There's a wonderful website for book fanatics called Goodreads. I like Goodreads because not only does it allow me to keep track of what I read (which is handy when you've forgotten how far through your collection of The Ultimate Spider-Man comics you are) and allow me to read (and write) reviews of books I may, or have, bought, but it has free give aways. When you are a poor person student and have a love of books, this is the closest thing to Heaven.
I've not won many books through Goodreads. Three, I think? And, to be fair, one I couldn't finish and one was kind of alright but nothing amazing. (The third one was interesting and kind of fun, but probably not going to be the next best seller.) But the thing that's really nice about Goodreads giveaways, is that it can put the author in touch with their readers. I've also received two books directly from authors, which is such a wonderful thing to do on their behalf. The only thing they ask for (and the same is for an official give aways) is a review at the end of it.
One of those books was The Silent Deal, by Levi Stack. I'd entered the give away but not won, so he contacted me (and other enterants) about receiving a free e-book anyway. This was only shortly after I'd bought my Kindle, so, still wanting to sort of 'play' with my new toy I accepted (I would have accepted even if if my Kindle were older, but certainly before I'd had it I would have had to decline as I cannot abide reading books on LCD screens; so huzzah for fortune smiling down upon us).
While I was looking forward to reading the novel, I wasn't excited. I mean, at the end of the day, it is a children's book. Children's books are kind of fun, but, for the most part, adult Malice is boring and likes boring adult books. Maybe it's just because in the last few years I've read some abysmal young adult fiction, which has some what put me off reading anything intended for an audience younger than me. I'm not sure; I still love and cherish all of the children's books I read when I was a child (and, no word of a lie, I nearly cried when I realised Stewart and Riddell were releasing another Edge Chronicles earlier this year, despite having written the 'final' book five years ago), so maybe I need nostalgia to really, truly enjoy a children's novel. The Silent Deal was only released in 2013, long after I'd forsaken my own childhood to memories and years past, so there was not going to be nostalgia attached. Ergo, it was probably going to end up on the pile of 'well, that was interesting, but not really what I was looking for'.
You know, sometimes it's nice to be proven wrong (although I'm starting to think I always have unfairly low expectations of books now a days. Ah, I have grown up to be cynical.)
What can I say? This book isn't just good, it's amazing. It was a book that was thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. It was a book that was light hearted enough to not drag me down in serious and complex plots but still able to create intrigue. The story was original (well, as much as it can be; I know this a slight contradiction from what I said in my last post, but for what it's worth, the story felt new), the setting (19th century Russia) is different and the world is a brilliantly laid out so that you're not quite sure if there's fantastical folk lore goings on, or if it's just the wild imaginings of childhood.
To give a summary, the story is about two boys, Viktor (a serf) and Romulus (the wild boy of the forest)
who go on a personal mission to discover the secret of 'the cards'. The
town of Aryk is under the strict leadership of Master Molotov and there are
three rules; no guns, no arms and no playing cards. Break them and the
penalty is death. There is mysterious and unnerving graffitti across
the town, which is somehow linked. Romulus some how has the elusive King
of Spades, a family hierloom. Viktor is haunted by nightmares of a man
hanged for having a playing card. The two have a burning desire to find
out what has made cards so dangerous.
This is what children's literature is meant to be about. I particularly enjoyed how, throughout, red herrings and child like misunderstandings where littered to mask the truth until the last moment. There were questions I'd had, things that didn't quite match up, but I dismissed them as being over analytical only to be given half answers and more questions. Eventually it is (well, the main query) tied up and explained in full (enough that it is no longer confusing and having to back track to earlier information). Of course, there are still things left unanswered for later novels, but I feel that the correct balance of answers and evasiveness is reached at its conclusion.
For me, the imagery was absolutely perfect. Littered with puns and wordplay (as seems to be an oft used device in children's literature), we are introduced in the early chapters to the Masqueraiders; an army, or dirty fighting force, dressed in masks and cloaks. Anyone who knows me (anyone who has been in my office) will know that I adore masquerade masks. I have a small collection going. I also like all things cards. I tend to avoid collecting things with the four card suits on as for the most part, they're very poker or gambling themed, whereas I just like, well. Playing cards. I don't actively collect them but I appear to have a growing number of some very pretty decks indeed.
So masks and cards as two of the central visual themes make any book a winner in my eyes.
I must say, the book is a little longer than I first expected. For some reason I expected it to only be a few hundred pages long, a short novella perhaps, but in reality it is closer to four hundred. This is hardly a problem, as it just means there is more to read. I think, perhaps, it is as much me getting used to read e-books/using a Kindle as anything else; the lack of having pages in my hand to effectively judge the length of a book.
The book isn't perfect, but then, nothing ever is. There's a couple of little, niggly points that I feel I should point out if I'm being truly honest. They didn't ruin the experience for me. One is that the book could do with being proof read; on more than one occasion I spotted typographical errors. I mean, it's no where near as bad as that one edition of Battle Royale (which, honestly, has an error every other page), but getting someone to go over and correct them would be no bad thing. The second point was that I notced that once Mr. Stack describes a character or object with a specific word, he sticks to it (e.g., one minor character is described as 'lightning haired' every time he appears). A range of adjectives would be more entertaining to read. As I said though, while preferential, it does nothing to detract from the rest of the fantastic work.
One thing I will say is that the book is surprisingly violent. I mean, I'm not talking 'that-one-scene-from-A-Storm-Of-Swords', but given its target audience a fair bit of brutality. Characters are hanged, attacked by wolves, suffer broken bones, receive physical punishment off of a teacher, just to name a few. There is even mention of ('off-screen') torture. As I said, it's hardly graphic, but a little bit more that what I anticipated. Obviously this was no issue for me, as an adult, but I do wonder if some parents would have concerns over this (maybe not; I'm neither a child nor a parent, so perhaps my worries are misplaced).
It's a fantastic start to a series. I heard there was going to be four; certainly I'm already eager to read the next installment! Although I have this on Kindle, I am sorely tempted to buy the paperback copy; not only because I just have a bit of a thing for physical books, but also because I really want Mr Stack to get something back for what he's given to me.
So, Mr Stack, if you're reading this, thank you so much. Not only for writing an amazing piece of children's literature, but also for personally giving me the chance to experience it.
This book in facts and figures;
My rating: 8/10
Pages: 359
My Format: E-book
Published: 2013
