The Seems: The Glitch in Sleep, by John Hulme , Michael Wexler
Book Review by Megan J. Bulloch
Have you read this book?
The World that you live in is not, in fact, the world that you think it is. Darwinian Natural Selection, Weather, Dreams, Time and even Sleep are controlled by those in the Know, those who regulate The World from The Seems. It is into this new place, The Seems, that Becker Drane arrives after applying for The Best Job in the World and becoming the youngest Fixer ever. Fixers are not the ones who regulate the World, sending Dreams and Weather and, in autumn, changing the colours of leaves from green to red and yellow and Occasional Orange. Fixers are, just that, Fixers. They step in and take on the dangerous job of Fixing things when they go wrong. When a big cork gets stuck in the Rain Tower causing a drought in Portugal, Fixers step in to put the World straight again. Becker's first assignment finally comes through. He has to Fix a Glitch in Sleep, one of the most difficult assignments and one that has the potential for disaster.
Although putatively an incredibly creative tale suitable for kids of all ages (and apparently 35-year-olds), The Seems speaks to greater philosophical issues, blind belief, religion vs. spirituality and the quest for freedom. Artfully, the authors Michael L. Wexler and John Hulme explore Neitschian Existentialism and the Why questions: Why do we exist, Why were we created, if in fact we were, Why is the world the way it is, and the always fun, Why me? By the end of this story -- which is left wide open for a sequel (of course, it's a book for young adults ante Harry Potter -- the main character Becker Drane has Worn many Hats: Hero, Failure, Betrayed Friend, and Nemesis. Delightfully, these Hats are as cliché as, well, clichés, but handled with layers of mocking humour that the book might well be a Buddhist text in the hands of a master like Neil Gaiman.
I have yet to really relish a story as much as Johnathon Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy". The Seems is a close second. If the next book is as enjoyable as this one, Michael Wexler and John Hulme will have joined the ranks of Gaiman, Stroud, and Coin in creating literary works out of young adult fantasy.
Although putatively an incredibly creative tale suitable for kids of all ages (and apparently 35-year-olds), The Seems speaks to greater philosophical issues, blind belief, religion vs. spirituality and the quest for freedom. Artfully, the authors Michael L. Wexler and John Hulme explore Neitschian Existentialism and the Why questions: Why do we exist, Why were we created, if in fact we were, Why is the world the way it is, and the always fun, Why me? By the end of this story -- which is left wide open for a sequel (of course, it's a book for young adults ante Harry Potter -- the main character Becker Drane has Worn many Hats: Hero, Failure, Betrayed Friend, and Nemesis. Delightfully, these Hats are as cliché as, well, clichés, but handled with layers of mocking humour that the book might well be a Buddhist text in the hands of a master like Neil Gaiman.
I have yet to really relish a story as much as Johnathon Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy". The Seems is a close second. If the next book is as enjoyable as this one, Michael Wexler and John Hulme will have joined the ranks of Gaiman, Stroud, and Coin in creating literary works out of young adult fantasy.
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