Customer Reviews

Passion Play

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first picked up Sean Stewart, a few years ago, it was because they happened to have autographed copies of two of his books -- notably Passion Play and Nobody's Son -- on the shelf after a signing. I believe he still lived in the area then. I skimmed the covers, thought they sounded interesting, and bought them.

I was in no way disappointed, and I've bought all of his books since.

This is an exquisite book. Stewart has a way with a turn of phrase that always makes me want to read more; he handles sentences delicately, and the emotions that his characters feel infuse the lines. His writing style may not be for everyone, but I enjouy good writing that paints images with words, and his does that for me.

He also writes female voices very well. I was impressed with how well he took on the persona of a woman; she spoke convincingly, had convincing trials and tribulations, and problems that anyone could relate to -- or at least anyone who has ever had that feeling of disconnect from themselves, exacerbated by her profession.

Stewart writes books where magic is integral, and part and parcel to the story; it is not thrown in as an afterthought but is ingrained and the world would not be the same without it. Very original, and very worth reading for the possible promises and futures it ordains.

Gets a nine for the annoying, unhappy ending.

Seriously, this is a great book. While on the surface it's a book about a murder, it really engages on other levels. One of the central themes is biblical vs. civil justice, and whether murder is ever right.. Not that this is a religious book. Far from it, thankfully. Faust is another theme that is explored, but it's really just a great book. Stewart has a gift for concise, powerful description.

The main character is unique. Dianne Fletcher is a shaper - a sort of empath discovered by a psychiatrist about 20 years before the novel begins. Shapers can 'read' emotions. Dianne Fletcher comes up with an analogy for how a person acts. For example, a very religious man she 'sees' as a wick, burning brightly in a white wax candle. (Stewart puts it better than I do.) She's a Hunter, basically a private detective, but they're licensed by the government, and work more closely with the police. Basically, they get all the difficult cases that the police can't handle because they're busy arresting people for adultery and other stuff. The world is really well thought out, and isn't that far from the technology level of the present day 1990s, so If you don't like far out SF, don't worry. This is just a nicely detailed backdrop for the story.

Anyway, the book is really, really good. Every time I read it it never lasts long enough. And I'm always mad at the way the ending turns out. But the ending is consistent with the world the book takes place in.

Diane Fletcher is a Shaper, which is a sort of empath. She is a private investigator, known as a Hunter, for her dogged determination to pursue criminals. It is an ability that has come naturally for her most of her life, and she has lived with the ultimate certainty of the rightness of her cause. But criminals who have been publicly executed, after being apprehended by her, have begun to haunt her conscience. No longer living with moral certainty, she has begun to question her beliefs and her being. She is not wholly convinced that her Shaper ability has not dulled her humanity, after years of being overwhelmed by others' true feelings and nature. The truth has seemed to shake her view of mankind, which has opened other questions Fletcher is not comfortable asking. Amidst all of this, she is pulled into an apparent suicide of a beloved actor (known as a Communicator). It quickly becomes a possible murder investigation. The investigion leads to a riveting conclusion, which is so well told that the impact is deep, and effective. Those two words aptly describe the book as a whole. It is a deceptively simple story - a murder mystery, with a science fiction backdrop. But there is layer upon layer of other themes wrapped around it. Characters are expertly drawn, moral and ethical issues are explored, and Diane Fletcher is unforgettable. Simply a diamond of a book, waiting to be discovered by the masses.

Passion Play is one of the few books that I have read over and over again, and the story never gets old. It is beautifully told and gripping, with a mystery that tightens its hold over the reader and the protagonist simultaneously. Reading it feels like being caught in a dream, so thoroughly did I identify with the main character. Definitely high on the list of books that I picked up, and didn't want to put down again even after it was over.

I don't write reviews. I think I have only written one other. But I could not help myself where Passion Play is concerned. I picked this book up for a light read. But while the book has an easy flow and I did read it in one sitting it is anything but light. I was wonderfully surprised at the intensity and beauty of Passion Play. I am in love with Sean Stuart as an author. I have recommended this book to sci fi and non sci fi fans alike. The result is the same. Stuart's gift transcends genres. Passion Play blindsides you, pulls you in, and doesn't let you go until you are so fully immersed in the story that you feel woefully abandoned when you finish the book. But like another reviewer recommended, you can read it again and again and not lose interest.