Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Shadowline Drift




     Shadow Line Drift by Alexes Razevich is SciFi/Quantum Fiction novel.  This is one of my favorite SciFi sub-genres.  Most Quantum Fiction novels are dealing with time/space, like in The Time Keeper, but alternate dimensions are so much funner.  A lot of people confuse this with Fantasy because there is usually some sort of fantastical aspect to these types of novels, but the difference lies in the fact that the world is still based in reality; that's what makes this genre so fun - it's just a couple degrees off reality, and still lies within the realm of scientific possibility.  The problem most authors have is that they take far too many liberties, and turn SciFi into fantasy.  Mrs. Razevich has a perfect balance.  As a result, Shadow Line Drift was a pleasure to read.

     I spent a couple of years in Brazil, so it was fun to have the Brazilian culture mixed in to this novel.  I spent my time in Sao Paulo, the third largest city in the world, so it was nothing like the Amazon (where the story took place), but I had a lot of interactions with people from the Amazon, and especially Manaus, so I've heard the stories.  This all just added another level of enjoyment to the novel.  I haven't asked the author, nor is it in her profile, but I would swear she'd spent some time down there.  Either that, or she really did her research.  A lot of authors underestimate the importance of these consistencies, but it adds a level of depth which draws the reader in all the more.  I loved it.

     Okay, on to the synopsis.

     Jake, our protagonist, is a representative of World United sent to a tiny tribe in the Amazon to negotiate a trade agreement for a newly-found protein supplement, benesha, which would practically end world hunger.  When animals eat benesha their protein content goes through the roof.  Scientist tested the supplements on rats, and then fed the rats to dogs.  The dogs weren't hungry again for a week.  It's a miracle supplement.  Jake is called in because he is an excellent negotiator, but probably more importantly, he's a little person.  The tribe he goes to see is made up of mostly little people not more than 4 feet tall.

     Mawgis, the tribal leader, is a strange fellow.  The tribe has a habit of testing the wits of outsiders in a never-ending game of one upmanship.  Jake feels that the whole negotiation is a test of his wits, and the test continues throughout the novel.  In the end, Jake's size does have a lot to do with the success of the negotiation.  Mawgis wants to know Jake's story.  The tribal leader has a sixth sense, seems to know Jake's thoughts, and knows that Jake's diminutive size has nothing to do with genetics.  The old tribal leader is right.  Jake never wanted to grow up for fear of losing his mother's love, so he wished with all his might to stay small... his wish came true.  Doctor's couldn't explain it.  Jake couldn't even explain it, but it happened.

     I just loved Mrs. Razevich attention to detail with Jake's size.  I deal with a disability.  It isn't as easily seen like Jake's size, but it is omnipresent in my life.  Most people with any disability will tell you, in their honest moments, that it is always an issue in life.  They can learn to deal with it, and rise above it, but it is always present in their lives and affects almost everything they do.  I just reamed an author over this issue.  His protagonist had a bum leg, and the injury was very inconsistent throughout the novel.  It ruined the story for me.  Mrs. Razevich was incredibly sensitive of the issue.  Dwarfism is considered a disability simply because it severely limits the persons ability to carry out what most people would consider normal tasks.  Jake is often focused on his height/size, even though he doesn't let the outside world know.  The inner dialog is so realistic.  It was one of the most honest portrayals of inner turmoil I've read about the insecurities a person feels over their limitations.  The effect this stigma had on the way Jake interacts with the world (and later in the book when another wish is granted) made the character real.

     At any rate, Mawgis has his own terrible agenda.  Mawgis abandons Jake in the rain forest after telling him his horrible plans.  Jake, alone, lost, and scared has to find his way out of the forest, and to a phone, to alert the World United organization of the danger disguised as a miracle.  

     Just as Jake thinks he's made it out, he finds he's trapped in another one of Mawgis's webs.

     This story was so great.  I found myself dreaming about it in between reads.  That happens so seldom for me.  I love a good book, but an author who can create a real character, a fascinating plot, and a smooth read is an even more precious and rare gem.  I look forward to reading more of Mrs. Razevich's work.

    I openly recommend this book to any reader.  There's a little language, so young audiences beware, but other than that, it was awesome.  I give it 


2 comments:

  1. What a beautiful review @Apocalyptist. I read "Shadowline Drift" and loved it. Reading your review I realized that I completely overlooked the issues that came with Jake's disability. Of course that was because I was so eager to find out what would happen... Anyway, loved your review!

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    1. The author really did a great job of incorporating it into the story. A lot of authors give the protagonist a defect to humanize them, but few do it in a realistic way. I was impressed with that aspect alone, but you're right, I read the last 100 pages in one night (staying up until like 1 am) because I couldn't put it down.

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