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El Mago y el Loco
Hace años, Jeremiah Rosemont dejó atrás las amargas rivalidades del mundo académico y ahora vive una existencia sencilla e itinerante en Centroamérica. Pero no puede dejar atrás su pasado... ni la peligrosa verdad que se esconde tras el abandono de sus estudios. Siguiendo una enigmática invitación a Roma, Rosemont se encuentra en el centro de un misterio que se remonta hasta la caída de Troya, la búsqueda de un tesoro místico por el que muchos están dispuestos a sacrificar su fortuna y su vida: la primera baraja de tarot conocida.
A medida que Rosemont profundiza en los orígenes del tarot, su destino se entrelaza con el del Rey Niño, un indigente dotado de un don inenarrable... y de un pasado misterioso. Para estos dos hombres, las cartas lo revelarán todo.
A medida que Rosemont profundiza en los orígenes del tarot, su destino se entrelaza con el del Rey Niño, un indigente dotado de un don inenarrable... y de un pasado misterioso. Para estos dos hombres, las cartas lo revelarán todo.
313 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Barth Anderson
16 books42 followersBarth Anderson's imaginative fiction has appeared in Asimov's, Strange Horizons, Alchemy, Polyphony, and a variety of other quality venues. He received the Spectrum Award for Best Short Fiction in 2004. Regarding his first novel, The Patron Saint of Plagues, (Bantam Spectra; 2006), Salon said, "Anderson has some serious writing chops, and he delivers a page turner that is at once a medical thriller, cyberpunk romp and provocative tease."
His second novel, The Magician and The Fool (Random House), was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.
Barth is a journalist, a blogger, and a food movement activist. He lives in Minneapolis.
His second novel, The Magician and The Fool (Random House), was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.
Barth is a journalist, a blogger, and a food movement activist. He lives in Minneapolis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 30, 2017
Tengo la costumbre de terminar los libros aunque no me gusten en su primera mitad, esperando en que mejore o por lo menos la curiosidad de saber cómo concluye, pero con éste libro... Ufff... sufri y estuve a punto de darle el premio a mi primer DNF.
Aburrido, confuso y su historia (ciencia ficción) del Tarot.. Buaa!
Aburrido, confuso y su historia (ciencia ficción) del Tarot.. Buaa!
September 9, 2008
The first half of this book was fantastic and engaging and mystical. I found myself almost feeling what the characters did. Fast on it's way to becoming one of my favorite books. Then all of a sudden it got really fast-passed and crappy and ruined the whole thing. It's like the author got tired of writing half way through and just wanted to tie up all the loose ends as quickly as possible and did it very badly. What could have been an epic Paulo Coelho type book of the soul and magical mystery turned into runny poop. Terribly disapointing.
November 29, 2010
I read this a few years ago, never stopped thinking about it. I need to read it again for a better review, but it was mystical, magical and mysterious and keeps haunting me. It's responsible for my interest in medieval tarot vs modern. I accidentally happened on this book in the bookstore, I bought it on a whim and I am glad that I did.
July 7, 2008
Okay, so this is another review of a friend's book.
This book completely blew my mind. AMAZING. I loved it loved it loved it.
It's an alternate history of the tarot, but I know not a damn thing about the tarot, nor do I care, frankly. What it was for me was the story of real people struggling with powers in themselves and in the world they want to deny. It's about friendship and magic and misery and love.
And the ending is an amazing freeform mindblowing chapter in which I lost track of which character was which but I didn't care.
This book completely blew my mind. AMAZING. I loved it loved it loved it.
It's an alternate history of the tarot, but I know not a damn thing about the tarot, nor do I care, frankly. What it was for me was the story of real people struggling with powers in themselves and in the world they want to deny. It's about friendship and magic and misery and love.
And the ending is an amazing freeform mindblowing chapter in which I lost track of which character was which but I didn't care.
July 11, 2014
Mysterious, mystical, magical. I never quite figured out all of this book's shifting landscapes, and if I had, I wouldn't have liked it as much.
Key quote: "I think we have a cultural memory of a time when logic did not prevail, when instinct and magic ruled and we routinely bumped up against chaos without it destroying our minds." (p. 259)
Key quote: "I think we have a cultural memory of a time when logic did not prevail, when instinct and magic ruled and we routinely bumped up against chaos without it destroying our minds." (p. 259)
August 24, 2020
Este libro fue una montaña rusa, pero no siempre en el buen sentido. Bueno, eso depende de quien seas, pero a mi me gustan las montañas rusas. Este libro, como analogía de una, tenía algunas curvas interesantes, pero sus caídas decepcionan y su final es apresurado. Como que al autor no le alcanza el tiempo para explicar qué sucedió.
Ahora bien, el uso de los tiempos es magnífico. Brillante. Fue mi parte favorita, entender en qué punto temporal sucedía la narración. Adiviné esa estrategia muy rápido, y lo que hizo bien este libro fue no darme la razón hasta el final... aunque la explicación que se le dio pudo haberse desarrollado mejor.
El protagonista es un buen personaje. Sus reacciones emocionales, y a veces lentas ante las situaciones que no tienen una explicación lógica fueron adecuadas según yo, y ante todo me parece que en la construcción radica uno de los puntos fuertes de esta obra.
No creo que sea un mal libro, pero sí me parece que con los mismo elementos y una mejor distribución de la información (que se niega a proveer al lector hasta que no tiene alternativa más que lanzar todo de una) habría propuesto una experiencia de lectura mucho superior.
Ahora bien, el uso de los tiempos es magnífico. Brillante. Fue mi parte favorita, entender en qué punto temporal sucedía la narración. Adiviné esa estrategia muy rápido, y lo que hizo bien este libro fue no darme la razón hasta el final... aunque la explicación que se le dio pudo haberse desarrollado mejor.
El protagonista es un buen personaje. Sus reacciones emocionales, y a veces lentas ante las situaciones que no tienen una explicación lógica fueron adecuadas según yo, y ante todo me parece que en la construcción radica uno de los puntos fuertes de esta obra.
No creo que sea un mal libro, pero sí me parece que con los mismo elementos y una mejor distribución de la información (que se niega a proveer al lector hasta que no tiene alternativa más que lanzar todo de una) habría propuesto una experiencia de lectura mucho superior.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2021
I know a lot of y'all loved this book but I anything hated it. At the risk of sounding like an ignorant country boy I could not understand anything and was real relieved when I had finished and could read something different
I thought I was going to be reading a tarot based story but instead what I got was some kind of rambling LSD type writing. I know some people like this kind of thing and call it deep but I read to be entertained and while I don't mind a bit of esoteric writing I really don't like having to analyze every word as a potential clue to whatever the Hell is going on but if this floats your boat then read on
I thought I was going to be reading a tarot based story but instead what I got was some kind of rambling LSD type writing. I know some people like this kind of thing and call it deep but I read to be entertained and while I don't mind a bit of esoteric writing I really don't like having to analyze every word as a potential clue to whatever the Hell is going on but if this floats your boat then read on
March 11, 2020
I was really into this book for the first 50 pages, and then it fell apart. I love the idea of a tarot based fantasy/mystery, but the plot of this novel stopped making sense pretty early on. I didn't understand how the magic worked, what the stakes were, and I never got invested in the characters.
January 14, 2018
I loved this trippy book so much that I read it twice.
December 14, 2009
Years ago, fallen scholar Jeremiah Rosemont left the bitter rivalries of academia behind and now lives a simple nomadic existence in Central America, far from the arguments that once defined his life. But he can't outrun his past... or the dangerous truth that lurks beneath his abandoned studies. Following an enigmatic summons to Rome, Rosemont finds himself at the center of a mystery that dates back to the fall of Troy, the pursuit of a mystical treasure that many are willing to sacrifice fortunes and lives for: the earliest known tarot deck.
As Rosemont delves deeper and deeper into the tarot's unsettling secret origins, his own fate is inexorably intertwined with that of the Boy King, a homeless man with an unspeakable gift... and a mysterious past of his own. For these two men - and the demons, dupes, and power seekers drawn to them - the cards will reveal everything, even the shattering, unseen truths of human life itself...
In short, I frankly did not care for this book. Based on its blurb, I was hoping for kind of a The Eight or Labyrinth kind of story, but it really wasn't. Similar in some ways, but I didn't really find it as cohesive or coherent. I didn't have any trouble orienting myself within the two different storylines or anything (a complaint I've heard about the other two), but I didn't really understand the storylines themselves, particularly the Rosemont one. The Boy King one was fairly understandable. He has this tarot deck, is being hunted for it, and has to try to function around this and his nomadic existence in general. Rosemont's story, though, I was kind of lost through much of it, and didn't really understand what was going on. A review I read suggested that there are all kinds of clues in the story, and that it's amazing if you just pay enough attention to pick up on them, but I'm not convinced. I found it somewhat like a dream, in that things happen, and they're presented as being largely unremarkable, but really, you've just instantly transitioned from one scenario to another with no conceivable logic.
And what made all this even worse for me is that I found the payoff kind of... wasn't really. The Eight and Labyrinth, and even The Da Vinci Code, for heaven's sake, you get to ultimately understand why the various people are after the item in question; what its secret or power or whatever is. In this one, I pretty much didn't. I was told that this deck was very important, and that it could have catastrophic consequences if it fell into the wrong hands, but it was never really explained why. What would happen if it did? What might someone do with these cards if they got a hold of them? And why are the main people who are after them still alive, when they were born in the same era as the tarot deck, in the 1500s or whenever? I felt like I was just supposed to accept that they were, but I don't recall any explanation of it.
And all the theories floating around as to the origin of tarot. If you're going to get into that sort of discussion, maybe present a conclusion by the end of your book? Maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but at least, in the universe you've created, whatever theory you choose to make "true" will be reality, and maybe might help to reveal some of the oh-so-important mysteries and power of the deck in question. Instead, it was just there, with no answers, making various people's lives difficult.
The ultimate revelation about how Boy King, Rosemont and Miles are connected is kind of interesting, and I think if the book had been presented with those relationships as the main focus of the story, it might have worked better, because it kind of was. That revelation was kind of the closest thing to a climax or resolution this book had, so I think maybe more focus on that (both in the blurb and in the book) might have held the book together a bit better for me. As it was, I found it somewhat disjointed and unclear, and without any real closure to make me feel like reading the book was worthwhile.
As Rosemont delves deeper and deeper into the tarot's unsettling secret origins, his own fate is inexorably intertwined with that of the Boy King, a homeless man with an unspeakable gift... and a mysterious past of his own. For these two men - and the demons, dupes, and power seekers drawn to them - the cards will reveal everything, even the shattering, unseen truths of human life itself...
In short, I frankly did not care for this book. Based on its blurb, I was hoping for kind of a The Eight or Labyrinth kind of story, but it really wasn't. Similar in some ways, but I didn't really find it as cohesive or coherent. I didn't have any trouble orienting myself within the two different storylines or anything (a complaint I've heard about the other two), but I didn't really understand the storylines themselves, particularly the Rosemont one. The Boy King one was fairly understandable. He has this tarot deck, is being hunted for it, and has to try to function around this and his nomadic existence in general. Rosemont's story, though, I was kind of lost through much of it, and didn't really understand what was going on. A review I read suggested that there are all kinds of clues in the story, and that it's amazing if you just pay enough attention to pick up on them, but I'm not convinced. I found it somewhat like a dream, in that things happen, and they're presented as being largely unremarkable, but really, you've just instantly transitioned from one scenario to another with no conceivable logic.
And what made all this even worse for me is that I found the payoff kind of... wasn't really. The Eight and Labyrinth, and even The Da Vinci Code, for heaven's sake, you get to ultimately understand why the various people are after the item in question; what its secret or power or whatever is. In this one, I pretty much didn't. I was told that this deck was very important, and that it could have catastrophic consequences if it fell into the wrong hands, but it was never really explained why. What would happen if it did? What might someone do with these cards if they got a hold of them? And why are the main people who are after them still alive, when they were born in the same era as the tarot deck, in the 1500s or whenever? I felt like I was just supposed to accept that they were, but I don't recall any explanation of it.
And all the theories floating around as to the origin of tarot. If you're going to get into that sort of discussion, maybe present a conclusion by the end of your book? Maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but at least, in the universe you've created, whatever theory you choose to make "true" will be reality, and maybe might help to reveal some of the oh-so-important mysteries and power of the deck in question. Instead, it was just there, with no answers, making various people's lives difficult.
The ultimate revelation about how Boy King, Rosemont and Miles are connected is kind of interesting, and I think if the book had been presented with those relationships as the main focus of the story, it might have worked better, because it kind of was. That revelation was kind of the closest thing to a climax or resolution this book had, so I think maybe more focus on that (both in the blurb and in the book) might have held the book together a bit better for me. As it was, I found it somewhat disjointed and unclear, and without any real closure to make me feel like reading the book was worthwhile.
January 5, 2015
The Magician and the Fool.
this book was all over the place. directly following Lamb, it was interesting to read something so off the wall. Half of the book is incoherent. You are reading two different perspectives on opposing sides of the world.
The first is of Jeremiah Rosemont. Rosemont is a art historian who has taken himself out of the world as we know it. he has been disgraced (though you never truly know why). the book opens with him in south America where he is bumming from town to town looking for peace of mind. he is called to Rome, and given a ticket first class to get there. the ticket comes from someone that he doesn’t know and he has no idea why he is going there… but hey. it is a ticket to Rome. he goes.
Character 2 is of the Boy King. Boy King is a homeless guy living in Minnesota. he is a master reader of the tarot and is hiding from some silent enemy. he has been under the radar for 12 years and is frightened as he finds himself being led back into it.
The whole book revolves around a deck of tarot cards that is 400 years or so, older than any known written (on paper) text. Mythology of the creation of Rome, (the slaying of Remus by Romulus), sorcery, astral travel, lizard people, 900 year old humans, slip-streamed universes, times travel and mind control are all elements in the story.
I read this book cover to cover and enjoyed every page. unfortunately, i have no idea what happened in it. the author purposefully leaves out significant details and glosses over others leaving no solid answers for anyone reading the book. One primary question requiring more info, is what in the great flying fucketty fuck are all these people after the tarot deck for? They need Rosemont to authenticate the deck as being real. they need to catch the Boy King (for what reason, you are never privy to)…. but WHY??? it isnt ownership of the deck, it isn’t some super secret magic that i can tell. all they want is to have an unbiased opinion of the deck and it’s origins..,. fuck… fuck them… toss me some twine so i can help tie this all up.. i have theories, but that is all i can give..
this book was awesome in how fantastically frustrating it was. i hope there is a second book. though i doubt there is.. will need to look that up.
i would read a second just to get answers to the first.
--
xpost RawBlurb.com
this book was all over the place. directly following Lamb, it was interesting to read something so off the wall. Half of the book is incoherent. You are reading two different perspectives on opposing sides of the world.
The first is of Jeremiah Rosemont. Rosemont is a art historian who has taken himself out of the world as we know it. he has been disgraced (though you never truly know why). the book opens with him in south America where he is bumming from town to town looking for peace of mind. he is called to Rome, and given a ticket first class to get there. the ticket comes from someone that he doesn’t know and he has no idea why he is going there… but hey. it is a ticket to Rome. he goes.
Character 2 is of the Boy King. Boy King is a homeless guy living in Minnesota. he is a master reader of the tarot and is hiding from some silent enemy. he has been under the radar for 12 years and is frightened as he finds himself being led back into it.
The whole book revolves around a deck of tarot cards that is 400 years or so, older than any known written (on paper) text. Mythology of the creation of Rome, (the slaying of Remus by Romulus), sorcery, astral travel, lizard people, 900 year old humans, slip-streamed universes, times travel and mind control are all elements in the story.
I read this book cover to cover and enjoyed every page. unfortunately, i have no idea what happened in it. the author purposefully leaves out significant details and glosses over others leaving no solid answers for anyone reading the book. One primary question requiring more info, is what in the great flying fucketty fuck are all these people after the tarot deck for? They need Rosemont to authenticate the deck as being real. they need to catch the Boy King (for what reason, you are never privy to)…. but WHY??? it isnt ownership of the deck, it isn’t some super secret magic that i can tell. all they want is to have an unbiased opinion of the deck and it’s origins..,. fuck… fuck them… toss me some twine so i can help tie this all up.. i have theories, but that is all i can give..
this book was awesome in how fantastically frustrating it was. i hope there is a second book. though i doubt there is.. will need to look that up.
i would read a second just to get answers to the first.
--
xpost RawBlurb.com
June 1, 2011
I really liked this book - I would cheerfully give it 4 stars from my own perspective, but following it can be a bit tricky. And explanations would be useful - not lots, but some terms and phrases should be in a glossary or footnoted (I had a similar issue with all the Spanish in Patron Saint of Plagues, but tarot/magic knowledge is less widely known.) But then again, it's a book about a magician (of sorts) so go in expecting some tricks and sleight of hand.
Part of the confusion lies in that the story you see first isn't really connected to what happens next. First we are introduced to Jeremaih Rosemont, an art historian who took himself out of the mainstream, away from tenure and the pursuit of his career. He winds up in Nicaragua, and displays some unusual abilities to influence people, abilities and decisions he doesn't fully understand himself. In true conspiracy cannon, he is given an envelope with a ticket to Rome by a man outside the locked gates of his hostel, addressed to him, though no one would know where he is, etc. Naturally, he goes to Rome.
We are introduced then to Boy King, a tramp/homeless man in Minneapolis with a talent for reading tarot cards. He is being pursued by an unknown agent, possibly to do with the clashings of two ancient cults who strive for legitimacy/authenticity.
It's a wild ride, and well written, but is a book you have to approach with no preconcieved notions of how the story unfolds. Ancient mythology, magic, tarot and academia all rolled into one mad package.
Part of the confusion lies in that the story you see first isn't really connected to what happens next. First we are introduced to Jeremaih Rosemont, an art historian who took himself out of the mainstream, away from tenure and the pursuit of his career. He winds up in Nicaragua, and displays some unusual abilities to influence people, abilities and decisions he doesn't fully understand himself. In true conspiracy cannon, he is given an envelope with a ticket to Rome by a man outside the locked gates of his hostel, addressed to him, though no one would know where he is, etc. Naturally, he goes to Rome.
We are introduced then to Boy King, a tramp/homeless man in Minneapolis with a talent for reading tarot cards. He is being pursued by an unknown agent, possibly to do with the clashings of two ancient cults who strive for legitimacy/authenticity.
It's a wild ride, and well written, but is a book you have to approach with no preconcieved notions of how the story unfolds. Ancient mythology, magic, tarot and academia all rolled into one mad package.
July 1, 2009
Barth Anderson's ‘The Magician and the Fool’ (Bantam, $13, 288 pages) is a decidedly introspective book, though there’s plenty of action to disguise the fact that not much is really going on.
Two protagonists, Jeremiah Rosemont and Boy King, are both caught in a modern world with an occult subculture in which tarot cards have real power and ancient forces are calling the shots. Rosemont and the Boy King each must not only unravel the mystery of why they are chosen by these powers to play a part in some inexplicable game, they must also overcome people who want things that they have – or that the people after them think they have.
Anderson, like many authors, seeks to keep the pages turning by thrusting his heroes into tense situations that force them to react without having time to figure out what’s going on. This ploy can work, but Anderson takes far too long to reveal enough to even minimally inform the reader – in part because the plot is very simple, behind the bells and whistles, and the narrative arc is better suited to support a short story or novella rather than a full-length novel.
In the end, ‘The Magician and the Fool’ is unsatisfying for fantasy readers, as it is more reminiscent of Robertson Davies than fantasy and science fiction, and Anderson is nowhere close to Davies in style or substance. But he is young, so there is hope – but still, this is one to check out of the library rather than buy.
Two protagonists, Jeremiah Rosemont and Boy King, are both caught in a modern world with an occult subculture in which tarot cards have real power and ancient forces are calling the shots. Rosemont and the Boy King each must not only unravel the mystery of why they are chosen by these powers to play a part in some inexplicable game, they must also overcome people who want things that they have – or that the people after them think they have.
Anderson, like many authors, seeks to keep the pages turning by thrusting his heroes into tense situations that force them to react without having time to figure out what’s going on. This ploy can work, but Anderson takes far too long to reveal enough to even minimally inform the reader – in part because the plot is very simple, behind the bells and whistles, and the narrative arc is better suited to support a short story or novella rather than a full-length novel.
In the end, ‘The Magician and the Fool’ is unsatisfying for fantasy readers, as it is more reminiscent of Robertson Davies than fantasy and science fiction, and Anderson is nowhere close to Davies in style or substance. But he is young, so there is hope – but still, this is one to check out of the library rather than buy.
July 18, 2010
I think I randomly picked this book up while browsing at the library. I'm not sure what caught my eye about it, but I decided to give it a shot. After a rocky start, the story quickly pulled me in and suddenly was one of those books that I just could not put down . . . until about halfway through. Then the mystery, instead of intriguing me and tantalizing me with little tidbits of revelation, just became confused, a knotted mess. While I loved the final revelation, I'm not sure that it provides a satisfying conclusion to a book that started off so strongly.
Another Goodreads reader posted a review suggesting that perhaps Anderson stopped writing/editing well at the book's halfway point. I don't agree with this, but I do feel that the second half of the novel is far weaker than the first. Still, I might go on to read Anderson's first novel (this is his second), which I believe won an award or two. All in all, I don't think I wasted my time reading this, but I did come away more disappointed than anything else.
Another Goodreads reader posted a review suggesting that perhaps Anderson stopped writing/editing well at the book's halfway point. I don't agree with this, but I do feel that the second half of the novel is far weaker than the first. Still, I might go on to read Anderson's first novel (this is his second), which I believe won an award or two. All in all, I don't think I wasted my time reading this, but I did come away more disappointed than anything else.
May 25, 2013
I have a complaint.
This book is not long enough. I've read other works by this author, and enjoyed them immensely. But while The Patron Saint of Plagues and the The Book of Seven Hands: A Foreworld Sidequest are non-stop thrill rides, The Magician and the Fool is a slow build to dizzying finish.
I was honestly surprised to find I'd come to the end of the book, and backtracked a few chapters to make sure I hadn't missed anything, I hadn't, and it makes me all the more desirous for a continuation of these characters.
There are other books in the supernatural mystery genre (I've written one myself), but few I've read made me live in their world so completely as this one. Block off some time to really enjoy this story.
You won't regret it.
This book is not long enough. I've read other works by this author, and enjoyed them immensely. But while The Patron Saint of Plagues and the The Book of Seven Hands: A Foreworld Sidequest are non-stop thrill rides, The Magician and the Fool is a slow build to dizzying finish.
I was honestly surprised to find I'd come to the end of the book, and backtracked a few chapters to make sure I hadn't missed anything, I hadn't, and it makes me all the more desirous for a continuation of these characters.
There are other books in the supernatural mystery genre (I've written one myself), but few I've read made me live in their world so completely as this one. Block off some time to really enjoy this story.
You won't regret it.
January 19, 2015
I finished this book more confused than I had been in a long time. I've pondered the plot line for quite some time, re-read parts over and over and still have no idea what the author was trying to say. It was easy enough to follow in the beginning...then the stuff about tyros and Etruscan disciplines started and by the time romulus and remus were thrown in there i was lost. I would love someone to explain it to me and if you understand it, more power to you.
One thing that really bothered me was that, the author included the fact that the main character was gay. but that had no purpose at all, it didn't play into the story, or any real characterization. I'm not saying you should only make characters something other than straight if it's a plot point, what i'm saying is there's no reason to bring up someones sexuality so specifically unless it is a plot point. Hell maybe it was important in some way and i just missed it totally.
One thing that really bothered me was that, the author included the fact that the main character was gay. but that had no purpose at all, it didn't play into the story, or any real characterization. I'm not saying you should only make characters something other than straight if it's a plot point, what i'm saying is there's no reason to bring up someones sexuality so specifically unless it is a plot point. Hell maybe it was important in some way and i just missed it totally.
October 30, 2014
Having just finished a different "secret history" book recently and been left largely unmoved, The Magician and the Fool delivers what I was missing: theme and stakes. An academic argument early in the book establishes the parameters of conflict, which are not good vs. evil nor even (as other secret histories) knowledge vs. occlusion, but dominance vs. iconoclasm -- in the metaphor of the book, Romulus vs. Remus.
Near the end, the protagonist Rosemont sees his involvement in the particular conflict take a turn from bewildered bystander to the deeply strange. It's a challenging transition that leaves quite a lot to the reader's inference, but to me, this fits the theme of an underlying madness to the world much better than would an explicit, traditional resolution in which all previous narrative threads are picked up and tied off well in view.
If it wasn't due back at the library, I'd re-read it now to see the first chapters again in light of the climax.
Near the end, the protagonist Rosemont sees his involvement in the particular conflict take a turn from bewildered bystander to the deeply strange. It's a challenging transition that leaves quite a lot to the reader's inference, but to me, this fits the theme of an underlying madness to the world much better than would an explicit, traditional resolution in which all previous narrative threads are picked up and tied off well in view.
If it wasn't due back at the library, I'd re-read it now to see the first chapters again in light of the climax.
August 31, 2009
Important lesson: read the entire review. I normally don't because I find the synopses in most of them to be to spoilery. Oof. I got burned here.
This is not a good book, not a good story, not well-written. It's muddled, hard to follow and ultimately just boring. Which is pretty much what the reviewer wrote, which I saw when I went back full of fury to find out who had recommended this thing to me. Oh. No one.
There's a passive protagonist, an irritating ... something. Another mysterious main character that isn't even interesting when their background becomes clear(ish). The antagonists are ill-defined and the overall conflict is, well, I just don't know. Yet another case for strong editors in the publishing process. This one feels like it came out of the oven too soon.
This is not a good book, not a good story, not well-written. It's muddled, hard to follow and ultimately just boring. Which is pretty much what the reviewer wrote, which I saw when I went back full of fury to find out who had recommended this thing to me. Oh. No one.
There's a passive protagonist, an irritating ... something. Another mysterious main character that isn't even interesting when their background becomes clear(ish). The antagonists are ill-defined and the overall conflict is, well, I just don't know. Yet another case for strong editors in the publishing process. This one feels like it came out of the oven too soon.
February 5, 2011
I am on page 98 and I think I'm done. This book was a Big Idea post on Scalzi's blog. It sounded so good--tarot history and magic!--but is a huge slog. >_< I'm trying to decide if I should continue the book or if I should abandon it for the three other library books I have remaining. The sin: telling too much, not enough showing. I'm not sure I want to finish this book. I might just return it to the library after reading this much, and just be done with it. It's not making me want to read, and that's a bad thing.
July 18, 2008
I thought this sounded like a great book with an interesting theme: the history of tarot. THe book was very confusing to me, but I kept reading because I thought that at any minute I would make connections between the characters and it would all make sense. In the end, I did make connections between the characters, but it wasn't some amazing revelation, it was more like science fiction/multi-dimensional worlds based on mythology and tarot. It was a little bit"out there" for me personally.
May 6, 2008
Loved this book. Although there was a slow bit or two in the middle (and really, just a BIT), most of it kept me very interested. As I nearded the end, I thought I had it figured out. Then I was proven wrong. Then I was proven wrong again. Then I was proven wrong AGAIN!! Wonderful twists. Now I need to get Barth's first book and read that!
March 20, 2009
Perhaps I just don't have the energy necessary right now to focus, but I found the book difficult to follow. I wasn't up for going back and re-reading portions to try to make sense of it. I thought the first part of the book was engaging, and was disappointed that it seemed to fall apart a bit on me.
July 5, 2009
The author's writing is fragmented and disjointed, disorganized. It seems to me he was writing while under the influence of something, whether hallucinogen or psychosis. He didn't take the reader into consideration by crafting his work into something digestible, didn't lay it out for the reader in mind. It read like he was simply writing for his own pleasure.
February 20, 2025
Es total y completamente infumable.
Mira que le he dado dos oportunidades, pero no se que tiene que no puedo con el.
No puedo meterme dentro de la historia, por más que leo y leo. Quizá en un futuro le de otra oportunidad he intente volver a leerlo pero... me temo que va a ser el primer libro que me deje a medio leer, una pena.
Mira que le he dado dos oportunidades, pero no se que tiene que no puedo con el.
No puedo meterme dentro de la historia, por más que leo y leo. Quizá en un futuro le de otra oportunidad he intente volver a leerlo pero... me temo que va a ser el primer libro que me deje a medio leer, una pena.
May 13, 2008
Great Premise, interesting characters, but ultimately falls apart after a promising opening, veering wildly in the last third into a metaphysical labyrinth of the author's own creation, for which he sadly left no road map to follow.
March 26, 2009
Just finished this and loved it, from beginning to end. Gorgeous prose, a ripping good story, delicious historical arcana about tarot, ancient Rome, and Etruscan mythology. A wonderful novel, just the right length to while away a couple of weekend nights.
October 10, 2011
I really loved the structure, and how nicely that made sense at the end...it was a great "a ha" moment. Loved the surreality, and the pounding pace toward the end. I don't know if I necessarily understood everything Anderson was trying to do, but I certainly enjoyed the ride.
October 3, 2012
The book is at times a fun read. Granted very confusing, but interesting. The relationship between the characters is fascinating. It bears a reread at another time. Perhaps then it'll make more sense.
January 22, 2013
I gave 4 stars to this book because of a weird structure and crazy way to tell the story which I liked more than story itself. I enjoyed the first part of a book more than the second but I found the writing of Barth Anderson haunting, I liked it.
April 12, 2008
Still not sure what I think about this one...
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