Review of Sleeping In A Whale's Eye.

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sleeping In A Whale's Eye." by Alexander John.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Sleeping in a Whale's Eye by Alexander John is a dystopian fantasy set in London, where it always snows.

This book opens in London in a different era. The east side is poverty-stricken and filled with gangs, mutants, and people who hope to survive each cold night. The west side is where the rich reside. They have wood and every other necessary but expensive thing one needs to survive their forever-cold weather. The west side also has horse guards that Lord Raglin controls. Lord Raglin is close to stepping out of the democracy of his people and letting it free when tragedy strikes. There's a coup being plotted against him. The thieves on the west side are organizing training. They plan to kill Lord Raglin with the help of their secret weapon and heartless killer, Geheven Manley. Also, an unknown group of extremists is playing a game where everyone is their pawn. Their goals are the same: killing Lord Raglin and ruling London. Who will win?

When I realized that this book is not just a fantasy fiction book but a dystopian fantasy story, I was eager to read it even more. And when I found that it wasn't a book that focused on the "other side," I was curious to see how the author pulled it off. Other dystopian fiction books I had read would usually make the underprivileged people the story's focus. This book flipped the narrative, and the author did it well.

It was interesting to read the character of Lord Raglin. The after-effects of some of his decisions lingered, and so did the guilt. It made more sense why people saw him as a god despite his flaws. Reading the parts where his enemies talked about his difficult decisions made it easier for me to connect to him as a character and enjoy the book even more.

While reading this book, I thought I was prepared for the twists and turns, but clearly, I wasn't. The author packed a lot of tension and secrets into this book. The suspense was intense, even when I knew the characters and the secrets they were hiding from each other. The author packed this book with thrilling scenes and hints at the big reveal from the first chapter to the last. Even when it was coming to an end, there was still that drawn-out anticipation that made me feel it wasn't over yet.

Another thing I liked was the behavior of Manley. He was an alien and the west side's thieves' secret weapon. He was not just thrilled by killing; he also had a different relationship with his emotions (except anger). Reading how the author pulled off writing such a character was thrilling. It was also enjoyable.

Irrespective of the fact that this book was written from a third-person point of view, it'd have been much better if the description wasn't lumped in the same paragraph as the characters' thoughts. Putting the characters' thoughts in a separate paragraph would have made it easier. Regardless, I'd not deduct a star for this, as it was the author's prerogative. Therefore, I'd rate Sleeping in a Whale's Eye 5 out of 5 stars. It was professionally edited, and I'd recommend it to fans of dystopian fantasy.

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Sleeping In A Whale's Eye.
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[Patty Allread]

I enjoyed your review! The book sounds like a refreshing change from many dystopian fantasies. Interesting that the thieves plotting against Lord Raglan are on the west side. I will have to read the book to see.