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Title: Fool’s Run
Series: ———-
Author: Patricia McKillip
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 221
Format: Digital Edition
Synopsis: |
Seven years ago Terra Viridian turned a laser array on her own location at a military base in the desert, killing 1500 people. Afterwards, she was found alive and babbling about the dark and visions. She was sentenced to life in the Underworld, a high security, solitary confinement prison on the moon.
Aaron Fisher’s pregnant wife was just about to get out of the military seven years ago. She was one of the victim’s of Terra. Aaron has been working on hunting down Terra’s twin sister Michele to find out from her why Terra suddenly snapped and destroyed Aaron’s world. So far, Aaron has had no luck.
Aaron is friends with Sidney Halleck, the owner of a bar where musicians play. One of these musicians, Roger Restak, known as The Magician, has the disturbing ability to get lost in his music and to ignore literally everything around him while playing. He and Aaron have become unlikely friends. A world weary cop and a genius musician.
A Dr. Fiore wants to study Terra and her “visions” that she has continued to talk about. He brings up a new machine to the Underworld that can visualize what Terra is thinking. What he finds is baffling and incomprehensible. He asks the Warden of the Underworld, Jason Klyos if he can bring up a band to see how music affects Terra. He hopes that by understanding how her visuals change in regards to the music that he can begin unraveling what the images of her “visions” means.
Sidney is contacted and puts The Magician up for nomination. The Magician assembles a band, only to find out that his “cuber” not only can’t stand heights, but can’t travel off the ground without becoming deathly ill. The Magician is at a loss until a former friend, the Queen of Hearts comes back into his life and she volunteers. Aaron and the Queen of Hearts strike it off immediately. Even though Aaron knows she is going to the Underworld and then a tour of the solar system, he opens his heart to her.
The Band makes it to the Underworld, where The Magician meets Terra and while everyone else is looking at the machine where her “visions” come out, The Magician is given a glimpse directly into her mind. This somehow transfers the vision to him. It is also revealed that the Queen of Hearts is Michele Viridian, Terra’s twin sister. The Warden calls up Aaron, as he’s suspicious of everything going on.
Terra breaks loose and with help from The Magician, flees the Underworld. The Magician takes his own band hostage, locks down the Underworld and begins seeing visions himself. Aaron and the Warden give chase in the only available ship, only to find that Terra has hidden away and has a laser rifle trained on them. They are in contact with the Magician and he must convince them that he and Terra are not crazy. It turns out that both The Magician and Terra were psychic and picking up the emanations of an alien being born. It is born and Terra dies. The Warden pulls his weight and convinces everyone that The Magician was not a criminal terrorist intent on breaking Terra free. The band goes free, Aaron lets go of his hate and hooks up with The Queen of Hearts.
The book ends with The Magician telling both Aaron and Sidney that the alien is now here and watching them.
My Thoughts: |
This has got to be the weirdest book I’ve ever read. When I read it in ’07 I was pretty mesmerized by the use of poetic language that McKillip is so good with, but this time, I was just weirded out the entire time. If my time had been a Smallville episode, Allison Mack would definitely have this on her Wall of Weird.
I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because every time that The Magician would start to explain what was going on, either Aaron Fisher or Jason Klyos the Warden would interrupt him with exclamations of usually disbelief or anger at the subject, ie, aliens. It was super frustrating to read. Magician was trying to put into words something that he had no words for and these 2 idiots just kept making it harder and harder. Thankfully, they finally did shut up and things moved forward.
My initial reaction when I finished this was to simply read it again to make sure I had read what I thought I had read. If I could have written this review and use the word “weird” and nothing but that, I think that would capture the essence.
Quite enjoyable for the trippy experience but unless you’re a hardcore McKillip fan, I wouldn’t recommend this.
★★★★☆
I have never heard of the author … so perhaps avoid?
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Well, I wouldn’t avoid McKillip unless you can’t handle poetic imagery and poetic prose. Her fantasy is some of my top rated stuff and I love it. But this is her foray into SF and it is, repeating myself I know, weird…
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Ahhh, so if I am to read her work it might be better off starting with a fantasy one.
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Absolutely. I’ve reviewed a bunch of her stuff over the past year, so if you search for “McKillip” it should bring up all her reviews. That might give you a better representation of what she has to offer.
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I did a quick search for her earlier on wikipedia. I have actually heard of some of her stuff. The Cygnet series is one of the ones I have heard of more than most.
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If you do decide to read the Cygnet books, pretend they are a fairytale and stay in that mind set…
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I read this back in high school, and it was so weird that I don’t think I’ve ever re-read it.
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I’d love to see what you think of it now 🙂
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McKillip’s style just seems so much more suited to fantasy… but maybe one day 🙂
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Her moon duology was pretty good, but it had more in common with her fantasy than SF like this. Her style just isn’t suited for it…
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Sounds like a very weird book. Still, from my (limited) association with McKillip’s work, that seems appropriate. I don’t think I’ve read anything by her that I wouldn’t classify as at least a little weird. (Though granted, I haven’t read that much of her work.)
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She has a “style” that pretty much stays true no matter what she’s writing. 🙂
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At least you know what you’ll be getting!
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Exactly. It is so different from other stuff that I read that I just love it…
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Weird and frustration with characters are pet hates for me! I don’t think it would suit me!
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Yeah, I doubt you’d enjoy much of what McKillip has to offer, even on the fantasy side.
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Hmm, I didn’t know she wrote SF as well.
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As far as I know, only this and her Moon duology. And the moon duology “turns into” SF, definitely doesn’t start that way.
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It does sound weird, indeed, and also like the start of a series, while your book information gives it as a stand-alone and I’m wondering about that watching newborn alien… 😉
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I suspect she left that hook there for if it turned wicked popular and the publishers demanded more. It does end pretty satisfactorily though, so I didn’t expect another book.
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Ok good to know this is weird 😉 (I was tempted just to write “weird” in the comments- but I think that might have been weird 😉 )
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YOU’RE weird!
😉
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hehehe!
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A weird book that works? Definitely intriguing. Also laughed at the Smallville jab there. 😛
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I made the mistake of googling Allison Mack after writing this review. Turns out she got involved in some sex cult or something? It was weird.
Which was fitting, considering the review I guess 🙂
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A 4 star “weird” book is still a good read though yeah?
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Yes, it was a good read. Just odd 😀
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