by Reyben
on the Web Fiction Guide
http://webfictionguide.com/shelves/reyben/
This review will be updated.
I have been meaning to write it for some time, but unfortunately my access to the internet has been incredibly intermittent lately and thus I have been unable to completely finish the text- as is generally my custom prior to attempting a review. However I have now reached the half-way stage, which I feel gives me sufficient coverage to log my initial reaction.
The first thing to note is that the main character has a tail.
Tracker, the titular fox-human hybrid, is quite well portrayed. Often, stories dealing with characters of such mixed nature will fall into a relatively standard pattern of describing said characters experiences exactly like those of a human, but with their aggression and sense of smell dialled up to eleven. While Tracker does tend to smell his way around things, he generally comes across as closer to a shy human than a generic Man Beast. Indeed, Tracker is a rather sweet, somewhat repressed character whose emotions are well-represented by simple, short descriptions of body language like ’sagging ears.’
Most of the ancillary characters are not as well defined. Serving as members of some kind of police organisation, Tracker’s co-workers are all cut from fairly standard clothe- none of them spring to mind as having particularly memorable personalities. The principle female lead (Antoinette) does have a fair amount of impact, largely leant by the lengthy flashback denominating her immediate backstory. However, her ‘Whimsical singing traveller,’ nature has so far proved relatively one-note, and the character has yet to show any particular verve. Her intermittent bouts of French are a nice touch, even if they do occasionally feel a little contrived. Also, she gets naked. A lot.
The world of Tracker itself is curious, with its mutant hybrids and terrorist organisations- and the necessary exposition is handed to the audience in the inspired form of a song. However, little atmosphere has been built up about the environment after the opening chapters. Instead, the narrative seems to be mutating into a curious, off-beat romance carried out between Fox and Antoinette, while the later undergoes training for her shape-shifting abilities. While not entirely without merit, this romance feels rather too distant for the reader to become particularly bothered by.
This in turn is the chief problem with the story; the distance with which the characters are kept from the audience. The slightly absentee style of third-person prose feels very dethatched, even by the standards of the form; insight into the character’s minds is provided by large tracts of italicised thought-dialogue, which actually serves to make the characters even more remote by frequently severing the flow of the text. The plot is trundling along at a decent pace, but has yet to offer any truly captivating turns or twists. This of course could quite easily change as I approach the rear end of the book.
Overall an entertaining if not entirely engrossing read with I will attempt to progress through in the interests of drawing a clearer critical opinion. In the meantime, the text has been made worthwhile principally by this exchange:
“What else do you do?” Lisa asked. “I shapechange into a large tigresse” [Antoinette] answered absently, gazing around.
