ARA Review by Linda Reyburn Shirey of Fourhaven
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Linda Reyburn Shirey
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ARA Review by Linda Reyburn Shirey of Fourhaven
[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Fourhaven.]
Fourhaven: Paradise Gone Wrong
4 out of 5
Fourhaven is a world created by a vindictive, power-hungry, self-created god – despite the additional dimension and mind-reading capability, Fordy has limitations. Fordy is not ubiquitous, and it certainly is never merciful unless it has a bargain in mind. In addition, it has somewhat of a supernatural criminal history, an overwhelming hatred of authority. This is not a bad recap of a classic figure such as Abaddon or any other spiritual entity proclaiming its own authority to human beings via a mixture of allure, the fulfillment of desire, and naked aggression.
The limitations appear early on. The ‘mansion’ to which the singing diva (Greta) arrives with her adoring partner and flawed preacher (Jeremiah) is not in stellar shape. Jeremiah quickly learns that despite gaining the desires of his heart, Fordy does not have the capacity to love, and this is more of a transformational force than he had understood.
The author was clever in offering a redemptive path for the badly flawed ‘gospel preacher’ whose personal experience with Fordy (‘god’ of Fourhaven) slowly turns him away from self-gratification and toward an actual understanding of the gospel that he spoke but did not believe. Greta also shows some real spunk and determination toward survival, which elevates her above the metaphysical realm of continual supplicant for understanding. I like her better at the end than at the beginning on Earth, where she seems to be an aging and weary performance artist.
The antagonism between the ‘peace and love’ group that appears in Fourhaven, and the nihilistic rock band adrenaline junkies screaming their way into a new universe, is quite real. So is the elbow-jogging verbal sparring matches between the police detectives. The inclusion of the mind-numbing berries is very reminiscent of a mixture of Hunger Games and maybe Gattaca.
My favorite character, above all, is the aptly named ‘Ripley’, the believe-it-or-not large panther-like creature that bonds with her preferred human over a battle with lizard beasts. (You can do that in a four-dimensional world with melodic humming Furbees that hang on trees from cute furry tails, somewhat like lemurs.) Jazzy is definitely a good inclusion, a here-and-now practical antidote to the many emo characters.
Overall, this is a good solid fantasy read. The bad guys get destroyed by even more despicable Wraith-like beings (Fringes) so bad is canceled out by worse. There are math puzzles for the more technically minded. The capabilities of the interconnected Silver Rods emerge over time – by the time a fourth one appears, you know how they will be united in the end.
The reason why I didn't rate it higher was because I wouldn't necessarily re-read it, though I appreciated the tone of realism and fun current cultural references.
***
View Fourhaven on Bookshelves
Fourhaven: Paradise Gone Wrong
4 out of 5
Fourhaven is a world created by a vindictive, power-hungry, self-created god – despite the additional dimension and mind-reading capability, Fordy has limitations. Fordy is not ubiquitous, and it certainly is never merciful unless it has a bargain in mind. In addition, it has somewhat of a supernatural criminal history, an overwhelming hatred of authority. This is not a bad recap of a classic figure such as Abaddon or any other spiritual entity proclaiming its own authority to human beings via a mixture of allure, the fulfillment of desire, and naked aggression.
The limitations appear early on. The ‘mansion’ to which the singing diva (Greta) arrives with her adoring partner and flawed preacher (Jeremiah) is not in stellar shape. Jeremiah quickly learns that despite gaining the desires of his heart, Fordy does not have the capacity to love, and this is more of a transformational force than he had understood.
The author was clever in offering a redemptive path for the badly flawed ‘gospel preacher’ whose personal experience with Fordy (‘god’ of Fourhaven) slowly turns him away from self-gratification and toward an actual understanding of the gospel that he spoke but did not believe. Greta also shows some real spunk and determination toward survival, which elevates her above the metaphysical realm of continual supplicant for understanding. I like her better at the end than at the beginning on Earth, where she seems to be an aging and weary performance artist.
The antagonism between the ‘peace and love’ group that appears in Fourhaven, and the nihilistic rock band adrenaline junkies screaming their way into a new universe, is quite real. So is the elbow-jogging verbal sparring matches between the police detectives. The inclusion of the mind-numbing berries is very reminiscent of a mixture of Hunger Games and maybe Gattaca.
My favorite character, above all, is the aptly named ‘Ripley’, the believe-it-or-not large panther-like creature that bonds with her preferred human over a battle with lizard beasts. (You can do that in a four-dimensional world with melodic humming Furbees that hang on trees from cute furry tails, somewhat like lemurs.) Jazzy is definitely a good inclusion, a here-and-now practical antidote to the many emo characters.
Overall, this is a good solid fantasy read. The bad guys get destroyed by even more despicable Wraith-like beings (Fringes) so bad is canceled out by worse. There are math puzzles for the more technically minded. The capabilities of the interconnected Silver Rods emerge over time – by the time a fourth one appears, you know how they will be united in the end.
The reason why I didn't rate it higher was because I wouldn't necessarily re-read it, though I appreciated the tone of realism and fun current cultural references.
***
View Fourhaven on Bookshelves
