Customer Reviews

The Edge of Reason

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I managed to read my way through The Edge of Reason rather quickly, drawn on by the author's excellent writing on the level of the sentence and paragraph. A mastery of description, a great sense for the revealing detail, fine images, a pretty good gift for dialog -- all these promise a delightful read. Alas, plotting problems do the book in.

The opening chapter or two provide excellent action, and a slam-bang introduction to the story. However, as you continue reading, there are long "dead spots" where nothing seems to happen except endless talking. The plot veers and turns, taking the reader on several side-trips that are almost akin to "filler" material. One wonders if the author had a firm outline, and a clear sense of where she was going.

Issues also get in the way. The author appears to have some strongly held views about gayness. We only learn halfway through the novel that the protagonist is a gay man. From there on, many pages are devoted to his fight against prejudice and slights. It is almost as though, "hey, this book is a great soapbox . . . let's take a vacation from the plot for a while."

The protagonist Richard is a pretty complex and interesting character, but many of the book's characters are like cardboard cut-outs, altogether evil or surpassingly good.

I really believe this author has excellent talent. If she could just get out of her own way, and master more discipline, she could write the kind of books that I could review very positively. As it is, the time wading through this one was not really time well spent.

Richard Oort, a police officer in Albuquerque, finds out that he is a paladin for the forces of rationality and science. He is recruited in the fight against the forces of evil: Cthulhu-esque beings from another dimension who feed on humanity's fears and pain to break through to our world and use religion to gain power by spreading hatred and fear.

The Edge of Reason is set in the present day but successfully ties the history of various myths and religions into its background. At times, the "religion = bad" message is a bit heavy (and I can imagine some people taking offense to it), but at the same time, it manages to turn this fantasy novel into a sharp social commentary that, depending on your political views, may or may not make you nod in agreement. Regardless, the connection between religion and a Chtulhu-type invasion is quite original -- and it's not every day you encounter a fantasy novel in which rationalism is good and magic is evil.

Oort is an interesting and complex character, and the way Melinda Snodgrass slowly reveals his personality and his past is one of the best aspects of this novel. There's also a cast of solid, well-realized side-characters (human and otherwise) who make this novel a pleasure to read. I also enjoyed the loving way Melinda Snodgrass described New Mexico and Albuquerque, the setting for most of the novel.

The Edge of Reason is a fascinating present-day fantasy with a unique concept and solid characters.

The Edge of Reason (2008) is the first Fantasy novel in the Edge trilogy. It is set in contemporary Albuquerque, New Mexico. There magic wars with reason.

In this novel, Richard Oort is a scion of a rich and influential family. Now he is an Albuquerque beat cop. He had been a student of music and then worked for an investment company. Something happened to him and he left home to become a policeman.

Rhiana Davinovitch is a physics student at the University of New Mexico. She has discovered that she is also a sorceress.

Kenntnis is the owner of Lumina, a large firm in Albuquerque. He is a coldly rational person.

Cross is an alien from another dimension. He contains the splinters of many personas, some very destructive.

Damon Weber is a Lieutenant in the Albuquerque Police Department.

In this story, Rhiana is running from something that is chasing her. She has been running for seventeen miles and is getting exhausted. But the things chasing her do not tire.

Richard is following a line of blackouts in his car. The power company is not aware of any disruption of electricity. Yet he is sitting in an area that has no power. Even his headlights are fading and the car engine dies.

Richard gets out of the car with his flashlight and looks around. Then his flashlight beam starts fading. Just before it dies away, Richard finds Rhiana.

Three things surround Rhiana. Richard draws his pistol and tells them to freeze. When they ignore him, Richard fires a shot into the air.

One of them comes toward Richard. He notices that it is not human. He fires two shots into its body. The first one is underpowered and the second misfires. Richard immediate discards his pistol.

Rhiana takes out a penny and murmurs some words over it. It starts glowing and spinning. She bats it toward one of the monsters and it catches fire and then shatters.

Richard manages to break a window with his nightstick and they climb into an office. The monsters follow them inside. Penny activates another penny and guides it toward a monster. It catches on fire, but the sprinkler system puts out the flames.

Richard notices that the water has dissolved part of the monster. He breaks the glass and takes out the emergency firehose. High pressure water soon dissolves the other two monsters.

Then a street person sticks his head in the window and surveys the situation. He looks at both Richard and Rhiana and then tells her to stick with Richard. Sirens converge on the building and Cross flees the scene.

After lying royally, Richard manages to calm down Lieutenant Weber. When the lieutenant offers to have one of the cops drive Rhiana home, she asks if Richard can take her. They both go to his apartment. She sleeps on the bed and he sleeps on the couch.

The next day, Richard is told to report to Kenntnis at the Lumina office. There Richard learns that religions are a scam by aliens like Cross. They feed off emotions, particularly negative ones. They have been creating wars and other conflicts for many millennia.

This tale involves Richard and Rhiana in a war against the aliens. Rhiana has magic, but Richard has absolutely no magical powers. He is a magic null and is important just for that reason. Kenntnis offers him a weapon of order that only magic nulls can wield.

The story tries Richard's spirit and exposes all his emotions. Richard goes through a form of mania and depression as he resolves his conflicts and fears. It takes him back home to face his family.

The novel contains several themes that may offend some readers. Since the storyline contends that all gods are really aliens in disguise, the tale argues for an atheistic approach. The hero is also bisexual.

This story does not resolve the conflicts. The next installment -- The Edge of Ruin -- carries the story further, but this is obviously a trilogy or more. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Snodgrass fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of personal conflicts, alien creatures, and human love.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Richard Oort is an beat cop in the Albuquerque PD who finds himself involved with something very big and very supernatural when he runs to the rescue of a college student. Her assailants are clearly supernatural and he seems to be the only one who can see that and who can stand up to them. Later, he is assigned to deal with Kenntnis, the head of the wealthy and powerful Lumina organization, who tells him that there is a battle going on that is hidden from mankind. The Old Ones are on the rise, hoping to use humans to open gates to their world and endless prey upon them. Wars and hatred help them out--and the Old Ones have been manipulating mankind through religious intolerance and other things, for ages. Richard is immune to some extent because he has no magic. He is one of the rare few who can wield a sword that will close the inter-dimensional gates and fight the Old Ones--a kind of Paladin.

Richard has problems of his own. He is running from his own past and his family. But he still has ties to them and is strongly religious, and learning that the Old Ones have manipulated mankind through religion causes conflicts within him. But he has a strong desire to do what is right and to protect others... reluctantly he may take up the sword and try to save mankind from darkness and horror.

Richard is an unusual hero, but I liked him and wanted him to do well. The humans and not-so human who are gathered to aid Kenntnis and Lumina and Richard are also interesting and sympathetic. The bad guys are less clearly drawn, but definitely nasty. Despite some flaws, the story and the people engaged me and I will definitely want to read the next book in the series.

Excellent read for me but if your a bible thumper pass on this book it will only piss you off!

You kind of know you're in trouble with a book when you discover that one of the protagonist's big problems in life is that he's just so pretty. I only wish I was making this up, but there it is, just after he's rescued The Girl:

"Now he was standing next to a woman who matched his extraordinary good looks. 'And I wonder if it's been as much of a burden to her as it has been for me?'"

Feel his pain! How can you not empathize with him? He's just your average concert pianist with a Master in Arts turned police officer after the requisite stints at Cornell and the Rome Academy who also spent time in fencing, gymnastics and also did some yachting with his dad back in the day. Just your regular Joe Six Pack, except for that interesting six month gap in his records.

I'd probably have a lot more vested in this obviously extraordinary character and his difficulties if the writing elevated the story at all. Instead, we learn his backstory in a fashion that is only slightly less interesting than my summary. We are literally told all of this as one of the big movers of the plot reads it out of a file. And there is the biggest problem with the book: we are not shown that things have meaning or feeling. Instead we are told, over and over again in a shrill, tone deaf authorial voice that our heroes are heroic (but with cliched Dramatic Problems) and that the villains, though beguiling, are in fact so Wrong that they should really be twirling their mustaches (a la Snidely Whiplash).

Which is a real shame because the story about the various magical and scientific forces battling over the Earth could make for a fascinating book, but this really isn't it. This is bad fanfic. Never mind the extended sequences when the plot is set aside so the characters can have token moments to get over their pasts, how else can you describe one action packed sequence where one of the Powers That Be finally gets riled up enough to chew out Our Hero's father for being a bad parent? "You don't deserve him!" Maybe.

You definitely deserve to save your attentions for a better book.

Interesting concept, but definitely not a thriller.

Read the 169 page excerpt at the author's homepage before buying and see if the story grabs you more than it did me. Concept is original, granted and maybe further installments will provide better plot and character evolution.

Meanwhile, rather read Pullman, Hitchens or Gailman for much more entertaining treatments of what the gods are doing (His dark materials, God is not great, American Gods).

Some more detailed criticism for those who care: Hard to relate to the main character as mentioned above, most questions solved in the first 50 pages, remaining plot not really interesting (who cares about the hero-pianist's family history, or police-station-banter when the big mysteries appear mostly solved already?). Also no shades of gray in the first 150 pages, characters are black and white as in a children book.

This is one well written, engaging book! Completely messed up my weekend because I couldn't do the honey-dos until I finished it.

The book hooks you on the first page (you hear that alot but it is rare that it actually happens; this is one of those rare times) and you will be midway through the story before you look up again.

I _rarely_ give anything five stars, so when I do it is because I honestly feel it is deserved. Having said that, I feel I have to respond to a few of the commenters that gave it one star. The main complaint seems to be that the protaganist is "good-looking". Two thoughts on that complaint:
1. the protaganist is 5'4".
2. get over one small detail. So he doesn't have a wart on the end of his nose (moley, moley, moley) and isn't cross-eyed... How about the plot? How does the story progression suit you?

This is a GREAT book and I will be anxiously looking for a sequel (the ending is open to a sequel).

My advice: If you like an intelligent plot that challenges conventional thinking, read this book.

Former concert pianist but now Albuquerque police officer Richard Oort may be stunned by what he sees, but he reacts. Naked strange beings, obviously not human though what they are Robert is not sure of, chase after a young girl. His efforts to rescue a sorceress are noticed by affluent Kenntnis, who thinks he may have finally found the perfect warrior in his eternal war with the Old Ones.

Richard learns just who recruited him as Kenntnis has been called the Serpent and Lucifer amongst other derogatory names. The cop also finds out that the Old Ones encourage human religions as they feed on the emotional frenzy and suffering of diehard believers. Kenntnis and his Lumina supporters insist they want free will for mankind while their opponents need human dependency. As his mother commits suicide, Richard with no time to grieve, has doubts that he is fighting for the good guys as he has been indoctrinated throughout his life that Lucifer is the tricky devil while his new commander in chief insists the opponents won the propaganda war.

This is a terrific action-packed apocalypse thriller that will have the audience pondering the roles in society of organized religion, formal education, Lovecraftian mythos, and the Albuquerque Police Department. The story line is fast-paced yet readers will empathize with the beleaguered human hero as he struggles with comprehending a supernatural war that has gone on from the moment Eve seduced Adam into taking a bite and has spilled onto the streets of his hometown. His dealings with the stick man and associates, a homeless bum who happens to be a God (the RFK theory of the deity comes to mind) and a new Dark Age driven by the Old Ones but supported by human fundamentalists who see power in the golden rule of those with the gold make the rule are fascinating to watch. Melinda Snodgrass provides a strong thriller that will send her readers over THE EDGE OF REASON.

Harriet Klausner

I love Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Always have.

It has been years since I picked up a book I couldn't put down. I read this in two evenings. It has everything: conspiracy, fantasy, magic, science, monsters, twists, cops, robbers, etc. It is very well written with good detailed descriptions that are not long enough to become "page fillers".

It is not exactly correct to call it a story of good vs evil but it is not incorrect either. It is "good" vs "evil" with a twist.

It has no ending. It just quits. Leaving the world hanging from the edge of a cliff clawing desperately to keep from falling.

It makes the reader scream for Volume II. I hope to see it soon.