OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Beyond Absolute" by S R Gurney.]

S.R. Gurney’s Beyond Absolute is a compilation of 46 creative writing ficlets in 6 sections. Each ficlet is only about a page long, with an accompanying picture of nature at the bottom to help stimulate the reader’s mind. In addition, each ficlet ends with a Latin phrase relevant to the topic discussed. There is also an English translation of the Latin phrases included at the back of the book. These ficlets cover a wide range of topics, from the various processes of nature, to love, to the physical world, and to psychological state of mind. However, all of these ficlets have a single theme in common: what is beyond absolute?

Put simply, Gurney’s ficlets, for the most part, focus on the inner workings of the mind in between moments of time. For example, I particularly enjoyed “Advocacy or Superiority”, where the narrator’s consciousness is focused on the various scenes around him, such as the little girl crossing the road, rather than on what the narrator is doing. I found this fascinating, as this helped me, personally, to learn to be more aware of the things that happen around me.

Moreover, Gurney possesses a good command of language, which allows the reader to fully experience the feelings that he is trying to get across, and this in turn helps to create the optimal atmosphere for the reader’s full immersion.

However, the fact that most pieces in Beyond Absolute focus on the same theme acts as a double-edged sword – reading the ficlets one after another gets repetitive after a while due to the same theme being utilised over and over again, only with a few changes.

More importantly, although the theme of the book is “beyond absolute”, I do think that Gurney’s inclusion of a short paragraph of his definition(s) of absolute would help much in way of clarification, as his notions of absolute change from ficlet to ficlet.

Additionally, the inserted photos and Latin phrases, for me personally, were more jarring rather than an effective tool for the reader’s immersion. Photos of nature are, by nature, rather ambiguous; therefore, when coupled with the ficlet, it does generate a sense of confusion, a feeling of “What am I supposed to feel?” Then again, this could be the author’s aim when including said photos. Also, as the ficlets are generally only a page long, the reader has to constantly flip to the back to look for the English translation of the phrase. It would be easier if the English translation was included on the same page.

There are also a couple of grammar and punctuation errors present, but they were minor ones, which did not detract much from the reading flow. The formatting of the novel could also be done in a more professional manner; for example, fonts in the book should be standardised. Therefore, I rate S.R. Gurney’s Beyond Absolute 2 out of 4 stars due to said reasons given above. I would recommend this to people who are interested in exploring the notions of time, psychology, and the inner workings of the mind.

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Beyond Absolute
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I'm pretty sure this would not be to my liking. It just sounds a bit over my head. The Latin phrases would confuse me, though, at least I could look at the pictures. I think I'll pass, but thanks for the information.

kandscreeley wrote: ↑21 Dec 2018, 08:43 I'm pretty sure this would not be to my liking. It just sounds a bit over my head. The Latin phrases would confuse me, though, at least I could look at the pictures. I think I'll pass, but thanks for the information.

It was really kind of abstract. Thank you for stopping by nonetheless!

Sounds like it could have included a couple of different authors as a collaborated work, to add some diversity and avoid the repetition.
It's an interesting concept.

Not really sure it's my type of book, to be honest. I did enjoy your review, however.

Ice dragon wrote: ↑21 Dec 2018, 14:11 Sounds like it could have included a couple of different authors as a collaborated work, to add some diversity and avoid the repetition.
It's an interesting concept.

That sounds like a great idea to increase diversity. Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment!

kislany wrote: ↑21 Dec 2018, 15:59 Not really sure it's my type of book, to be honest. I did enjoy your review, however.

Thank you for stopping by, Kislany! I appreciate it.

I would love to read some of the poem's in this book, simply for the creative writing style and the topic. I would also be curious to see how distracting the Latin phrases are, since the translations were not included on the same page as the phrases. Thanks for the honest review!

Alicia09 wrote: ↑22 Dec 2018, 20:21 I would love to read some of the poem's in this book, simply for the creative writing style and the topic. I would also be curious to see how distracting the Latin phrases are, since the translations were not included on the same page as the phrases. Thanks for the honest review!

I would love to hear your thoughts on it when you pick it up. Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment!

This seems like an abstract piece of literature. The inner workings of the mind do hold a certain allure for me. It's a pity that the book was not properly formatted.

Thank you for the lovely review.

The fact that the themes carry through the ficlets is a little annoying.
Loved your review!

Kajori50 wrote: ↑23 Dec 2018, 13:25 This seems like an abstract piece of literature. The inner workings of the mind do hold a certain allure for me. It's a pity that the book was not properly formatted.

Thank you for the lovely review.

Thank you for stopping by always, I appreciate it!

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑23 Dec 2018, 14:08 The fact that the themes carry through the ficlets is a little annoying.
Loved your review!

It was a little over-the-top at times indeed. Thanks for stopping by always, Bianka, I appreciate it!

Great review, gen_g. I had never heard the term "ficlet" before reading your review, so you just taught me something new! Based on your point about repetitiveness, I think I would prefer to own this book and read 1-2 of the ficlets whenever the mood struck.

Jagiine wrote: ↑25 Dec 2018, 04:11 Great review, gen_g. I had never heard the term "ficlet" before reading your review, so you just taught me something new! Based on your point about repetitiveness, I think I would prefer to own this book and read 1-2 of the ficlets whenever the mood struck.

Well, to be honest, it's a new word popping up, and I thought the term fit the kind of stories found in Beyond Absolute perfectly! If you do decide to pick it up, do let me know what you feel about it. Thanks stopping by to leave a comment, Jagiine, I do appreciate it.