Review by juliamenez -- My Author Is Dead by Michel Bruneau

[juliamenez]

[Following is a volunteer review of "My Author Is Dead" by Michel Bruneau.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

My Author is Dead by Michel Bruneau is a satirical dystopian fiction novel. The story follows Adam Chad Kilroy, a simple hero who begins to question the nature of his existence and the Author who created his story. In his quest for the truth, Adam must defeat a powerful and corrupt government, or else face brutal torture and the possibility of being erased.

The story begins by introducing Adam, a boy who lives in a village of Authorians abiding by a strict set of arbitrary rules. Adam questions and breaks small rules, facing treason if caught. For example, Adam steals a dictionary and begins to uncover a conspiracy surrounding how the corrupt authority figures keep the village ignorant and mollified. One day, while hiding out in a forest, Adam meets a little girl named June. Little does Adam know that June is part of a group that the Authorians have proclaimed as their mortal enemy. Several years later, Authorians kidnap June’s brother, Theodors, in an attempt to convert him to their Authorian ways. Adam must then risk everything to save Theodors and uncover the truth about the Author in the process.

I enjoyed reading this thought-provoking book. Bruneau meticulously crafts a fictional world that outlines the importance of creativity and critical thinking. The book serves as a warning of how the world would fall into despair if we give up on acquiring knowledge or succumb to the philosophy that we do not possess agency. The characters, cultural nuances, and ideologies of the different villages open themselves up to a variety of interpretations. Readers will enjoy peeling back the different layers of meaning behind a seemingly simple story. Additionally, Bruneau sprinkles “definitions” of words throughout the book that humorously highlight his cynicism.

The characters in this book are well-crafted; the good characters are easy to like, and the villains are easy to hate. Adam and his grandpa serve as the voices of reason, and their conversations incorporate a balance of thought and humor. The villains such as the Kritikillar and Small Visionary have a way of making the reader feel hopeless at times by using convoluted and circular logic to justify treating people horribly. The villains are so realistic because they exemplify different techniques that real-world manipulators use to subdue their victims and maintain dominance.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking satire, general humor, or dystopian fiction. However, there are various intense and detailed torture scenes throughout the book, and I would not recommend this book for young readers or anyone who is squeamish. Overall, this was a brilliant and captivating read.

******
My Author Is Dead
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes

Like juliamenez's review? Post a comment saying so!