Review: Extraordinarily talented author who took too big a bite!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 14, 2012
George Finney is a name I hope to see more of! The Serial Artist has been penned by an expert craftsman who I believe was trying to get way too much between the covers of this thriller/sci-fi novel. The faces of depression, the quest for the norms of society, the nature of art and what I have labelled psycho-philosophy for want of a better term are all deserving sub-themes, but in combination are a bit overwhelming. The complexity of his characters is delightful, but again, too many complex characters equal too much complexity. I really believe that half would have been better. The excess complexity detracts from an otherwise breathtakingly exciting novel.The initial hints about the true nature of the protagonist's partner (Holt) were unnecessary except as teasers for a future sequel, which cheapens the overall story as does the final dialogue. The sequel should stand on its own ... no need to try to leave the reader dangling. Personally, I hope the sequel has been streamlined.