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A review by thefool
The Song of the Sycamore by Edward Cox
2.0
This is an interesting read in that at the very beginning, the main character is already dead. It might feel then, at first that there could be no stakes in going forward, but that's certainly not the case! The mystery seeped in the text is reason enough to continue.
Wendal died and was taken over by a mysterious entity known only as the Sycamore. This entity seems to investigate murders, fulfilling any lingering revenge they feel toward their killers. Although Wendal is no longer of the mortal realm in the way he should be, he's still aware of the ways in which his body is being used by the entity possessing him. He's forced to stand by and 'watch,' so to speak, unable to interfere with the actions.
Though one would think that it's not necessarily a bad thing for 'killers' to get their just desserts, it becomes increasingly clear that Sycamore isn't without fault itself. The vessels it chooses to carry out these goals are frequently used and abused until they can no longer be utilized, and then they are callously abandoned in favor of the next, better suited vessel that happens along. Sycamore seems to be a known entity in the magical world, and is feared - for good reason.
Wendal realizes that his broken existence and his empty life were what permitted the possession to happen in the first place, but what does knowing that do for him when there's nothing apparent that he can do about it? If there did arise an opportunity to shake his captor, would he take it, no matter the consequences?
'Hope - that was what drove me; that was all I had left. Hope for a stagnant existence on a broken world. I never envisioned my life turning out this way.'
All this sounds very interesting! And it may be for some! I never actually finished this book to completion outside of casually skimming it. The backgrounds of the characters, including the main character Wendal were simply too disjointed for me to have any real connection with them. There were supposed to be borne a feeling of desperation in the reader toward the main characters plight, but it was difficult to feel when exposed to some of the reasoning behind his predicament in the first place. But it very much felt impossible to grasp what was happening with the little tidbits of information that were scattered throughout. It always felt like I was one step too late behind.
Wendal died and was taken over by a mysterious entity known only as the Sycamore. This entity seems to investigate murders, fulfilling any lingering revenge they feel toward their killers. Although Wendal is no longer of the mortal realm in the way he should be, he's still aware of the ways in which his body is being used by the entity possessing him. He's forced to stand by and 'watch,' so to speak, unable to interfere with the actions.
Though one would think that it's not necessarily a bad thing for 'killers' to get their just desserts, it becomes increasingly clear that Sycamore isn't without fault itself. The vessels it chooses to carry out these goals are frequently used and abused until they can no longer be utilized, and then they are callously abandoned in favor of the next, better suited vessel that happens along. Sycamore seems to be a known entity in the magical world, and is feared - for good reason.
Wendal realizes that his broken existence and his empty life were what permitted the possession to happen in the first place, but what does knowing that do for him when there's nothing apparent that he can do about it? If there did arise an opportunity to shake his captor, would he take it, no matter the consequences?
'Hope - that was what drove me; that was all I had left. Hope for a stagnant existence on a broken world. I never envisioned my life turning out this way.'
All this sounds very interesting! And it may be for some! I never actually finished this book to completion outside of casually skimming it. The backgrounds of the characters, including the main character Wendal were simply too disjointed for me to have any real connection with them. There were supposed to be borne a feeling of desperation in the reader toward the main characters plight, but it was difficult to feel when exposed to some of the reasoning behind his predicament in the first place. But it very much felt impossible to grasp what was happening with the little tidbits of information that were scattered throughout. It always felt like I was one step too late behind.