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A review by jdhacker
The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I received an ARC of this, also my first book by this author.
Jedediah Berry's 'The Naming Song' is a post-apocalyptic, magical realism foray that feels vaguely the style of a Ghibli movie. Set an indeterminate amount of time after an indeterminate apocalyptic event that reduced the world for a time at least to stone age levels of technology and reshaped the very nature of reality, our protagonist is a member of one of the various government organizations that helps to rebuild the world. First and foremost by rediscovering lost language. The power of people to shape world and themselves through language and names is not metaphor here, but absolute truth. Berry, in a relatively limited length builds out a fascinating, complex, and engaging world full of well-realized, diverse characters and believable cultures.
The epic fantasy fan in me wants to see more of this world, but the critical reader in me suspects that trying to turn this into a series would be a disservice. It would dilute the thematic messages, and much like changing a name, would change the underlying nature of the story.
This is well worth a read for young-adult to adult readers.
Jedediah Berry's 'The Naming Song' is a post-apocalyptic, magical realism foray that feels vaguely the style of a Ghibli movie. Set an indeterminate amount of time after an indeterminate apocalyptic event that reduced the world for a time at least to stone age levels of technology and reshaped the very nature of reality, our protagonist is a member of one of the various government organizations that helps to rebuild the world. First and foremost by rediscovering lost language. The power of people to shape world and themselves through language and names is not metaphor here, but absolute truth. Berry, in a relatively limited length builds out a fascinating, complex, and engaging world full of well-realized, diverse characters and believable cultures.
The epic fantasy fan in me wants to see more of this world, but the critical reader in me suspects that trying to turn this into a series would be a disservice. It would dilute the thematic messages, and much like changing a name, would change the underlying nature of the story.
This is well worth a read for young-adult to adult readers.