The Writer's Forum
A place to read, publish and comment on both Fiction and Non-Fiction
The Age of Not Believing
Author:
Andrew Szlachetko
Format:
Paperback, 56 pages.
Available from:
www.theageofnotbelieving.com
ISBN:
978-0-9563088-0-1
“The
Age of Not Believing is a book that parents will enjoy reading and
sharing with their children as each modern and jaded Christmas draws
closer.”
Self publishing is a dangerous prospect for many authors. More often
than not money flows from them in an attempt to produce a product of
average quality. In clear and stark contrast to those types of
self-published books, The
Age of Not Believing is a beautifully designed book. One cannot
help but be impressed by the quality and beauty of the product. The
eye catching cover and the high physical quality ensure that anyone
seeing the book will need
to pick up a copy.
As one opens the book and begins to read they are immediately thrust
into another world. One that is painted clearly in the mind by both
the quality of the narrative and the well drawn illustrations which
immediately put one in mind of Grimm’s fairy tales. The details and
size of the illustrations serve to further draw the reader into the
magical world of Semdar.
The author quite clearly had a tale that he wished to tell when he
sat down to write this book. That same tale is, on the surface,
simple, honest and clear. Despite this, when one looks closely at
the story it becomes clear that the author is trying to pass on
several messages that can be enjoyed by all ages of reader.
The pace of the book flows well and, based on comparison between
this version and an earlier draft of the book, this reviewer has
seen the amount of thought that has gone into drawing the world of
Semdar for the reader.
Szlachetko draws on popular culture figures and the history of
wolves as negative symbols well enough that the story feels as if it
could belong to the same era as some of the western world’s
favourite fairy tales. It is to the credit of the writer that his
words will transport readers on a journey that could well provide
the cure to the overly commercialised view of Christmas that both
adults and children now seem to share.
Overall, The Age of Not
Believing is a great story about a boy who goes on an adventure
because of the magic that Christmas and putting up the decorations
bring. Despite the lack of religious reference, which some reader
may find themselves wanting at Christmas, this is a great story
filled with messages and ideals that parents will want to pass on to
their children. It is also a book that parents will enjoy reading
and sharing with their children as each modern and jaded Christmas
draws closer.
Review by Martin Nelson
The Writer’s Forum
All reviews are presented from an objective viewpoint and are not intended to be offensive in any way.
