Review: Witty, dark, unique, what's not to like?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 3, 2011
This story is about Dao Shi, a charming conman whose only talent is, according to him, deception. He is greedy and self-serving but he is kind in his own way. Which is a nice change from naive kid heroes who can do no wrong. Oh yeah. Dao Shi has done plenty of wrong.Anyway, I.F Rowan did an amazing job creating a dark mysterious world that has just enough humor to keep it from being depressing. For example, in a fit of terror, a family tries to run away from their house. After an awkward silence, the wife notes that they are in the closet. The story is told in first-person so readers are able to witness Dao Shi's subtle but hilarious side comments first-hand. Threatened by government officials or by evil ghosts, he'll always have something to say. Even so, the story is fast-paced and engaging. I was halfway through the book before I realized it!A lot of the secondary characters are overshadowed by Dao Shi and falls flat. They just aren't very memorable to me. Because the story was originally published as four separate stories, there is not much cohesion in the story. There's plenty of action but not much that is central to the plot. Dao Shi still has a long way to go before he finds out what happened to his son. Also, while I wouldn't say this is a bad thing, Rowan likes to use a lot of big words. Bring a dictionary with you if you're the type of reader who doesn't like to skip over unknown words.Pro: believable and complex main character, action-packed, unique world and story, fast-paced, hilarious!Con: somewhat flat secondary characters, no real progress in the central plotOverall, this book is an absolute delight to read. It is especially a treasure for such a cheap price. I would recommend this book to adults and young adults but probably not to our younger readers. Dao Shi lives in a pretty cruel world and he does quite a few questionable things. As a heads up, this book is more like an introduction to Rowan's books rather than a full-length novel. He'll write more if enough readers want to hear more about Dao Shi's adventures.Received this book for free in a giveaway in return for an honest review