hakanbaser

I'm giving this 2 stars, rather than 1, only out of respect for Richard Matheson. Uhg. What a disappointment! I had high hopes going into Other Kingdoms and they were just SMASHED. The more I read, the more I was just SAD about this book. It was just so irritating. The narrator or the story, Alex White/Arthur Black, is an 82 year old man, recounting a story of his youth - a TRUE story (he reminds us several times.) The story itself wasn't terrible. It was GREAT, but it wasn't awful. The TELLING of the story - THAT was awful. If the editor had removed all of the "asides" from Alex/Arthur Other Kingdoms could have been half the size it was. Every page seems to have at least one instance (did I mention the weather? ha-ha.) of irritating, senile rambling. Like hearing a disturbing story from a disturbing old man on a park bench. You'd walk away, but that would be rude. Also, he's got a death grip on your wrist. No redemption for this one, either. The conclusion was as bad as the story itself. Finishing it actually made me wonder why I kept at it. Not a complete waste of time - but nothing I would recommend to anyone. Ever.

2023-02-27 11:02