Review: A Journey Through Time and Thought
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2013
"Quexistence" is a philosophical sci-fi/fantasy novel that tackles the meaning of dreams, the existence of free will, and the power of love. It starts with the aged Gork, decorating a Christmas tree with his granddaughter, Angie. They reminisce, and Angie finds a scrap of paper in the boxes that puzzles her--on it is a cryptic sentence about "Time Dreams."She questions her grandfather about what that means, and he then tells her a tale of his past, when he was a young man in the 1960s seeking the origin of Man in Calico Hills. His companion is the unflappable Charlie, who seems to know much more than he is willing to share, and who speaks in riddles and vagaries.Soon, Gork is on a dangerous, confusing journey through his dreams; he is befriended by a Swahili-speaking Bigfoot, observes frightening alien beings, and sees the face of the girl of his dreams--his current-day wife and Angie's grandmother, Amani.I would say that this book is more of an experience, a whirl of words and scenes, than a linear progression. That's not a bad thing at all--I enjoyed falling in and out of Gork's dreams with him, and the author reveals just enough about the origins of Man and the other creatures inhabiting our universes to spur thought and keep the pages flipping. Gork is also a very likeable character. However, those who like plots with resolution or tidy endings might be disappointed--I was left wondering what other adventures Gork had in the past forty years, and if he ever did find out more about the origin of Man and the startling array of creatures he met on his dream journeys. Maybe that will find its way into another book.