The Book of Koli by MR Carey

I received a free uncorrected proof from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The world has changed. Humans once dominated the globe, now we live huddled in walled towns, afraid of the outside world where everything is dangerous. Koli is one such human. He has the same miniscule dreams of everyone else, then he finds a piece of old technology. This leads to him being exiled to the dangerous outside – the equivalent of a death sentence –  which is far weirder than we could see from Koli’s early perspective. Here are my thought’s on the book:

• It’s MR Carey, so things get weird in a hurry. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic future where Britain turns into Australia and everything can kill you, even trees. It’s hard to gauge how far in the future it is set, but language has devolved, place names are vaguely familiar (if you feel like guessing) and the people live in Dark Ages fashion, except they are “ruled” by protectors (Ramparts) who wield some “old technology” which is often the only barrier to the outside world
• Koli is a likable narrator, although his vernacular takes getting used to. He is certainly dragged through the ringer from the start, and it’s hard not to sympathise with his plight. His relationships with Monono and Ursala are strengths of the story. Koli tells the story both in the present and the past, and it is interesting how Carey describes the world (and the past) through Koli’s limited voice. Much of what he knows is secondhand information (at best), and like all oral tales, has been embellished over the years, so we yearn to know the truth
• The world is fascinating, and the story intriguing, but at times I felt like we were missing on little details that could enhance the story even more. Part of this is the first person point of view, as we only know that Koli knows or hears, but surely there must have been a way to add other little details. Even Monono, Koli’s link to the past, is an echo and unreliable narrator at best. However, I have to say that despite some shortcomings, I found the story to be a page turner, and I read the story over a couple of days. 

Verdict

An interesting and often fascinating dystopian future tale.