Official Review: Finderworld by Doreen Kellett

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kandscreeley
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Official Review: Finderworld by Doreen Kellett

Post by kandscreeley »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Finderworld" by Doreen Kellett.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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The world is now hostile to humans. Those that haven't succumbed to the poison of pollution have gathered underground or in refuges. Somehow humanity survives, but it's changed, adapted to the new world. Those from the old world have found a way to survive, though, and feel superior. They feel it's their birthright to conquer and rule. Who will reign supreme? Meanwhile, Mother Earth is intent on punishing those who have caused this destruction of her resources, and She uses special races called Finders and Guardians to do so. Will humanity survive their destructive nature? Will Mother allow them to once again populate the Earth?

Finderworld by Doreen Kellett is a work of fantasy. It is a long read at over 1,000 pages and is not suitable for younger minds with adult themes, violence, and profanity.

Paganism dominates the book. Nature is the religion; Mother Earth and Father Sky are the deities promoted, with Mother referred to with a capital She. Plants and animals have souls just like people. Reincarnation even makes an appearance. Though the story is a dystopian fantasy, I would go so far as to say that Paganism is the real subject of the novel. "It was only when men had grown beyond Her confines; when they started to damage Her very Being and caused the death and destruction of many of the other life forms She loved, that She finally planted the seeds of their extinction in the minds and hearts of Her other creations." I was unprepared for the heavily religious nature of the book. Mother Earth is mentioned in the description but only in passing. This should be a bigger part of the blurb so that others are not surprised.

Ms. Kellett's style of writing is vividly descriptive and (sometimes overly) flowery. "The pale English rose complexion of which she was so proud faded to resemble chalk as Mabel thought of the months ahead." I dare say her words will paint a picture in your head.

Much of the book is rather solemn, with themes revolving around the preservation of nature and eventual destruction of humanity if we stay on our present course. There were moments of levity, but they were few and far between.

Unfortunately, the author doesn't like to come out and tell you anything, but, rather, she's enigmatic. Some of the beings, like Finders, have names that are secret. Thus, they are only ever described, making it difficult to keep them all straight. In addition death isn't always specified but sometimes only alluded to. I appreciate the author's desire to regale the reader with her poetic nature, but, oftentimes, I simply want her to state things plainly.

The third person perspective dominates the story, but it is constantly changing, even from paragraph to paragraph. It's difficult to keep up, which leaves the reader puzzled as to what's happening. The changes should be clearer because it's easy to get lost from section to section.

To continue, the editing wasn't up to par either. Words ran together, and typographical errors were present. Many times a period was used where a comma should have been within a quotation mark. While these errors weren't overly numerous, the book could benefit from cleaning up.

I like a story to pull me in and not let me go until the end, but I can't say that was the case here. I plodded through the story but couldn't wait until the end. For these reasons - a lack of editing, absence of clarity, surprising paganistic lean to the book, and unclear perspectives - I rate Finderworld 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to those wanting a fictional story that also provides an education on Paganism.

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Post by bookowlie »

Thanks for an insightful review! Wow, over a thousand pages! It's hard enough reading such a long book, without the added frustration of errors and unclear parts. Hope your next book is a fun, light read. :)
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Post by Elvis Ondijo »

Over a thousand page! I can't stand that if it's not character driven novel ,I was thinking of checking on it but no, thank you for the good review
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Post by kandscreeley »

bookowlie wrote: 23 Feb 2020, 12:57 Thanks for an insightful review! Wow, over a thousand pages! It's hard enough reading such a long book, without the added frustration of errors and unclear parts. Hope your next book is a fun, light read. :)
Thanks! It will be. Next up: young adult book. 😁
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Post by kandscreeley »

Elvis Ondijo wrote: 23 Feb 2020, 13:25 Over a thousand page! I can't stand that if it's not character driven novel ,I was thinking of checking on it but no, thank you for the good review
I'm sure there are those that would enjoy it, but it's really only got those that appreciate or believe in Paganism. Thanks.
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Post by That Reviewer »

1000 pages? This is definitely not the kind of book I read. However, I think it has a good human survival storyline.
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Post by Cecilia_L »

I am still processing that the book was 1000 pages, and it is likely the poor editing made it seem longer. Good job on a challenging book!
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Post by kandscreeley »

That Reviewer wrote: 24 Feb 2020, 07:48 1000 pages? This is definitely not the kind of book I read. However, I think it has a good human survival storyline.
The survival of the human race was the most interesting. Not enough to make me want to read it again or read more, though.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Cecilia_L wrote: 24 Feb 2020, 19:30 I am still processing that the book was 1000 pages, and it is likely the poor editing made it seem longer. Good job on a challenging book!
Yeah. It took me quite a while to get it finished. It wasn't all bad, though.
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Post by Julius_ »

This book seams to predict the future effects of the environmental pollution. Since you've only rated it 2 stars, I'll pass it. Thanks for the review.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Julius_ wrote: 25 Feb 2020, 00:15 This book seams to predict the future effects of the environmental pollution. Since you've only rated it 2 stars, I'll pass it. Thanks for the review.
I'm sure some people would enjoy it. For me, it needs work. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
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