When the universe comes apart
Written: May 22 '00 (Updated Jun 14 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stellar writing, seductive plot.
Cons: Awfully surreal by the end.
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| tomgray's Full Review: Exaltation of Larks Books |
Robert Reed's An Exaltation of Larks is a beautifully-crafted novel about a seemingly-normal hunk of a college student, Jesse Aylesworth, who finds himself enlisted in a war among powerful entities from the far future over the nature and structure of time and space.
As luck would have it, I happened across Exaltation just shortly after reading Robert Charles Wilson's Darwinia*, a book with a similar plot that sounds similar themes. Aside from their overall motifs and sterling prose, however, the two novels are quite different.
For one thing, sex, almost nonexistent in Darwinia, plays a central role in Reed's book--Aylesworth is literally seduced into the fray by a buxom coed, Sully Faulkner, who is far more than she seems. Jesse has plenty of notches on his bedpost, and we get glimpses of many past conquests along the way, but Sully shoulders the rest aside effortlessly after a couple of truly steamy encounters, and Jesse is hooked.
At the same time as he is falling head over heels, though, he begins to realize that the physical universe is coming apart. First, a massive snowstorm combines with some sort of solar phenomenon to destroy all communication with the outside world, and then the hallucinations start. Jesse meets what appears to be an Indian, standing outside in a T-shirt in a 40-below wind chill. The Indian, who sometimes looks curiously like a turtle, promises Jesse extraordinary powers, and sure enough, Jesse soon loses any desire or need to eat, sleep, or even breathe.
It's all pretty weird from this point on--a bit like trying to get an X-Files episode down in print--but still worth reading. I'm not much for surrealism in general, but Reed is an exceptional writer and Exaltation builds up enough narrative drive early on to make the reader want to know what happens, no matter how strange.
Writing: 10
Characterization: 10
Big Issues/Ideas: 8
Recommended reading: If you like this, try Robert Charles Wilson's Darwinia and The Harvest, two other well-written novels of strangeness loose in the everyday world. You might also enjoy Connie Willis's Lincoln's Dreams*, a haunting psychodrama about a young woman who compulsively dreams the dreams of Robert E. Lee.
*I've also reviewed this book for Epinions.com.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tomgray
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Member: Tom Gray
Location: Norwich, Vermont
Reviews written: 160
Trusted by: 231 members
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