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The Pulse
Aiden's spent his entire life confined to a windowless castle, convinced he’s the centre and purpose of the entire universe. When the castle burns down, casting Aiden and his companions, Selina and Alej, into an unknown world, Aiden can’t wait to discover what wonders await. He's in for one disappointment after another. How will they survive in this dark and difficult place?
- GenresEbooks
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2013
29 people want to read
About the author
A.E. Shaw
2 books19 followersA. E. Shaw is 31, from London, and more commonly known as Abigail. She spent much of her childhood sitting on the banks of the Thames making tiny fires in bottle tops whilst listening to the old BBC dramatisation of Lord of the Rings and The Archers. Since then she's lived in a dilapidated castle, survived being both secretary and I.T. wizard, and nearly learnt Swedish.
'The Pulse' is her first novel, inspired by precisely half these experiences and a desire to toy with characters she hasn't encountered before. She is currently working on her second novel, which may or may not involve a time-travelling secretary, as well as juggling a dozen short stories and trying to stop herself from spending her every waking moment working on a sequel to 'The Pulse'.
'The Pulse' is her first novel, inspired by precisely half these experiences and a desire to toy with characters she hasn't encountered before. She is currently working on her second novel, which may or may not involve a time-travelling secretary, as well as juggling a dozen short stories and trying to stop herself from spending her every waking moment working on a sequel to 'The Pulse'.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 22, 2013
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
The Pulse tells the story of Aiden, Selena, and Alej, three teens, around 19, who live in a windowless castle. Aiden has never been outside the castle walls and believes the world revolves around, and was specifically made for, him. Selena is a dancer, brought to the castle when she was about 13, something Aiden did not know. Alej, like Aiden, grew up in the castle, though he works as a gardener and spends considerable time outdoors. When a fire destroys the castle, the three young people must venture from the castle and down the mountain, a first for Aiden and Alej. Along the way, Aiden separates himself from the other two, and their journeys take different paths.
It's difficult to do a proper plot summary without giving away too many important details.
I really, really disliked Aiden. I realize he spent his entire life in a castle being treated like the single most important person in the world. I realize he didn't know any better. However, I thought he was a weak, pompous ass. He is not the kind of person I would like to get to know better. Were he an actual person, it's safe to say I would have no desire to get to know him or become friends with him. I found myself simply not caring what happened to him. I sometimes rolled my eyes or heaved a big sigh at much of what he did, said, or thought.
I liked Selena and Alej a little better, especially Selena. She seemed like a strong character who took control of the situation and tried her best to find a solution. Perhaps she only took this slight leadership role because she was the one who had lived on the outside. Then again, it could be only because Alej was such a quiet, passive person. Alej is used to being around Aiden and listening instead of talking, because Aiden would, of course, completely dominate the conversation. Alej is definitely more of a follower than a leader, though this role seems to fit him well. Frankly, I was much more interested in what happened to Selena and Alej than Aiden.
The Pulse was somewhat of a difficult read for me. There's not really a lot of dialogue, especially in the first maybe 2/3 of the book. This made it seem to drag along to me. Even though there was quite a bit of action and mystery, it didn't seem that exciting because I was just being told this, instead of actually seeing the characters discuss it or comment on it. Unfortunately, it was not one of those books that I have trouble putting down and can't stop reading. I did appreciate all the detail; I just wish it would have been presented in a better way. The last third of the book is much better. There's more dialogue and active character action. Secrets are revealed, including a couple of twists that I honestly didn't see coming. At times, the author - or unnamed narrator - spoke directly to the reader, giving small hints or commentary. At first, this really bothered me. It seemed to break the flow of the story. However, after a little while, I began to like it. I started seeing the story as something being told by a storyteller or as a fairy tale, and the little comments fit right in.
Overall, The Pulse has a decent plot, but it moves along rather slowly. I enjoyed the story, despite having a bit of difficulty making my way through it. I'd like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Pulse.
The Pulse tells the story of Aiden, Selena, and Alej, three teens, around 19, who live in a windowless castle. Aiden has never been outside the castle walls and believes the world revolves around, and was specifically made for, him. Selena is a dancer, brought to the castle when she was about 13, something Aiden did not know. Alej, like Aiden, grew up in the castle, though he works as a gardener and spends considerable time outdoors. When a fire destroys the castle, the three young people must venture from the castle and down the mountain, a first for Aiden and Alej. Along the way, Aiden separates himself from the other two, and their journeys take different paths.
It's difficult to do a proper plot summary without giving away too many important details.
I really, really disliked Aiden. I realize he spent his entire life in a castle being treated like the single most important person in the world. I realize he didn't know any better. However, I thought he was a weak, pompous ass. He is not the kind of person I would like to get to know better. Were he an actual person, it's safe to say I would have no desire to get to know him or become friends with him. I found myself simply not caring what happened to him. I sometimes rolled my eyes or heaved a big sigh at much of what he did, said, or thought.
I liked Selena and Alej a little better, especially Selena. She seemed like a strong character who took control of the situation and tried her best to find a solution. Perhaps she only took this slight leadership role because she was the one who had lived on the outside. Then again, it could be only because Alej was such a quiet, passive person. Alej is used to being around Aiden and listening instead of talking, because Aiden would, of course, completely dominate the conversation. Alej is definitely more of a follower than a leader, though this role seems to fit him well. Frankly, I was much more interested in what happened to Selena and Alej than Aiden.
The Pulse was somewhat of a difficult read for me. There's not really a lot of dialogue, especially in the first maybe 2/3 of the book. This made it seem to drag along to me. Even though there was quite a bit of action and mystery, it didn't seem that exciting because I was just being told this, instead of actually seeing the characters discuss it or comment on it. Unfortunately, it was not one of those books that I have trouble putting down and can't stop reading. I did appreciate all the detail; I just wish it would have been presented in a better way. The last third of the book is much better. There's more dialogue and active character action. Secrets are revealed, including a couple of twists that I honestly didn't see coming. At times, the author - or unnamed narrator - spoke directly to the reader, giving small hints or commentary. At first, this really bothered me. It seemed to break the flow of the story. However, after a little while, I began to like it. I started seeing the story as something being told by a storyteller or as a fairy tale, and the little comments fit right in.
Overall, The Pulse has a decent plot, but it moves along rather slowly. I enjoyed the story, despite having a bit of difficulty making my way through it. I'd like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Pulse.
August 19, 2013
This book was one of the hardest books for me to read in recent years. Hardest not because of complex language, sentence structure, confusing plot or what have you. Hardest because of the narration choices made by the author - throughout the book, narration frequently changes from one character 3rd person to another character 3rd person to omniscient 3rd person to omniscient 1st person to group/readers' 1st person. These changes often happened from one paragraph to the next but sometimes they happened within a single paragraph and, while many other works rely on narration changes, I have yet to read a book with narration that is this awkward. To be honest, at first, the "we"/"our" that I encountered made me think that the author chose a fairy tale/oral tradition style where the "we" represents a group of people listening to someone telling the story, it would work if the readers knew about the world the story takes place in so they could understand the characters and the storyteller's link to the story, here though there is no such link as we weren't told anything! There is another "we" that represents the author's remarks to the characters and is often rather condescending and made me think, "if you want me to continue reading your story, shut up!" because shouldn't I be able to make my own judgements about the characters and their actions? Those comments also often came in parentheses, cutting the flow of paragraphs. I also caught the author using "I" once, which deviates from the set writing style and could possibly point to some missing final editorial work.
Moreover, while a story can very well be home to expressions such as "as we will see later on" or "we'll discover that in a chapter or two", this book contains one too many of them for my tastes. Why not write the plot in a way that does not require such artificial links to other parts of the book?
Speaking of things that were too numerous - descriptive adjectives! The first chapters reminded me of the writing produced by people who need to meet a word quota. At certain moments I might as well have been reading a thesaurus. That style was mostly let go after a while, making the writing much more lean and elegant from that point of view.
Throughout the book I had glimpses of a great story, there were two or three chapters I quite liked, thus the 2* rating. The last chapter centred around Aiden was perhaps my favourite because he's the only character that, I think, was not thrown around in his characterisation. Alej and Serina's characterisations, what to say of them. The more they were fleshed out, the more each sounded like three people pushed into one body.
Overall, I would say that this book has quite a bit of potential but it's too raw for me. But, as I always say, a book can never please everyone.
Moreover, while a story can very well be home to expressions such as "as we will see later on" or "we'll discover that in a chapter or two", this book contains one too many of them for my tastes. Why not write the plot in a way that does not require such artificial links to other parts of the book?
Speaking of things that were too numerous - descriptive adjectives! The first chapters reminded me of the writing produced by people who need to meet a word quota. At certain moments I might as well have been reading a thesaurus. That style was mostly let go after a while, making the writing much more lean and elegant from that point of view.
Throughout the book I had glimpses of a great story, there were two or three chapters I quite liked, thus the 2* rating. The last chapter centred around Aiden was perhaps my favourite because he's the only character that, I think, was not thrown around in his characterisation. Alej and Serina's characterisations, what to say of them. The more they were fleshed out, the more each sounded like three people pushed into one body.
Overall, I would say that this book has quite a bit of potential but it's too raw for me. But, as I always say, a book can never please everyone.
May 24, 2013
I cannot begin to say how much I enjoyed this read. it's very difficult to say much about the story without giving anything away but from the first few paragraphs you can tell that this is a story which will stay with you for a long time.
The tale of three children having been brought up in a sheltered world, blissfully unaware of anything that goes on on the outside, until a fire suddenly leaves them homeless. They are forced onto a journey which teaches them many things, not only about the world and each other but most of all about themselves and their place in this world.
It's a tale of a companionship, of a world which is both very different and uncomfortably similar to where we are today. Of how your destiny can be changed if you want to change it. Of no matter how well you prepare, how carefully you plan, things can always change. A fantastic debute novel.
The tale of three children having been brought up in a sheltered world, blissfully unaware of anything that goes on on the outside, until a fire suddenly leaves them homeless. They are forced onto a journey which teaches them many things, not only about the world and each other but most of all about themselves and their place in this world.
It's a tale of a companionship, of a world which is both very different and uncomfortably similar to where we are today. Of how your destiny can be changed if you want to change it. Of no matter how well you prepare, how carefully you plan, things can always change. A fantastic debute novel.
September 24, 2013
It's hard to review this book without giving too much of the plot away, and I would hate to spoil any would be readers for the excellent series of twists and revelations this novel contains. Suffice to say, it is the story of a singular boy and his unparalleled companions, living in a world that defies description.
I would urge anyone to read it. It's the sort of novel that makes you think and feel deeply. I've spent the best part of the afternoon devouring it, and I would happily start it again right away. :)
I would urge anyone to read it. It's the sort of novel that makes you think and feel deeply. I've spent the best part of the afternoon devouring it, and I would happily start it again right away. :)
July 16, 2013
I'm sorry, but I just couldn't get through this book. But *DISCLAIMER* this was the very first syfy book I have read and I just think that I am not that into syfy. This book was really descriptive and I could tell the book was going to go somewhere but I just don't think this is the genre for me. I definitely recommend this if you like syfy! And I will also try to reread this book at some point in time, and if my opinion changes I will definitely do another review!
June 2, 2013
This book is amazing. The stunningly crafted characters, plot and narrative voice make this book incredibly addictive and satisfying. A must read.
July 7, 2013
I received this through an RaR (Read and Review) and thought it sounded interesting. While it might have been interesting to some people. I found it irritating and unexciting. The Pulse is about Aiden, a teenager who has been locked in a castle his whole life and led to believe that everything, and everyone, was made to serve him. When the castle burns down, Aiden, along with Selina and Alej, are forced to go outside. I won't give away anymore because I don't want to spoil the book.
When I first read the description, before reading the book that is, Aiden reminded me of Buddha and I thought it would be some sort of modern retelling of that (even though that does sound kind of weird now that I think about it, but still interesting I guess). Of course, I was wrong. Aiden was selfish and naive beyond my expectations. Actually, to the point of utter annoyance. The main reason I didn't like the book is because I didn't like Aiden. I tried my hardest to find some sympathy for him but I just couldn't do it.
I kinda liked Selina and Alej. They understood things a little more. Selina especially caught my attention here and there.
Most of the book lacked dialogue. This made it very drawn out and difficult to read. The narrator of the story would also make little comments in the book. I found this annoying simply because I didn't want to read that, I wanted to think it myself. It's like my thoughts and feelings were being typed on the pages so I no longer had anything to think while reading. It also made the flow of the story a little less continuous. I also might have liked it better if the point of views were first person. This didn't seem like a 3rd person POV type of story to me.
Sorry if I offended anyone :]
When I first read the description, before reading the book that is, Aiden reminded me of Buddha and I thought it would be some sort of modern retelling of that (even though that does sound kind of weird now that I think about it, but still interesting I guess). Of course, I was wrong. Aiden was selfish and naive beyond my expectations. Actually, to the point of utter annoyance. The main reason I didn't like the book is because I didn't like Aiden. I tried my hardest to find some sympathy for him but I just couldn't do it.
I kinda liked Selina and Alej. They understood things a little more. Selina especially caught my attention here and there.
Most of the book lacked dialogue. This made it very drawn out and difficult to read. The narrator of the story would also make little comments in the book. I found this annoying simply because I didn't want to read that, I wanted to think it myself. It's like my thoughts and feelings were being typed on the pages so I no longer had anything to think while reading. It also made the flow of the story a little less continuous. I also might have liked it better if the point of views were first person. This didn't seem like a 3rd person POV type of story to me.
Sorry if I offended anyone :]
July 14, 2013
I've read the other reviews here for this book and am amazed at comments like "it's more sci fi than dystopian". Since we aren't living in a dystopian society, wouldn't it follow that "dystopian" IS science fiction? But maybe that's just me.
I also read a lot of reviews saying people didn't like Aiden and couldn't identify with him and that in some instances it kept people from finishing the story.
I couldn't *personally* identify with Aiden, thankfully. To me, he was tragic; a product of his upbringing, or lack thereof. Sad. That's what he was.. sad and tragic and broken. I didn't like him, but I felt sorry for him and was interested in what he would say or do next in a bid to make sense of his surroundings and circumstances.
I also enjoyed the present narrator and the authors comments throughout.
The book was a good read, (see what I did there?) and I enjoyed it. I was eager to get to the end. I don't want to add spoilers so I won't comment further about that ending.
I also read a lot of reviews saying people didn't like Aiden and couldn't identify with him and that in some instances it kept people from finishing the story.
I couldn't *personally* identify with Aiden, thankfully. To me, he was tragic; a product of his upbringing, or lack thereof. Sad. That's what he was.. sad and tragic and broken. I didn't like him, but I felt sorry for him and was interested in what he would say or do next in a bid to make sense of his surroundings and circumstances.
I also enjoyed the present narrator and the authors comments throughout.
The book was a good read, (see what I did there?) and I enjoyed it. I was eager to get to the end. I don't want to add spoilers so I won't comment further about that ending.
June 30, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book tried, it really tried. The concept was there but the characters seemed to be lacking. Flow was jittery and disjointed at times. The redeeming quality of this book was the storytellers perspective. It jumps from the characters talking to each other, to the author talking to the characters, to the author talking to the reader, which was an interesting and unique reading experience.
Would recommend, if you are looking for a thought provoking and intellectual read, would not recommend if you are looking for a fast paced, light hearted read.
This book tried, it really tried. The concept was there but the characters seemed to be lacking. Flow was jittery and disjointed at times. The redeeming quality of this book was the storytellers perspective. It jumps from the characters talking to each other, to the author talking to the characters, to the author talking to the reader, which was an interesting and unique reading experience.
Would recommend, if you are looking for a thought provoking and intellectual read, would not recommend if you are looking for a fast paced, light hearted read.
December 27, 2013
I enjoyed reading this book, & it makes me happy to have it permanently embedded in my electronic library.
The first half or so drags on pretty slowly, but once it picks up you're happy to have had that time to simply wander (metaphorically speaking). The writing style is unprofessional, at times even abrasive with its lack of clarity & precision, but when it wasn't causing confusion I found the simplicity & casual manner actually winsome. The concept is a lot of fun, the plot is rewarding with unexpected moments, the characters are honest. I hope we see further works from this author.
The first half or so drags on pretty slowly, but once it picks up you're happy to have had that time to simply wander (metaphorically speaking). The writing style is unprofessional, at times even abrasive with its lack of clarity & precision, but when it wasn't causing confusion I found the simplicity & casual manner actually winsome. The concept is a lot of fun, the plot is rewarding with unexpected moments, the characters are honest. I hope we see further works from this author.
August 12, 2013
We enter this world on the Inside. Everything is incredibly structured and everything means something in the grand scheme of things, though no one seems to know what that is. We meet Aiden who is being taught a multitude of studies that will shape into becoming a leader. He believes everything is for him and about him, and never questions anything. His two companions were chosen specifically for him to aid him in learning what he should before experiencing the world. We learn through the narrator that this is both true and untrue, that Aiden assumes quite a bit about the world around him. Soon, Aiden and his two companions are thrust into the Outside and are met with grim realities of what the world has turned into.
I enjoyed this book. It is an interesting read and I found myself constantly thinking about it when I wasn't reading. If I had the time, I would probably have sat down and read this book in one sitting. It is paced very interestingly. It is slow paced and will randomly pick up the pace and then slow back down. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. I felt the characters could have been fleshed out a little more. I would like to learn more about each character, but I believe that is something that can be done in future books if there are any. I highly recommend this book to fans of the dystopian genre. You can find it on amazon (it is currently only available for Kindle purchase).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C...
I enjoyed this book. It is an interesting read and I found myself constantly thinking about it when I wasn't reading. If I had the time, I would probably have sat down and read this book in one sitting. It is paced very interestingly. It is slow paced and will randomly pick up the pace and then slow back down. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. I felt the characters could have been fleshed out a little more. I would like to learn more about each character, but I believe that is something that can be done in future books if there are any. I highly recommend this book to fans of the dystopian genre. You can find it on amazon (it is currently only available for Kindle purchase).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C...
August 3, 2016
A copy of The Pulse was kindly sent to me by A. E. Shaw in exchange for an honest review.
This is probably going to be one of the worst reviews I have ever written but I was honestly mostly confused by The Pulse and found it a very slow read (I think I've completely missed the point of it looking at other reviews). It is undoubtedly well written and cleverly crafted but it was one of those novels that just didn’t do it for me, a terrible explanation of why I wasn’t particularly enamoured by it but the only way I can think to express it.
I found the lack of dialogue quite strange and the intrusive narrator annoying in this particular setting; I find that narrators adding in little comments doesn’t work unless in children’s literature, such as The Chronicles of Narnia or The Tale of Despereaux where it works brilliantly, but this is just personal preference.
Aiden is one of the most annoying characters I have ever encountered and I found myself not caring for him at all, and actually thinking that The Pulse would probably be a better book without him. I had similar feelings of apathy towards Alej and Selina, although I was much more interested in what was going to happen to them.
I don’t doubt that many people will love this book, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to read and review it, but it just wasn’t for me.
This is probably going to be one of the worst reviews I have ever written but I was honestly mostly confused by The Pulse and found it a very slow read (I think I've completely missed the point of it looking at other reviews). It is undoubtedly well written and cleverly crafted but it was one of those novels that just didn’t do it for me, a terrible explanation of why I wasn’t particularly enamoured by it but the only way I can think to express it.
I found the lack of dialogue quite strange and the intrusive narrator annoying in this particular setting; I find that narrators adding in little comments doesn’t work unless in children’s literature, such as The Chronicles of Narnia or The Tale of Despereaux where it works brilliantly, but this is just personal preference.
Aiden is one of the most annoying characters I have ever encountered and I found myself not caring for him at all, and actually thinking that The Pulse would probably be a better book without him. I had similar feelings of apathy towards Alej and Selina, although I was much more interested in what was going to happen to them.
I don’t doubt that many people will love this book, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to read and review it, but it just wasn’t for me.
February 2, 2014
I feel this novel was a slow-burner for me. The beginning is quite slow, but I found myself getting slowly into it, and at about the halfway point I started to like it!
The plot and the world of the novel are interesting, especially when things start getting explained, and I really liked the big themes discussed, like the danger in putting absolute power in the hands of very few people.
I didn't like the character of Aiden, but he's certainly interesting as a "product" of his upbringing. Selina and Alej were more likable, though.
I don't know what this kind of a narrator that constantly explains things to the reader is called, but at some points I found it fun, and in others a bit frustrating. In a way I would have liked to figure those things out myself.
All in all a good debut novel with a world worth of exploring!
The plot and the world of the novel are interesting, especially when things start getting explained, and I really liked the big themes discussed, like the danger in putting absolute power in the hands of very few people.
I didn't like the character of Aiden, but he's certainly interesting as a "product" of his upbringing. Selina and Alej were more likable, though.
I don't know what this kind of a narrator that constantly explains things to the reader is called, but at some points I found it fun, and in others a bit frustrating. In a way I would have liked to figure those things out myself.
All in all a good debut novel with a world worth of exploring!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2013
'I RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR FREE IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW'
Having said that, I couldn't finish the book. It wasn't that it was bad, more that it was more scifi than dystopian in my opinion. I am obsessed with dystopian novels and therefore am picky. The characters were alright but I just couldn't get attached to Aiden. I tried but I just didn't click with the characters.
The book was also very descriptive so of you enjoy A LOT of details, the author takes their time with building the setting. However I do believe if you enjoy scifi, descriptive writing and basically a tale of hardship and companionship, you would enjoy this book. If you like dystopian novels like Delirium or Matched, then this is probably not for you.
Having said that, I couldn't finish the book. It wasn't that it was bad, more that it was more scifi than dystopian in my opinion. I am obsessed with dystopian novels and therefore am picky. The characters were alright but I just couldn't get attached to Aiden. I tried but I just didn't click with the characters.
The book was also very descriptive so of you enjoy A LOT of details, the author takes their time with building the setting. However I do believe if you enjoy scifi, descriptive writing and basically a tale of hardship and companionship, you would enjoy this book. If you like dystopian novels like Delirium or Matched, then this is probably not for you.
March 20, 2014
I didn't get to finish it it was not good to me it didn't interest me and I don't really like SIFI and it was my first book, ill try another SIFI book later. I just don't like SIFI I'm not a big science fan! Sorry
July 23, 2013
Eeeeeehhh. This was a nanowrimo book to start with and it shows. I mostly finished it because I couldn't work out how parts the blurb description fit the actual book (not very well) without doing so.
It had good bones but frankly needed a lot more work to really get the good ideas out.
It had good bones but frankly needed a lot more work to really get the good ideas out.
July 23, 2013
What did I think? Good descriptive language. Very clear, but I felt like the plot did have some holes in it. It was a slower read for me, surprisingly, and the whole plot just seemed off. I like A.E. Shaw's idea about it, the whole concept, but the writing style--to me--clashed.
August 22, 2013
Really enjoyed this book. Not much for review writing so I'll keep it brief. It's something of a cross between Titus Groan and Hunger Games. Give it a go.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews