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Mortal Chaos by Matt Dickinson (view source)
Revision as of 07:44, 13 November 2011
, 07:44, 13 November 2011no edit summary
''Mortal Chaos'' is a powerful name, and it's perfectly apt for a book that describes a day in the lives of many characters, some from different countries, some adults and some children, some set for a typical mundane day while for others the day will be the definition of chaos. As the narrative rapidly alternates between the stories of these varied characters, it soon becomes apparent that they are all connected. How, you would think, could the day of a jockey, an airline pilot, a mountain climber on Everest, two boys exploring a forest, a boy in Africa, a thief, a gambler, a television crew, and an insane man with murder in his mind, all be connected? They don't know each other but the lives of all of these characters on this fateful day, depends on the actions of each other. Some will find themselves in life-threatening situations, while others will inadvertently end up causing them!
The author immediately makes you aware of how seemingly insignificant events from the perspective of one character can have huge impacts on others. For example, when a jockey cuts in front of a car in order to get to his race on time, he doesn't consider it to be a big deal to the other driver. But the other driver is an airline pilot, Tina, who consequently doesn't get to work on time, causing disruption to many people. For Tina, it is just a matter of professional pride, but for one of her passengers the delay is much more serious, as his daughter is forced to wait a while longer on the peak of the mountain she has climbed, to call him and share her success; the little longer she stays on the peak is enough to put her in the middle of a storm that makes her, (already difficult, ) climb back down, a lot more dangerous. This is one of many connections that are brought to existence by the actions of each individual character, and the author does a great job of conveying them.
Enjoyment comes not only from the tension of the various precarious predicaments of the characters, but the excitement of predicting the underlying connections between the different storylines. The rapidly alternating narrative makes for a compelling and very fast-paced read; there simply isn't time for you to get bored, as so much is happening at the same time. I found it to be a thrilling ride, with an unexpected conclusion that hammered home the fascinating concept of the story.