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August 07, 2005
Magic Street
Well, it's been a long time since I posted anything here... I do seem to get out of the habit easily...
Today I'm going to try to write a review of Orson Scott Card's latest novel Magic Street, without giving away too much... Because, you see, I really liked the book, and I don't want to ruin the fun! So, here goes.
Wow. This is hard. In between the last paragraph and this one went a half-hour's worth of starting paragraphs, in which I tried to tell you just a few simple things about the story without giving away anything.
I give up, I'm going to do like nearly all reviewers end up doing, and give away some of the more basic plot elements. Without further ado...
Magic Street is the story of young Mack Street, a child growing up in present-day Los Angeles. Mack thinks he's a pretty normal kid... or at least, as normal as you can be without having any real parents.
But then one day, he tries to explain his dreams to his friend. But nobody understands when he starts talking about "cold dreams," and he quickly learns not to talk to people about stuff that's not normal... Because, Mack begins to realize that his "cold dreams" aren't normal at all...
Indeed, Mack's cold dreams have a way of coming true... in terrible and horrifying ways.
What follows is a highly entertaining mix of reality, history, Shakespeare, and yes, Magic. Oh, and don't forget Bag Man — can't leave him out of it... he would wish to be remembered.
(Ha-Ha, I'm so clever, that's so funny... but you'll have to read the book to get it)
Card does his usual expert job of building realistic characters that you truly care about (or genuinely dispise, as the case may be). But, more importantly, he makes complicated people... Books about Good versus Evil are interesting, but it's much more entertaining (and, much more realistic, too), if Good and Evil are complicated. People encounter real moral dillemas with no clear solution in real life, and Card is capable of handling that with his characters as well
Mack wouldn't be half so interesting a person if he always knew what the right thing to do was — or even if he always cared. Instead, Mack, like everyone in Magic Street, is a person, with emotions, desires, and all... and that's what makes Card's writing so entertaining, especially when he's writing about children.
Anyway, I can't really think of another word to say that doesn't completely give away revelations that I found enjoyable, so I'm going to just leave it there... Oh, except for one last comment. If you liked Card's Enchantment then click the link below and Buy. This. Book.
Magic Street by Orson Scott Card
4 out of 5 stars (Highly Recommended)
Get Your Copy Today (and earn me my first-ever Amazon Affiliate money)!
You know, it's really unfair. Fictional characters have it way too easy... something terrible happens to them, but if they're important, the author can, with but a stroke of the pen, make them strong enough to cope...
Then again, it's usually the author's fault the bad thing happened in the first place, so maybe it's not so unfair after all...
Either way, enjoy. I know I did.
— The Shelanman
Posted by andrew at August 7, 2005 06:29 PM
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