Review: When the World is Yours, thread Carefully...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 28, 2013
Title: House of CartoonsAuthor: James ManReviewer: George ShadowSummary:The king of the world rules from his high throne, looking down at the mortals that are his subjects with disdain. He is not lacking anything . . . servants, girls, eunuchs, you name it . . . . He has the power over life and death of his subjects, and hands out judgments as he pleases to anyone he so fancies. Then he discovers he is nearer to death than he ever imagined. He feels it and dreams of it, and then he realizes a bitter truth; he is the one caged all this time and he needs to change in order to evade the fate of his father and ancestors. This is not easy. He needs to start doing all those things he never imagined doing before. He needs to stop existing and start living. He finds himself wanting to be free of the shackles that come with his position.Social/Historical Context:The novel is about a hypothetical `king of the world' and doesn't give us a better description of this powerful ruler save for his wealth and blinding power, but the story can be related to any world ruler today, and teaches one simple truth: we are all mortal and death must come knocking one day. The rich and the poor, the powerful and the helpless must one day succumb to death, hence it is not ultimately about how we enjoyed our lives on this Earth, but how we're remembered by those we eventually leave behind. Be it our friends, our subjects, or our enemies.Writing Style:The story is written in the first person and is a reminiscence of the king's life (he is the storyteller). I initially thought it strange that this worldly ruler was not properly introduced, but this doesn't blunt the book's plot, rather the fantastic world Author Man tries to express through the eyes of this ruler is accentuated by the abstract manner in which he opens the books first few pages. Well-written in simple English (present tense) and devoid of errors, HOUSE OF CARTOONS reads like a stream of thoughts (the king's), well-organized but heading towards an eventuality that the storyteller himself seems unable to avoid despite his wealth and indefatigable power.My Thoughts:Very entertaining. I really enjoyed it.George Shadow is the author of THE LAST CONSORT.