Helpful Score: 4
This book looked really interesting and I have read good things about it so I decided to give it a go. It was an enjoyable read, although there are a few things in the book which irked me a bit. This book was originally released in the early 80's and this is a re-release of it.
This story takes place in the post-Change world of the United States. The Change happened one day and suddenly all electricity/technology stopped working and magical creatures began roaming the earth. Humanity was left to survive in any manner possible in this post-apocalyptic type of world. Pete is living day to day when he stumbles upon a unicorn with a broken leg. He takes the time to fix her leg and dubs her Ariel. A year later Pete and Ariel are still traveling together; only someone is after Ariel's power and Pete and Ariel only have one choice...to destroy the necromancer that wants to hold Ariel captive.
This book moves at a fairly brisk and kept my interest. The relationship Pete and Ariel have, as well as the relationship of other characters with their familiars, is very interesting and much of the story pays attention to this. I also found it interesting that there is so much focus on Pete struggling with keeping his virginity, if he loses it then him and Ariel can no longer be companions. Enter a young woman (Saughnessy) who tempts Pete more than she should.
While Pete and Ariel are very well-developed characters, the characters surrounding them could use some work. The evil necromancer is fairly faceless and we never get to learn his thoughts on anything. Even the young woman that travels with Pete is rather 2-dimensional; you never get to understand her or hear why she wants to travel with Pete or Ariel.
There is a lot of unfettered violence and a lot of action in this book. Those with a weak stomach might want to skip it; to be far I don't think that the violence was made unreasonably gory...Boyett tries to stay true to what the resulting gore would actually be given that people's limbs are removed with swords quite often. I enjoyed the inclusion of the Japanese mentality to fighting with all the samurai sword action, those scenes were a lot of fun.
The ending of the book left me disappointed. I thought the choices that Pete made were kind of sudden and un-called for; but I will not mention any more to prevent spoilers.
There were a few things that bothered me about this book. The first was Pete's use of a blowgun to drop enemies immediately; it just isn't very realistic. In the Afterward Boyett says that he now realizes this. The second thing that bothered me was the lack of people. Pete travels through vast quantities of land without barely seeing anyone, which could happen. But then he goes through big cities without seeing many people. I realize if electricity/technology stopped some people would be killed in car accidents, plane crashes, etc...but a vast majority of humanity would probably be okay. I am wondering were they all went. Also since it has been six years since the Change, wouldn't you think humanity would be re-forming organizations and communities? There is a small community (300 people) talked about in New York, but other than that there doesn't seem to be much organization at all. I just found these aspects to very unbelievable and this lowered my opinion of the story, because it was so fundamental to the story.
Overall I enjoyed the story. It is a bit long and some parts are hard to find believable, but it is well written with some awesome action scenes. Boyett's idea of a post-apocalyptic world forced by a fundamental change in the laws of physics is interesting, but flawed at points. Will I be reading "Elergy Beach", the sequel to Ariel? Probably not. I just didn't love the world enough to continue reading about it.
This story takes place in the post-Change world of the United States. The Change happened one day and suddenly all electricity/technology stopped working and magical creatures began roaming the earth. Humanity was left to survive in any manner possible in this post-apocalyptic type of world. Pete is living day to day when he stumbles upon a unicorn with a broken leg. He takes the time to fix her leg and dubs her Ariel. A year later Pete and Ariel are still traveling together; only someone is after Ariel's power and Pete and Ariel only have one choice...to destroy the necromancer that wants to hold Ariel captive.
This book moves at a fairly brisk and kept my interest. The relationship Pete and Ariel have, as well as the relationship of other characters with their familiars, is very interesting and much of the story pays attention to this. I also found it interesting that there is so much focus on Pete struggling with keeping his virginity, if he loses it then him and Ariel can no longer be companions. Enter a young woman (Saughnessy) who tempts Pete more than she should.
While Pete and Ariel are very well-developed characters, the characters surrounding them could use some work. The evil necromancer is fairly faceless and we never get to learn his thoughts on anything. Even the young woman that travels with Pete is rather 2-dimensional; you never get to understand her or hear why she wants to travel with Pete or Ariel.
There is a lot of unfettered violence and a lot of action in this book. Those with a weak stomach might want to skip it; to be far I don't think that the violence was made unreasonably gory...Boyett tries to stay true to what the resulting gore would actually be given that people's limbs are removed with swords quite often. I enjoyed the inclusion of the Japanese mentality to fighting with all the samurai sword action, those scenes were a lot of fun.
The ending of the book left me disappointed. I thought the choices that Pete made were kind of sudden and un-called for; but I will not mention any more to prevent spoilers.
There were a few things that bothered me about this book. The first was Pete's use of a blowgun to drop enemies immediately; it just isn't very realistic. In the Afterward Boyett says that he now realizes this. The second thing that bothered me was the lack of people. Pete travels through vast quantities of land without barely seeing anyone, which could happen. But then he goes through big cities without seeing many people. I realize if electricity/technology stopped some people would be killed in car accidents, plane crashes, etc...but a vast majority of humanity would probably be okay. I am wondering were they all went. Also since it has been six years since the Change, wouldn't you think humanity would be re-forming organizations and communities? There is a small community (300 people) talked about in New York, but other than that there doesn't seem to be much organization at all. I just found these aspects to very unbelievable and this lowered my opinion of the story, because it was so fundamental to the story.
Overall I enjoyed the story. It is a bit long and some parts are hard to find believable, but it is well written with some awesome action scenes. Boyett's idea of a post-apocalyptic world forced by a fundamental change in the laws of physics is interesting, but flawed at points. Will I be reading "Elergy Beach", the sequel to Ariel? Probably not. I just didn't love the world enough to continue reading about it.
Helpful Score: 3
Five years ago, the Earth went through the Change - technology stopped working and magic suddenly became reality. Pete Garey, a young boy who survived the upheaval of the Change, becomes a loner and wandering scavenger, warily defending himself against the lawless who abound in a world of anarchy. Then he meets an injured unicorn and an unlikely friendship is formed. But a necromancer discovers her existence and is determined to take her horn for its magical powers, and Pete must find a way to stop him.
Originally published in 1983 and newly reprinted, this novel reflects the time in which it was written (the Twin Towers still exist), as well as the youth of the author, who wrote it at 19 and eventually got it published at 21. It requires a hefty dose of suspension of disbelief, and readers must also ignore inconsistencies in the Changed world, but once over those roadblocks the story is ok. I found it a bit of a ramble, and while it had a plot there were several instances that did not seem to have a point. Still, the post-apocalyptic world is interesting, the magic not too overblown and the character-building satisfactory if a little over-simplified, with a touch of corn here and there. It would be more suited to older youths.
Originally published in 1983 and newly reprinted, this novel reflects the time in which it was written (the Twin Towers still exist), as well as the youth of the author, who wrote it at 19 and eventually got it published at 21. It requires a hefty dose of suspension of disbelief, and readers must also ignore inconsistencies in the Changed world, but once over those roadblocks the story is ok. I found it a bit of a ramble, and while it had a plot there were several instances that did not seem to have a point. Still, the post-apocalyptic world is interesting, the magic not too overblown and the character-building satisfactory if a little over-simplified, with a touch of corn here and there. It would be more suited to older youths.
Overall I really did enjoy this book. The idea of a post-apocolyptic story line regardless of what causes it always makes for an interesting book. Add unicorns, magic, and swords and you got yourself a pretty awesome novel. It was a very easy read and only took me a few days to burn through the book. The ending was less than fulfilling however, and made me think the author was rushed to end the story. I do recommend this book and I look forward to reading the sequel.
I heard a lot about this book, I finally had the chance to read it. To tell you the truth I found it long winded, the action parts were good, but the rest wasn`t. This story could`ve been told in 225 pages not 389 pages. The hype was not justified.
Sometime in the past - before 9/11/01 - the world changed. Magic appeared in the world; guns and internal combustion engines stopped working.
Life in the post-Change world is nasty, brutal and short. Pete has been wandering since the world changed. The one thing that made life livable for him was meeting Ariel, a unicorn. Ariel and Pete become "familiars" with a bond and loyalty to each other. However, because Ariel is a unicorn, Pete has to remain a virgin, which periodically causes tension.
In their wandering, we see what life in the post-Change world is like. Society is starting to feudalize. Unicorn horns are a source of magic. A necromancer is beginning to create a power base in New York, and Ariel and Pete are right in the center of an assault on the Empire State Building.
Life in the post-Change world is nasty, brutal and short. Pete has been wandering since the world changed. The one thing that made life livable for him was meeting Ariel, a unicorn. Ariel and Pete become "familiars" with a bond and loyalty to each other. However, because Ariel is a unicorn, Pete has to remain a virgin, which periodically causes tension.
In their wandering, we see what life in the post-Change world is like. Society is starting to feudalize. Unicorn horns are a source of magic. A necromancer is beginning to create a power base in New York, and Ariel and Pete are right in the center of an assault on the Empire State Building.
Check out this opening line: "I was bathing in the lake when I saw the unicorn." One of the best opening lines I've ever read and had me hooked right from the get-go. Fascinating tale of the future where all mechanical and electronic devices have stopped working, and magic has returned to the world. Couldn't stop reading it till I finished. Great!
This is a fascinating post-apocalyptic fairy tale. It's an epic adventure, surprisingly funny and just plain surprising. Very enjoyable read.
its a comming of age story in a post change setting,
Pete grows to a man over the course and learns lots about himself.
a creative vision of how the world might be,
the ending was sad but inevitable.
its certainly a story worth reading
Pete grows to a man over the course and learns lots about himself.
a creative vision of how the world might be,
the ending was sad but inevitable.
its certainly a story worth reading
Pete is a high school student in Florida when suddenly technology stops. Planes fall out of the sky, cars and electricity stop working. Riots begin, and Pete is cut off from his parents who work too far away from his home or school to easily walk. Civilization tumbles into its lowest form - pure chaos and everyone for themselves. Mythical creatures begin to appear, such as Ariel, a unicorn who befriends Pete. To survive Pete and Ariel journey from town to town, and living off the land for food and shelter.
Overall: The book really leaves an impact, even a year later I feel a bit haunted. It's not really young adult although Pete starts off as a teen when the book begins; there are some violent and sad things that happen here which are described rather matter-of-factly. There's a mixture of both hope and loss after reading Ariel. I plan to read Elegy which is the sequel to Ariel, thirty years later. Elegy comes out November 3rd, 2009.
Overall: The book really leaves an impact, even a year later I feel a bit haunted. It's not really young adult although Pete starts off as a teen when the book begins; there are some violent and sad things that happen here which are described rather matter-of-factly. There's a mixture of both hope and loss after reading Ariel. I plan to read Elegy which is the sequel to Ariel, thirty years later. Elegy comes out November 3rd, 2009.
Books set in the future are not my forte. I don't like the mix of modern society with medieval fantasy creatures - feels like an insult to them.
A friend recommended this book - and I wasn't able to put it down. It was amusing to have a uncharacteristic unicorn and her young human male friend roam through a 'Changed' city where no modern technology works and fantasy creatures trot around like they never left the Earth.
Good, quick read. The story flowed and moved through nicely. I wont give it away, because I have a feeling the book is about 'growing, ect.' and normally this ending should have been a good one, but it pissed me off. More correctly - made me angry at the character for what he did. Once you read, you'll know why. :)
A friend recommended this book - and I wasn't able to put it down. It was amusing to have a uncharacteristic unicorn and her young human male friend roam through a 'Changed' city where no modern technology works and fantasy creatures trot around like they never left the Earth.
Good, quick read. The story flowed and moved through nicely. I wont give it away, because I have a feeling the book is about 'growing, ect.' and normally this ending should have been a good one, but it pissed me off. More correctly - made me angry at the character for what he did. Once you read, you'll know why. :)
A boy and his unicorn. I loved this book. Sorry but I am going to add this to my private collection. If you can find a copy read it. Good end of world fiction.
