Official Review: Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path!
Posted: 07 Aug 2016, 19:53
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path!" by Steve Simpson.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Have you ever wondered what a story would be like if the Bible was only sort-of true? If instead we were only one of countless planets, seeded by aliens, and heaven was in another universe. Steve Simpson's Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path! explores this possibility, leading from the basis of all existence through the creation and set-up of Earth and into present day.
The absolutely most unique thing about Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path!, however, has to be the way it's told. The entirety of the 100 pages, plus even the acknowledgements, are made up of quatrains - poetry that uses 4 lines, and in this case typically have 8 syllables per line and use an AABB rhyme scheme. An example would be:
Although I can't recommend the book for anyone devoutly religious (it's rather blasphemous, particularly at the beginning), anyone who can keep an open mind will find some interesting twists on history and the Bible. There are numerous times that scripture is directly pulled from and used in the story in a different way, and Lucifer is in fact a major villain in the book. The majority, however, is a history lesson mixed with a bit of philosophy - in this reality, Earth is the only place where evil truly dwells, and where things like war and disease exist. Beyond a general "violence is bad" theme, it's also made very clear that lust is a terrible sin, one that has been our downfall since humans existed on Earth.
While the story has some really fascinating bits, the poetic nature of it really bogged things down. It seemed like there was a lot of setup but rarely much payoff. There were also a few times where stanzas would be used word-for-word in different places to remind the reader of information (and particularly in the 8-page summary at the end) and a handful of grammatical errors, but certainly less than a dozen by my count.
For those who love poetry and don't need much action, however, this is definitely the book for you. Once again, simply being able to put together an entire book that's essentially one gigantic poem that largely fits the same rhyme scheme and meter is amazing. I'd rate the book 2.5 if I could, but it deserves to be rounded up to 3 out of 4 stars more than being rounded down to a 2. This comes with a very specific recommendation to only those suggested previously in this paragraph and review, however. Those who are easily offended by religious edits, who are looking for action or who don't like poetry will want to stay away, but poetry fans should definitely give it a shot.
******
Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path!
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3 out of 4 stars
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Have you ever wondered what a story would be like if the Bible was only sort-of true? If instead we were only one of countless planets, seeded by aliens, and heaven was in another universe. Steve Simpson's Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path! explores this possibility, leading from the basis of all existence through the creation and set-up of Earth and into present day.
The absolutely most unique thing about Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path!, however, has to be the way it's told. The entirety of the 100 pages, plus even the acknowledgements, are made up of quatrains - poetry that uses 4 lines, and in this case typically have 8 syllables per line and use an AABB rhyme scheme. An example would be:
Each stanza leads into the next all the way through the entire book! This style of storytelling is incredibly unique and the challenge involved must have been overwhelming. The downside to this method, however, is that it's quite a bit harder to read than a straightforward story: because everything is told in this manner, it takes longer to get to the point and can be a bit tougher to follow at times. There are also times where rhymes don't quite work - either they have to be pronounced oddly to work (beyond/conceptions) or don't rhyme at all. However, considering that I estimate approximately 1,900 of these stanzas overall, it's absolutely understandable.God's evolution plan for Earth,
Was for "sanctioned", mortal births;
A son and daughter born as one;
To mimic God's immortal sons.
Although I can't recommend the book for anyone devoutly religious (it's rather blasphemous, particularly at the beginning), anyone who can keep an open mind will find some interesting twists on history and the Bible. There are numerous times that scripture is directly pulled from and used in the story in a different way, and Lucifer is in fact a major villain in the book. The majority, however, is a history lesson mixed with a bit of philosophy - in this reality, Earth is the only place where evil truly dwells, and where things like war and disease exist. Beyond a general "violence is bad" theme, it's also made very clear that lust is a terrible sin, one that has been our downfall since humans existed on Earth.
While the story has some really fascinating bits, the poetic nature of it really bogged things down. It seemed like there was a lot of setup but rarely much payoff. There were also a few times where stanzas would be used word-for-word in different places to remind the reader of information (and particularly in the 8-page summary at the end) and a handful of grammatical errors, but certainly less than a dozen by my count.
For those who love poetry and don't need much action, however, this is definitely the book for you. Once again, simply being able to put together an entire book that's essentially one gigantic poem that largely fits the same rhyme scheme and meter is amazing. I'd rate the book 2.5 if I could, but it deserves to be rounded up to 3 out of 4 stars more than being rounded down to a 2. This comes with a very specific recommendation to only those suggested previously in this paragraph and review, however. Those who are easily offended by religious edits, who are looking for action or who don't like poetry will want to stay away, but poetry fans should definitely give it a shot.
******
Earth's Cosmic, Pariah Path!
View: on Bookshelves
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