Blurb from Goodreads:
Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable world. A world where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly vines and seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don’t get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will.
Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He knows the first rule of survival is that you don’t venture beyond the walls.
What he doesn’t know is – what happens when you aren’t given a choice?
The first in a gripping new trilogy, The Book of Koli charts the journey of one unforgettable young boy struggling to find his place in a chilling post-apocalyptic world. Perfect for readers of Station Eleven and Annihilation.
Rating: 5/5 Windmills
*Note: This was received as an arc through Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, life has kept me from getting this review finished and posted in a timely manner. Though that doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten about this book. Actually, this was one of my top favorite reads in the month of April. I’ve been trying to figure out how to write about this book without including any spoilers, which is a little difficult, but I’ve definitely done my best and hope that’s appreciated.
At face value, The Book of Koli is the story of a teenage boy whose entire world changes after he makes some foolish decisions. As a result he is forced to grow up quickly in order to adapt in a harsh world that’d kill him otherwise. Yet this book offers a lot more though it doesn’t give it up fast.
The first half of this book is a slow-burn, and the writing can take a little adjusting to given the way Koli and the people of Mythen Rood speak. We are being told the story by an older Koli who believes that in order to understand what he has to tell us then we must first understand what came before. As he recounts his experiences, we learn about this hopeful, naive young boy of 15 who was born in a town named Mythen Rood in a dystopian world that shaped itself after an apocalyptic event that happened a long time ago. The plot is definitely character driven as everything progresses with Koli’s actions whether they’re for good or ill, and that means while there is action to be found it also can move slowly at times too.
Koli is a character that it’s hard not to root for given his dreams and desires are relatable enough for any under-privileged, love-struck kid. And that means when the disappointments come it’s hard not to feel everything with him. Koli isn’t the type to stand-up for himself or open up about his feelings at first and while his mistakes are partly foolish, they’re also well-meaning too. Learning a secret that shakes the foundation of his entire world at an unfortunate time leads him to behave in a manner that’s totally unlike himself. This leads to him allowing himself to be controlled by emotions, and hormones, until he commits an act that alters his life forever. As the story grows you definitely feel pride in watching this rather inexperienced young boy start to become the man who is telling this story. Though also sympathy as any innocence that was there is stripped away rather forcefully. As a narrator, his voice is strong and grabbed me immediately. And to me he seems like a rather reliable narrator and to an extent I’d even say an objective one as he doesn’t make excuses nor pity for mistakes of his own making.
As far as worldbuilding, in my personal opinion I found this to be a rather fresh take on the dystopian/post-apoc setting. It’s set in what was formerly the UK. The names of certain places have become warped over time as people lost the ability to read or understand the old language. It’s clear within the story that this takes place a long, long time in the future after a world altering event based on: how characters talk about the world before, lack of comprehension to the former language, the tech advances that existed prior to the event, the way the flora and fauna behave. Ah, yes, let’s talk about that fascinating element: the flora and fauna. . . that can kill you! Not just kill you, but eat you as well. Trees that eat people. The world is harsh, but it’s not just other people that make it that way — it’s the animals and plants too. Imagine not being able to go outside to collect resources or hunt food when it was sunny, but having to wait until it was a more rainy time. Why? Cause the plants are more active when the sun is out and could bring about harm. And this world gets more dark and harsh as we learn more about it with Koli. And lastly, the supporting cast were definitely an interesting bunch with different personalities. There wasn’t one of them I couldn’t feel something for to some degree. We didn’t get to learn about them all as thoroughly given we’re seeing much through Koli’s eyes, but that doesn’t mean they were flat or uninteresting.
Now, there were flaws to be found in this book. There weren’t many though and the only one that really comes to mind that feels worth talking about at any length is there’s a little bit of ableism, homophobia, and transphobia with religious persecution — aimed toward the latter two — that can be found in the story. However, it’s easy to tell that it isn’t the attitude of Koli’s character nor necessarily of everyone in this setting. It feels more like the result of a world that has gone backwards to some degree, and we’ve all seen throughout history how this can happen. Yet it’s easily a minor flaw as Koli himself, and others we come to meet, clearly don’t think this way nor agree with those that do.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book. Honestly, the killer trees are what drew me to this story, but I stayed for everything else. I can’t wait to pick up the next book in this series.
To Tilt With Windmills 