20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Curiously Engaging, November 28, 2009
Tom Lichtenberg writes curiously engaging novellas. His stories are not driven by action but by mood and metaphysics. His premises often begin with fairly standard, often vaguely science-fiction concepts: time travel in Time Zone, for example, or mind control in World Weary Avengers. But he spins those concepts out into melancholy, thoughtful tales.
Lichtenberg cares little about the mechanics of the MacGuffins that underlie his stories. Rather, he explores the emotion and (often) dislocation that people feel when confronted by something outside their normal experience. In Somebody Somewhere that "something" is as commonplace (relatively speaking) as a kidnapping and hostage situation; in Time Zone, as noted above, the "something" is as vast an incomprehensible as travel through time. Lichtenberg's characters may adapt to the situation or ignore it, or become totally overwhelmed; but the true story is always in those emotions and responses, rather than the rote turnings of some formulaic plot device. Although Lichtenberg's spare, quiet style could not be more different than H.P. Lovecraft's ornate verbal extravagance, the two share a conceptual interest in exploring how people respond when conventional reality is stripped away.
Lichtenberg's prose in some of his novellas ranges pretty far into the experimental; although I have enjoyed some of these, my admitted preference is for those works that hew a bit closer to a traditional narrative style. My favorite thus far is Snapdragon Alley, the story of young friends who discover a vacant lot at the end of a bus line that, perhaps, is more than it seems.
Lichtenberg's "launching point" for Snapdragon Alley is nothing new (Lichtenberg himself gives away in his back-cover blurb that, in investigating the lot, the children "encounter the possibility of" a gateway to "another dimension"). Nor, despite some interesting narrative quirks along the way, are the bare facts of how the story plays out particularly novel. But Lichtenberg captures beautifully the poetry of what such a gateway might mean to the people who stumble across it, and the emotions it might inspire. There are no loud explosions in Snapdragon Alley, or, indeed, very much overt action at all. But the novella, like much of Lichtenberg's writing, inspires an appreciation of just how vast, mysterious and majestic "reality" is, and that is both a far tougher task and a greater triumph.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A curious mix of engaging and boring.., January 9, 2011
This review is from: Snapdragon Alley (Dragon City Trilogy) (Kindle Edition)
This was a cool little story. It was engaging, interesting, and pretty original. But I also found it seriously lacking an authentic voice. Meaning that the author writes the story as a narration alternating between all of the characters, the main characters being two ten-year-olds, and one five-year-old, and the thought process of all three are just not believable. I thought many times as I was reading that it seemed more like an adult reminiscing about his childhood, and projecting logic and maturity onto the characters that would simply not be possible at their ages. I was also pretty disappointed with the ending, as the author seems to just get bored with the story, and ends it without much care. Overall it was a fun, quick read, but I'm very glad I got it for free.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fast & Easy, October 11, 2010
This review is from: Snapdragon Alley (Dragon City Trilogy) (Kindle Edition)
This was a quick, pleasant read. There wasn't a lot of depth to the story, but it was very engaging, and the two main characters (Alex and Sapphire) were likeable. I do think that there could have been a great deal more charater development for Alex's brother Argus; in fact I almost wonder if HE should really have been the main character - or if he actually WAS the main character, but you don't realize it until all is said and done. There's definite possibilities for a sequel with Argus as the main character...
Even though the characters are 10 years old (or younger, in the case of Argus), this is not a children's book. YA, yes, and adults would enjoy it, although they might find it a bit superficial. Even though I enjoyed this little book (and it was little - it probably only took me 90 minutes to read, if that), I couldn't help feeling that it read as though it was a prequel to a longer, more in-depth book.
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