On The Nightstand – Uncharted – 5/25/2018

This was the 3rd of my New May Releases – the first two being “The Wolf:  Under The Northern Sky” and “Artificial Condition”.  I was doing just fine – “The Wolf” being a beautifully written book which takes place in a truly engaging world – and “Artificial Condition” being a funny and entertaining installment in the “Murderbot Diary” series – UNTIL I hit this book.  This was one of those reads that leaves you regretting that you ever turned the first page.

It’s based on an interesting premise – a description of the Lewis and Clark expedition in an alternate America that’s cut off from the rest of the world by the destruction of Halley’s Comet due to a past magical battle.  As a result, magic is somehow amplified and strengthened in the New World.  In my very humble opinion, this book hit it’s high point with that short blurb on Amazon.

Instead of going through the motions of writing a traditional review, I’m just going to list out some of the elements of the book that simply made no sense to me:

• Why even introduce the idea of a celestial event separating America from the rest of the world and amplifying magic in the New World.  This is an alternate history.  Magic obviously already existed in the world if Halley’s comet was destroyed as a result of a magical battle.  The separation of the New World isn’t really relevant to all that comes after – a tale of Lewis and Clark dealing with the magic of the native Americans and untamed America.
• The most interesting character in the book – the alternate history Benjamin Franklin – the most powerful magician in the New World – is introduced briefly in the beginning of the story for no reason other than to serve as a source of funding for the expedition.  Why create a fascinating character just to summarily dispose of him.
• The magic that’s most relevant to the story is the mysticism and magic of the native Americans – the rebellion of the spirit of the land against European encroachment.  That whole premise – which would have been fascinating in and of itself and which would have more than effectively carried the story – is intermingled with an element of Welsh / European mythology that – to me – just seems bizarre and unnecessary.  I still don’t know why Dragons were introduced or why it was necessary to the plot for Raven to possess a dying Welsh trapper – thereby driving him crazy to the point of corrupting the land and directing its fury against both his Native American worshipers and the European newcomers.  I would have thought that colonialism, the destruction of the land and the expansion of European power would have been more than enough to earn his wrath.
• The clumsy way in which native American mysticism and mythology is utilized.  This could have – should have been – a tale about the collision of two cultures and two sets of beliefs.  I may be very wrong about this but if feels like Anderson did a couple of hours of internet research on native American religion – picked two interesting divinities – Raven and Coyote – and then used them in what ultimately becomes a silly way.  When I think of authors who know their subject matter deeply and in detail – like S.M. Stirling in “The Change Series” – Anderson pales in comparison.  There was an opportunity for some real amateur scholarship here that could have turned the book into a fascinating read.
• The silly and unnecessary letters written by William Clark – a secondary character throughout the book – to his child fiancee living back east of the Mississippi.  The letters are – at best – unnecessary and – at worst – a constant irritant.  They give you insight into a man who plays little role in the story and simply recaps the events that have already been described in detail over the course of the preceding chapter.
• So many discordant elements – the Whiskey revenants, the way Sacajewa is characterized and utilized, the one irrelevant and disconnected reference to an alternate reality more closely resembling the United States in the 1800’s, the manifestations of the anger of the land – undead, little people,re-animated dinosaurs – REALLY…dinosaurs…T-Rex…Raptors…Pterodactyls – it just starts to feel like a silly, hot mess.

Those are just some of the many things which – for me – were completely offputting.  It all just strikes me as sloppy, lazy writing and it’s reinforced an impression that was likely lurking in the back of my mind regarding Kevin J. Anderson.  I’ve tried him in the past – bought a couple of volumes of his major work – “The Saga Of The Seven Suns” – and gave it a try but I never even finished the first volume.  At the time, I just drifted away – gave up on it early in the 1st book – and gave it little critical thought – assuming I’d go back and try it again at some point in the future.  I’d wager that – if I did so – I’d find similar problems with those books.  My experience here only guarantees that I’ll never go back and give them another try.

I rarely write such a negative review.  This book earned it.

Please God – Give Me These Hours Back!!!