Herai
Herai, book 1 in the Wheel of Eight series by Aaron D. Key, is a very rare thing indeed. Though I usually make a firm decision about a book soon after starting it (and then search for things that will change my mind), I read this one all the way through and just can’t decide if I like it or not!
…three separate yet intertwined stories.
The author obviously chose to write an extremely ambitious book, and for that alone, he should be applauded. In just 502 pages he sets out to tell not one, not two but in total three separate yet intertwined stories. Furthermore, it squeezes in innumerable different genres: murder mystery; dystopian post-apocalyptic; romance; action & adventure; political intrigue; philosophy and existentialism. There are probably a few more I missed. On top of all this it manages to employ both 3rd, 1st and even a little 2nd person narration. All in all, it is a fascinating and intriguing intellectual challenge that aspires to be a literary masterpiece.
But then there’s the prose. I really struggled with the writing style. It isn’t actually bad. Though there are a very few typographic or grammatical mistakes, I could overlook these. It just felt so flat and distant to me. At no stage did I feel myself sinking into the story. From start to finish it was like gazing into an aquarium. This may have been the author’s intention. In many ways it was evocative of reading classical literature. Time and again I had to remind myself that this was not a Greek or Roman drama.
The world building is odd. Though certain individual details are picked out in great detail, the big picture of how the world has ended up like this is skipped over. We learn that wine is a crucial component of social interaction and society, but we never find out why they are all hiding in a subterranean city in the first place.
Most puzzling for me are my feelings towards the characters. This book is packed full of pro- and antagonists, all with very interesting back stories. Also several are well rounded and demonstrate dynamic character arcs. The problem is, I didn’t build an emotional connection to any of them. Again, I was looking in at them from outside, with only academic interest.
To summarise, this book reminded me of my early childhood when I often kept picking at the scabs on the many cuts and scrapes I’d earned through various misadventures. I couldn’t help but pick up this book again and again until I’d finished reading it, but for the life of me, I can’t say why I found it so compulsive.
A perplexing 3 out of 5 stars for Aaron D. Key. Forget puzzle apps on your phone. If your brain needs a work out, read this book.
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