Review by Hale99 -- The Different Kinds Of Monsters
-
Hale99
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 19 Feb 2018, 12:57
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 9
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hale99.html
- Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin
Review by Hale99 -- The Different Kinds Of Monsters
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Different Kinds Of Monsters" by Seth Chambers.]
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Different Kinds Of Monsters
By Seth Chambers
A good read. I give it a strong 3 out of 4 stars. It is the story of a man's struggle to overcome his own violent nature, told through a prehistoric dinosaur narrative crossed with a family tale occurring in 2001, with flashbacks to the 1970s - a moving story with some 'mature' moments.
We start with the birth of a female Allosaurus, during the Jurassic period, 145 million years ago. We then jump to September 2001, Dylan's father, Tom, is in the hospital from a freak accident. They talk about Emily, the dinosaur. We then flash back to 1970, when Dylan first 'meets' Emily in Chicago's Natural History Museum. He bleeds on her skeleton when Tom pushes Dylan over a barrier and onto Emily.
Tom has a temper and trouble often finds him, forcing the family to move repeatedly around the county. Every where they go - Emily and trouble follow.
They finally settle, for a while, in a small town in the Midwest. Dylan is abused by a teacher there and they have to leave again, fleeing a rape and renewed violence.
As an adult, in 2001, Dylan has a family, a wife and a daughter. His wife leaves him taking their daughter. Later in the book, he and his daughter are re-united and together return to the Midwestern small town and, through extreme struggles, resolve their problems. There are some scenes that will be discomforting to some readers - harsh language, violence and sexual themes do occur.
I liked how the author dealt with both men's anger and frustration, examining their lives to help explain their difficulties. No resolution was reached for either man. Tom is laid low by his anger and Dylan is able to save his daughter but not himself. Symbolically, the family curse is lifted and hopefully his daughter will have a better life. The men's temper, anger and violence are never quite solved, but the ending is satisfactory.
As a New Yorker, I was not pleased by the descriptions of the World Trade Center buildings coming down on page 37. It was a terrible time and is etched into all of our memories. The plane hits and the fall of the buildings took much more time than was conveyed. This broke my connection to the story and my suspension of disbelief. One has to be careful when depicting historical events. Perhaps someone who was not in New York when the attack occurred would not remember it so strongly. The R rated nature of some of the narrative might be off-putting to some readers. There were some easily corrected grammar errors which were slightly surprising.
Anyone interested in dinosaurs, science fiction or just a good story will enjoy this book. If swearing or sexual situations are upsetting to the reader, this is not the book for you.
Recommended!
******
The Different Kinds Of Monsters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Hale99's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
The Different Kinds Of Monsters
By Seth Chambers
A good read. I give it a strong 3 out of 4 stars. It is the story of a man's struggle to overcome his own violent nature, told through a prehistoric dinosaur narrative crossed with a family tale occurring in 2001, with flashbacks to the 1970s - a moving story with some 'mature' moments.
We start with the birth of a female Allosaurus, during the Jurassic period, 145 million years ago. We then jump to September 2001, Dylan's father, Tom, is in the hospital from a freak accident. They talk about Emily, the dinosaur. We then flash back to 1970, when Dylan first 'meets' Emily in Chicago's Natural History Museum. He bleeds on her skeleton when Tom pushes Dylan over a barrier and onto Emily.
Tom has a temper and trouble often finds him, forcing the family to move repeatedly around the county. Every where they go - Emily and trouble follow.
They finally settle, for a while, in a small town in the Midwest. Dylan is abused by a teacher there and they have to leave again, fleeing a rape and renewed violence.
As an adult, in 2001, Dylan has a family, a wife and a daughter. His wife leaves him taking their daughter. Later in the book, he and his daughter are re-united and together return to the Midwestern small town and, through extreme struggles, resolve their problems. There are some scenes that will be discomforting to some readers - harsh language, violence and sexual themes do occur.
I liked how the author dealt with both men's anger and frustration, examining their lives to help explain their difficulties. No resolution was reached for either man. Tom is laid low by his anger and Dylan is able to save his daughter but not himself. Symbolically, the family curse is lifted and hopefully his daughter will have a better life. The men's temper, anger and violence are never quite solved, but the ending is satisfactory.
As a New Yorker, I was not pleased by the descriptions of the World Trade Center buildings coming down on page 37. It was a terrible time and is etched into all of our memories. The plane hits and the fall of the buildings took much more time than was conveyed. This broke my connection to the story and my suspension of disbelief. One has to be careful when depicting historical events. Perhaps someone who was not in New York when the attack occurred would not remember it so strongly. The R rated nature of some of the narrative might be off-putting to some readers. There were some easily corrected grammar errors which were slightly surprising.
Anyone interested in dinosaurs, science fiction or just a good story will enjoy this book. If swearing or sexual situations are upsetting to the reader, this is not the book for you.
Recommended!
******
The Different Kinds Of Monsters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Hale99's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin
