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Product Description
Quill & Quire
Declaring Hiromi Goto’s new novel at least 50 pages too short for its visionary plot and complex heroine may sound like a backhanded compliment, but the fact is that Half World does not do full justice to its own almost hallucinatory power. Like a Hieronymous Bosch painting come to life, Half World throws readers into a violent struggle to restore cosmic balance between the Realm of Flesh, the Realm of Spirit, and the Half World. The first two will be familiar to readers with a passing knowledge of world religions – the Flesh Realm is the material world in which we live out our mortal lives, the Spirit Realm a blissful domain attained by souls that have escaped the karmic cycle of death and rebirth. Borrowing from Buddhist, Christian, and other spiritual traditions, Goto creates a unique, purgatory-like place, Half World, where souls work off the karmic debts acquired in life before passing into pure spirit. When a cataclysm severs the three realms, the Half Worlders are locked into a perpetually repeating nightmare in which they relive their worst sins and traumas. The novel begins centuries later, when a miraculously pregnant Half Worlder escapes into the Realm of Flesh and gives birth to Melanie, a human child who may have the power to restore balance to the realms. Teenage Melanie’s journey back into Half World reads like an extended absurdist nightmare, with Melanie battling the sinister Mr. Glueskin, a cunning but insane creature holding her mother hostage. The violence and cruelty of Half World may frighten some young readers, but those with a taste for dark fantasy (and gore) will be thrilled by Melanie’s confrontation with her own fears and Goto’s nightmarish creatures (some of which are depicted in occasional stark illustrations by Jillian Tamaki). What’s missing is more of Melanie’s crucial “humble origins” story, the human years of poverty and humiliation leading to her heroic spiritual journey. Her dramatic confrontation with Mr. Glueskin could also have been further filled out without losing the reader’s interest. With a heroine and an alternative world this interesting, why not give the reader a little more?
Review
"Half World is Boschean delight à la Goto: a magical, madcap, and deliciously creepy tale of tribulations, terror and triumph; a girl-power adventure in screaming jelly-toned colours." --Nalo Hopkinson, author of The New Moon's Arms
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
a refreshing story, a believable heroine and an odd yet delightful world,
By
This review is from: Half World (Hardcover)
Pros:A fascinating mythology Interesting cast of characters A believable heroine Teaches valuable lessons Cons: A few times the plot tended to be predictable The introduction could have been done better I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Half World but after reading the prologue I quickly got into the story. The prologue tells of the three realms: the Realm of Flesh, Half World and the Realm of Spirit. I was quickly captured by the idea of these three realms. Though the introduction after the prologue put me off a bit because the dialogue and the characters seemed two-dimensional and I believe the author could have done it better. It wasn't very consistent when you compare it to the later chapters which were written fairly well. I sympathized with Melanie and thought her character was believable and well done. She wasn't a heroine right from the beginning but rather grew into the role, gaining courage later on. The other characters where just as interesting to read about. And it's interesting to note that Goto did quite a few female characters compared to the males. Haven't you noticed a lot of times, especially in fantasy, there is a wise and kind old man but never a woman. But in Half World, we had Ms. Wei, who I have to say is my favorite character and I really enjoyed how she spoke in third person all the time - very lovable! Although a few times the plot was predictable, Half World was still a wonderful read. Half World was such a bizarre place and Goto described it so vividly. A delightfully original story and I'm excited to read the sequel, Darkest Light, to dive back into the world and see what's in store next. If you want a refreshing story, a believable heroine and an odd yet delightful world then make sure to check out Half World!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable for young and old alike,
By
This review is from: Half World (Hardcover)
This was the first book of Hiromi Goto's that I read after hearing her read an excerpt at a lecture in university - and it got me hooked. Steeped in Japanese myth, Goto stays true to her Japanese-Canadian heritage in creating a vivid connection between the characters and places in Half-World. Focusing on difficulties with self-identity and maturation as a teenager, this book is by no means limited to the age group. The language Goto uses contributes to the imagery very much, and the story itself was unique and captivating.
It's what got me hooked on wanting anything she wrote, and I haven't been disappointed yet.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good quick read.,
By Donald A. Prentiss - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Half World (Hardcover)
Half world was a good quick read, kid friendly and enjoyable. The book did have a Neil Gaiman feel to it, but I really wished it was longer and a little more involved with the characters and story backdrop. I found the environment in the book to be quite cool, but not detailed enough and also felt the same with some of the unique and fun characters within - the book just lacked a little depth. It brings forth this wonderful place and just kinda skims the surface of what's there and those that inhabit the land.
4.0 out of 5 stars
a refreshing story, a believable heroine and an odd yet delightful world,
By Fantasys Ink - Published on Amazon.com
Pros:A fascinating mythology Interesting cast of characters A believable heroine Teaches valuable lessons Cons: A few times the plot tended to be predictable The introduction could have been done better I wasn't quite sure what to expect with Half World but after reading the prologue I quickly got into the story. The prologue tells of the three realms: the Realm of Flesh, Half World and the Realm of Spirit. I was quickly captured by the idea of these three realms. Though the introduction after the prologue put me off a bit because the dialogue and the characters seemed two-dimensional and I believe the author could have done it better. It wasn't very consistent when you compare it to the later chapters which were written fairly well. I sympathized with Melanie and thought her character was believable and well done. She wasn't a heroine right from the beginning but rather grew into the role, gaining courage later on. The other characters where just as interesting to read about. And it's interesting to note that Goto did quite a few female characters compared to the males. Haven't you noticed a lot of times, especially in fantasy, there is a wise and kind old man but never a woman. But in Half World, we had Ms. Wei, who I have to say is my favorite character and I really enjoyed how she spoke in third person all the time - very lovable! Although a few times the plot was predictable, Half World was still a wonderful read. Half World was such a bizarre place and Goto described it so vividly. A delightfully original story and I'm excited to read the sequel, Darkest Light, to dive back into the world and see what's in store next. If you want a refreshing story, a believable heroine and an odd yet delightful world then make sure to check out Half World!
4.0 out of 5 stars
not your typical YA fantasy, hurrah!,
By Barbara Gordon "batgirl" - Published on Amazon.com
This book moves at a dead run. There are two prologues, one distant past and one recent past. The first is a pared-down legend-backstory, but the second is grab-reader-by-throat.
Then the story proper begins, as Melanie's mother goes missing, and she gets a phone call (on a disconnected phone) from the deeply-creepy Mr. Glueskin telling her what she has to do if she ever wants to see her mother again. Because the reader has already encountered Mr. Glueskin in the second prologue, this is even creepier than Melanie knows. Melanie makes a believable young heroine, sometimes frustrated and overwhelmed, sometimes hasty and resentful, but always picking herself up and 'doing what's nearest'. She has no special powers, only determination and a loving heart--a refreshing change from the YA heroines who are billed as kickass tough girls but are passive and helpless when the crunch comes. (And hoorah, she is a chubby kid and does not become magically thin-and-pretty by the end of the story.) The horrors she faces in Half World aren't cheap blood-splatter special effects, but subtler and weirder. I thought there was an influence both of the Japanese ghost scrolls and of the Buddhist hells, and maybe also Stephen King's Overlook Hotel, which is to say, pretty damn creepy. So yeah, if you haven't read this book already, you should go and read it. |
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