Review of The Yewberry Way

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Yewberry Way" by Jack Gist.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Yewberry Way by Jack Gist was the story of a dystopian world under the control of the "System" that monitors all its citizens. Beliefs of myths, religion, gods, and miracles were erased and projected as unreal; anyone observed to have contact with the "Old Ones" was deemed contaminated and must be purged. But there was one — the "Outpost Man" — who didn't believe in the System and had been contacted by the Old Ones. He had also interacted with the "Praying Man." The System would stop at nothing to find out what the Praying Man told the Outpost Man and find his location with only one goal: to stop him.

The story unfolded like a puzzle that demanded a high mental presence to follow the storytelling pattern. Readers would undoubtedly be kept on their toes as they would try to find some order within the story. As a result, it could be challenging to follow the story timelines and the development of certain characters. Nonetheless, it would not detract from the story's awesomeness.

The author created a dystopian future where he stretched our present reality to a level that felt like a premonition. Readers of The Yewberry Way might be plagued by the disturbing question of whether humanity was headed toward a similar state as Jack described in this book. The author might have described the future consequences of science, technology, and modern-day civilization.

The story came with this quiet tone, shadowed by some feelings of urgency to get to the root of the story. This quality served well to keep readers intrigued about the author's purpose. The author's storytelling was descriptive. The story generally had a poetic edge, leaving readers with the idea that the author was saying something deeper beyond the written words. This belief allowed a swift perception of symbolic figures in the book. The most profound was the System, which could be viewed as a symbol of human nature that sought to control and exterminate whatever they couldn't understand.

The Yewberry Way featured many exciting characters and terms that Jack fitted well into his dystopian society. Many of the characters carried an air of mystery that was thrilling. There was also an emotional side to the book that was tied to the characters. Readers would dwell majorly in the characters' minds, having full access to their emotions — their pain, fears, and feelings. For characters like Ang and Doc Uket, readers would relate to their restless search for the truth.

The story was enigmatic, even though it might not appear as such from its beginning pages. The book had the plot for a promising motion picture that would deliver sci-fi mixed with some fantasy features. Beyond this, however, I perceived that this book had much to say regarding insights into deep issues plaguing our modern world, especially concerning the obsession with devices, gender identity, and religion.

I loved this book and admired the author's unique storytelling. It was entertaining and yet embodied many foods for thought. The book was exceptionally edited. I'd recommend it to sci-fi fans and readers with a curious spirit. Regardless of the minor concern I raised earlier, I'd rate The Yewberry Way five out of five stars.

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The Yewberry Way
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Chris Agbara]

Your review has convinced me to get the book as it seems like a thought-provoking and entertaining read that will appeal to sci-fi fans and readers with a curious spirit.

[Obc Contentor]

Wow! What an engaging and mysterious plot. What is the system up to to stop the old one from contacting people?

[Amy Luman]

I think this would be a good book for me. I really like science fiction and dystopian novels are my favorite of those. I’m especially interested in contact with the “Old Ones.” I guess that would be us.

[Ukaegbu Confidence]

I always love books where certain predictions are made because they're analyses based on the current situations of things and most times the predictions are right.

[NetMassimo]

Dystopic stories that project negative trends from our present are a classic and this one seems to reveal elements beyond the simple cautionary tale. Thank you for your great review!

[Aswin3848]

The book may seem as a fiction. But the narrative is also prevalent with the world today. The book could provide us with a caution to the future that lies ahead.

[Rob Carr]

This sounds like great plot and exactly the sort of book that I enjoy. Thanks for the thorough review!