Lexicon in Aussie Readers

Jul 27, 2013 Josh rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read_2013, own

Conceptually brilliant, Max Barry's LEXICON is a slice of the surreal that blends magical, criminal, sci-fi, and romance elements into a delicious concoction for the mind.

"Words aren't just sounds or shapes. They're meaning. That's what language is: a protocol for transferring meaning. When you learn English, you train your brain to react in a particular way to particular sounds. As it turns out, the protocol can be hacked."

The power of words is exemplified by Barry's ability to craft a langua Conceptually brilliant, Max Barry's LEXICON is a slice of the surreal that blends magical, criminal, sci-fi, and romance elements into a delicious concoction for the mind.

"Words aren't just sounds or shapes. They're meaning. That's what language is: a protocol for transferring meaning. When you learn English, you train your brain to react in a particular way to particular sounds. As it turns out, the protocol can be hacked."

The power of words is exemplified by Barry's ability to craft a language into a form of magic. An organisation devoted to harnessing the power of Poets, recruits a seemingly down and out young women living day to day, surviving on the fruits from her con on the streets. 16yr old Emily, while poor, is rich in will and determination. It's these traits that serve her well as a student and survivalist.

"Everyone's broken," Eliot said, "one way or another."

Wil Parker is at the other end of the equation, an outlier connected to an extinction level event that occurred at Broken Hill. As the sole survivor, he's suddenly thrust into a violent world he never knew existed - all while slowly unravelling the mystery to his own identity. His first appearance in LEXICON has him chased by mystery men, shot at, witness to murder, and the target of an abduction attempt. This breakneck pace doesn't let up throughout the novel.

As a fully trained Poet, Emily is exceptionally dangerous, having accumulated the knowledge of barewords, she wields great power - power that causes catastrophe be it willingly or unintentional. Her path linking to Wil is a testament to complex yet logical and seamless plotting. The events of LEXICON play out in equal parts action/thriller, sci-fi/romance.

"...we believe a bareword belongs to a fundamental language of the human mind - the tongue in which the human animal speaks to itself at the basest level. The machine language, in essence."

There is a deep seeded longing in Emily that's endearing and unsettling, while Wil is a protagonist in the accidental hero mould. Barry does a great job at establishing these core characters in such a complimentary fashion to one another.

LEXICON is a rare book - one that combines multiple plot threads into a seamless portrayal of believable events. The past and present nature of the plot lines ensures the protagonists aren't without meaning, their plights accountable, and the ramifications of their actions damming.

I thoroughly enjoyed LEXICON from start to finish and will now look to track down Max Barry's previous books.

This review also appears on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
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Jul 16, 2013 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: signed-by-author, thriller, own, giveaway, science-fiction, moving-mt-2015

The novel opens with Will Parke’s not-so-conscious thoughts as someone was about to stick a needle in his eye. Straightaway, the pace of the novel is established as unrelentingly thrilling and packed full of action. There were car chases. There were sinister guys dressed in black armours. There were numerous cold-blooded shootings. And of course, the mystery behind it all… even Will did not know the reason anybody wants him. What’s so special about a carpenter?

The alternate perspective is Emily ...more

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Jul 26, 2013 Alan Baxter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dark-fantasy, thriller, urban-fantasy, science-fiction

I've just finished Lexicon by Max Barry. Absolutely astonishing novel. Makes me want to both give up writing and strive to be that good. Obviously I'll concentrate on the latter! I can't recommend this book highly enough. ...more

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May 27, 2014 Judy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014

Everyone knows that words can hurt. In this book set in the near future, words can be used to kill. A school in Virginia selects students based on some very particular criteria. Very few of these students manage to graduate, but when they do, they are known as Poets and awarded with the name of a known poet. So Yeats (the man in charge) sends Emily Dickinson to Broken Hill where she falls in love and discovers a word which could change the world forever. Eliot and Bronte are after her. Will they ...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Tonile Reads 📚 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-release

Words are wondrous things. I recently read a quote that reflected on how every story we read is just a different combination of the same 26 letters, and this seems quite magical to me. I spend a great deal of both my professional and private lives around words and, indeed, I sometimes even dream about them. Words and the meaning we derive from them are the cornerstones of society--some words offend us and some warm our hearts, but without them, our world would cease to function. Max Barry takes Words are wondrous things. I recently read a quote that reflected on how every story we read is just a different combination of the same 26 letters, and this seems quite magical to me. I spend a great deal of both my professional and private lives around words and, indeed, I sometimes even dream about them. Words and the meaning we derive from them are the cornerstones of society--some words offend us and some warm our hearts, but without them, our world would cease to function. Max Barry takes this idea and extends it a few paces further in his latest novel, Lexicon.

"You and I are not grunting at each other. We're transferring meaning. Neurochemical changes are occurring in your brain at this very moment, because of my words."

In the Lexicon world, words are weapons and gifted wordsmiths, referred to as poets, are able to manipulate and persuade others with nothing more than their linguistic talents. An elite organisation has discovered that standard brain responses to language can be neutralised and separate response pathways can be created. Sounds complicated, but Barry takes his time to lay out his amplified-mindgames-with-deadly-consequences theory, and it works. The story isn't linear and frequently alternates from past to present, but when it clicks into place, you may experience a moment like this...

Barry's Lexicon has all the ingredients of a good psychological thriller. Intense power struggle? Check. A complicated and flawed heroine that readers love to hate, and do so equally? Check. A goofy and loveable protagonist, thrust into a dangerous and complex world? Check. An organisation that seems intent on taking over the world? Obviously. A doomed and tragic love story? Just a pinch...

"I don't think you've been in love. Not recently, anyway. I'm not sure you remember what it's like. It compromises you. It takes over your body."

But it contains additional layers that take it above the realm of standard thriller and transform it into something else entirely, something unique and special. Barry has an almost poetic respect for words, and Lexicon is perhaps at its core a love letter to the power of language. It highlights the best and the worst of what our words can do and paints a not-too-unbelievable picture of the future.

Lexicon won't be the best book you read all year, but I challenge you to find a more orignal and peculiar story. I'll be honest, it does take a little bit of perseverance to get into. The build-up is a touch clumsy and could have been tightened somewhat. Once you experience the lightbulb moment, however, it's smooth sailing through to the explosive climax. Congratulations, Max Barry. You not only reminded why I love words, but more importantly, why I got into this business in the first place. ...more

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Mar 19, 2014 Graham Clements rated it it was amazing

Max Barry’s Lexicon became a must buy after I heard the author read part of its frenetic and humorous opening at last year’s Melbourne Writers Festival.

The novel has a wonderful premise. It is set in a world where poets and the words they use can be deadly weapons. Poets use their words to compromise people and force them do their bidding. But it is not as easy as just saying a few words, a poet first has to establish the personality traits of their victim to know which words will control them.

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Mar 12, 2014 Rachel Watts rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian, reviewed

"Remember when your mother told you sticks and stones might break your bones but words were essentially harmless? Turns out she was wrong, right? Welcome to the world of Lexicon in which the pen really is mightier than the sword, but it’s handy to have both."

Full review: http://leatherboundpounds.wordpress.c... ...more

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