Title:

Series: The War of the Dreaming, Book 2

Author: John C. Wright

Genre: Fantasy

This concludes Wright’s War of the Dreaming saga. With Wendy in hiding, and the loose company of heroes scattered, things aren’t looking to good for the fate of the world as we know it. But Wright’s plotlines, which sometimes may appear rather convoluted on the surface, always weave towards an unexpected, though gratifying climax and conclusion.

In this novel the conflicts and obstacles facing our cast of heroes seem almost insurmountable, but there is a method the insanity Wright has woven therein. This book definitely picked up it’s pace very quickly and maintained that acceleration. And just when you think you have figured exactly where he’s going and what is going to happen, then something else does. It is quite a ride!

As I understand it, Wright actually wrote this story (contained in the two books) before any of his other ones, and after reading those other books I can definitely say there is a maturation of ability from this one to them. That said, his ability as a writer is very evident here as well.

Do I recommend the book? Absolutely – especially to those who enjoy fantasy or even mythology. I also think the book has enough “realworld” elements to be relevant to those who don’t read as much fantasy.  An excellent book, with quite a bit of varying mythology woven throughout it as well. Imaginative and unique – quite a pleasure to read!

Worldview: Theistic, there is a vein of pantheism throughout, though a hint of monotheism in a place or two (kind of a “God to rule all gods” type of concept)

Age Recommendation: Definitely has a some rather descriptive violence, as well as some more sexual situations, which make me recommend this more for seniors in High School and up (though some Juniors may be mature enough to handle the material).

Series: Chronicles of Chaos, Book 3

Author: John C. Wright

Genre: Science Fiction

The cover of this book touts it as “The Fantastic Climax of The Chronicles of Chaos.” Most series, in their final book, spend a decent portion on the final build to the climax, which can sometimes be a letdown for the amount of build-up afforded it. Not so here. The climatic battle to which the children have been “destined” the entire trilogy takes up a good portion of this final book. And set aside all your preconceptions of where he could have gone and what he could have done, Wright takes this book and the characters in an direction only he could conceive and direct. Imaginative and creative, heart-pounding in in its pace, this final portion of the Chronicles of Chaos is a brilliant conclusion.

The children finally get a chance to spend time focusing on developing their talents/abilities. And in the process of running and self-searching, they really do find their true selves. They transition from children to adults, and begin to step into the power that their heritages have passed down to them. When the time for that final battle comes, though not completely ready to face their foe(s), they do so with all the power at their command.

Wright’s grasp of mythology and science is amazing, and the way he interweaves their contradictory realities is genius in itself. He has somehow woven a narrative utilizing perspectives or definitions of reality which are completely at odds with each other, yet, through his skillful writing, each holds its own coherently.

An aspect of how Wright develops his narrative and moves his story forward which I have come to completely enjoy and respect is that he “allows” his characters to choose poorly as they grow and mature through his stories. And their poor choices have very real consequences, and sometimes those consequences are ones which do not, in any way, affect their position or trajectory positively. It seems a more “real” way of storytelling, portraying individuals striving to do right, but sometimes not, and suffering the consequences thereof.

In all, I highly recommend not only this book, but the entire trilogy. Don’t do yourself a disfavor and start with this novel, begin at the beginning and work your way through them all. Orphans of Chaos and then Fugitives of Chaos are excellent books in their own rights, but all three of them really stand as a single unit, and you will never get the full grasp of what Wright has developed if you start anywhere other than at the beginning.

Worldview: polytheistic

Recommended Age: High School age, at least, due some more mature sexual themes and decently graphic violence. Also, some of the scientific theories (and uses thereof) are a little more abstract

Additional Links:

Titans on Google Books

Title: Orphans of Chaos

Series: Chronicles of Chaos, Book 1

Author: John C. Wright

Genre: Scince Fiction

Okay, I pursued obtaining this book (and not only this book, but the entire trilogy) after finishing Wright’s Golden Age trilogy and loving just about every second of it. Wright combines truly visionary creativity with compelling characters set in rather peculiar but completely intriguing situations. All these elements come together for books that are not only intricate in their complexity, but also unrelenting in their character development, the pace of the narrative, and the utilization of very abstract concepts to add layers of complexity to the already inherent tensions and conflicts of the story.

That previous paragraph describes every book of his I’ve read. This book, in particular, launches yet another visionary and truly creative trilogy. Five orphans of an orphanage begin to discover that they are not, in fact, normal in any sense of the word. Four of them realize abilities of four opposing paradigms of power/perception/reality, while the fifth’s powers and abilities lie as far from and against the powers of the others as theirs do against each other’s. This only begins to explain why the teachers of this orphanage outnumber the students – and these teachers are all mythological demigods. In the end they are not orphans at all, but rather captives – not only from their homes and families, but from who they truly are and the powers and abilities which come with that identity.

Some readers might be disturbed by a specific “spanking” scene, as another reviewer has noted. Cultural differences could probably be designated as the root of this discomfort. That said, the scene did not seem to me to be inconsistent with either the characters involved or the cultural and sociological context of the narrative.

An advanced understanding of fourth dimensional physics as well as a thorough grasp of mythology would probably complement any reading of this book, as Wright never shirks from diving headfirst into rather deep scientific or mythological explorations – but such learning isn’t essential to enjoy and partake of the story in general. But be forewarned, sometimes the intellectual waters can get deep rather quickly, so be ready to drink in and digest some rather abstract and intellectual concepts.

So if you are in any way a fan of science fiction and/or fantasy, don’t hesitate to pick up this book. I’d just advise trying to get my hands on all of ‘em first – Wright truly can’t write a novel-size story (I think is creative vision is just too big), so his publishers break his stories down.  If you only have this book, you are going to be extremely frustrated when you reach the last page – the story doesn’t end or conclude, it just stops. It stops at a logical break in the storyline, mind you, so there is some level of resolution, but only on a minor level which only drives the narrative forward even more.

Overall, an incredible book written by an amazing author. I really do not hesitate to recommend this book/trilogy.

Worldview: pantheistic

Recommended age: I would hesitate for anyone younger than the later years of High School to pick this up. Not necessarily because of the subject matter, but more for the depth of scientific, mythological and theological concepts which are explored and the story is based upon. ]]> http://reviews.zachjones.net/orphans-of-chaos-chaos-book-1-john-c-wright/feed/ 0 http://reviews.zachjones.net/the-golden-transcendence-john-c-wright/ http://reviews.zachjones.net/the-golden-transcendence-john-c-wright/#comments Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:57:35 +0000 zach http://reviews.zachjones.net/?p=147

Title: The Golden Transcendence

Series: The Golden Age, Book 3

Genre: Science Fiction

Author: John C. Wright

The final book in Wright’s Golden Age Trilogy does not disappoint. Definitely don’t read this before reading the first two books (Golden Age and Phoenix Exultant). It starts off with an insanely intense battle and then shoots for the sun – literally! It does slow down for a bit, but then takes off quite energetically again.

This is the climactic book in an amazing trilogy, and Wright does an excellent job of  bringing together all the different links and elements which he began weaving in the first two books. What is most satisfactory about this, in my mind, is that you are never completely sure exactly where things are going. There are so many twists and turns in the plot, but not so many or so often that you begin to get lost in it.

In my mind, The Golden Transcendence, along with Golden Age and Phoenix Exultant, are supreme examples of science fiction at it’s best. It’s hard to compare what Wright has written with Asimov’s fiction, because he (Wright) really is going in a different direction creatively. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it to all fans of the genre.

That said, I might not recommend this as the first science fiction book you read. Some of Wright’s concepts are so “out there” that someone not used to science fiction might get a little lost. However, if you’re up to a dive off the creative deep end into an incredible story wrapped around characters of immense depth in a truly visionary society – don’t hesitate! Snatch up copies of all three books and just dive in.

Worldview: Secular

Recommended Age: Doesn’t really have any objectionable material or language. The “fight” sequences are more intensely futuristic than they are violent. Should be fine for Middle Schoolers as long as they can understand the concepts (I’d recommend them having a dictionary on hand when reading).

Additional links:
John C. Wright’s blog
A specific blog entry explaining his conversion to christianity (though it seems more to be Catholicism than Christianity to me)
The Golden Transcendence on Google Books

Title: The Golden Age

Series: The Golden Age, Book 1

Genre: Science Fiction

Author: John C. Wright

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked this up. I have to admit, the cover intrigued me, but at the same time it also was just a little cheesy in my mind. All that aside, it took my breath away, in the end. I say that because at first, I was in way over my head with all the scientific mumbo-jumbo Wright was throwing around. Nothing really wrong with it, it just took me a little bit to get accustomed to it. After I got used to the terminology, I really began to enjoy the book.

I definitely don’t recommend this as the first Science Fiction book for someone to read. I think you need to be used to some of the more “out there” concepts which are integrated into this book from the get-go.

I found myself completely captivated by Phaethon and the amazing complicated predicament he literally finds himself in as he attempts to discover why 250 years of his memory are missing…at his request! And I think Wright did an incredible job of introducing you to character unobtrusively and then
“quietly” revealing them through the progress of the story.

Sad to say, this is the first of a trilogy of books, but from the other reviews I read, they are all worth the read. I do highly recommend this book to anyone daring to dive this deep into Science Fiction. But please, be forewarned, you’re going to have to be able to digest some pretty abstract concepts to really enjoy this book.

Worldview: Secular

Recommended Age: High School, just because of some of the “deeper” concepts. Overall it is a very clean book, though the morality is definitely secular. If a Middle School age child was able to handle the abstract concepts, I think they would be fine reading it as well.

Additional links:
Wikipedia page on The Golden Age
John C. Wright’s blog
A specific blog entry explaining his conversion to christianity (though it seems more to be Catholicism than Christianity to me)
FantasyBookSpot.com interview with Wright
SFF.com interview with Wright
The Golden Age on Google Books
sfsite.com review of The Golden Age

Author: John C. Wright

Series: The Golden Age, Book 2

Genre: Science Fiction

First off, if you haven’t read Wright’s The Golden Age, just buy it. You could read Phoenix Exultant without having read it, but you would just be cutting yourself short on one of the most creative, visionary, and exciting science fiction trilogies.

Phoenix starts out right exactly where Golden Age stops. And pretty much just keeps plowing ahead. That may have sounded a little monotonous, but let me assure you Wright’s epic is anything but. The most amazing aspect of Wright’s writing, in my mind, is how he can cultivate a conflict and conspiracy, an enemy and allies that continue to evolve throughout this book and into the next one.

This book, to me, was one adventure right after the next with hardly any downtime in between. It’s pretty much nonstop from start to finish. Mixing the movement of the plot with the action, you also have the zany but strangely familiar world Wright has created. What is so beautiful about this book, about the entire trilogy, is that the true conflict of the story lies in the impact of the technology of this future on mankind. That is the essential nature of science fiction.

So do I recommend it? Absolutely, especially if you like science fiction – but I highly recommend reading The Golden Age first, and I’d even recommend trying to have Golden Transcendence on hand as well. That way you don’t have to wait at all to continue the story.

Worldview: Secular

Recommended Age: Should be appropriate for high school age children, and some older middleschoolers – mainly as long as they can handle a few mature themes and the really abstract concepts (and crazy vocabulary!)

Additional links:
John C. Wright’s blog
A specific blog entry explaining his conversion to christianity (though it seems more to be Catholicism than Christianity to me)
The Phoenix Exultant on Google Books