I’m a very picky reader. One of my greatest fears is starting a book that I won’t like. I’m not sure why that’s such a fear. I mean, if I don’t like the book, I can just stop reading it, right? But to me, it’s something like picking the wrong person for a friend. It’s personal. Having said that, you would think I didn’t like Bastion by Phil Tucker. On the contrary, I found it quite addicting. This is what troubles me.
I generally don’t read addicting books. The only reason I read Bastion was because I got addicted before I realized addiction was happening. Does this make Phil Tucker insidious? Perhaps. The way I see it is that addicting books (i.e. “I couldn’t put it down” kind of books) usually aren’t great books. Moby Dick and Portrait of a Lady are great books, but they are definitely not addicting. You pick them up with trepidation and put them down with relief. I love those books. Bastion is not a “great” book, but it addicted me, and I’m not sorry.
Bastion is a fantasy set in a world unique to any other fantasy world I have ever been in. The city of Bastion is cylindrical (I was never quite clear on that) and sits on the edge of Hell. Mind you, this is not Christian Hell, but still, Hell. It’s a fascinating place where Great Souls are reborn again and again on their cycle of innocence to power as they fight to close the pit of Hell and open the portal to their home world. The plot is full of hope and despair, comedy and intrigue, friendship and enemies.
Aside from a plotline that motivates reading late into the night, it was the theme of humility and friendship that attracted me. The book has hints of the usual superhero theme at first. You know, where a weak person finds his power, rises up, and puts evil in its place. This may happen yet, but Tucker surprised me in how he’s willing to take his time. The protagonist, Scorio, suffers greatly. The “great soul” in him is evident, but is only seen in his striving, not in his kicking butt. The truth is, he gets his own butt kicked a lot. His journey to self-awareness and responsibility is a long one, but worth the time.
The friendship theme is what puts the book over the top. Scorio is a butt-kicked superhero who needs people. It’s endearing to see a strong character like Scorio, who is one of the most determined characters I have ever read, depending on others as he does. Fortunately for him, he finds people who can be depended upon. These other characters are well-defined—warm, funny, a little scary. Being a part of this camaraderie was one of the addictive elements of this book.
The book was a little abusive ending on the cliffhanger that it did, but it did its job in that I’ll probably be getting addicted to the next in the series whenever it gets published. Tucker has his work cut out for him. He’s started a uniquely fascinating world with an intriguing plotline and added endearing but vulnerable characters. Can he keep it up? I hope so.
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These books by Tory Anderson are now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format:
