2 Book Lovers Reviews

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Sci-Fi & Fantasy

The Lost Puzzler 

By Eyal Kless

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It's the End of the World...

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​​I’m sorry, but I could not wait for this story to end.

The Lost Puzzler dragged on for far too long, considering the storyline.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love a long story, and at 528 pages, this book is far from one of the longest that I’ve read.

The story was an overlapping tale, consisting of a scribe’s adventure in unearthing the mysterious disappearance of Rafik (story number two). Kless’ narrative went back and forth between the scribe (don’t ask me his name) and the story recounted to him by Rafik.

Whenever I feel like this, I feel compelled to think about why this story didn’t work for me.  I really think that it comes down to a connection; the story moved along well enough with action, but I never really felt like I knew enough about any of the characters.  For the story to work for me, to really pull me in, I have to care.  If the author can’t make me care about the characters, I really can’t care about the book.  I honestly think that Kless needed to give me more background and development on this scribe, who I felt was the real focal point of the story.

I can see how The Lost Puzzler could resonate with some people, life would be boring if we all liked the same things.  It is high on creativity, the writing is sound, and it ticked off a lot of boxes of what is expected from the genre.  I just wanted, no, needed more from the characters.

*3 Stars