(This review might contain minor spoilers.)
Koli lives in Mythen Rood, a tiny village with people just surviving. However, after uncovering one of the village’s biggest secrets, Koli is forced to go outside the walls—something they are told never to do. Now he must learn the truth of the world, if he can only survive. Oh, and the trees will kill you.
There are two major sections in The Book of Koli: inside Mythen Rood and outside Mythen Rood. The first part focuses more on slice of life elements. We see Koli and his friends go through their daily lives. We see love and heartbreak. A ritual called Waiting, where children become adults.
Then, in the second part, the book becomes more action focused. Stakes are raised, and we’re no longer in a comforting environment. The two halves feel distinct, and yet they complement each other beautifully. The pacing is done in such a way that it slowly gets more and more intense. You hardly realize you’ve switched over from slice of life into action until you’re halfway into the action itself.
World-Building
The Book of Koli is written in dialect from the eponymous character’s perspective. There is a small learning curve with the writing, but after a few pages (or a chapter at the most), you should be good to go. The world-building was fantastically done through these minor details. One character, Ursula, speaks in a different dialect. So we already know that places outside Mythen Rood exist and that English has evolved in different ways.
There’s tech from ages past. One of them, a music-player called Monono Aware /a.wa.re/ ends up being one of the best characters. And then there are the trees. The villagers don’t go outside their walls because the trees will attack. Sunny days are dangerous, and they must constantly be watchful that the forest doesn’t try and enter the walls. But even that is more of a background element, though always looming.
Characters
While there is certainly a plot with lots of action, that doesn’t take place until over halfway through the novel. In reality, it’s the characters who carry this book.
The three biggest characters are Koli, Monono, and Ursula. Koli is a dark-skinned young man of about 15. He is essentially completely illiterate. His biggest dream in life is to become a Rampart so that he can harness the power of tech, something only Ramparts can do. He is so adamant about this in fact, that he steals some tech and manages to activate it.
Monono is that tech. She is, as she later says of herself, a manic pixie dream-girl in a box. But there’s so much more to her than that, and she goes through a major transformation. She’s an AI, but she felt so very alive.
I point out friendships a lot, but it’s because it’s one of my favorite tropes. And the friendship between Monono and Koli is simply magical. Their dynamic reminds me of an older sister-younger brother pair. Sure, they get on each other’s nerves, but in the end they still love each other.
And then there’s Ursula, the outsider of Mythen Rood who kick-starts everything. She prefers to be left alone. She isn’t nice, but she is caring. She’s someone you don’t realize will be important until later on. But then she becomes one of the most badass characters of them all, what with her intelligence, ability to care for the injured, and her keen fighting sense.
There are other characters as well, of course. For example, we meet villagers from another place where they paint images on their faces. They come in a little over halfway through, so I don’t want to say too much. There’s the villagers of Mythen Rood and the Ramparts. Probably the two that stood out the most were Mardew and Catrin. Mardew has the biggest ego and will not stand for Koli having tech. Catrin appears to be the leader and not opposed to making tough decisions.
All in all, I’d say the more minor characters are hit or miss. Some of them felt like they were there to fill in space, while others felt a bit more fleshed out.
Overall
The Book of Koli is one of the best dystopians I’ve read in a long time. It’s hard to talk too much about the specifics, only because most of it feels like too much of a spoiler. But it’s well worth the read. It juxtaposes the past with the future; nature with technology. It’s more science fiction, but there’s that slight magical element to it with the trees.
I can’t wait for the next book.
We received an ARC via Orbit Books in exchange for a fair and honest review. The Book of Koli releases April 14, 2020. If this book sounds intriguing, check out our reviews for Carey’s Someone Like Me by Hiu and Travis.
