The Book of Fate
By Brad Meltzer
Have you been looking for the chance to take your love of reading to the next level? Have you enjoyed Brad Meltzer’s work on Identity Crisis, Green Arrow, and now Justice League of America? Do you want to read more of Meltzer’s work but are not sure if you want to spend the extra money? Are you just plain curious to see what kind of a writer Meltzer is, and how he translates into novel format? Or do you just want to read The Book of Fate, but are not sure if you will like it?
I can help you a bit with some answers to the above questions, as I just got done reading said book. As an alumnus and a fan of Meltzer’s work, buying the book was a sure bet for me. In fact, I was hoping Meltzer would use all his practical comic book writing experience and take it up a notch, so to speak.
I was not disappointed.
The Book of Fate reads so smoothly and easily that it is darn near impossible to put down. Meltzer used a formula of many short chapters to switch focus on characters while keeping the reader focused and in the moment. I appreciate the fact that the shorter chapters also gave me an opportunity to put the book down for bathroom breaks and dinner breaks. Practical, but true. The only problem with short chapters is that I kept thinking to myself “one more before bed”, until I had stayed up well past my bed time. The book reads that well.
The book focuses on Wes Holloway, a presidential aide who finds himself in a horrible nightmare during an assassination attempt. He sees coworker Ron Boyle die, only to spot him 8 years later in mysterious circumstances. How this could be and the deeper mysteries of Freemasonry and a secret pact lead Wes down a dangerous and intriguing road. He has no idea who his allies are, and must navigate a treacherous path that brings back and clarifies a moment of terror that changed him forever.
Wow.
The Book of Fate is dynamite, plain and simple. Meltzer’s gift of writing realistic dialogue, and his ability to bring detailed and clarifying facts into the tale in a without confusing the reader really bring the book together. His style was very reminiscent of John Grisham in The Pelican Brief or The Firm. Contagious and brilliant, the book is a fast-paced thrill ride. It topped the best sellers list for a good reason; it is fantastic reading.
I would recommend The Book of Fate to fans of Meltzer’s comic books who want to make the leap to his novels. With the preview of this book in Justice League of America #1, several of you may have already started reading it anyway. Why not follow through and have some quality reading time? The book scores a definite 3 ½ stars out of 4 for me.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
The thing about this book is that I saw Meltzer's name on it and the title, grabbed it out of the shelf and for a fleeting second thought the Masonic symbol was Dr. Fate's helmet! I did a double-take and then realizied that my mind was playing tricks on me. I made the mistake of trying to read "The Zero Game" right after I read a politcal thriller and was kind of burnt-out, ssssssssooooo, didn't finish it. I barely have any time to read these days period. I haven't read a single comic that I bought over the weekend and it's Tuesday! I want a vacation...
Carl, it sounds like you are a super busy guy! I hope you can get caught up soon.
The Book Of Fate is probably the best of Meltzer's books. I really liked the shorter chapters, and the fast pace. If you get a chance, give it a try.
Have a great week!
Post a Comment