Tuesday, January 31, 2012

(Review) The Ocean and the Hourglass by Dan O'Brien

Summery from Goodreads:
"Dreams are not for the faint of heart,
they are for the brave to follow.


"A Book, an Hourglass.

"An adventure into the mind.
Nicholas had always dreamt of faraway places, distant lands beyond imagination. Wandering into the library on a cold day, he finds an adventure that he had not been looking for. Transported to a distant world, Nicholas finds himself involved in sweeping adventures of a broken and lost kingdom. Filled with sea giants and ancient cities, the young man soon finds that the adventure was greater than he could have ever imagined."

4/5 stars
     When I was offered this book for review I was really interested in the summery and couldn't wait to start reading into the book. The novel drew me in quickly- being verbose, well-presented, and adventurous. I really loved the potential of this novel overall but at times I felt the story got carried away with being well-written rather than having a phenomenal plot. 
     The novel, however, was extremely clever by presenting a story were the main character got stuck in a story of his own creation. It's difficult to differentiate the flaws necessary in the story (as a young boy created it to fit himself) and any overall critiques on the novel itself. I did, regardless, really enjoy the story. Many of the characters were fun and fairly realistic for an adventure story. At times, however, they were not examined to their full potential.
     The book was fantastic and I really recommend it for readers who are interested in the idea of intellectual adventures and metaphors. It was extensive in its examination of several philosophies and the idea of right, wrong, perception, and justification of death. 
     I'd also suggest it for readers who enjoy finishing stories in their minds. While the story did conclude as he conquered the world he had created, it never examined the way he lived his life afterwards.

What are your thoughts on the novel? :)

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