

|
Loading... Icelanderby Dustin Long
I enjoyed reading this novel, but I got a little bogged down by the style. It felt at times that the novel was more about the presentation than the story; it was actually a fairly straightforward tale, not much mystery. It was the way the story was told, with the flashbacks and the changes in POV, etc, that made this better than a 2-star rating. Ironically, it was those same aspects that kept it from a 4-star rating. In all, an entertaining book, but not one I will likely read again. Someone recommended this for fans of Flann O'Brien. This is a book that demands a rescanning. Awesome post-modern mystery! I love this book. I've read it three times so far and I like it better each time. It has so many things in it that shouldn't work, but they do, and in spite of the surreal atmosphere the philosoper-detectives, a protagonist called Our heroine, I really did believe in the story as I was reading it. That being said, I can clearly see that it is not a book to everybody's taste, or even easy to like. From my point of view, though, I'm really looking forward to Dustin Long publishing a new book. Icelander falls into that category of McSweeney's postmodern fiction that people seem to either love or hate. I happen to love it. Our Heroine, as she is called throughout, is the grown up girl sleuth and daughter of Indiana Jones-style, adventurer/ anthropologist parents. She is faced with a nemesis who is murdering family friends. What I like about Long is that his postmodern ploys don't get too cloying or overprecocious. He still tells and entertaining story, in a unique and slightly off-kilter setting. I enjoyed it immensely.
It’s a richly textured novel with layer upon layer of subtext and meaning, easily rewarding enough for second and third reads while still being character-driven, fun, and accessible enough to warrant the attention of more casual readers. Long has mixed one of the rarest literary concoctions, the perfect blend of heavily intellectual fiction and pure potboiler fun.
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0802143202, Paperback)Icelander is the debut novel from a brilliant new mind, an intricate, giddy romp steeped equally in Nordic lore and pulpy intrigue. When Shirley MacGuffin is found murdered one day prior to the annual town celebration in remembrance of Our Heroine’s mother the legendary crime-stopper and evil-thwarter Emily Bean everyone expects Our Heroine to follow in her mother’s footsteps and solve the case. She, however, has no interest in inheriting the family business, or being chased through steam-tunnels, or listening to skaldic karaoke, or fleeing the inhuman Refurserkir. But evil has no interest in her lack of interest. A Nabokovian goof on Agatha Christie, a madcap mystery that is part The Third Policeman and part The Da Vinci Code, The Icelander is one thing above all else: a true original. (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:34:10 -0500) "A Nabokovian goof on Agatha Christie ; a madcap mystery in the deceptive tradition of The Crying of Lot 49 ;The Third Policeman meets The Da Vinci Code. Icelander is the debut novel from a brilliant new mind, an intricate, giddy romp steeped equally in Nordic lore and pulpy intrigue. When Shirley MacGuffin is found murdered one day prior to the annual town celebration in remembrance of Our Heroine's mother -- the legendary crime-stopper and evil-thwarter Emily Bean -- everyone expects Our Heroine to follow in her mother's footsteps and solve the case. She, however, has no interest in inheriting the family business, or being chased through steam-tunnels, or listening to skaldic karaoke, or fleeing the inhuman Refurserkir, or-- But evil has no interest in her lack of interest, and thus ; adventure ensues" -- book description.… (more) |
Google Books — Loading...RatingAverage: (3.64)
![]() Audible.comAn edition of this book was published by Audible.com.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||