Blood Red Road

Wow.

Great premise. With probably the worst execution possible.

The writing style reminds me of the Chaos Walking trilogy, but it's almost an insult to Patrick Ness, because while the two styles share similarities in misspelled words, lots of dialect, etc., Moira Young's writing is just . . . really poor. She uses her style as a crutch to mask her very simple and awful prose. An example:

As written in the book:
"I ain't doin nuthin fer you, I says.
You ain't gotta choice, she says.
You cain't make me do nuthin, I says.
Oh you'll do ezzackly what I tell you, she says."

Now, without the "spice" of her misspelled words, it's just:
"I ain't doing nothing for you, I say.
You ain't got a choice, she says.
You can't make me do nothing, I say.
Oh you'll do show more exactly what I tell you, she says."

I don't really know if it makes a difference, but according to the high praise and 5-star reviews, it must. It's 459 pages of writing that reads like a first draft: barely readable writing, way too much that needs to be cut, underdeveloped characters, and random, aimless events plugged in for drama but that don't further plot/characters/etc.

So many things happen at breakneck speed, but it's all one pace. It's all without depth. No action has a consequence. People get hurt--they're miraculously healed so they can do something the story requires them to do. And then they remember they're injured when the love interest comes back into play. All plot points end with a feeling of "well, that was easy".

This book also wins an award for the most cheesy and sickening romantic device ever to be used in YA history: the heartstone. A rosy pink stone that heats up around the wearer's true desire.

:|

Not to mention, Saba (the MC)'s love interest is this cliche, cocky fellow who teases Saba relentlessly--but no, this book is so original, a breath of fresh air!! (and if Moira Young writes "My lips is tinglin" after a kiss one more time . . .)

But I need to give this book SOME credit. I mean, who doesn't love a teaspoon of ableism with their crappy YA post-apocalyptic romance? Enter the villain: the King. The King who is present in maybe 1/16 of the novel, who is always talked about as being "crazy" and also "the devil" but is never actually . . . there, until the end. Where you find out he actually probably does have some sort of mental problem, referring to himself in the third person and spitting over everyone when he talks. Don't you just love negative representation!

After finishing the book, I have a couple thoughts:

1. The entire 7/8 of the book was about finding Lugh. Saba wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat, wouldn't bathe until she found Lugh. Well, she found him, and after a brief hug, she basically went, "Ok, now that that's taken care of, what's next??" I don't . . . understand.
2. I also don't understand Emmi. Was she just in the book to be beaten up in order to hurt Saba? It's ridiculous.

This review turned out a lot more sarcastic and cruel than I intended. But, as you can tell . . . this really wasn't for me. show less

Blood Red Road, a Young Adult dystopian title scheduled for release June 7th, 2011, is a fast paced action-adventure filled with dark, post-apocalyptic settings and truly likable characters on a quest. Written in the first person perspective with the voice of an illiterate, but not unintelligent, main character the narrative is presented entirely in the dialect of the uneducated. While it may take some readers a while to get beyond the trimmed-down minimalistic language the quaintness of the dialogue holds a certain sui generis charm and is what really made this book an exceptional read for me. It was unusual enough to catch and hold my interest from the start and once it had my attention I was hooked. In some ways this novel reminded show more me a little of Cormac McCarthy’s works Outer Dark and Suttree which contain their own flavor of dialect and Blood Red Road will inevitably be compared to The Road for its murky settings, ruined landscapes, and quest motifs. Another remarkable thing about this book is that while it is admittedly aimed at the 14+ crowd of young adults there is no doubt that it will appeal to almost every age group. Take it from someone who’s been in almost every age group. It’s a catchy, well-written story and I still find it hard to believe it’s a debut novel. The author’s narrative voice, lurking beneath the dialect, is a surprisingly mature one. Add the fact that it can be read almost overnight (it really is that fast-paced and readable) and you’ll find that Moira Young has created a decidedly fresh and enjoyable novel that will not disappoint.

Somewhat predictable (the deaths of two main characters, a heated, young romance, and somewhat clichéd characters) Blood Red Road never-the-less kept me entertained throughout with its many unique and uncommon elements. The crow that thinks and acts as if it is human is a wonderful, inventive character that tends to steal the show whenever in scene. Jack, the mysterious thief, embraces untold secrets which we hope to see revealed in the later books of the series. The dark and foreboding ninja-like Tontons have yet to show their dark side and there is a mystifying familiarity between Saba, the main character, and the Tonton leader DeMalo. There are some really nasty and evil antagonists as well, especially The King and Miz Pinch. Far be it for me to reveal any spoilers here but there’s a lot of potential in this series and I for one can’t wait to read and review the future exploits of this band of survivors.

Blood Red Road is the first book in the planned Dustlands trilogy but even so Moira Young does a great job of making the book stand alone without resorting to one of those aggravating cliff-hanger endings that have become so prominent in serial novels. I truly enjoyed this read and finished the book in only a few nights. As a result I will definitely make note to purchase the remaining books in the series when they’re released.

At its heart, Blood Red Road is an old story of new love, loss, and friendship in a world where survival seems next to impossible. And perhaps that’s why it’s so interesting to me. I am, after all, a huge fan of post-apocalyptic narratives and this one mixes the very best elements of familiar stories like City of Ember, Mad Max, Desolation Road, and 70’s spaghetti westerns and turns it upside down. I should also mention that the film rights were optioned by Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, etc.) It’ll be interesting to see what Scott makes of it and, of course, I’ll also make a mental note to look for the movie in the coming years.

Blood Red Road is a fast paced, intelligent, and fun read.

The Alternative
Southeast Wisconsin show less

RATING: 4 stars

Ainda não sei bem o que dizer deste livro, mais um de tantos que estão na minha estante há já algum tempo, mas nos quais tenho medo de pegar por ouvir tanta coisa boa. Parece estranho, mas é verdade; quando oiço/leio muitas coisas boas acerca de um livro, tenho mais receio de lhe pegar. Porque penso sempre "e se eu não gostar do livro? Como é que vou escrever uma opinião de um livro tão adorado?"

Felizmente, não foi o caso com "Estrada Vermelha, estrada de sangue" (Blood Red Road). Gostei bastante deste livro, com as suas personagens refrescantes, o seu romance bem desenvolvido e a sua heroína "kick-ass". Ok, algumas partes foram um bocado foleiras (o colar da Saba, por exemplo), mas no geral foi uma boa show more leitura, compulsiva mesmo.

Saba vive num local isolado com a sua família, constituída pelo pai, pela irmã de nove anos Emmi e pelo seu gémeo Lugh. Eles são as únicas pessoas em Silverlake.

Mas quando homens armados a cavalo raptam Lugh e matam o seu pai, Saba sente a raiva a crescer dentro de si. Ela vai ter de atravessar desertos e enfrentar tempestades de areia para cumprir a promessa que fez ao irmão: a de que o encontraria, seja onde for que ele estivesse.

Pela primeira vez, Saba sai da sua pequena terra e enfrenta um mundo hostil onde o deserto e o sol reinam e não existem leis a não ser as da crueldade, impostas por um misterioso Rei.

Estrada Vermelha, estrada de sangue tem uma estrutura parecida com as dos livros de fantasia, apesar de ser um livro distópico/ pós-apocalíptico. Saba deixa a sua terra isolada numa demanda (encontrar o irmão e salvá-lo dos seus raptores), conhece outros locais e vai "coleccionando" companheiros que a ajudarão a conseguir o seu objectivo. O próprio mundo tem um ambiente muito fantástico, com criaturas estranhas, um Rei tirânico e tudo coberto de areia. No entanto, Young conseguiu introduzir habilmente ao longo da narrativa alguns aspectos que nos lembram que este local fantástico é, de facto, o nosso próprio planeta. Por exemplo, Saba mede a distância a que está uma tempestade contando os segundos entre o relâmpago e o trovão com uma variante da utilizada pelos americanos ("one Mississipi, two Mississipi"); Jack possui uns binóculos; uma das personagens tem um livro sobre Luís XIV.

Mas nunca sabemos muito sobre o que aconteceu à sociedade humana e ao planeta para que a primeira tenha sido destruída e o segundo transformado num grande deserto com poucas fontes de água. Existem pistas, mas nada de concreto; espero que a autora nos diga mais sobre o que se passou em livros posteriores.

Apesar da construção do mundo ser um pouco vaga, a acção e as personagens mantêm-nos interessados. Saba é uma heroína deliciosa: é teimosa e rude, mas de forma engraçada. Tem defeitos (alguns deles algo graves), mas redime-se ultrapassando os seus maus hábitos e as suas percepções erradas de certas coisas. Saba (e as outras personagens) é muito humana e é definitivamente uma personagem que gostei de seguir. As suas interacções com Jack explodem de química e alguns dos momentos entre estes dois protagonistas são tão incrivelmente "fofos" que só apetece dizer "awwww" (eu senti-me sorrir diversas vezes).

Temos então uma história interessante e bem construída, personagens carismáticas que são alvo de desenvolvimento e uma narrativa com um bom ritmo, colorida com o inglês (ou português, na tradução) estranho falado pelos protagonistas. Isto, para mim, equivale a umas horas bem passadas. Gostei imenso deste livro por ser YA mas não se focar no romance (apesar de haver romance), por ter um enredo imaginativo e por ter personagens com fibra (e sem poderes especiais). Gostaria de ter lido mais sobre o mundo e as suas origens, mas esta falta de desenvolvimento do mundo não impediu o desenvolvimento da história uma vez que esta não estava directamente ligada ao mundo e ao que se acontecera no passado (ao contrário do que se passa em muitos livros pós-apocalípticos), porque as personagens não estavam interessadas em saber o que causou o declínio da sociedade. Assim a falta de desenvolvimento do mundo não me irritou tanto como o faz geralmente, mas estou algo curiosa e espero saber mais sobre ele.

No geral, uma boa leitura. Recomendo este livro sobretudo pelos protagonistas. show less

The author sets us down in the middle of this bleak, formidable world without much explanation as to how the world became this way. This isn't really an issue though, it adds another fascinating element to this unusual post apocalyptic tale. Throughout the book, there are glimpses of our own world; sky scrapers, binoculars, and other gadgets that are no longer relevant in this future society. There are brief mentions of these items belonging to "the wreckers" and I assume that refers to what would be our world as it is now. Honestly, I didn't much mind being left in the dark about what happened to put the world in this state. I was so caught up in the intensity of Saba's existence in this world and the many challenges she faced as she show more journeyed across this desolate and dangerous landscape to find her kidnapped brother Lugh.

It seems that I use the words dark and gritty often when describing a dystopian themed book. Blood Red Road literally felt gritty, with the frequent sand storms, all the fighting in the dirt, and infrequent bathing practices. Saba was certainly no damsel in distress. She was more than willing do dish out punishment of a physical sort to anyone who crossed her. She was more of a "punch you in the face now and ask questions later" kind of girl. Normally, when I don't like the main character, I lose patience with and interest in the book. However, in Blood Red Road, while I didn't always like Saba and she often irritated me with her immature and selfish nature, her voice was so compelling I couldn't stop reading. What she lacked in manners and empathy, she more than made up for in general kick assery. She did grow as a character throughout the story, and that is always something I enjoy in a book, watching a flawed character change gradually in the course of the challenges she's faced with.

There's a hint of romance between Saba and a guy she meets in her travels. I thought their budding relationship felt plausible and imperfect. I very much enjoyed watching them interact with one another. It felt more like a friendship spiced up by a mutual attraction. The relationship between Saba and her younger sister was also intriguing. While Saba was almost obsessed with finding her twin brother Lugh who she adored, she resented and despised her 9 year old little sister Emmi. And though I often wanted to feel sorry for Emmi, I was time and time again reminded that she was tougher than one might think, probably due to being raised in such a harsh environment. Emmi managed to be endearing while still showing an inner strength that is unusual for a child. I hope that in any sequels, there is a lot more of Emmi.

The villain was pretty weak and unconvincing, bordering on the absurd even. He wasn't believable at all as either a king or the "bad guy" which is probably what I liked least about this book. The fight against him and his even more outlandish parents was another of the weaker points. His mother was a much more impressive and disturbing character. I'm actually surprised by how much I truly enjoyed Blood Red Road considering that I thought the main character was largely unlikable and the villain was ineffective. But the writing and the plot were more than enough to keep me reading and continue to be thoroughly entertained.

The writing style was unusual but it made sense in the context of the story. The author chose to write in Saba's voice which was understandably uneducated and and rustic, lazy pronunciations and a good bit of slang. This took a bit of getting used to but it made the characters feel all the more genuine, I think. Once I got into the book, reading it became almost effortless as I became more fully invested in the story.

Ultimately, Blood Red Road, like its main character, had a few flaws that were annoying, but it was so rich with action and bravado that it was an all around win for me. There wasn't exactly a cliffhanger ending but there were certainly enough questions left unanswered to warrant a sequel. I would love to learn more about the world and how it got to be that way in any future books. I would recommend Blood Red Road to fans of dystopian themed books as well as to those who like a tough female character that is not afraid of a fight. show less

I am probably the only one who found a similarity between this and Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain in that the book was painful for the first third, but I ended up liking the book. 2 stars for the first third: annoying writing style (in the uneducated voice of Saba, the protagonist) and her poor self centered attitude, nasty to her orphaned little sister. However, she is captured and brought to the inaptly named Hopetown to participate in cage fighting, where she earns the moniker, the Angel of Death. It is here where we discover her inner strength, which blossoms as she begins to trust a few people (the Free Hawks and Jack), whose help is essential to her quest to find and rescue her twin brother.

Narrator Review:
Starting out, I wasn't sure I liked Heather Lind's different voices. However the more I listened, the more I got involved in the story, I started to realize that they were spot on! She has just enough difference in each character's voice to make them easy to distinguish. Best of all, she makes Saba sound like I thought she would. Tough. I loved it.

The pacing is perfect. Her speech is rich and well pronounced. It's honestly hard not to feel like the audio book of this is far superior to the print copy. I didn't just read this book, I got to live it.

Audio Book Rating: 5/5 - A must listen!

**********

Book Review:
Blood Red Road was a book that greatly surprised me. I wasn't expecting to fall in love but, without warning, I show more was sucked in to Saba's world. All that hype that you saw when this book first came out? Completely and utterly spot on. I absolutely adored this story.

Saba is a tough character to love. She's stubborn, fierce as all get out, and witty too. In other words, a recipe for my perfect female character. However her stubborn attitude more often than not causes her to make very rash decisions. I'll fully admit that there were multiple times I wanted to reach in and just slap her for a moment. I understood why Moira Young created her this way though. Saba is used to having to take care of herself. She's used to being a lone wolf.

That is, of course, until she meets Jack. Ah, Jack. Witty, lovable, and sometimes completely lost Jack. He was definitely my favorite character. The perfect opposite to everything that Saba was. Their relationship was rocky, it was real, it was amazing! All work and no play makes Saba a dull girl. Good thing Jack was around! Seriously though, every single character that travels alongside these two shines off the page. They are so well-crafted, that it is hard not to find yourself rooting for them as you read.

What else can I say to make you pick up this book? Refreshingly, Blood Red Road is unlike a lot of other dystopian novels out there. Instead of focusing solely on a society, with a bit of characterization thrown in, Young's book is all about the characters. You'll find yourself beside them as they fight to survive, tackle problems thrown in their path, and wrestle with the age old question of who they really are. It seems odd that this would work so well, but it honestly does. I was able to get so lost in Saba's world, that I honestly didn't want to come back out.

At the end of the day, if you are a reader of dystopian fiction this is a book that you're going to need to pick up. The twists and turns in the plot will delight you. The fierce, dogged pace of the story will make you feel like you're on the brink of exhaustion. Then you'll meet the characters and realize that there is no turning back. Moira Young did a fabulous job with this book. I'm just going to come right out and say I want more. Soon. show less

The incident that changed Saba’s life? That’s easy. Five horsemen came and took her twin away (Lugh.) The only clue she has is their birth on midwinter's day. Why wasn't she taken as well? On her way to find her brother she is caught and forced into a life of cage fighting where she must fight for her life nightly. With the help of some girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks she formulates a plan to find her brother and free herself. There's also a guy named Jack who always happens to be in the wrong bar at the wrong time, but comes in useful by knowing where Lugh is held. Along the way she realizes the situation is a lot bigger than just finding her brother.

As a word of warning: some people don't like the narrative style which show more is told from Saba's point of view, and since she is uneducated there is a lot of misspellings mostly spelled phonetically. Her language is simply a product of her environment. Here's a passage:

Because everthin’s set. It’s all fixed.
The lives of everybody who’s ever bin born.
The lives of everybody still waitin to be born.
It was all set in the stars the moment the world began. The
time of yer birthin, the time of yer death. Even what kinda
person yer gonna be, good or bad.
If you know how to read the stars, you can read the story
of people’s lives. The story of yer own life. What’s gone,
what’s now an what’s still to come.
Back when Pa was a boy, he met up with a traveler, a man
who knew many things. He learned Pa how to read the stars.
Pa never says what he sees in the night sky but you can see it
lays heavy on him.
Because you cain’t change what’s written.
Even if Pa was to say what he knew, even if he was to warn
you, it would still come to pass.
I see the way he looks at Lugh sometimes. The way he
looks at me.
An I wish he’d tell us what he knows.
I believe Pa wishes he’d never met the traveler.

Personally the plot was strong enough for me to overlook this, and after awhile It didn't even bother me.

So What?
It's an intense read. I mean a good portion of the book is Saba being a cage fighter and earning the name "Angel of Death." She's such a raw girl, and her having a raven companion just adds to her enigmatic persona. What makes her character so likeable despite being so prickly is her immense love and determination to find her brother. Constantly she fights giving in to fear, and I think that is something most people can relate to. If desert pirates and cage fighting wasn't enough trouble there's also the Tremors element with giant worms with claws that come out at night to hunt for food. It's like a desert Odyssey with people trying to survive in a world full of violence and crime.

Overall
If you like dystopian novels with strong chicks then by all means read this. And for those who have already read, am I the only one who likes DeMalo? Let's hope his moniker doesn't speak of his character. show less