Review of The Futility of Vengeance
Posted: 14 Aug 2021, 10:23
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Futility of Vengeance" by Adam Guest.]
Our lives are made up of countless choices. Many are inconsequential: Will I have coffee or tea today? Should I wear red or blue? But once in a while there are choices, small in themselves, that change the course of our future. Once these choices are made we can only look back and imagine what might have happened. In The Futility of Vengeance: A Many Worlds Novel by Adam Guest, the second in the Many Worlds series, we get to see multiple choices unfold before our eyes.
Black Line: Gary Jackson is an ordinary man, except for two things. The first is the lorry accident that left him with lifelong scars both mentally and physically. The second is a dream where he stabbed and killed his almost girlfriend Michelle. Now in most cases a dream is just a dream, but in Gary’s case he unwittingly possessed another version of himself, and now that version is being punished for her death. Gary has done what he can to undo his mistake, but the consequences of it are far more reaching then he thought. Will Gary lose everything he has just because of a dream?
Blue Line: Gary Jackson is spending the next two decades in jail for a crime he does not remember committing. His plea that he was possessed by another version of himself has fallen on deaf ears. Everyone around him, except for a few stanch supporters, believe that he is not only guilty, but unrepentant. With no recourse Gary turns his mind to revenge. If he must rot in jail then he is going to make sure that he uses that time to get true justice for Michelle, even if it means he has to travel to another Worldline. But revenge is often bittersweet. What kind of person will his need for revenge turn him into? And what happens if he takes revenge on the wrong version of himself?
Green Line: Gary Jackson is free and must now try to rebuild his life from the ashes of Michelle’s death. This is easier said than done, however. The jury may have bought his Many Worlds’ defense, but the public is not so understanding. Add to this Michelle's vengeful brother, and Gary finds himself in more trouble than he knows how to handle. Not only that, but there is a hidden menace as another Gary tries to get revenge through the Worldlines. Can Gary save his future? Or will he be left broken and shattered?
As a sequel The Futility of Vengeance delivers all that the first book promised. Guest manages to seamlessly merge the two stories in a way that makes you believe that he wrote both at the same time. The character of Gary Jackson remains consistent between the two novels, but not constrained. He is allowed to grow, in both good ways and bad. The other characters are also allowed to grow and become either better or worse versions of themselves. I appreciate this because in so many novels we see the main characters as either very good or very bad, with no moral greyness. This is more real.
One of the problems with this book is that it can become too bewildering at times. Because of the nature of having multiple Worldlines springing from one choice, you tend to get the same scenario with different results. This can be highly confusing, even with the chapter headings that show which timeline Gary is in. Even though I've read both books and know the basics of what is going on, I had to go back and remind myself of where I was. This could be off-putting to many readers, especially those who are looking for an easy read. There are also a few grammatical errors, especially towards the end of the book, although it is not plagued with the same editing problems as the first book.
I give this book three out of four stars, because as good as it is, you have to really concentrate to keep up with what is going on. Also I am not allowed to give full marks if there are any grammatical mistakes. If I was allowed to give partial marks I would have rated this a 3.5. This is a great book for people who like cerebral science fiction and philosophy. I would not recommend it for children, people who don't enjoy philosophical topics, or people that are just looking for lite literature. This book does not have anything of a sexual nature, and it is good for people of any religion. There is a fair amount of cursing, but it does not saturate the book.
******
The Futility of Vengeance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Our lives are made up of countless choices. Many are inconsequential: Will I have coffee or tea today? Should I wear red or blue? But once in a while there are choices, small in themselves, that change the course of our future. Once these choices are made we can only look back and imagine what might have happened. In The Futility of Vengeance: A Many Worlds Novel by Adam Guest, the second in the Many Worlds series, we get to see multiple choices unfold before our eyes.
Black Line: Gary Jackson is an ordinary man, except for two things. The first is the lorry accident that left him with lifelong scars both mentally and physically. The second is a dream where he stabbed and killed his almost girlfriend Michelle. Now in most cases a dream is just a dream, but in Gary’s case he unwittingly possessed another version of himself, and now that version is being punished for her death. Gary has done what he can to undo his mistake, but the consequences of it are far more reaching then he thought. Will Gary lose everything he has just because of a dream?
Blue Line: Gary Jackson is spending the next two decades in jail for a crime he does not remember committing. His plea that he was possessed by another version of himself has fallen on deaf ears. Everyone around him, except for a few stanch supporters, believe that he is not only guilty, but unrepentant. With no recourse Gary turns his mind to revenge. If he must rot in jail then he is going to make sure that he uses that time to get true justice for Michelle, even if it means he has to travel to another Worldline. But revenge is often bittersweet. What kind of person will his need for revenge turn him into? And what happens if he takes revenge on the wrong version of himself?
Green Line: Gary Jackson is free and must now try to rebuild his life from the ashes of Michelle’s death. This is easier said than done, however. The jury may have bought his Many Worlds’ defense, but the public is not so understanding. Add to this Michelle's vengeful brother, and Gary finds himself in more trouble than he knows how to handle. Not only that, but there is a hidden menace as another Gary tries to get revenge through the Worldlines. Can Gary save his future? Or will he be left broken and shattered?
As a sequel The Futility of Vengeance delivers all that the first book promised. Guest manages to seamlessly merge the two stories in a way that makes you believe that he wrote both at the same time. The character of Gary Jackson remains consistent between the two novels, but not constrained. He is allowed to grow, in both good ways and bad. The other characters are also allowed to grow and become either better or worse versions of themselves. I appreciate this because in so many novels we see the main characters as either very good or very bad, with no moral greyness. This is more real.
One of the problems with this book is that it can become too bewildering at times. Because of the nature of having multiple Worldlines springing from one choice, you tend to get the same scenario with different results. This can be highly confusing, even with the chapter headings that show which timeline Gary is in. Even though I've read both books and know the basics of what is going on, I had to go back and remind myself of where I was. This could be off-putting to many readers, especially those who are looking for an easy read. There are also a few grammatical errors, especially towards the end of the book, although it is not plagued with the same editing problems as the first book.
I give this book three out of four stars, because as good as it is, you have to really concentrate to keep up with what is going on. Also I am not allowed to give full marks if there are any grammatical mistakes. If I was allowed to give partial marks I would have rated this a 3.5. This is a great book for people who like cerebral science fiction and philosophy. I would not recommend it for children, people who don't enjoy philosophical topics, or people that are just looking for lite literature. This book does not have anything of a sexual nature, and it is good for people of any religion. There is a fair amount of cursing, but it does not saturate the book.
******
The Futility of Vengeance
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon