I absolutely loved this book as a teenager. Read it to pieces, then could never find another copy. Fortunately it has been reissued, after far too long! It holds up incredibly well -- there are a few minor Handwavium (tm) moments in the plot that I never noticed before, and I can't help laughing now at all these geeky white guys playing samurai, but everything else is perfect. The characterization, the humor, the dreamy apocalyptic beauty of this Changed world... it's all as wonderful as I remember.

I'm not fond of the new cover (where's the title character, huh? What, was she too girly or something?), and I'm annoyed that it's only available in mass market paperback, given its thickness -- because I've cracked the spine on this copy already, which means I'm likely to read it to pieces again. But I'm happy to recommend it again, and glad it stood the test of time. ( )

The premise: Since the Change, nothing that's technological works properly, and suddenly, the new rules of physics revolve around magic. There's mythical beasts in the world now, and Pete Garey encounters an injured unicorn during his travels. They strike up an unlikely friendship and so travel this semi-apocalyptic world together. However, unicorns are rare even in THIS world, and are known for their powerful magic. A necromancer from New York City will do ANYTHING to capture Ariel's power, so Pete and Ariel must travel there to stop him, no matter what happens.

My Rating

Worth the Cash: but it's close to "Give it Away." Honestly, I do believe (and the author does too!) that this book is better enjoyed by those in their teens (just note there is profanity, some graphic violence and detailed sexy images), and those reading this book as adults are more apt to find problems. I'm not one of these who read the book when it was first released, so I'm not reading it for nostalgia's sake. I was rather impressed by the writing, considering the author's age at the time (it was published when he was twenty or twenty-one), but it's pretty solid and tells a good story. The prose isn't perfect, and there are time when scenes are a little melodramatic, but the prose isn't dated at all (though some of the pop culture references are, which is actually fun), and that was surprising. The book's ending, while a little contrived, made sense. Certain things HAVE to happen in order for this book to have any kind of resolution, and I certain didn't go into this book expecting a happily-ever-after ending. It's not a sad ending either, but rather a human one, so that's important to note if endings are something that worry you. I liked the cast for the most part, though the characters weren't fully three-dimensional and some of the supporting cast often fell into types. Still, it's a fast, enjoyable read that will REALLY MAKE YOU THINK if you look past the trappings of the story itself. Me, I might check out the sequel, Elegy Beach, when it's released as a mass market paperback, which will be next year. It's coming out in hardcover THIS year, and while I'm sure Boyett's crafted has evolved and changed since he wrote Ariel, I'm in no hurry to read the next book in line.

Review style: Review? What review? If I had the chance, I'd write a freaking RESEARCH PAPER on this book, but since that's a little much for a blog, so I'll stick to analysis. Yes, analysis, because there's too much that's worth chewing on aside from the story itself. Spoilers? You bet. If you're not interested in any of that, then there's no need to click the cut. If you are, the cut leads to my LJ, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Steven R. Boyett's ARIEL ( )

In this post-apocalyptic fantasy the world has suddenly changed so that modern technology no longer works, and magic has come into the world. Chaos and confusion is everywhere, and mythical beasts stalk the land. The main character, Pete, manages to survive the initial turmoil and is on his own until one day he comes across a unicorn. A beautiful, graceful, magical creature- who is also stubborn, frank, cracks jokes and likes to swear. They strike up a friendship and travel together, eventually adding to their party a bumbling kid who thinks he has to kill a dragon and a woman named Shaughnessy. Like many fantasy novels, it winds down to a battle between the good guys and the bad guys- Pete has to learn swordsmanship from a martial arts master, trek on foot from Atlanta to New York City, choose his friends wisely and avoid his enemies. It turns out that the bad guys want to capture the unicorn, and even if he can keep her away from them, he might loose her to a human relationship- as he and Shaughnessy begin to find each other attractive- but only a virgin can be a unicorn's companion... This novel is just amazing. Full of adventure, great characters, a wonderful tale of friendship and loyalties.

from the DogEar Diary ( )

An early post-apocolyptic novel that is gripping. The story will linger after the cover is closed. My husband enjoyed it as much as I did. ( )

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.a... ( )

My first post-apoc book and still one of my favorites. Like many fans of the book, I discovered this when I was young and fell in love.
Fans of the book should also pick up the ebook available from Amazon, as it has an afterword by the author which is worth reading. ( )

A gorgeously written post-apocolyptic, coming of age story. It's out of print, but worth finding a copy if you can.

I picked this book up on a whim in a used bookstore when I was in high school. As I did with most books back then, I read it and then traded it back in for more books to read. Unlike others, though, this book stuck with me. In particular, a poignant scene at the end of the book stayed with me, even when I could no longer remember the book's name or author. ( )