What a great book! It's a Mystery plus Science Fiction plus Growing up Tale that works on so many levels. Its a book thats hard to discuss because almost all of it is spoiler. I started reading it, and I couldn't put it down. There is nothing missed, except maybe the ending was a bit rushed and the secondary characters reactions seemed a bit out of touch with real 18 year old kids ( )

The premise: a young man wakes up in the middle of the field with no of who he is or what he's been doing. But he does know without a shadow of doubt that someone is trying to kill him, and he may very well have killed someone himself. The story that follows is more than just a tale about a guy struggling with amnesia: it's about the struggle of adaptation, of learning his world. Hal, short for Halloween, is one of ten students is an experimental education program that involves teaching through virtual reality. Hal learns his life is made of layers within layers within layers, and he's not sure he can trust anyone, least of all his friends.

My Rating

Worth the Cash: it's a dystopian cyberpunk that follows the grand traditions of similar movies but still knows how to swing the punches. The voice makes it a smooth, fast read, and Sagan's style make everything about the book come together with a ring of confidence. There were a lot of things that could've annoyed the crap out of me about this book, but they didn't, and I think that's due to Sagan's voice and style and the fact he's not afraid to let the reader figure things out for themselves, if they want. Whether you do or not, it's bound to keep you guessing, even when you guess right. I look forward to the sequels.

The full review, which does include spoilers, may be found in my journal. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Nick Sagan's IDLEWILD

Happy Reading! :) ( )

http://rivkat.livejournal.com/195907.... ( )

Good story with lots of twists. ( )

Nick Sagan is the son of astronomer and writer Carl Sagan, whose recorded greeting "Hello from the children of planet Earth" accompanied the Voyager spacecraft that is already traveling beyond our solar system.

The plot starts out strong and shows potential as a dystopian, cyber-punk novel, but falls apart halfway through. Neil Gaiman called this book a "roller coaster ride" of a story - and that's why I bought it. However, I think that's just his nice way of saying the book takes too many quick, sloppy turns. An element of surprise is always welcome in fiction, but Idlewild becomes choppy - as though Sagan couldn't decide where he wanted to take the plot. The climax seems to come out of nowhere and doesn't quite satisfy, while the ending is too rushed.

Such faults could possibly be overlooked if Sagan's writing compensated for the plot flaws, but sadly that disappoints as well. The characterization of the protagonist (Halloween) is a trifle cliché (typical angst-ridden teenage goth boy), and the other characters are never fully developed.

I understand this is the first in a series - here's hoping Sagan develops his skills as it goes along. ( )