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A review by sagek
Paladin's Odyssey: The Hero Everyone Thought They Knew by Bruce Fottler
4.0
*I won this in a giveaway on LibraryThing.
**This will also be posted on Booklikes.
This book is more then just a post apocalyptic tale, as it delves deeper into how we -humans- would deal in situations as the characters went through. So yeah, sure, the story started with a flu and millions of deaths, however that is not what ended their world as they knew it. What did, was their selfishness, their lack of preparation and knowledge of how to live without electricity and food and water, and how they resorted to violence. Walt said it himself near the end that it either brought the best or the worst out of everyone, and although it seemed that the bad outweighed the good he was glad there were still people who had the best brought out of them.
Each character was different, but at the same time I do have to agree it was hard to distinguish who was who at times. Smitty, as Walt described him, was a harsh guy who only tolerated people he thought were okay, and yet throughout the book he seemed just like Glenn, who was -near the beginning- Walt's best friend and a guy who seemed genuine and thankful before power got to him and messed with his head. Chung-Hee was a guy who listened well and gave advice from time to time and one who strongly believed in God, yet even so I didn't feel much emotion from him; more so then Smitty and Glenn, yeah, but not enough to make me able to connect with him. Walt himself was alright, I actually really like his character, as he pretty much blocked himself from all the bad in the world and lived in his own little bubble until he came across Joseph Paladin. From then on you see more from him, and it got better.
It was well written, though, and the flow was fantastic. I liked the action that was introduced at times too. My favourite part though, I have to say would be whilst Walt and Kathryn are out in the woods trying to get to Maine. They are hungry and dirty and afraid and haven't been clean for days and Walt begins to think what many of us have probably thought from time to time: how is it that in movies the characters in situations like his own find the time to fall in love? Walt himself thinks about the stench and the urgency of the mission and the fear of being caught, and can't seem to find where love falls into place. He says that the stench is so awful that he can't be bothered to think about making love with Kathryn; he barely finds her physically appealing with all the filth and grime and stench on her. I just like that part because it shows neither of them are perfect or unrealistic during their journey, and it feels like you can reach out and they'll be there, because you've connected.
So really, I enjoyed this book. I did. The fast pace and many situations in the book definitely pulled me in and kept me interested until the end, and it wasn't overly predictable or unrealistic and I was definitively intrigued while I read. I just would rather the characters be a little more distinct from the other.
**This will also be posted on Booklikes.
This book is more then just a post apocalyptic tale, as it delves deeper into how we -humans- would deal in situations as the characters went through. So yeah, sure, the story started with a flu and millions of deaths, however that is not what ended their world as they knew it. What did, was their selfishness, their lack of preparation and knowledge of how to live without electricity and food and water, and how they resorted to violence. Walt said it himself near the end that it either brought the best or the worst out of everyone, and although it seemed that the bad outweighed the good he was glad there were still people who had the best brought out of them.
Each character was different, but at the same time I do have to agree it was hard to distinguish who was who at times. Smitty, as Walt described him, was a harsh guy who only tolerated people he thought were okay, and yet throughout the book he seemed just like Glenn, who was -near the beginning- Walt's best friend and a guy who seemed genuine and thankful before power got to him and messed with his head. Chung-Hee was a guy who listened well and gave advice from time to time and one who strongly believed in God, yet even so I didn't feel much emotion from him; more so then Smitty and Glenn, yeah, but not enough to make me able to connect with him. Walt himself was alright, I actually really like his character, as he pretty much blocked himself from all the bad in the world and lived in his own little bubble until he came across Joseph Paladin. From then on you see more from him, and it got better.
It was well written, though, and the flow was fantastic. I liked the action that was introduced at times too. My favourite part though, I have to say would be whilst Walt and Kathryn are out in the woods trying to get to Maine. They are hungry and dirty and afraid and haven't been clean for days and Walt begins to think what many of us have probably thought from time to time: how is it that in movies the characters in situations like his own find the time to fall in love? Walt himself thinks about the stench and the urgency of the mission and the fear of being caught, and can't seem to find where love falls into place. He says that the stench is so awful that he can't be bothered to think about making love with Kathryn; he barely finds her physically appealing with all the filth and grime and stench on her. I just like that part because it shows neither of them are perfect or unrealistic during their journey, and it feels like you can reach out and they'll be there, because you've connected.
So really, I enjoyed this book. I did. The fast pace and many situations in the book definitely pulled me in and kept me interested until the end, and it wasn't overly predictable or unrealistic and I was definitively intrigued while I read. I just would rather the characters be a little more distinct from the other.