Noah

     Growing up, I remember Noah by Ellen Gunderson Traylor sitting on our shelf waiting for me to pick it up. It always interested me but for one reason or another I always found myself getting distracted with some other reading. Well, during these past rainy weeks, I finally read it! And what an appropriate choice for such weather, might I add.

     This novel is a very fictionalized retelling of the classic biblical account of Noah. The author took many liberties with what a pre-flood world would have looked like (even graciously warning those more hesitant readers that this is obviously a work of fiction and not claiming to be a historical or religious account, which I thought was a unique forward).

     For example, Genesis mentions a group of beings called the Nephilim as being "the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown" (Gen. 6:4). Such references are short and there is still much mystery as to what they were like. Traylor imagines them as the inspiration for the gods of Olympus - in fact, Poseidon is a main antagonist. Or Traylor's imagining of life immediately after the flood. Noah's family fears once they noticed they were aging faster than normal (what?! age spots on 400 year old skin? that shouldn't show up for another 300 years!). I thought these little additions were quite creative.

     The plot is mainly the same as the biblical narrative: God warns Noah of an impending flood, showing His wrath for sin. Noah and his family will be spared, not because they were sinless, but because God was showing his grace. I was surprised that the theology behind the original account was the same in the novel. Traylor took many liberties, but the main point behind the story was not muddled in any glaring ways.

     At times the writing moved a little slow - trying to fit in the life's work of someone who reached the age of 950 was no easy task, I'm sure. But the plethora of so many interesting details kept me reading. I loved having the lives and characters of Noah and his family fleshed out, and adding that extra layer of human emotion to such a stoic tale was really neat.

 

The Scorch Trials

     I've been trying to decide for a while now if I liked The Scorch Trials by James Dashner better than The Maze Runner (first one in the series). And at long last, (get ready to get disappointed) I still can't because they are so different. The tag line on the cover says it best: "The maze was only the beginning".

     Spoiler alert: Recapping the plot may in fact be a spoiler in itself if you haven't finished the first book...ye be warned.

     The Scorch Trials picks up right where The Maze Runner left off. Phase two: The Scorch. (Sounds lovely, right?) At first I was a little let down because I had really enjoyed the setting of the maze and the glade, and the new setting for book two was its complete opposite - barren desert, unconfined, unpredictable weather, and now with the added danger of other people in the mix trying to survive, compete with, and even destroy the Gladers. Thomas and the rest of the group are slowly putting the pieces together as to why they are being put through all of these terrible tests. They know the world is in catastrophe and ravaged by a terrible disease. Are they here to help find a cure? Do they have it themselves?

     The pace was super fast, which I enjoyed. It worked well with such a mysterious plot. I was however, once again disappointed that I didn't get to see much more into the characters I am most interested in - Minho and Newt. A small complaint, and I hope the third finally delivers. On the other hand, I do think there was a bit of an improvement in Thomas' development and complexity. There seemed to be more of an inner dialogue, reminding us that Thomas wasn't some action hero that knew exactly what to do. If he was in a dangerous situation, he was still brave, but at the same time struggled with feeling helpless and at times considered defeat. I found this really refreshing and relatable. Take note all you young adult dystopians out there - not every teenager knows MMA and is a perfect shot with a conveniently placed weapon. Overall, I enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to next.