Official Review: Turn by David Podlipny
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EllieJ
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Official Review: Turn by David Podlipny
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Turn" by David Podlipny.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Turn by David Podlipny is a fantasy and science fiction story. It follows Sono when he meets an odd girl called Turn while visiting his grandfather Edgar, a reclusive shaman.
The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where trees and oceans are things of the distant past, and a thick fog of pollution hides the sun. Immense concrete walls surround the Core, a once thriving city, dividing it from the dusty broken concrete land outside. Sono meets a girl called Turn while outside the city on one of his visits to his grandfather Edgar at his small dome concrete hut. This sparks an intriguing and bizarre conversation with Edgar that tests Sono's patience and imagination. He tries to understand his grandfathers' eccentric and philosophical shaman opinions, including why his grandfather has an empty Olympic-size swimming pool in his backyard prepared for when he believes the spirits will come, a concept that Sono finds ridiculous.
Turn is a well-written story with beautiful descriptions of the characters and the settings. It portrayed a sad and disturbing fantasy world, with characteristics eerily familiar to the world we live in today. I enjoyed learning more about Sono, Edgar and the world they live in as the story progressed. It made me think about how I would cope in a world like that, living day to day under the rule of the Core or as an Outsider. Let’s hope it never comes to that!
The dialogue between Sono and Edgar was interesting, but at times the complexity of the two-person dialogue was lost in the subject matter. In some areas the conversation rolled along to a point where I lost track of whose side of the conversation I was reading. As I progressed further into the story, it became easier for me to follow and understand. Sono and Edgar's relationship reminded me of the deep and meaningful conversations I have had with older relatives as a teenager, or even now. They would usually end in confusion and a lot of eye rolling on my part if the topic of conversation was particularly philosophical. It also reminded me of an eccentric and passionate discussion or debate you would have with an ageing hippie who smoked one too many pipes in his day. Confusing but entertaining, causing you to reflect on the opinions of the subjects discussed long after the interaction.
In the end Turn left me with more questions than answers. For me, the ending was rather profound and left me a bit perplexed. Although this initially bothered me, I recall plenty of other stories that had endings that left the reader puzzled, if not contemplative. I rate Turn 3 out of 4 stars, because the dialogue between Sono and Edgar was hard to follow at times. Don’t let that deter you though; it’s probably just me. If you love fantasy and science fiction, like the sterile post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max mixed with the controlled world and philosophical ponderings in George Orwell’s 1984, then Turn by David Podlipny is worthy of a read the next time you are looking for a short book to escape into between your busy life.
******
Turn
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Turn by David Podlipny is a fantasy and science fiction story. It follows Sono when he meets an odd girl called Turn while visiting his grandfather Edgar, a reclusive shaman.
The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where trees and oceans are things of the distant past, and a thick fog of pollution hides the sun. Immense concrete walls surround the Core, a once thriving city, dividing it from the dusty broken concrete land outside. Sono meets a girl called Turn while outside the city on one of his visits to his grandfather Edgar at his small dome concrete hut. This sparks an intriguing and bizarre conversation with Edgar that tests Sono's patience and imagination. He tries to understand his grandfathers' eccentric and philosophical shaman opinions, including why his grandfather has an empty Olympic-size swimming pool in his backyard prepared for when he believes the spirits will come, a concept that Sono finds ridiculous.
Turn is a well-written story with beautiful descriptions of the characters and the settings. It portrayed a sad and disturbing fantasy world, with characteristics eerily familiar to the world we live in today. I enjoyed learning more about Sono, Edgar and the world they live in as the story progressed. It made me think about how I would cope in a world like that, living day to day under the rule of the Core or as an Outsider. Let’s hope it never comes to that!
The dialogue between Sono and Edgar was interesting, but at times the complexity of the two-person dialogue was lost in the subject matter. In some areas the conversation rolled along to a point where I lost track of whose side of the conversation I was reading. As I progressed further into the story, it became easier for me to follow and understand. Sono and Edgar's relationship reminded me of the deep and meaningful conversations I have had with older relatives as a teenager, or even now. They would usually end in confusion and a lot of eye rolling on my part if the topic of conversation was particularly philosophical. It also reminded me of an eccentric and passionate discussion or debate you would have with an ageing hippie who smoked one too many pipes in his day. Confusing but entertaining, causing you to reflect on the opinions of the subjects discussed long after the interaction.
In the end Turn left me with more questions than answers. For me, the ending was rather profound and left me a bit perplexed. Although this initially bothered me, I recall plenty of other stories that had endings that left the reader puzzled, if not contemplative. I rate Turn 3 out of 4 stars, because the dialogue between Sono and Edgar was hard to follow at times. Don’t let that deter you though; it’s probably just me. If you love fantasy and science fiction, like the sterile post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max mixed with the controlled world and philosophical ponderings in George Orwell’s 1984, then Turn by David Podlipny is worthy of a read the next time you are looking for a short book to escape into between your busy life.
******
Turn
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like EllieJ's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "The Village Witch" by Neil Davies
