Review by payal80 -- Herai by Aaron D Key
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payal80
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Review by payal80 -- Herai by Aaron D Key
[Following is a volunteer review of "Herai" by Aaron D Key.]
2 out of 4 stars
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HERAI by AARON D. KEY
IMAGINATION is one of the biggest assets of mankind and blessed are those souls who live, breathe, and eat imagination visualizing the impossible and making it happen, be it through art, innovation, or writing fiction. I am a voracious reader and am in awe of authors who have the unique talent to create beautiful stories on topics that can be as varied as possible. These stories take us to a different world, be it some past civilization or the fascinating unseen future.
HERAI by AARON D. KEY is a story on the dystopian future. This is my first book by Key and I was really looking forward to it.
Let's talk briefly about the story. The story is about a group of people living in an underground city under the leadership of Glant. Glant feels that the people need to be protected from the savages living Outside and as such does not let anyone venture outside the city and has guards heavily patrolling the city. Key has adopted a unique style of storytelling. There is a mysterious all-knowing being who has created two simultaneous worlds: in one reality he has placed someone whom he knows and has the ability to change the unfolding circumstances, and in the alternate reality the story takes the opposite route owing to the absence of this person!! However, in both the stories, Herai, who is the daughter of Glant has reached adulthood, plays a pivotal role! She is attacked in the first reality and left to die whereas in the other setup she is being given the task to go Outside, search for the savages and make them agree to a truce to stop mindless violence once and for all! The story progresses in both the diverse worlds trying to find the guilty and stop them before something drastic befalls!
Does it sound all confusing to you? I totally agree! The story is indeed baffling but this is the case until you complete the first hundred pages. Once you cross this mark then you are all set to enjoy the story. Key has kept the language simple and has kept the story interesting. I am not a patient reader but at no time did I find the story boring or too descriptive. I really enjoyed reading about the way the author has described the underground city full of dim, damp, musty torchlit archways and stone walls. Moreover, the way Key has described Herai’s first impression of a tree is simply brilliant!
There have been three-four instances where Key has been simply ingenious in talking about the harsh realities of life, which we tend to ignore and forget in the bid to be first in the rat race called life. I have added a few sentences here to contemplate on:
“Do you remember being in love? It is an illusion that confers the greatest pleasure and the greatest pain.
It is a metaphor for caring about anything.”
“We are a pitiful race. That is why we have such arrogance—so that we can still crave life in spite of it all.”
I really liked the way Key has described the scenarios making them lifelike for the readers. This made the reader feel to be resent besides the characters living the moment. However, I disliked the twofold way of storytelling as it creates unnecessary obstacles to enjoying the story.
I would rate this book 2 out of 4. I could not give it 3 as it takes patience and time to stay glued to the story. It does not build up from the first chapter, making it a slow beginning and the end is too abrupt! It leaves the reader hanging for a more complete finale
On the other hand, the story does not deserve a 1 as it is well written and maintains a decent pace throughout. It is a well-edited book and is a delight for all grammar Nazis out there!
This book is not a must read but can be read once, and that too by those who really enjoy reading futuristic fiction books. Please avoid it if you are not a fan of sci-fi stories.
Happy reading till the next time!
******
Herai
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like payal80's review? Post a comment saying so!
2 out of 4 stars
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HERAI by AARON D. KEY
IMAGINATION is one of the biggest assets of mankind and blessed are those souls who live, breathe, and eat imagination visualizing the impossible and making it happen, be it through art, innovation, or writing fiction. I am a voracious reader and am in awe of authors who have the unique talent to create beautiful stories on topics that can be as varied as possible. These stories take us to a different world, be it some past civilization or the fascinating unseen future.
HERAI by AARON D. KEY is a story on the dystopian future. This is my first book by Key and I was really looking forward to it.
Let's talk briefly about the story. The story is about a group of people living in an underground city under the leadership of Glant. Glant feels that the people need to be protected from the savages living Outside and as such does not let anyone venture outside the city and has guards heavily patrolling the city. Key has adopted a unique style of storytelling. There is a mysterious all-knowing being who has created two simultaneous worlds: in one reality he has placed someone whom he knows and has the ability to change the unfolding circumstances, and in the alternate reality the story takes the opposite route owing to the absence of this person!! However, in both the stories, Herai, who is the daughter of Glant has reached adulthood, plays a pivotal role! She is attacked in the first reality and left to die whereas in the other setup she is being given the task to go Outside, search for the savages and make them agree to a truce to stop mindless violence once and for all! The story progresses in both the diverse worlds trying to find the guilty and stop them before something drastic befalls!
Does it sound all confusing to you? I totally agree! The story is indeed baffling but this is the case until you complete the first hundred pages. Once you cross this mark then you are all set to enjoy the story. Key has kept the language simple and has kept the story interesting. I am not a patient reader but at no time did I find the story boring or too descriptive. I really enjoyed reading about the way the author has described the underground city full of dim, damp, musty torchlit archways and stone walls. Moreover, the way Key has described Herai’s first impression of a tree is simply brilliant!
There have been three-four instances where Key has been simply ingenious in talking about the harsh realities of life, which we tend to ignore and forget in the bid to be first in the rat race called life. I have added a few sentences here to contemplate on:
“Do you remember being in love? It is an illusion that confers the greatest pleasure and the greatest pain.
It is a metaphor for caring about anything.”
“We are a pitiful race. That is why we have such arrogance—so that we can still crave life in spite of it all.”
I really liked the way Key has described the scenarios making them lifelike for the readers. This made the reader feel to be resent besides the characters living the moment. However, I disliked the twofold way of storytelling as it creates unnecessary obstacles to enjoying the story.
I would rate this book 2 out of 4. I could not give it 3 as it takes patience and time to stay glued to the story. It does not build up from the first chapter, making it a slow beginning and the end is too abrupt! It leaves the reader hanging for a more complete finale
On the other hand, the story does not deserve a 1 as it is well written and maintains a decent pace throughout. It is a well-edited book and is a delight for all grammar Nazis out there!
This book is not a must read but can be read once, and that too by those who really enjoy reading futuristic fiction books. Please avoid it if you are not a fan of sci-fi stories.
Happy reading till the next time!
******
Herai
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like payal80's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Gringo by Dan "Tito" Davis
