a book by James Strauss, reviewed by D. L. Keur, The Deepening

AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM

A few years ago, I received this title in electronic format prior to its publication. I read the preface and first chapter…and quit cold. It began too much like Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel–a geologic event; a child running, then separated from his tribe. Not only that, but the whole of it was confusing, the first chapter seeming to repeat the prologue. I panned it–gave it a one star rating because of what I’ve mentioned above.

Well, panning a pre-release book can sometimes come back to bite you, and send you scurrying through your archives to find your notes (Yes, I keep notes.) on why you dismissed the work the first time. And, as you can see above, I found mine. Anyway, so the author, James Strauss, contacted me about six weeks ago and requested that I give it a second chance. He sent me the book–hard bound–autographed and postage paid. And so I began my read. Here is the result:

Yes, the prologue and chapter one are still confusing and somewhat seem to reflect one another. Yes, the beginning does, in fact, feel like a mimic of the beginning of Clan of the Cave Bear…except the protagonist is a boy, not a girl. But there the similarity stops.

This is a book that animal lovers will enjoy because of the mastodon and the bird. (Of course, you wind up worrying yourself sick about them, too, for fear they’ll wind up lunch.) It also will appeal to those who enjoy speculative fiction, because there’s a mystery–a big speculative fiction type of mystery–that founds the entire tale (…and series, I’m betting). Because this mystery isn’t resolved in Book 1, and, unless Nado can figure it out, I don’t know if it can be resolved…which only adds to the intrigue of the tale. And, believe me, it is a very big mystery. I can’t say more without giving away too much.

I found one typo in the last third of the book–nothing major, but my eye did catch it and do a double take. There are consistent grammatical errors in the use of ‘that’ instead of ‘who’ as a relative pronoun. Otherwise, though, the book is well-written and well-edited. And this is NOT a self-published book, but one published by a well-respected publisher.

But how about story? This is a “coming of age” tale–the first of what I assume will be three books. It’s the story of a thinking human boy who holds inside himself a sense of ‘what is just’. It’s the story of self- and world-discovery.

It’s a good read, riveting at first, but it does lose some momentum, dwelling too much in the interpersonal judgments and self/other-analysis once we meet Nado. Nado is, however, an excellent balance, intellectually, to the boy, Daryl…or, more properly, Da-ga-ryl, and Nado is very important in helping Daryl understand nuances that evade him while Daryl, for his part, balances Nado in his unique ability of invention and synthesis.

Is this a book for a tween? No. For a teen? An intelligent, thinking teen, yes. Mostly, though, because of the nuanced speculative nature of the book that requires the reader to deduce possibilities, I’d rate it as most suitable for folks thirty and up who enjoy a wholesome read not steeped in sex and violence.

My revised rating? I’d give it 3.5 to 4 stars. I’m glad it was published, I would and will (if the sequels are ever released) buy all the subsequent books, and I can honestly say this is a good book.

D. L. Keur, The Deepening