I hate to start the New Year off with a poor review but I must. As some of you may have noticed I have had Immortal by Traci Slatton on my "Currently Reading" sidebar since November (November!!!). I just struggled and struggled through this book and sadly I couldn't finish it. Nothing burns me more than not being able to finish a book, I'll have you know. What was the most disappointing to me is that this was at the very tip top of my TBR list for ages, but I was unable to find the book anywhere (should have been my first indication that it wasn't a winner). Anyway, I finally scored the book for my birthday back in November and dove right in, unfortunately for me I dove into the shallow end.
The story of Immortal is told by Luca Bastardo (Luca the Bastard). Luca was lost from his noble family as a small child and so he grew up on the streets of 14th century Florence Italy. Eventually he was taken prisoner by an evil man named Silvano who ran a brothel that catered to men who had a taste for young boy and girls. Luca learns while he is there in the brothel that he isn't like other people. He grows older very very slowly, at 27 he still looks to be 15 years old, and because of this unusual trait Silvano wants to keep him around to earn him money and to eventually bring to the Pope in exchange for a reward (his people are legend to have a mark on their chest, that the Catholic Church is interested in). Luca fights his way out of the brothel, survives the Plague, and continues searching for the truth of his slow aging, his parents, God, Alchemy, and love on and on through the decades.
From reading the summery of the book you understand why I thought this book would be fabulous; a historical fiction lovers dream! But the thing is, it just fell super flat (flat like a pancake flat). The writing was choppy and hard to read. The dialog seemed to be unnatural and it didn't flow (almost like it was being translated straight from Italian into English using Bablefish). I kept thinking to myself that people don't talk like that, it sounds too proper, too scripted, like a bad TV show. The plot moved way to slow and after 300 pages I couldn't see the point of continuing (it's a long one). I am not going to give up all hope on this book though. I will finish it...eventually! But for right now I am going to set my sights on something else.
BOOK vs. MOVIE: Actually I think I would love to see a movie based on this book. I think the premise is very interesting but it just wasn't executed very well in writing. I read on Traci Slatton's website that the book has been optioned for a film by Vast Entertainment. No word yet on release date though.
RATING: 2 Star
3 More Reviews on Immortal by Traci Slatton:
Immortal by Traci L. Slatton
ISBN: 978-0-385-33974-2
Pages 513
If you enjoyed this book then check out: The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
Good job not giving up on the book! I in fact did not care to much for The Birth of Venus, so since you compare the two, I think I will definitely stay away from this one. Hope your next book is great!
ReplyDeletehttp://muse-in-the-fog.blogspot.com/