She’s someone you don’t realize will be important until later on. Sure, they get on each other’s nerves, but in the end they still love each other.Īnd then there’s Ursula, the outsider of Mythen Rood who kick-starts everything. Their dynamic reminds me of an older sister-younger brother pair. And the friendship between Monono and Koli is simply magical. I point out friendships a lot, but it’s because it’s one of my favorite tropes. But there’s so much more to her than that, and she goes through a major transformation. She is, as she later says of herself, a manic pixie dream-girl in a box. He is so adamant about this in fact, that he steals some tech and manages to activate it. His biggest dream in life is to become a Rampart so that he can harness the power of tech, something only Ramparts can do. Koli is a dark-skinned young man of about 15. The three biggest characters are Koli, Monono, and Ursula. In reality, it’s the characters who carry this book. While there is certainly a plot with lots of action, that doesn’t take place until over halfway through the novel. But even that is more of a background element, though always looming. Sunny days are dangerous, and they must constantly be watchful that the forest doesn’t try and enter the walls. The villagers don’t go outside their walls because the trees will attack. One of them, a music-player called Monono Aware /a.wa.re/ ends up being one of the best characters. So we already know that places outside Mythen Rood exist and that English has evolved in different ways. One character, Ursula, speaks in a different dialect. The world-building was fantastically done through these minor details. 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 Book of Koli is written in dialect from the eponymous character’s perspective.

You hardly realize you’ve switched over from slice of life into action until you’re halfway into the action itself. The pacing is done in such a way that it slowly gets more and more intense. The two halves feel distinct, and yet they complement each other beautifully. Stakes are raised, and we’re no longer in a comforting environment. Then, in the second part, the book becomes more action focused. A ritual called Waiting, where children become adults. We see Koli and his friends go through their daily lives. The first part focuses more on slice of life elements. There are two major sections in The Book of Koli: inside Mythen Rood and outside Mythen Rood. Now he must learn the truth of the world, if he can only survive. 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. Koli lives in Mythen Rood, a tiny village with people just surviving. (This review might contain minor spoilers.)

The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey