It’s about time for some enjoyable reading. This time, I decided to to opt for something in the science fiction realm. It was a snap decision to buy Pathfinder. I have read Ender’s Game and thought it to be awesome. So why not another book by the same author?
Pathfinder initially struck me in two ways. First, the cover is one of the best covers I’ve ever seen. The blue color is great, it is shiny 
, and it has a dagger on it. The second thing that struck me is that it is 600+ pages long. I really wasn’t expecting that much, but in the days of Harry Potter, perhaps that is what people are expecting.
I mention Harry Potter because this is also a book intended for teens. I appreciate a few things about Orson’s writing in this book. It is as clear as possible. He goes through great lengths to explain what is going on in the “science” parts. At the end of the book, he actually reviews what is the most perplexing of these in length. His writing is clear and straight forward. It is clean enough where I would have no problems reading it to a pre-teen (although I don’t expect they would understand everything that was going on).
Pathfinder is an adventure. It takes the reader to places that have never been thought of before. It also ties this place in with concepts we already know. Things everyone has knowledge of such as sailing, taverns, and friendships are in the book so we feel like we can relate to this new world. He describes this world brilliantly. From the waterfalls to the Tower of O (you have to read it to know what the Tower of O is ), you feel like you are there.
The reader is left with more questions then answers. It felt like watching the TV show Lost. For every question that was answered, two more popped up. Some things were explained incredibly well and other things were ignored all together. The dagger that is on the cover of the book is a good example of this. It is on the cover of the book and yet hardly gets mention in the book. In this way it feels like an incomplete adventure. My guess is that is because there is a sequel coming out later this year.
The characters are memorable and distinct. Each one of them plays a role that only they can play. It makes for interesting displays of teamwork when their “powers” are used together. One of the abilities that Rigg (the main character) has been taught is the ability to observe his surroundings. Some of the best parts of the book are when he uses this analytical skill to play mind games with other people. He will notice things that others may not and that gives him the upper hand in getting his desired result.
There are intertwined stories going on in Pathfinder. Since some of the characters were more likable than others, I kept thinking how much I wanted to know what was going on with the characters I did like. Orson does a good job of mentioning those other characters even though we are following someone else. This way, we don’t just forget what was going on and remember that we are getting two or three (or four?) stories in one book.
The pacing of the book is slow at the beginning and then faster towards the end. It is more of an adventure book then an action book. That written, some of the last chapters were full of action and made me forget just how much I should be sleeping and not up reading.
I had a good time reading Pathfinder and will most likely read it again to my son when he is old enough to understand it. As fun and adventurous as this book is, leaving things open-ended doesn’t much appeal to me, if I’m left with more questions after the second book in the series; I’ll probably stop reading there.
