The Traitor [Paperback]

Michael Cisco (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cisco (The Tyrant) ups the ante for provocative dark fantasy by giving this coming-of-age tale a subtle metaphysical edge. While still a boy, sensitive Nophtha realizes that he's uncommonly empathetic and able to see the world from the perspective of others. Tutored by his uncle, Nophtha apprentices as an itinerant spirit eater, or someone who absorbs lingering ghosts that congest the surrounding atmosphere and converts their essence into formidable healing powers. One day, Nophtha crosses paths with his alter ego, Wite, a soul burner who hopes to evolve to a higher level of being by gorging himself on the souls of the living. Under his sway, Nophtha is compelled to evaluate whether he and Wite are that different in nature, and to assess his feelings about family and community. Cisco writes in a reflective style that masks his narrative's virtual absence of a plot. Though discursive and sometimes repetitive, the story still moves toward its conclusion with a momentum borne of the author's meditative prose and aphoristic expressions. (Jan.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 149 pages
• Publisher: Prime Books; 1st edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809572354
• ISBN-13: 978-0809572359
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,318,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant dark fantasy novel, October 11, 2007

By 

Paul Tremblay "pnuke33" (Stoughton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Traitor (Paperback)

One of my favorite reads of the year. Surrealistic setup; the narrator is a soul burner, employ of the Empire, and must hunt down Wite, a soul burner turned spirit eater. Cisco turns the strange and exotic into something so personal. The key here, is the narrative voice. So many writers don't know how to use first person to their advantage (and I love me a good first person) and Cisco nails it in this book. The narrator's voice/rhythm was hypnotic, mesmerizing, the repeated bits like incantations. It builds suspense and release at the right times, and the last line of the novel, after the narrator has flogged and implicated the reader, then made the reader want to be a part of humanity's destruction, that last line is just pitch perfect.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, creative, lyrical, September 29, 2009

By 

Robert D. P. Mackie (east point, ga United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Traitor (Paperback)

While a bit confusing at times, I found this book fresh, creative, and lyrical. I was captivated by the flowing, intense rhythm, and constantly compelled to pull myself out of the engrossing story to think. This is a very original author. I've never read anything like this ever, and I look forward to more from him.

3 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is a different kind of story, December 22, 2007

By 

John J. Schoen (Perrysburg, Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Traitor (Paperback)

I read it...but I didn't get it. I guess you have to be into something I am not.