Review: Forever remain
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 29, 2014
Forever remainIt is only in recent years that I have discovered the joy of fantasy books, and Forever Boy is no exception.For want of a better description, this is a pleasantly dark twisting of the Pinocchio story. Go Fer is a magician’s dog, and suffers the dangerous life of digging up deadly mandrake roots.A chance discovery reveals him to have some kind of immunity to the Mandrake shrieks, and this catapults him into a powerful struggle between The Clockwork Man and The Magic Guild.What elevates this tale above so many within this genre, is the social commentary. My personal interpretation is that The Clockwork Man represents the industrial war machine – however, unlike typical representations of mindless killing, the military are shown to be latter day pioneers, delivering much needed goods and exploring the world.The Magic Guild represents the dogmatic old ways of the past, and its adherents are those who would cling to such archaic ideals, even if it results in death.Ultimately, this is a tale about progressive modernization versus those who cling to the past. Richly told, and wonderfully engaging, the tale of dog who would become a boy keeps you gripped to the very last page.