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36
The world depends on 36 anonymous righteous people, according to legend. But what if they were being murdered one by one? Could a detective and a computer programmer save them?
259 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2012
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 7, 2012
Reviewed at the paper: http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...
February 14, 2017
36 is based on the fascinating premise in Jewish mysticism that 36 righteous people justify the continued existence of the world. Martin sets out to ask the question of what would happen if the 36 were to be murdered. Or at least that's what I thought he was exploring.
As I got further into the book, I realized it was more a commentary on the human condition. Our capacity for love and good, fear and evil. The characters Lonnrot and Nahum start out on the same path, following Lonnrot's quest to find the 36 so he can warn them that they are in danger. The initial quest falls to pieces amid revelations about the men's histories, and each of them go on their own personal journeys.
This book is amazing. It's very detailed, well-written, and gripping. It's an alternate history that is both terrifying, and wildly like our own world. Or what we are heading for, at any rate.
As I got further into the book, I realized it was more a commentary on the human condition. Our capacity for love and good, fear and evil. The characters Lonnrot and Nahum start out on the same path, following Lonnrot's quest to find the 36 so he can warn them that they are in danger. The initial quest falls to pieces amid revelations about the men's histories, and each of them go on their own personal journeys.
This book is amazing. It's very detailed, well-written, and gripping. It's an alternate history that is both terrifying, and wildly like our own world. Or what we are heading for, at any rate.
January 16, 2012
Comments based on advanced review copy. This book had the making of an interesting story; Jewish mysticism combined with a dystopian world post WWIII/clash of Islamic culture with western culture/ nuclear war. The author and editor, or perhaps lack of editor could not pull the story off. There was a lack of focus, and a failure to exploit the concept of Jewish mysticism related to the title. I was hoping for a conceptual follow-up to Chabon’s Yiddish Policeman’s Union, and instead feel that I read a book comprised of multiple story lines that were not successfully put together. An A for effort/concept and an F for execution.
April 26, 2013
Thought-provoking read that makes you appreciate "the righteous" who live quietly among us.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews