The Obsidian Blade: Book summary and reviews of The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman

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Arnav Sojan

Review of The Obsidian Blade - Arnav Sojan
The Obsidian Blade written by Pete Hautman, is a Science-Fiction book that also presents a religious concept. This book is a very original and thrilling book that keeps you on your toes. It is told in third person omniscient, meaning that we learn not only the main character’s thought s but also the others present.

The Obsidian Blade is about a curious religious boy, named Tucker whose father is a reverend at the Church that he founded and his mother plays the organ during the services. But one day his father disappears and He comes back with a girl who doesn’t speak and declares that he no longer believes in God and that their household will not pray anymore. One day, after his mother gets sick, Tucker a note from his father saying that they are going to seek help. Soon Tucker realises that his parents have gone through these mysterious disks. From this turning point Tucker knows what he has to do, find his parents.

Hautman writes book effectively, as at the end of each chapter, we, like the main character Tucker, have more questions than answers. The author has written it in such a way that we find it very hard to put the book down and stop reading, until we are through all the pages. Hautman has incorporated suspense and mystery effectively to produce this result. The book takes us along with Tucker on a search for his parents through time and space. We get to know Tucker and his experiences as well as some of the other characters.

The Obsidian Blade is a book most suited for High School and College students. This would be because some statements in the book may be too hard for the younger readers to process. Along with that, there are some violent scene, such as when the priest cuts the old lady, Awn, in half. There is also reference to alcohol usage and smoking, especially with Tucker’s uncle Kosh. The references to the different time spaces, especially in the future provokes and entices the imagination of young minds. The genre being science-fiction and fantasy would not be suited to older readers.

Similar to other time-travel novels, The Obsidian Blade is a book that takes a little time and effort to truly understand the plot and what is happening, especially considering the changes in scenes such as time paradoxes and crossed paths and swallowed years. But the great thing about the book is that Pete Hautman never failed to waver in any part of the book. When you think closely, every time jump and every after-effect that occurs in the story seems logical and inevitable.

In conclusion, the Obsidian Blade is a Scientific-Fiction book that always has us anticipating what the next page holds. It most suited for those in High School and University. Hautman has written an original and unique book that incorporates history and gives us a different view of what could have happened. The book flows very fluidly as the result of each time jump seems reasonable and inevitable. Hautman has not only made a book that presents wondrous ideas, but also has managed to make them very logical and reasonable.

Other books by Pete Hautman at BookBrowse