An imaginative, if sometimes linguistically distracting, look at the consequences of extrasensory powers.
A harrowing psychological and paranormal novel of a marriage in crisis.
Oliver Richter loves his wife, Kai, who’s beautiful, compassionate and sexy—and she has the ability to telepathically communicate with other people. The power makes her unable to function normally, particularly when she does Social Services work with abused children, as she can hear and feel their pain and fear. (Kai’s brother, Caleb, is a “dreamwalker” who can enter the dreams of anyone he chooses.) Oliver picks up on Kai’s thoughts, and as a result, he shares her insomnia, nightmares and suicidal fantasies. When Kai doesn’t improve after her time in a mental institution, Oliver kidnaps her and brings her from New York to Butternut, Wis., his quiet hometown, where he plans to fix up his grandfather’s house and come to terms with long-buried, agonizing truths about his family. As Oliver and Kai settle in, Oliver’s old flame, Mickey, shows up and causes a rift in the already delicate marriage. But when Mickey’s gifted son, Lukas, disappears, Kai must use her telepathic powers to track him down, putting her in more danger than ever. Heintz’s debut weaves psychological insight into a suspenseful, sci-fi–tinged thriller and produces a welcome variation on the classic marriage drama. Although the pacing in the book’s first three-quarters might have benefited from a stronger edit, the last quarter’s climax provides a satisfying payoff. Unfortunately, the book includes many overwrought metaphors and similes (food “ricocheted back up my esophagus”; “bullet trains of thought fired at me”; sneakers “chewed up dirt and rocks”; “grief crushed my trachea,” and more). Readers might allow for a handful of poetic flourishes, but such language can become cloying.
An imaginative, if sometimes linguistically distracting, look at the consequences of extrasensory powers.Pub Date: May 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-1481884570
Page Count: 432
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
After years of unprepossessing folderol—the wearisome Nine Princes in Amber retreads are depressingly typical—Zelazny bursts forth with, well, ``Victorian light supernatural fantasy'' just about covers it. Narrator Snuff, a guard dog who performs complex thaumaturgical calculations in his head, has many duties: to keep various Things firmly trapped in mirrors, wardrobes, and steamer trunks; to accompany his master, Jack—he of the magical blade—on weird collecting expeditions into the graveyards and slums of Victorian London; and—for a single hour each night—discuss the day's goings-on in human speech. Snuff's neighbors include: Jill the witch and her familiar, Graymalk the cat, with whom Snuff forms a friendly alliance; Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Frankenstein, Dracula, a werewolf, and a satanic vicar. The witches, detectives, doctors, vampires, etc., along with their equally industrious familiars, trade information and scheme for advantage as the full moon of Halloween approaches; at that time, a magical showdown to decide the fate of the Earth will occur. Some of the characters are ``openers,'' determined to open a magical doorway allowing the Old Gods to reoccupy the Earth; others are ``closers,'' equally resolved to keep the magical door nailed shut; and a few are involved yet stand outside the Game altogether. Snuff's problem is to discover who is which. Sparkling, witty, delightful: Zelazny's best for ages, perhaps his best ever.
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-12508-5
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1993
Even though the cracks are beginning to show, and the sheer narrative power of the superb original series is lacking, Dune...
Third in the Dune prequel series from originator Frank Herbert's son Brian and collaborator Anderson (Dune: House Atreides, 1999, and Dune: House Harkonnen, 2000). Duke Leto Atreides plans to attack planet Ix and drive out the occupying genetic-whiz Tleilaxu, while his concubine Jessica must travel to the imperial capital, Kaitain, to give birth to her child—not the daughter she was ordered to bear by her Bene Gesserit superiors. The Emperor Shaddam grows crueler and less restrained as his conspiracy with the Tleilaxu to develop a synthetic substitute for the miraculous spice “melange” advances. Shaddam's coconspirator Ajidica, the Tleilaxu Master, has tested “amal” on himself and obtained a superhuman brain boost; better still, the imperial Sardaukar troops stationed on Ix are already addicted to amal, so that now they'll obey him rather than the Emperor. The Emperor's agent, Hasimir Fenring, isn't convinced that amal will be an effective substitute for melange and demands more tests. Regardless, Shaddam squeezes the Great Families to reveal their secret spice stockpiles; once equipped with amal, he can destroy planet Arrakis—the sole source of the natural spice—and hold the galaxy to ransom. The plot heads for one of those black-comic moments where everybody's holding a gun to somebody else's head.
Even though the cracks are beginning to show, and the sheer narrative power of the superb original series is lacking, Dune in any guise is as addictive as the spice itself.Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2001
ISBN: 0-553-11084-5
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Spectra/Bantam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
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