4 out of 5 stars
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The Golden Rhinoceros by Ranulfo Concon is a book about a peculiar world where King Prawn, an egoistic and somewhat misogynistic king, tries to rule over everyone, especially women. The women, led by the queen, rebelled and broke out of his sexist rule. That led to the birth of two different kingdoms, one populated by men and the other by women. The Golden Rhinoceros detailed a wide range of characters, one of which was King Prawn’s son, Prince Jotel. The prince would often disguise himself as a cat to see the lady he loved. It also detailed the character of President Carol, a very dominant woman who stood her ground against the oppression of women and led women to become fierce and strong, not the weak properties of men. The characters of the two ironically smart idiots who tried to overthrow the king were equally detailed by Ranulfo in this story. This book has many captivating themes, which include love, power tussle, and death. It also contains some form of poetry.
There was something so unique about Ranulfo’s writing style that made me feel like I knew him personally, and it was his ability to incorporate some parts of his personal life into the story. An example was the part of the story where he wrote about his girlfriend. Some parts of the story felt like an autobiography, and that added flair to it. The author also communicated directly with the readers, and the entire book felt like having an enjoyable conversation. Ranulfo’s distinct humour also stood out for me. It was childlike and would also be relatable to the vast majority of readers. The Golden Rhinoceros was like watching a cartoon movie, and it brought to life a lot of emotions.
I often found myself lost while reading and would go back to re-read certain paragraphs or chapters because I couldn’t get a clear understanding of where the story was headed, especially the chapters that had stage plays. Another issue I had with this book was the inclusion of certain nominal characters. There were just too many characters, and some of them played no significant role. They were mostly found in the chapters that had stage plays.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I could tell from its pages that Ranulfo has an exceptional imaginative mind. The aspects of The Golden Rhinoceros that required me to make use of my imagination were great, but it also felt nasty at some point. The author took my mind to so many places, especially in the new Eden chapter, the chapter where he described heaven, amongst others. The characters engaged in certain perverted activities that didn't sit well with me. The last point, coupled with the fact that the book had many characters that didn't add so much to the development of the story, made me remove one star from it. I found no issues with the editing of this book. It was exceptionally well edited.
On the recommendation, I have to state that this book is for readers above the age of sixteen because it does have some explicit scenes on sex. Anyone who loves science fiction and fantasy stories should definitely pick up this book. It is truly a fantastic read, and Ranulfo Concon’s writing style is brilliant and honest.
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The Golden Rhinoceros
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