Tuesday, November 13

Whaleroad - Kerry Greenwood

This is the first of the Three Days novels, and is told predominantly from the third person perspective of Alain Beastfriend, a fourteen year-old telepath who, asked to try to help an untamed telepath who’s broadcasting distress.
Tyrrell could not have come from a more different world – in secret communication with the Dolphin, a collective community, she was orphaned and is now the maturing child of a littoral group living on rafts strapped together and headed by the Man. Together Tyrrell and Alain becomes vital in preventing a takeover of Thorngard.
Once upon a time Thorngard was the Queenscliff home of a group of Creative Anachronism players, who maintained their speech and dress in the first few years after the Fire. By the time they realised that the changes in the world were going to last these habits had become second nature, and part of the culture of the children.
It is most distressing to me to have to write that I didn’t enjoy this novel at all. The world building wasn’t as coherent and consistent as I’ve come to expect, the characters didn’t grip me at all, and the plot was thin and uninvolving.
Granted, I was a little tired when I was finishing up Whaleroad, but I was unimpressed from the first page. Had it been written by anyone else I don’t think I would even have finished. However, as is obvious from our other Greenwood reviews, Lynn and I love this author with something akin to blind adoration. I suppose I should be glad to discover that I’m not actually blind, but it’s still disappointing. – Alex

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