Paul Hoffman (3) (1953–)

This book is a bit of a literary hot-potato; it does not sit comfortably in any hand I try to grasp it with to hold it up and talk about it.

Let me come at it circuitously by means of reference: I feel like this sits somewhere halfway between Lies of Locke Lamora and Five Wounds. It has the big-fantasy leanings and bantering, cynical characters of the former, paired with the simplicity, omniscient-narrator and brutality of the latter. And yet, while both of those books were outstanding, show more jaw-dropping articles of elevated art, this is not quite so sublime. Let me be clear: it's very good. But it's just not magnificent, and it was aiming, I think, for that.

Throughout the book, I felt like the book was walking a tightrope of writing style. It did tricks, and they were consistently delightful tricks. Again and again, the prose was clever, entertaining, wry and engaging. And that's not even counting the fact that it pulled off an impeccable omniscent narrator, something that I am generally against and of which I am always keenly on the lookout for fuck-ups. However, the style never (for me) rose to the level of true literary grace. It never sparkled. It lacked that Lamora-esque lustre.

Here's another thing: the world sent me constantly slightly on edge. It's compiled - in geography and sociology and history - of a piled-up melange of just-left-of-centre real-world references (Memphis is near the Scablands, so initially I thought this was a sort of post-apocalyptic America [awesome!] but then it became obvious that Memphis was extremely Venetian [...still awesome?] and then they mentioned Norwegians and Arnhemland [er?] and then York was just to the north [...okaaay] and there were completely traditional medieval Jews [I give up]). Because of that, I kept trying to make sense of it and place it in real-world context. I don't think it fits, I'm not sure it's supposed to fit. I think perhaps the real-world references are supposed to make it feel "less fantastical" and therefore more comfortable (possibly to a teenage audience, but another way that this hot-potatoes is in the fact that it should be YA, except for how dark and gritty it is in places), but it had precisely the opposite effect on me: never knowing where I stood, I could never get comfortable.

The characters are strong and, even when they do stupid things, they do them for reasons that are very strongly sensible for who they are and what has previously shaped them. On the other hand, they're also allegedly fourteen, and then there's all that sex. It's not that I'm prudish, it's just that I'd like the hero to be at least sixteen before he has the destiny-shaping love of his life. You're a teenager. You'll get over it. Jeez.

Despite all that, it's an engaging, page-turning read (except, for me, the part where he clinically recounts a battlefield probably recognisable as Agincourt even if I hadn't cheated and read his endnotes) with excellent writing style and intriguing characters. I'm not sure it was as exciting as the blurb suggested it could be. And while I see the resemblance to all the authors it's been compared to (as well as the two I used, I've seen Umberto Eco and KJ Parker) I don't think it shines as brightly as any of them, possibly because it's trying to be everything at once. show less

Note: This book was received through the early reviewer program and this review contains a spoiler.

Finishing this novel left me in a foul mood. Let me tell you why: this is not a good book. It could have been, but it isn't. It is a book that explores some interesting ideas, but in a lackluster, sloppy, bitter way. It is a book that presents some intriguing characters, but inconsistently and casually changes their nature so that they are sometimes relatable and sometimes repugnant. It is a show more book that has just enough power to its story that I want to know what happens next -- and that is the most frustrating part, because it is the beginning of a series and I wish it had been a stand alone, seriously -- but is so irritating and frustrating a reading experience that I have no real desire to endure such a thing again.

Basically, I want to read a synopsis of the sequel to this book, not the sequel itself.

In case you need more than just a rant, allow me to support my opinions for a moment. The novel begins at a place called the Sanctuary, a training center for young boys that takes all the most disturbing accusations leveled at the Catholic church throughout history and pushes them to their most violent extremes (of course, the novel doesn't use the word "Catholic" at any point, but, well, duh). The Sanctuary is run by the Redeemers, a fanatical religious sect that echoes the Catholic Jesuit order, but taken to extremes of violence and cruelty. (Really, the details of the book deliberately make the reader squirm, but not to any real, satisfying purpose -- gratuitous violence is the norm here.) Our central character is Thomas Cale, a not-very-likable young acolyte who has been trained, in the most brutal ways, to be an exceptionally efficient killer. When certain events occur toward the middle of the book (again, disturbing events) and Thomas Cale escapes from the control of the Redeemers, the action really begins. The Redeemers struggle to get him back, again using the most brutal and violent means, and Cale himself struggles (sort of -- though the people around him suffer the brunt of the struggle) with his own nature.

These struggles are set within a world that is frustratingly inconsistent. Hoffman has written a book that reads somewhat like a YA fantasy novel, but uses real-world references (Jesus of Nazareth, familiar geography) interspersed with made-up locations and figures, like the Hanged Redeemer, who is the divine icon of the fanatical religious sect. At first, one looks for meaning in the way that Hoffman stitches together real historical/geographical references and invented icons and place-names, but eventually it seems more like the author simply ran out of ideas for his own names and decided to pull random places together instead of working on it a bit more. The result is a constant nagging sensation, as one reads, that one should know where the story is taking place... except one can't quite place it.

Other irritations that pull you away from what story there is here include the trite phrasing -- Hoffman at one point even uses the tired out "words were no longer necessary" cliche to make it clear that his characters had started having sex -- the sloppy editing (which, to be fair, could simply be a consequence of reading an ARC) and the habit of over-hiding the characters with hoods and cloaks and anything else shadowy and secretive. Honestly, from Hoffman's descriptions, you would think that we are never supposed to know anything about anyone in this book. While secrecy is essential to the development of a suspenseful novel, there comes a point where the reader is no longer intrigued, but genuinely confused about what the hell is going on in the text. We reach that point pretty quickly in Hoffman's novel.

The climactic battle is so stupid and so graphic that at times I felt an irrational urge to shout at the text. After all of this irritation, by the time the reader gets to the reveal at the end of the novel (***SPOILER ALERT -- SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW) and realizes that the whole book has been a character study of the Anti-Christ, essentially (END SPOILERIFIC SECTION***) there is nothing here left to care about. The big reveal falls flat and at least this reader was simply ready to be done with the whole messy business. In the end, I felt like Paul Hoffman was more concerned with expressing and exaggerating his not-very-well-concealed bitterness against the Catholic church than with writing a decent novel.

Bottom line: The novel has just enough story to keep one reading, but the flawed character development, trite writing, and inconsistent contextualization make the reading experience itself frustrating. Not recommended. show less

Superb - an interesting 'hero', and a different level of fantasy from the usual fair. The the Redeemers are based on Catholics is obvious, given the cruel and bloody history of that faith, but Hoffman has given himself an imagined realm, so he is free to produce his won scenarios rather than writing historical fiction.
The use of language is excellent, and the way the style frequently drops into little cameo scenes is refreshing. When characters suddenly speak or act out of character only show more goes to highlight these are well painted, and I am looking forward to the sequel. Only two criticisms really - the first is the way the denouement was orchestrated. Considering previous behaviour, Cale's ultimate makes no sense for his character, and that annoyed me, particularly as it had been laid out before him. I confess if this had been dealt with well, i would have given it 5 stars.
The second is merely that there is no inkling this will be a series rather than a stand alone novel until you reach the last page. show less

I loved this book. It's a very quick read, with well-drawn characters and an interesting world. I'm marking this as containing spoilers, mostly because they're my own theory on the world.

I believe the world is a parallel world. If you look at the map, you'll see the Atlas mountains and the Appalachians on the same continent. So either it's extremely far future and land masses have come together, or it's an extremely divergent parallel world. Either way, it allows Hoffman to use the familiar show more to shore up the realism of his world.

I can't wait to read the next in the series.
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Complete aside: I was annoyed by the use of the word "gawp." Hoffman's characters "gawp" a lot, and the word is not one I use on a regular basis. It broke my concentration every time I saw it. show less