Far North
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Product Description
Book Description
A major new novel of retribution and forgiveness from the prize-winning author of The Paperchase and A Blow to the Heart.
Product Description
Every day I buckle on my guns and go out to patrol this dingy city. Out on the far northern border of a failed state, Makepeace patrols the ruins of a dying city and tries to keep its unruly inhabitants in check. Into this cold, isolated world comes evidence that life is flourishing elsewhere - a refugee from the vast emptiness of forest, whose existence inspires Makepeace to take to the road to reconnect with human society. What Makepeace finds is a world unravelling, stockaded villages enforcing a rough and uncertain justice, mysterious slave camps labouring to harness the little understood technologies of a vanished civilization. But Makepeace's journey also leads to unexpected human contact, tenderness, and the dark secrets behind this frozen world. FAR NORTH leads the reader on a quest through an unforgettable arctic landscape, from humanity's origins to its likely end. Bleak, haunting, spare - and yet ultimately hopeful, the novel is suffused with an ecstatic awareness of the world's fragility and beauty, and its unexpected ability to recover from our worst trespasses.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Its grim up North...,
By
This review is from: Far North (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
To say this novel is a slow burner is an understatement. Key facts about the main character, the back story for the setting, and the motives of secondary characters are drip fed to the reader, with the effect that you start thinking you are reading a novel about the `Wild West', but you end up reading a very different novel indeed. I don't want to give too much away here, but the following paragraphs may contain some slight SPOILERS so please be aware.
I am a great fan of post-apocalyptic films, novels, manga, games etc and Far North counts as one of the most refreshing and well thought out of these. The setting is entirely believable, and the lifestyle eked out by Makepeace in this ravaged land echoes titles such as Fallout 3 (computer game) and, to a lesser extent, Mad Max. It is the story of a world gone to hell, and the few remaining people left scrabbling through the remains of civilization to prolong their miserable lives. As one character says, "You never imagine that you'd be in at the end of things". And that is very much the pervasive feel of the novel - that humanity is dwindling to nought, grinding through the last days of intelligence before the Earth goes dark, probably forever. There is a nostalgia and sense of loss that accompanies every crafted item, from a pianola to a piece of futuristic (to the reader) technology. It is a celebration of everything that humankind produced in its endless creativity and industriousness, and the sadness that this knowledge will be lost forever. Another theme of the novel is exploitation and slavery, and in many ways it echoes the Afro- Anglo-American slave trade triangle of the 18th and 19th centuries. This is coupled with perspectives on the cruelty of human nature when survival becomes key, and the power struggles that occur when resources are limited. However, these themes are touched upon rather than explored, and many readers will likely overlook these in the pursuit of the story. It is here that the novel is let down slightly by sloppy exposition. Huge amounts of time can pass within a paragraph, months and years slipping by without mention. This suits the style of the novel, which is written as a type of first-person diary, but is slightly annoying at times. There is also a distinct lack of spoken words - mostly because Makepeace is alone for much of the time, but also one must presume it would be difficult for someone to remember precise words after a length of time. The story also misses many key points out - what happened to the world to cause it to get to this point? Is the entire planet devoid of `civilized' life? These questions are left unanswered, as Makepeace doesn't know, but this is slightly unsatisfying for the reader all the same. I would definitely recommend this novel for anyone with a taste for the post-apocalyptic and sci-fi, as long as you are patient enough to get through the first few chapters to where the action starts.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprises right until the last page,
By Martin Turner "Martin Turner" (Marlcliff, Warwickshire, England) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: Far North (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Into the cold landscape of post-apocalyptic fiction, Marcel Theroux brings us a character, Makepeace, who continues to surprise us right until the very last page. Theroux's perfectly imagined sub-arctic landscape is so confidently plotted and written that he only reveals the details we need to interpret the story one at a time, so that each chapter brings some new revelation. This story is so immaculately told that it is difficult to believe -- while reading -- that it has not actually happened, and is merely being recorded for our sake, and posterity.
Far North is a challenging read, and not everyone will enjoy it. It has something of the Ursula K LeGuin about it, but with more close realism, though less impassioned brilliance: it is a book of many fine moments, but no truly great ones, and the resolution of the plot, though satisfying, does not _quite_ fulfil the expectations that are set up along the way. Be that as it may, this is a rewarding book and an enjoyable book, and anyone looking for something which is at once literary, and exciting in the genre of science-fiction is going to get a lot out of it. One of the better reads of the year.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding,
This review is from: Far North (Paperback)
I loved this book from the first page and couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting, which meant three and a half hours of undiluted intellectual stimulation.
The story's stoical, admirable, extraordinarily well-drawn central character Makepeace completely drew me in and had me hooked from page one. Apart from a small plot twist that stretched credulity a little towards the end (a coincidence issue), I was utterly convinced by the narrative, and impressed by the way Theroux tackles the issue of climate change without ever being didactic: just thoughtful and wise. His writing is of the highest quality: it feels simple and clean but it's packed with intelligence, linguistic grace, and an odd kind of modesty. There were some sentences and passages I read again just for the pleasure of the language. Perhaps it's silly to make comparisons but for me, 'Far North' works even better than McCarthy's brilliant 'The Road', something I didn't actually think was possible. The reason: Far North is more complex, more imaginative, more ambitious, but has more heart. That said, there is not a shred of sentimentality in it. I am not ashamed to admit that the final page had me in tears on public transport. This is a book I want to shout about from the rooftops. I have never read Theroux before but I have just discovered a new literary hero.
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