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A review by nick_borrelli
The Boy Who Walked Too Far by Dom Watson
4.0
I don't think I've ever read a book quite like THE BOY WHO WALKED TOO FAR. There are so many different elements and influences fused into the story that it really makes for a multi-textured and fascinating read that keeps you guessing throughout. At times it felt like a murder mystery SF story, it also had moments of unrelenting dark fiction, futuristic SF, and fantasy. So to say that this story really makes your head spin (in a good way) is an understatement.
I don't want to get too much into specifics about the plot because I feel like describing anything in further detail from the book blurb will give away too much. I will say that the I couldn't help but be reminded of Isaac Asimov's Robot series, most specifically The Caves of Steel, as the mystery of Felstrom's death was being investigated. As the circumstances begin to get revealed gradually, the parallels to that series by Asimov were inescapable in my opinion. Yet THE BOY WHO WALKED TOO FAR has a lot more going on than just a SF Noir tale in a futuristic world.
I will say that this is not an easy read that you can just pick up with a lot of distractions happening around you and still be able to follow it. Quite the contrary, as there are so many subtle things that occur which if you miss, will make it really hard for you to reconnect with what is happening. So you really need to focus on every aspect of the plot because events occur early on in the book that are important for later on.
The world-building is out of this world great (no pun intended). Dom Watson has created such a deep and wondrous setting with Testament and its environs that this book is such a pleasure to read almost based on that alone. When you add to that some terrific characters, a wickedly dark and brutal story line, and a mystery that is incredibly intriguing and keeps you hooked to the very last page, the result is a genre-traversing story that both entertains and horrifies at the same time. I look forward to reading more books by Dom Watson and also to seeing where he takes this series in particular. If you are looking for a different and challenging read that is far from the usual fluff variety, pick up a copy of THE BOY WHO WALKED TOO FAR.
I don't want to get too much into specifics about the plot because I feel like describing anything in further detail from the book blurb will give away too much. I will say that the I couldn't help but be reminded of Isaac Asimov's Robot series, most specifically The Caves of Steel, as the mystery of Felstrom's death was being investigated. As the circumstances begin to get revealed gradually, the parallels to that series by Asimov were inescapable in my opinion. Yet THE BOY WHO WALKED TOO FAR has a lot more going on than just a SF Noir tale in a futuristic world.
I will say that this is not an easy read that you can just pick up with a lot of distractions happening around you and still be able to follow it. Quite the contrary, as there are so many subtle things that occur which if you miss, will make it really hard for you to reconnect with what is happening. So you really need to focus on every aspect of the plot because events occur early on in the book that are important for later on.
The world-building is out of this world great (no pun intended). Dom Watson has created such a deep and wondrous setting with Testament and its environs that this book is such a pleasure to read almost based on that alone. When you add to that some terrific characters, a wickedly dark and brutal story line, and a mystery that is incredibly intriguing and keeps you hooked to the very last page, the result is a genre-traversing story that both entertains and horrifies at the same time. I look forward to reading more books by Dom Watson and also to seeing where he takes this series in particular. If you are looking for a different and challenging read that is far from the usual fluff variety, pick up a copy of THE BOY WHO WALKED TOO FAR.