, for that matter) is what it seems to be, in fact, usually the opposite. That's all you need to know. Perhaps not his best, but still worthy.
March 7, 2018
I think I am going to give this book a prize for having the most disappointing ending I ever read.
It has a fascinating idea about a community that lives on a gigantic city-size vehicle that roams across the post-apocalyptic countryside, but other than that, I found the story line to be kind of lame.
It has a fascinating idea about a community that lives on a gigantic city-size vehicle that roams across the post-apocalyptic countryside, but other than that, I found the story line to be kind of lame.
July 15, 2020
I admit I am not much of a reader, though I enjoy promoting forgotten books, obscure treasures buried in the backlists or the bargain bins, the paperback originals relegated to the behind-the-spine-out shelves in the secondhand shops of the dismal Midwest metropolis.
I so wanted this novel, with a single printing, by a writer with a reputation as a fine wordsmith, to be one of those books. Alas, I could not finish. I need ease of use, or at least a brisk pace of invention, or a sunny disposition.
It's all just make-believe, Richard. Cheer up. Have fun.
I so wanted this novel, with a single printing, by a writer with a reputation as a fine wordsmith, to be one of those books. Alas, I could not finish. I need ease of use, or at least a brisk pace of invention, or a sunny disposition.
It's all just make-believe, Richard. Cheer up. Have fun.
July 25, 2011
This well written book tells the story of Kem, a young nomadic boy in a dystopian future. He is traded to a place called the Oasis by his father in exchange for tools and supplies needed for the further survival of his family. The Oasis is a vast machine - a town on treads - that travels across the wastes on a yearly cycle, trading with the remnants of humanity as it goes.
As Kem investigates his new home, he begins to wonder and worry at the puzzle that is the Oasis' reason for existing, as well as the meaning of his own existence.
The book reminded me at times of Christopher Priest's classic _The Inverted World_ and at other times of Walter Miller Jr's _A Canticle for Leibowitz_. As I neared the end of the novel I found myself pulled more and more into the story - eager to finally piece together the puzzles uncovered by Kem in his tale. Some puzzles were solved, some were left unanswered, leaving the reader to ponder them on his own.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who doesn't require that their books tie everything up neatly at their conclusion.
As Kem investigates his new home, he begins to wonder and worry at the puzzle that is the Oasis' reason for existing, as well as the meaning of his own existence.
The book reminded me at times of Christopher Priest's classic _The Inverted World_ and at other times of Walter Miller Jr's _A Canticle for Leibowitz_. As I neared the end of the novel I found myself pulled more and more into the story - eager to finally piece together the puzzles uncovered by Kem in his tale. Some puzzles were solved, some were left unanswered, leaving the reader to ponder them on his own.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who doesn't require that their books tie everything up neatly at their conclusion.
September 19, 2019
I liked this book and have thought about rereading it. A.
On reading this book a second time, I would adjust my grade down a bit. I found the end to be confusing. The story and it characters are still very compelling and the visual imagery created is superb.
On reading this book a second time, I would adjust my grade down a bit. I found the end to be confusing. The story and it characters are still very compelling and the visual imagery created is superb.
April 22, 2013
They never really explain their destination,or where they came from,this desert traveling ship just keeps moving,like a moving city.interesting concept.Enjoyed the story.
November 1, 2014
Didn't enjoy this, found it alternately incomprehensible and very slow-going. Was a tough slog to get through and I only managed this by frankly skimming through towards the end. Sorry!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews