Pale – Chris Wooding
Editura: Stoke Books
Data publicare: 10 septembrie 2012
Numar pagini: 72
Sinopsis:
Serul Lazarus te poate aduce inapoi din morti. Singura problema este ca te si transforma intr-un „Palid”. Jed nu-si poate imagina nimic mai rau, dar apoi alegerea nu ii mai apartine…
Parerea mea:
Multumesc editurii Stoke Books si autorului, Chris Wooding, pentru ca mi-au oferit aceasta carte pentru recenzie.
Cu siguranta de acum ar trebui sa fiu mai atenta inainte de a-mi alege viitoarele lecturi. Eram nerabdatoare sa incep Pale, asteptandu-ma bineinteles la un roman, pentru ca in momentul in care am inceput sa citesc sa descopar ca este de fapt vorba doar de o nuvela 🙂 Dar chiar si asa, lectura a fost placuta si nu regret deloc timpul petrecut citind-o. Mai ales ca a fost vorba cam de o ora, maxim.. Singurul lucru de care imi pare rau este ca un subiect cu adevarat interesant a fost epuizat oarecum superficial, in doar 70 de pagini, cand ar fi putut sa fie transformat intr-un roman mult mai captivant.
Pale trateaza subiectul mereu fascinant al nemuririi. Incercarea de a invinge moartea se traduce de data aceasta prin crearea unui ser, denumit Serul Lazarus, ce ofera posibilitatea unei anumite categorii de oameni sa fie salvati din ghearele mortii. Insa efectele secundare ale serului laolalta cu ironia faptului ca doar cateva persoane indeplinesc criteriile naturale pentru a beneficia de aceasta descoperire dau nastere atat unor controverse imense cat si unui dispret general indreptat impotriva celor intorsi din morti. In ciuda faptului ca cei „Palizi” raman exact aceleasi persoane ca si inainte de moarte, pastrandu-si capacitatile cognitive, amintirile si comportamentul, aspectul fizic diferit ii face sa fie respinsi si brutalizati de catre societate. Iar legislatia nefavorabila le ingreuneaza si mai mult noua viata. Miturile si superstitiile nu intarzie si ele sa apara, teama, invidia si nestiinta fiind factorii declansatori ai unui adevarat razboi dus impotriva celor intorsi din morti.
Pe acest fundal, facem cunostinta cu Jed si prietenii lui, niste copii care au preluat intreaga gama de sentimente si reactii ale adultilor, vis-a-vis de existenta „Palizilor”. Iar in momentul in care unul dintre copii ajunge in tabara adversa, viziunea cititorului se transfera intr-o directie opusa. Avem acum o perspectiva diferita asupra lumii, chiar din interiorul comunitatii celor „Palizi”, iar cruzimea societatii este si mai bine subliniata. Notiunea de familie isi pierde sensul, prietenii devin dusmani, iar cei prezentati pana acum intr-o lumina intunecata sau cel putin incerta, ajung sa fie singurul sprijin al personajului principal.
Povestea te duce cu gandul la mitul cutiei Pandorei. Cei Palizi reprezinta factorul declansator al exploziei de sentimente negative: ura, razbunare, invidie, cruzime, vanitate, inselaciune. Insa in acelasi timp, ei raman singurul simbol al sperantei, singura urma de bunatate si intelegere. Spre deosebire de alte carti in care mortii reinviati reprezinta personajele negative, in Pale, rolurile sunt inversate. Umanitatea mai salasluieste doar in inimile celor reintorsi la viata, in timp ce oamenii vii, normali, si-au pierdut orice urma de omenie.
Bile albe:
– Stilul autorului este remarcabil, reusind sa combine tonul infantil si viziunea adolescentina asupra intamplarilor cu o nuanta ascunsa extrem de rece, aspra, acida. Desi nuvela este incadrata in genul Young Adult, exista anumite sensuri mai profunde, ascunse printre randuri.
Bile negre:
– Dat fiind numarul restrans de pagini al povestii, o multime de detalii importante nu au fost clarificate, asa ca cititorul ramane cu cateva nelamuriri ce nu primesc nici un fel de explicatie. De asemenea, intriga nuvelei ar fi putut fi dezvoltata mult mai amplu, putand fi transformata intr-un punct de plecare pentru un scenariu mai complex.
English version:
Sinopsis:
The Lazarus Serum can bring you back from the dead. Only thing is, it turns you into a Pale. Jed can’t imagine anything worse, but then the choice is taken out of his hands…
My opinion:
I received this book by courtesy of Stoke Books publisher and the author, Chris Wooding. Thank you for offering me Pale in order to write a review. Because English is not my native language, please excuse the possible mistakes.
I’m pretty sure that from now on, I should be more careful before choosing the next books I’m going to read. I was eager to start reading Pale, expecting, of course, a novel. And when I began reading, I discovered a novella instead 🙂 Even so, reading Pale was a real pleasure and I don’t regret a second the time I spent. Especially that I only needed about an hour to finish it.. The only thing I feel sorry about is the fact that such an interesting idea was presented somehow superficial, in only 70 pages, when it could have become a much more captivating novel.
Pale covers the forever fascinating subject of immortality. This time, the attempt to fight death is represented by the Lazarus Serum, which offers the possibility to come back from the dead to a small category of people. But the adverse effects of the serum and the irony that only a few people fill the natural criteria to benefit from this new discovery are shaping huge debates and also a general feeling of hate for the ones that returned from death. Despite the fact that the Pales remain the exact same persons they were before dying (keeping their cognitive abilities, their memories and their behavior), their altered appearance determines the society to reject and brutalize them. And an unaspicious legislation makes their new lives even more difficult. The myths and the superstitions are the next to come – the fear, the envy and the ignorance being the trigger to a real war against the returned ones.
On this background we meet Jed and his friends, a group of children that absorbed from the adults the whole chord of thoughts and reactions against the Pales. And when one of the kids finds himself on the other side of the fence, the reader’s vision transfers in an opposite angle. We have now a different perception over the world, right from the inside of the Pales’ community and the society’s cruelty is highlighted even more. The concept of family is ruined, the friends become enemies and the ones we were seeing until now in a dark or at least in an unclear light become the only comfort for the main character.
The story makes you think about Pandora’s box. The Pales are the trigger of the negative feelings’ explosion: hate, revenge, envy, cruelty, vanity, abuse. But in the same time, they remain the only symbol of hope, the last bit of gentleness, kindness and harmony. Unlike other books where the living dead are usually the villains, in Pale, the roles are reversed. The humanity only lies in the hearts of the living dead, while the normal humans lost any trace of humaneness.
Pros:
– The author’s style is remarkable, blending the childish tone and the infantile perception over the events with a well hidden cold and sharp touch. Although the novella is considered to be Young Adult, there are some deeper meanings, hidden between the lines.
Cons:
– Because of the limited number of pages, a lot of important details were not clarified, so the reader remains with some questions that don’t receive an explanation. Also, the novella’s storyline could have been extended, in order to become a premise for a more complex plot.
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