Suffering the Horseman
March 16, 2011
Does that sound a bit unusual?
Maybe.
Truth be told, Mr. Liparulo's book has now become a mission to read, rather than a pleasure. Fifty pages from the end, there's just too much corniness and it's very predictable. It's also mildly irritating that characters sit marvelling at the ingenuity and complexity of the "twist" in the story. It's oh-so-clever and really difficult to understand, so you have to read about it for what feels like ten pages.
But it's not all that difficult to comprehend. Nope. Not at all.
I think my attitude towards the book switched very quickly after reading his rebuttal of The Omen: the writer made it up (even the the little poem thing allegedly from Revelation). What's interesting, though, is that despite having just said that it was made up, the characters continue discussing the merits of Antichrist mythology in The Omen - this despite such a thorough debunking!
Sorry, Mr Liparulo, but your argument is invalid. Why? Because you can't just dismiss movies like The Omen (which, by the way, your novel smacks of) and then carry on with your version of events. And then you have this mysterious US Government division that interprets modern world events in light of Biblical prophecy in order to ensure that the States are ready when the Antichrist arrives.
It's so frustrating - especially considering how very close to brilliant the novel's been up to now. It's almost like Liparulo ran out of steam at some point. Or perhaps he assumed he'd hoodwinked the readers long enough for them not to notice his shift from insinuation towards preachiness.
Either way, I'm feeling a bit cheated by this whole affair. And I am, in all fairness, trying to finish the book in hopes that he'll shift in the opposite direction and come back to the storytelling he was doing so well.
If not, I do have a collection of Zombie novellas just dying for the reading.
Maybe.
Truth be told, Mr. Liparulo's book has now become a mission to read, rather than a pleasure. Fifty pages from the end, there's just too much corniness and it's very predictable. It's also mildly irritating that characters sit marvelling at the ingenuity and complexity of the "twist" in the story. It's oh-so-clever and really difficult to understand, so you have to read about it for what feels like ten pages.
But it's not all that difficult to comprehend. Nope. Not at all.
I think my attitude towards the book switched very quickly after reading his rebuttal of The Omen: the writer made it up (even the the little poem thing allegedly from Revelation). What's interesting, though, is that despite having just said that it was made up, the characters continue discussing the merits of Antichrist mythology in The Omen - this despite such a thorough debunking!
Sorry, Mr Liparulo, but your argument is invalid. Why? Because you can't just dismiss movies like The Omen (which, by the way, your novel smacks of) and then carry on with your version of events. And then you have this mysterious US Government division that interprets modern world events in light of Biblical prophecy in order to ensure that the States are ready when the Antichrist arrives.
It's so frustrating - especially considering how very close to brilliant the novel's been up to now. It's almost like Liparulo ran out of steam at some point. Or perhaps he assumed he'd hoodwinked the readers long enough for them not to notice his shift from insinuation towards preachiness.
Either way, I'm feeling a bit cheated by this whole affair. And I am, in all fairness, trying to finish the book in hopes that he'll shift in the opposite direction and come back to the storytelling he was doing so well.
If not, I do have a collection of Zombie novellas just dying for the reading.
Posted by Sean Bosman.
