The Rampart Trilogy, Book 2
Synopsis:
“A captivating start to what promises to be an epic post-apocalyptic fable” (Kirkus), The Book of Koli is the unforgettable story of a young boy struggling to find his place in a world where nature itself has turned against humanity.
Everything that lives hates us…
Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable landscape. A place where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don’t get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will.
Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He believes the first rule of survival is that you don’t venture too far beyond the walls.
He’s wrong.
Edition:
E-ARC
Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary e-ARC of The Book of Koli from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts:
I was SO PSYCHED for this book. I haven’t read any of Mike Carey’s stuff written under M.R. Carey (although I have the e-book of The Girl With All the Gifts somewhere in the war zone of my Kindle bookshelf, and someday I will bore you all with my abiding love for the Constantine Hellblazer series, and in particular, Carey’s contribution to same), so this was it for me. Number one. And I didn’t love it. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate it, I just struggled to get into it. It may be as simple as: don’t read a dystopian-type book in the middle of a total societal shitstorm the likes of which haven’t been seen before in your lifetime, but regardless, I really struggled to stay immersed in this story.
I’m actually pretty bummed out that I felt as middle-of-the-road about it as I did. As I alluded to, I’ve got a history of loving Carey’s work – and it definitely doesn’t stop at Hellblazer, that’s just the crux of it for me. I know he’s an incredibly talented writer. I think it sucks that I wasn’t into The Book of Koli. Despite amazing lines like this one:
“I don’t like people very much. I’m all in favour of them as a concept, but I don’t get on with them at all when I have to mix with them.”
The story, and the writing are solid, but I found it hard to focus on a lot of the dialogue since the people have a very unique way of speaking. I liked the role that technology played in the world, and felt that all of the lore was fully fleshed out and everything made sense, I just…couldn’t seem to make myself stay invested in Koli specifically, or in what was happening to him. Monono and Ursala felt to me like much more interesting characters than Koli. I don’t know what it was about him specifically that failed to resonate with me, but…I mostly felt like whatever happened to him happened to him, and as long as Ursala and the Dreamsleeve lived, that was what really mattered.
“Tomorrow would do, I thought. And like most people who think that, I was dead wrong. There’s only ever one day that matters, and it moves along with you.”
As an aside to this extremely organized stream-of-consciousness review, I did really enjoy the cult aspect of the story. That was an unexpected bit of fun. I actually wish that they had played more heavily into the overall story. Instead they felt like nothing more than a roadside attraction, which is too bad.
On the off chance that the disconnect is due to the incredible levels of anxiety that current events are causing me, I do fully intend to re-read this book after it officially releases and the worldwide pandemic business slows its roll a hair. You know, when I’m able to give the ol’ anxieties some time off. Maybe that will be a better time to read about a time after the fall of man and the rise of…murder plants.
About the Author:
Mike Carey is the acclaimed writer of Lucifer and Hellblazer (now filmed as Constantine). He has recently completed a comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and is the current writer on Marvel’s X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four. He has also written the screenplay for a movie, Frost Flowers, which is soon to be produced by Hadaly Films and Bluestar Pictures.
Also writes as Mike Carey
Rating:
Idk, you guys. I love Mike Carey’s work, but I think this one in particular might just not be for me. I mean, killer plants, generations-post-warfare-based-apocalypse and cults couldn’t hold my interest. There’s just something about this one that doesn’t do it for me. BUT – as I’ve said, Mike Carey is a hell of a writer, so I still recommend checking this one out (or anything else he’s written for that matter). In fact, I’d love to hear what you think!
The Book of Koli The Rampart Trilogy #1 By M.R. Carey Orbit Books ISBN: 0316477532 Expected Publication April 14, 2020 Paperback, Audio, E-book 416 Pages Author's Website
