Funny and, at times, savage. I enjoyed Alexie's short, simple sentence structure, and his bluntness. However, the story wore thin by the end and failed to answer the questions he raised about violence. ( )

I’ve been a fan of Sherman Alexie for some time now. This story took me by surprise and showed me a new side of his ability, one that was only hinted at in Reservation Blues. In Flight, Sherman Alexie has created a socially aware science fiction novel that tackles some very deep philosophical issues.

When I started this work, I almost gave it up. It was that boring. Yeah, yeah, here we go, an Indian kid known as Zits (whose real name is Michael) is fostered out to several families, each worse than the one before, the kid is rebellious, gets in trouble and meets up with the wrong type of friend; gets talked into killing people in a bank. I’ve read this before. I know where it’s going . . . then with an impact as hard as the bullet that kills Michael, the story takes a radical turn and gets real deep.

In what follows next, he is reborn in different times in bodies belonging to people facing various problems. He is aware that he is not his original self, but he is also not in charge of what is happening to his new self. In each incarnation, he learns some new piece of what it means to be a whole person, to overcome your inner problems and become fully realized. By having Michael entering several incarnations that are not Native American, Alexie shows the universality of Michael’s dilemma.

Like I said, some real deep philosophical territory. It is not all doom and gloom, however. The author’s sense of humor and irony is put to good use throughout the story. There is also the redeeming factor in that Michael finally learns that we are in control of ourselves and we can change our life’s path if we really try.

Because of the time travel using reincarnation as the means of time travel, I’d call this science fiction for those who don’t like science fiction. Because of the reincarnation by itself, I’d classify this as a metaphysical novel. There are also strong elements of psychology, sociology and just plain old fashioned storytelling as well. This is very hard to classify, other than calling it fiction. It is also a little strong for the typical YA book, but I can see a very strong appeal to High School readers and should promote some good class discussions.

In short, another fine offering from Sherman Alexie. A good solid four and a half star read. ( )

An easy read about a boy traveling into different parts of the past and determining who he truly is while doing so. It's mildly interesting and it's easy to read, but not much more. ( )

I enjoy Sherman Alexie's writing. He has such a talent for enlightening the reader about social issues facing native American Indians while being thoroughly entertaining. I appreciate the character, the story, and the especially the message. Adam Beach did an exceptional job of bringing the audio version of the book to life. ( )

Fast paced and humorous, we follow Zizs an angry young indian boy who after being wounded travels through space and time, briefly occupying the bodies of people somehow linked to him. A somewhat spritual journey.

An engaging book but it's story is too short for the subject. I would have liked to see the stories of the personas Zits occupies expanded. ( )