3 out of 4 stars
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Matthew Tysz’s novel is set in a world rendered dystopian by a catastrophic event for which the book is named. Essentially, the turn was a phenomenon that inflicted extremely horrific happenings upon the vast majority of humans who experienced it, and was caused by a nightmare of a fiend who calls himself ‘Oakey Dokey.’ The tale occurs two years after the turn ended, leaving the Earth a mere ghost of its previous majesty.
This first book in a series of five chronicles the commencement of the society’s reshaping, as well as how the protagonists come to bring it about. Although it does not narrate their origins per se, elements of their pasts are occasionally mentioned.
We begin the tale with Scholar, an introverted mercenary who wants to take control of the world. Amusingly, he was completely unscathed by the macabre and gut-wrenching affair of the turn; it is an impressive dose of serendipity that he spent the entire duration of the occurrence in his basement, which he left one day to find that the world as he had known it had ended in his absence.
Meanwhile, Ashley abandons his life of comfort and seclusion to rejoin society. He is a narcissistic man who had been successful in life pre-turn, and is getting by comfortably enough post-turn. His decision to move on is influenced by the arrival of a young couple to ‘Cachetown,’ the small town whose sole resident he had been for two years.
As the ambitions of one and wanderings of the other lead these two men to a common path in a post-turn city called Sojourn, our antagonist, Cattleprod, begins his quest for power. This ignoble human-trafficker pursues authority as his means of adapting to a world growing increasingly intolerant of one in his line of work.
I loved that The Turn was not just another scary ‘they all die in the end’ story, but is instead a tale of the perseverance of people in a persistently petrifying world. Moreover, it delighted me that the terror of the turn lost its power over one, if he faced it unflinchingly and unmasked it, as Ashley discovered.
I rate this odyssey through a damaged world 3 out of 4, as it is altogether impressive. The featured personas are unapologetically flawed, not to mention their value and uniqueness are based on their minds and idiosyncrasies, rather than destiny or talent. The Turn is the kind of story you need to read several times to completely understand, but is so compelling, that doing so is a pleasure. In addition to this, the account flows beautifully, and appears professionally edited.
On the other hand, I occasionally felt as if the author’s opinion on various matters was portrayed as that of the characters. For instance, the strategic counsel given to Cattleprod by his two advisors; Rudy and Dr. Mallory, while stimulating, is so similar, the same person could have given it. While I believe we write to share our outlook on the world, with the world, the thoughts ought to be more apparent in the plot, outcomes and details we describe, and less so in the conversations; authors should avoid turning characters into themselves.
Some of the characters are interchangeably similar, an example of this being the presence of two decent and conscientious female doctors in an unscrupulous world, who even share initials. During my first reading, I assumed Dr. Sterling and Dr. Shepherd were the same person. For these reasons, and the fact that I found more than 10 errors, I am not able to give this chronicle the 4 stars it otherwise deserves. Also, I am of the opinion that Tyzs’s work should include a map. We keep reading about several towns like Sojourn, Interstate, Accolade, as well as others, and it is fairly difficult to picture their positions relative to each other.
If tales containing imperfect people and profoundly creepy otherworldly entities with childish and cheery monikers appeal to you, or you are the sort of person who would like to see Marvel’s Legion in a post-apocalyptic setting, pick this book right up, and prepare to be amazed. However, quite a number of readers may find its slow development, bone-chilling contents and rawness quite disconcerting.
I’d recommend the novel to anyone whose preferences deviate from mainstream narratives, who appreciates raw depictions of the human condition and has an open mind. As for the romantics out there, this one may not be for you. Its mature and frightening content also makes the book unsuitable to children under sixteen.
I personally believe that The Turn is the product of an intelligent mind that does not compromise its truth to superficially entertain the reader. The author has approached the logic of the narrative in a style evocative of Orwell’s 1984, and I simply can’t wait to start on the sequel.
******
The Turn
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