Review: A fun story, but doesn't completely add up
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 14, 2013
Josh Anvil and the Pivotal Weapon is an action packed middle grade science fiction adventure.What I liked:I enjoyed the strong themes of friendship and forgiveness that run through this story. Josh and his best friend Troy have each other's backs and don't bother with holding grudges. I found their dispositions refreshingly angst-free for teen characters. The overall concept of the story is one laden with fun and adventure. It has super powers, space ships, aliens, planetary exploration, and an unexpected number of tacos. It's the kind of story that will likely spark a youthful imagination, as it holds so many possibilities.What didn't work for me:My main issue with this book, and what ultimately didn't work for me, is that I could never feel immersed in the world or the action. The descriptions were rather sterile, and while I felt as though I should be marveling at strange and wonderful alien worlds, I could  never really picture them. I want to smell those alien flowers, awe at spectacular landscapes, feel the character's heart pumping in his chest as he flees from enemies. However, the narration was too sparse to engender such reactions.For most of the book, the protagonist flits from crisis to resolution so swiftly that I, as a reader, didn't have time to generate either concern or relief. At times, the action is so hurried and nondescript it felt like summary.  Josh's emotions, up until the climax, are barely described. I would have liked to have felt his fear and his pain more. I would have liked to see more consequences for his actions and his failures.The plot itself seemed to be entirely reactionary and built upon happenstance. It begins with a desire to explore and then becomes a long chain of Josh helping people with problems that we didn't know existed until it's time for them to be dealt with. I wish that more of the momentum of the story had been in Josh's hands. The plot felt like a series of small, unrelated quests that didn't build up into any grander purpose.