Science Fiction Club Book for Feb.

I am going to write a more detailed review of Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright than appears in the Feb. newsletter today in the Blog. I will warn you now, if you plan to read the book and want to have the same sense of discovery that I had while reading it, don't read anything other than this paragraph. There will be spoilers in the rest of the review. And I think the book is best read cold. It is full of mythology, magic and likable characters.

Ok, on with the review. Wright has created a world where the Greek Gods have gone to war with each other, and Zeus is dead (long live the king...). As the book opens, 5 children are being raised in an Engligh boarding school, and we find out that they are the children of the Titans, given to the surviving gods as hostages until the factions of the gods get things sorted out. The major gods stay mostly off screen, and the adults in the school are gradually revealed as minor gods and spirits.

The children know none of this at the start of the book, just that they are different and possibly not human. They are restless, however, and as they discover their powers they plot thier escape. They have cool powers, such as the ability to see into and manipulate more than 3 dimensions or the ability to find secret pasages where none exist.

I thought that the book was wonderfully plotted, with each chapter revealing just enough new information on what was going on to keep me interested and going. I read the book in 2 sittings, and would have read it in 1 had I started it earlier in the day.

This is not a book for action fans. I am interested in how our store Science Fiction club members will like it, as there is a lot of dialog and not much "doing". But I am happily reading book 2 in the series and looking forward already to book 3.

Still, if you like mythology and/or character development you should give it a try. And stop by for our Science Fiction club and tell me what you thought.

---Bruce