Lexicon

Really well done. I always appreciate a book that sets rules and gives explanations to the fantastic events it imagines and this one did just that. The pacing is well done and although I guessed the ending earlier than I would've liked to, I was still intrigued and dying to find out what happens next.

While it's nothing new to manipulate people with well chosen language, Max Barry takes this concept one step further. By learning primal words, words that affect people at their very core, and using them to control others, The Organization has created and army of what they call “Poets”.

This is a fascinating and exciting story that I'm happy I took the time to read.

There is something slightly hilarious about the fact that I just read a book about manipulation because of a Reddit book club. Reddit. The site that is spiralling out of control when it comes to bullshit, agenda-driven, manipulative corporate fuckery. Ha. But hey, I just got tempted by the cool cover and... I need more books that are not part of a 34829374 books long series. Those are my excuses, I guess.
Also, Mr. Barry was genuinely really nice during his AMA thing. Seriously, he sounded extremely pleasant.

So I should actually talk about the book now, eh? In Lexicon we have an organization that is all about manipulation through words. They get to know who you are, then shout words at you, which make you easy to turn into a little slave to do their bidding. The magic word is NOT please. I don't care what your mother told you. One girl, Emily, gets taken to the magic word school and... she is one spectacular repulsive little fuckup. More of that later. The other story like is about Wil, who gets kidnapped from an airport by the word woodoo people, because they assume he is... someone. Storylines connect, hell breaks lose.

Rant begins here. Emily is such a gigantic selfish asshole I couldn't handle her. Now people who are specially picked because they are manipulators don't sound brilliant from the get go, but Emily is the worst. She had a hard life, being a runaway kid, but you know what? NOTHING makes it okay for you to run around murdering and raping, which is what our lovely protagonist does. She doesn't even act bothered by it, because... she gets away with everything. And the worst is... at the end she lives happily ever after with her very lovely, loyal and wonderful true love, without any punishment or consequences I will be honest, the reason why I didn't love this book was her. Maybe I am a dick, but I don't care.

Wil is... Wil. He's fine. He spends most of his time with another another dude, Eliot (word magic dude). They have some pleasant banter, good action scenes. They were a fine pair of individuals being forced to run together from awesome people trying to murder them. Later on he makes decisions that I found incredibly dumb. Again, annoyance, but it's complicated, so read it. Not spoiling it, ha.

The story was pretty original, which I could appreciate. To me it was getting a bit flat towards the end, so the last 20% took be about 2 days. I would even say it felt a bit rushed and I wasn't as affected by it as I expected to be. But I will give it to Mr. Barry, he really managed to suck me in at the beginning. That is how a lot of books go wrong for me; I can't get invested and it becomes a chore. This one? Made me want to read it in no time at all.

The topic was interesting. Some reviews talk about wanting to get into the actual theory of language and manipulation with some studying thrown in there. Personally I don't feel like doing anything like that now, but somehow the book managed to involve enough science for the science-y people and enough “magic” and action for me. Not sure how deliberate it was, but it did it so well. Technically it's probably a bit more sci-fi than fantasy, but from the side that could really work with fantasy people.

I will probably read more things from the author if I find anything catching my attention. Hopefully with less repulsive protagonists, haha.

Good night and think for yourself, kids.

As Wil and Eliot ran away from so-called poets for their life, Woolf kept inching towards them. Their only chance of surviving seem to be a “word,” one with tremendous power, but somehow Wil could not remember it.

Spells, incantation, persuasion, rifle and blood, Lexicon is a thrilling book jam-packed with interesting concepts and gripping actions. The book blasts off with a good ol chase scene, and then alternates between two timelines effortlessly.

However, it was disappointing to see that not much is known about these poets, their jobs, their purpose, and the world they operate in. It is as if Harry Potter had ended in book 1. The ending was kind of a trope, and while it makes sense for the book to end that way, I could not help but to feel amiss after rooting for Eliot so much.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book, but I would probably like it even more had it been a trilogy, and not a one-sitting read.

I really liked this. I don't want to get too deep into the plot; I was advised to go in blind and I make the same recommendation to you. I'll just say that it's a modern-day thriller premised on the idea that persuasion on the level of magic is a skill that can be taught.

Occasionally heavy-handed, mostly a great read. I generally like it when books explore the mechanics of the systems they create; I got a lot of that here, and it was great, but I would have liked even more of it. The ending hurts the book for a few reasons.

My guess is that no one reading a book review needs to be convinced of the power of words, you probably know the power of words in your own life, not to mention the pen is mightier yada yada. Beyond the power of the written word, comes the power of the spoken word – a good speaker can bring along a group or an individual to a conclusion they'd never agree to were they reading the material – there's plenty of anecdotal as well as experimental evidence to support the power of the spoken word.

Max Barry takes things a step further, what if the power of the spoken word was actual Power – like magic. With enough of a veneer of science/pseudo-science to make Walter Bishop happy and make the whole thing seem grounded. It's one of the best “magic” systems I've come across lately (and there's been a lot of them)

After a brief – and pretty unconventional – enhanced interrogation scene that made me wonder what I was getting myself into, I came across one of those sentences (or four, in this case) that are enough to convince me that I'm in for the rest of the book. In this case, it was on page 8:

He [our protagonist, drugged and in the midst of being kidnapped] shook his head to clear it, but the world grew dark and angry and would not stay upright. The world did not like to be shaken. He understood that now. He wouldn't shake it again.

je ne sais quoi

Raiders of the Lost Ark

It's a world where “poets” can hack the primitive linguistic centres of the brain to directly access our human OS. Once an individual's numerical segment is identified, base words can bypass our natural defences and render us compliant to command.

And segmenting has become easier in this connected world of online quizzes, Facebook likes and browsing patterns. We are ripe for coercion. The more data we willingly hand over, the easier we are to categorize and mould.

The Organization trains individuals in this hidden language to persuade. They just need to find able prospects. Enter street hustler Emily Ruff, who is identified and offered the opportunity to hone her skills. Running parallel to her story is that of Will Park, who we meet in an airport bathroom with a needle jammed in his eye. The two are somehow connected to the complete and utter devastation of the town of Broken Hill.

Incredible conceit. My only complaint is that it couldn't maintain it's pace throughout. It's a jangled open and a weak close that bookends a meaty thriller in-between. A wild ride nonetheless. I always knew Eliot was a badass.

PS. I'm a cat person.

This book was so well written and such a great read that I regretted reaching the end of it. I thought that it raised some really good issues in addition to the plot: about language, about love, about privacy, all really important and I was blown away by how well Mr. Barry was able to integrate them into such a good tight action novel.

Once in a while I find myself slowing down when I read a book because I just don't want it to end. This is one of those books. I'm not used to high action novels, but this one kind of grabbed me and would not let go. Emily Ruff is quite the character, street smart and clever. Eliot, the teacher responsible for a loose cannon student, and poor, poor Wil (who will remind anyone of one of Gaiman's poor schmos in the wrong place at the wrong time). What fascinated me was the idea that words could be so powerful. This is not a new idea to a reader, but it is much, much bigger. Here, words work more like extreme hypnosis or dare I say it? Magic.

A warning: I wish I had not read the jacket description when starting this book. I felt is was inaccurate (especially concerning Emily's early years), gave too much away, and just sucked. If you can avoid it, it's best to go into the story raw.

So, why not a five star review? There is a bit of disjointing in the flashbacks I found a bit frustrating. I felt out of order and lost in time in some of the sections and as Emily goes through several personality transformations, I just felt ripped out of the story and thrown to the side.

Also, I wanted more about Eliot. It is my great hope that there is either a prequel featuring Eliot and Bronte or a sequel featuring what is next for the organization. As it is world wide, I don't see what the problem would be continuing the tale.

Lexicon has one of the most gripping beginnings I have ever read. It's creepy, it hits the ground running, and the combination of a familiar setting and horribly fucked up situation is incredibly compelling.

Emily is a clever street kid who makes a living from conning people out of their money. She draws the attention of a mysterious organization's recruiters and is flown out to take the entrance exams at a school for learning the magical art of persuasion.

Wil is missing significant chunks of his memory and is the key to a secret war between rival factions of poets—those who have survived to graduate from the strange school of magic and learned to control others.

Their two stories slowly begin to interweave as the novel progresses, often skipping around in time to tell things in a nonlinear order that maximizes suspense. I'm a huge fan of Claire North's works, and Lexicon reminded me strongly of books like The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Touch.

If you're interested in linguistics, nonlinear storytelling, or a darker take on magic schools, you're in for a treat with this book. For those of you who enjoy audiobooks, both narrators were fantastic. The audio was also able to pull off some neat tricks that normally wouldn't be possible with a single narrator.

Overall, I loved this book. It was by no means perfect (one particularly unpleasant near-rape scene comes to mind), but I enjoyed it immensely.

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