Crusader

While Bloor's epistolary Tangerine is an exceptional example of YA, it was lacking in areas of characterization that would've made it a stronger book. Crusader fixes all of the problems present in Bloor's previous novel, showcasing the kind of creative mastery that I was convinced Bloor knew how to pull off. The characters are much stronger and more abundant; the main character's writing is even more compelling; and the subject matter alone provides a captivating framework for an even grander mystery. Bloor went to town here and created something that exceeded my expectations by miles.

I wasn't even sure that I would enjoy the story when I began. It was a slow start, albeit intentional in hindsight. The initial setting is a show more not-so-frequented mall in the late '90s, and the half-lazy introductory tone fits the bill. However, Bloor peppers the beginning with just enough intrigue and oddities to get you a little bit hooked. And by the end, I was a lot hooked. As it was in Tangerine, Bloor presents a realistic status quo, but something always feels off. The subtle tension and trace elements of horror build up right from the get-go and continue to mount in very unexpected ways throughout the novel. I was only able to guess at one twist, but even then it turned out to be just half of the whole picture. If there's one thing I like, it's a good mystery, and Bloor's clever twists create a great one.

Bloor is never afraid to touch on disturbing or dark subject matter, either. Dives into it with confidence, even, much more than he did in Tangerine. The ways in which Bloor weaves events together sometimes had me at a loss for thought. It's bold writing, that's for sure. But the writing doesn't come across as cold, and Bloor doesn't include certain things just to freak you out. There's a lot of warmth to counterweight the yawning darkness, and the main character herself + some others act as a kind of counterweight to the state of the story's world.

Which brings me to my next point: Bloor is great when it comes to negative capability. Plenty of authors fail to do a good job when it comes to 1st person storytelling, but for Bloor the ability comes naturally. While Paul of Tangerine and Reberta of Crusader may appear similar at the outset, their differences become clear soon enough. Roberta ended up leaving such a stark impression on me that I thought for a second that I was reading nonfiction or memoir. I suspect Bloor's ease in this area comes from his own childhood experiences. And that definitely factors into my own enjoyment of his novels. Bloor excels when it comes to creating an outsider; an underdog. His empathy toward the downtrodden is the bond that holds the entire story together. There were a lot of moments that hit me right in the gut and kept me ruminating even after I'd put the book down for the day.

If you were expecting an ornate writing style, there's nothing of the sort here. But this kind of prose certainly works as intended and is super-effective when it needs to be. And that's not to say it's devoid of any character or distinctiveness; it's got plenty of its own vigor, and then some. True to its main character, it's the kind of prose one would expect from a teen with journalistic aspirations and an insatiable curiosity.

While this novel nears 500 pages (give or take depending on the edition you're reading), the length is necessary. I could tell that Tangerine just wasn't a big enough canvas for Bloor, and Crusader proves that assumption. The characters are far more memorable due to their properly varied personalities (and there's quite a lot of them, perhaps around 30 important individuals), and the Floridian landscape is given a lot more life and vigor within the story. The story rarely drags on, and a lot of its threads come to satisfying conclusions, even if those conclusions aren't quite what you'd normally consider conclusive.

Almost in the same way that Oyasumi Punpun is tough for me to recommend, it's hard for me to recommend Crusader. It can be brazenly dark at times, but it also has a necessary kind of warmth that is often a welcome shock. It's a realistic look at a sliver of American society, even a couple decades later. A tough read for sure, but a riveting and worthwhile one that I won't soon forget. show less

I really enjoyed another of Bloor's books, Tangerine, a bunch of years ago, and since I have been on a kick reading books that took place during the Medieval Age, I gave this book a chance.

Roberta's father and uncle run a franchise video game store in an older, run down mall. The video games are like a precursor of today's Wii. The user lowers a helmet with a video screen over their head and wave a wand around that causes characters in the video to be killed. Sounds cool but the business is suffering and they are falling behind in their rent and payments to the franchise company.

One of the disturbing things about the story is how they would put up "Out of Order" signs on the games if they expected visits from members of whatever race show more was the target of the games. For instance, when they were expecting a tour bus full of Japanese to visit the mall, they put the sign up on the Viet Nam War game.

"I spotted a Japanese family. They were wandering my way, right toward Mekong Massacre. This was why Karl had hit the buzzer. We don't let any Asian customers have the Mekong massacre experience. We don't let Asians have the halls of Montezuma experience or the Genghis Khan Rides! experience, either. Undle Frank calls this our Asian Policy. Some Asians take these games so seriously that they get emotionally upset. Then they want their money back. We're instructed to tell all Asians that those three games are 'experiencing technical difficulties.'"

Later in the book, her father was hosting after-hour parties with goons. They had different programs that heightened the effect that they were slaughtering more of the targeted racial group they desired. This whole setup made my skin crawl.

Roberta is friends with an elderly lady who runs the Hallmark store whose parents were victims of the Holocaust. She shares her experiences which really opens Roberta's eyes. She tells her the story of the Krystallnacht (the name of one of the games, wouldn't you know) and how her father was so devastated he killed himself.

There was way too much going on in this book. There is a televangelist in the mix as well as a politician and a police detective still investigating Roberta's mother's murder after 7 years. It's two or more books thrown into a blender.

One interesting aspect of the book is the look at Florida mall culture. I never really thought about how all the store workers and owners relate to each other. This mall has a trailer outside that keeps the mall's garbage frozen until it can be picked up. Whether this still is common or not, it was interesting.

I struggled to finish this book. And, by the way, it had a totally improbable ending that was hard to swallow. show less

Seen through the eyes of a somewhat apathetic, somewhat socially disconnected teenager, this interesting story takes place almost entirely within a failing mall and a graveyard. Over the course of about five hundred pages Bloor explores numerous ethical issues while managing to keep the plot realistic and entertaining. The characters are also believable and dynamic.
Though the book is somewhat predictable in places, and sometimes a little too hyperbolic or soap-opera-like, it is still very well done.

Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com

A Crusader is someone who supports a certain cause and a Crusader is also a knight in the 11th-13th centuries who fought to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. Both of these definitions come into play in this long but wonderful mystery.

Roberta Ritter is a shy and lonely girl. She is plain but only because she doesn't really care how she looks. Roberta's father owns, along with his brother, a virtual reality arcade in a failing mall in Florida. The family used to have an arcade on the strip, but due to the murder of her mother they sold that franchise and opened this one.

Roberta doesn't really have a relationship with her father. He is away a lot and so Roberta and her family act as the show more store owners at the mall where the arcade is located. At the opening of the story, the arcade is getting a new experience in the form of a Crusader. When violence happens at the mall and an Arab is attacked, Roberta becomes a Crusader to foil whoever is doing this and also decides to find out, along the way, who murdered her mother.

This book is long, 591 pages, but excellent! The characterization of the major players was spot on. I felt like I know Roberta and she is one of my good friends. I really cared about what was going on with every character and the storyline was interesting. It wove in politics and the driving force of the media. There was dysfunction everywhere but there was also true love and caring. I recommend this book wholeheartedly! show less

Another great Edward Bloor novel, but more bleak than Tangerine. Beautifully written. I would have given it 5 stars, but the plot was a little too similar to Tangerine. An underrated writer.

Crusader by Edward Bloor was a really deep book. It contained many mysteries that somehow all ended up connecting with Roberta. Reading about Roberta was brilliant. You can tell she is really intelligent and brave, although weird. Roberta is let down again and again and lives in the sort of environment I wouldn't want to live in. Roberta was smart yet ignorant, because nobody was there to teach her the things a 15 year old girl ought to know. Her life was filled with tragedies, but at last she discovered a true reason to live on. All in all, this is a good read and wonderful story.

Its O.K but a little weird and it has alot of deaths