Review - Evil?

Evil?
by Timothy Carter
Date: 2009
Publisher: Flux
Reading level: YA
Pages: 264
Source: Chapters

When Stuart Bradley, a gay teenager living in a conservative Christian town in rural Ontario, is caught masturbating in the shower by his little brother, it's only the beginning of his troubles. Soon, the whole town has gone crazy, hunting down and punishing anyone they consider guilty of the sin of "spilling".

What the townsfolk don't realize, however, is that they are being influenced by a fallen angel with an agenda. Stuart enlists the help of a Dachshund-sized demon named Fon Pyre to help get rid of the angel... but things rapidly go from bad to worse. It's up to Stu to save his town before all hell breaks loose.

Yeah, yeah, I know... Why on earth would I read this?  I'd heard it was funny, that's why.  And maybe it is... if you're a 10-year-old boy.

The plot actually had promise.  Some fairly heavy themes were touched on, and the events unfolded rapidly enough to hold a reader's interest.  But it just wasn't enough.

Stuart is a fairly bland, one-dimensional sort of fellow whose only distinguishing characteristic is that he's gay.  And gay guys must be fairly hard to come by in the town of Ice Lake, because the pickings for love interests were slim.  I just did not buy the attraction between Stuart and Chester... especially after Stuart had basically spent the entire novel insinuating that Chester was about as smart as a bag of rocks.  The rest of the characters were not much better.  The town seems to be populated by characters from bad 1950s public service announcements with names like Cindy and Chester and Jane.  And those were supposedly the teenagers.

But what I really didn't like about this book was the writing.  It tries to be funny, but comes across as puerile and crude... while also ending up somewhat preachy.  I have no idea how the author managed that, but in any case, it does not work.  The word "spilling" is used endlessly, and it quickly gets tiresome.  The characters were constantly using the "universal hand gestures" for masturbation (what is this, a village of pubescent boys?) and homosexuality and, to be honest, I'm still not exactly sure what those are.  Guess I'm not the audience.

There were also some continuity problems (such as Stu referring to his house as the one he'd grown up in... even though he'd only moved there two years previously) and some questionable punctuation.  Overall, I wasn't impressed.

While the premise had some merit, it just wasn't done well enough for me to recommend this book to anyone.  The characters' ages and subject matter make it more appropriate for teens... but the writing style and overly repetitive and juvenile references would probably only amuse younger boys.  Give this one a pass.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing: 1/5
Editing: 2/5
Originality: 3/5
Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.14 out of 5

In My Mailbox (12)

I think I actually ordered this bunch of books (online) before I went to the bookstore last week. In any case, I've got more books! I didn't realize that Before I Fall and Storm Glass were so thick. Yikes. I think that I'm probably set for books for the rest of the year!

Anyway, here's what was in my mailbox (literally):

Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Dream Spinner
by Bonnie Dobkin

Disfigured by a car accident that also killed her dad, Jori has been transformed from a popular high school student into a bitter loner. Fatherless, isolated, and betrayed by her best friend, Jori is angry at the world. And now her sister Lisa has disappeared, unable to cope with the changes in her family. Walking home from school one day, Jori stumbles upon a strange house and meets Professor DePris, who shows her a living tapestry woven from dreams. Distrustful of the eccentric old man and the telepathic spider who weaves for him, she resists entering the dream tapestry until she realizes her sister is trapped inside. It’s up to Jori to enter the tapestry and rescue Lisa from the monstrous old man who is feasting on her fantasies. But how can Jori convince Lisa to leave this fantastic, yet dangerous, world where anything—even reuniting with their father—is possible?

Evil?
by Timothy Carter

Book of Stuart, Chapter 1:10.

10 And, yea verily, Stuart did commit the Sin of Onan in the shower. And this was witnessed by his own brother who did cry out unto their mother. And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
11 And the townspeople rose up against him and all Onaners, calling upon one another to tear the youthful sinners limb from unclean limb. And there was much pants wetting.
12 And lo, Stuart did join forces with the demon, Fon Pyre, and together they did set forth to discover the cause of the town's trouble.
13 And, hark! A pair of fallen angels would plant seeds of hatred unto the townspeople. And on the seventh day, Stuart did vow to rip the fallen angels a new one and layeth upon them an epic smacketh-down.

Storm Glass
by Maria V. Snyder

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it's time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan's glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal's unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap in to a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she hadn't known she possessed…powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she's ever known.


Yes! I'm finally going to start the Glass series. I keep hearing good things about it. And I've been waiting for Before I Fall for ages. The other two... well, they just looked interesting. And Evil? looks like it could be pretty funny.



What was in your "mailbox" this week?



In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.