Review: Slow start but great ending
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2011
The Far Horizon, by Patty Jansen, is a fantastic novel with the misfortune of a very poor cover and a somewhat slow start. In the novel, we meet 10 year-old Cory who has suffered through the death of his mother and now must watch his father remarry. To make matters worse, his father is marrying a female from another planet. The story touches on the transition a child must make when adding new people to the family, along with the racial and social implications of such a marriage. When the danger surrounding the move to a space station and terrorist attacks was added to the strong character elements and intriguing thematic explorations, the book proved to be a page turner.Cover Art: 2 StarsAlthough the cover does accurately show what the book is about, the overall effect is very amateurish, mainly due to the picture of the boy and its relation to the background.Note to the readers: Don't ruin the book by reading the description on Amazon. I feel that entirely too much is given away in the product description, and it will spoil parts of the book for you.Characters: 5 StarsIt is not often that I can say the characters were just perfect, but I loved the different characters. I was so very surprised by how distinct and varied they were. Generally, it seems like supporting characters often end up as some variant of the main character, but this book managed to avoid that entirely. In the end, I really cared what happened to the characters and was sad to say goodbye to them.Plot: 4 StarsDespite how much I liked the book, there were some problems with the beginning. I felt that it took way too long to hook me, especially for a middle grade book. Although there was a short action scene in the beginning, it could have been emphasized more. There were also a few issues with objects being mentioned multiple times and then forgotten, never to be mentioned again. It was like a red herring without ever really meaning to be and very confusing to the reader given the implied links with the central plot mysteries. After the main plot kicked in, the book was a real page turner. The themes may not be totally original, but the execution of these themes is what makes this book stand out.Writing: 3.5 StarsFirst, I feel it important to note that the author is Australian so there are punctuation and spelling differences that are regional in nature. Aside from the writing style difference, there were a few spots with missing words or poor word choices. This wasn't often but enough that it needs noting. I also felt that this book suffered from an excess of description at times. Descriptive writing is important to set the scene but can really detract if it does nothing to enhance the scene. I believe this excess description is what created the red herrings. When the author spends a decent amount of time on a subject, then the reader is left to assume that this is essential to the plot. When that later proves to not be true, the reader is left feeling confused and distracted from what is important. Other than these issues, the writing really was very good.Overall: 4 StarsThe slow start and an overabundance of descriptions were slightly distracting but only detracted in a minor way from the fantastic characters and interesting plot. Once the story got going, it was a fun read with a nice exploration of discrimination, blended families and acceptance. It is something I feel will resonate with younger readers and should be on the reading list of any middle grade boy.Happy reading!My indie, my tea and me