Starting A New Book

I don't particularly like the section on the blogging packet where you have to write the one book that you are reading. It makes the assumption that you are going to pick up one book, read it all the way through, and then start another one. And I tend to read about four books at the same time.

While I was reading Brave New World, I also started a drastically different book by Anthony Horowitz. Many of you might know Horowitz for his Alex Rider series- but his new novel, "Russian Roulette" is written for an older (high school) audience. This new prequel in the series diverges from the typical plot structure; it is mostly written in the first person, and rather than focusing on the child espionage agent himself, it details the life of Yassen Gregorovich.

Yassen is an interesting individual. He is a ruthless contract killer who was a primary and secondary antagonist for much of the original series. Yet, he comes off as strangely humane. The story begins as Gregorovich opens his laptop the day before the first book in the series, Stormbreaker. He inserts a flash drive- with multi-layer encryption of course- and begins to read his personal diary. It already sounds so strange that the most elite assassin in the world would keep a diary. But it keeps getting stranger. Yassen's personal tale begins with his life in a small Russian village where he witnesses his father, mother, and best friend getting killed by an outbreak at a biological weapons factory. Determined to keep the incident out of the news, the Soviet authorities attempt to destroy the village and all of its inhabitants. Yassen manages to escape with his friend Leo, who death is detailed by a dreadfully grim description.

Eventually, Yassen has to find his way in the city of Moscow. He is quickly robbed and tricked by a gang of local thieves, and feels that he has no hope left in the world.

I'm only about half way through the book, but I can easily understand why Horowitz took so long to write this novel compared to the original books. It's much deeper emotionally and plot-wise, along with its much higher level diction and syntax. In fact, the first person narration is so much better than his usual utilitarian style that I wonder why he didn't write all of his books this way. You can see the contrast within the first two chapters. The first is written in his traditional style with fast paced sentences, mounting suspense, and more allusions than you could possibly imagine. The second chapter is from the mind of Yassen Gregorovich, which gives it a sentimental and nostalgic tone. Here are two excerpts:

Chapter 1: "[The Guard] was quite a bit older than Yassen, probably an ex-convict recruited from a local prison. And he was scared. He tried to make light of it. 'I won't do that again!' he said. 'No,' Yassen replied. 'You won't'. The Beretta was already in his hand. He shot the man in the chest, propelling him backward into the darkness and the sea below. It had been necessary to set an example. There would be no further clumsiness that night." (Horowitz 11)

Chapter 2: "The real nightmare was behind me. It was almost impossible to think of my village and the people who had lived there. Mr. Vladimov smoking his cigarettes until the stubs turned his fingers black. Mrs. Bek, who ran the village shop and put up with everyone's complaints when there was nothing on the shelves. The twins, Irina and Olga, so alike that we could never tell them apart but was always arguing at each others throats. My grandmother. My parents. My friends. They had all gone as if they had never existed, and nothing would remain of them, not even their names. Never tell anyone you came from Estrov. Never use that word again." (Horowitz 48).

I'm not sure how the rest of the book will turn out, seeing as this is the first time Horowitz is trying out this new style. But so far, it's looking like it will be pretty interesting.