Bezüglich Enten Und Universen: Roman (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Regarding Ducks and Universes is a fun tale that spans two dimensions. There is a definite "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" feel to this book, though the humor is definitely not on par with that book. That being said, the atmosphere of the book is light and fun. The book doesn't take itself too seriously, but it is a little too self aware (the reference to print books and eBooks and the dilemma they pose on readers, writers, and publishers happened way too much).The book is written in first person perspective and follows the vacation of Felix Sayers as he takes a vacation to Universe B. Felix finds himself in the middle of a mystery as others believe he is a crucial part to the splitting of the one universe into A and B. The book definitely kept me guessing what the final item would be that set off the event chain that created the two universes, and the ending is satisfying.A few things to note on this book, is that while it did keep my interest, it could have been shorter. The "Butterfly Effect" scenarios of how choices effect outcomes are discussed in the book a lot. Far more than is needed to get the point across that a leaf landing on a car windshield could set off a chain of events that causes someone to die or win the lottery or who knows what else.Overall, the characters keep the story interesting. The constant contrasting of people and locales with the other universe, A, is fun to read about. I enjoyed the story from start to finish, and if you're into stories about dimensional travel, you should, too.Or maybe you won't like it. You'll read half the book, put it down, and write a negative review on Amazon. At which point the author might read it and decide writing isn't meant for her. She then pursues a career as a tollbooth operator, only to be discovered by a big-name Hollywood producer. He hires her to star in his latest movie, which becomes the highest grossing film of all time. The author turned actress becomes so popular that people buy this book in droves, catapulting her to the bestsellers list for months. And she decides after it all, maybe she will write another book and shouldn't have brushed off writing so quickly.Hey, it could happen. An engaging what-if that fails to leverage its premise to flesh out the characters or the plot. At times it was difficult to discern the difference between grad students Arni and Pak, while Bean's defining characteristics are that she's the female grad student in the group, she drives fast, and our protagonist Felix has a chaste crush on her. Felix himself is a character with dreams and an ambitious spirit, however he displays little drive, motivated primarily by insecurity--his main reason for visiting Universe B is out of fear his alter, duplicate version of himself, Felix B has become a novelist before him. A mystery introduced early is never given proper due, never escalates as a threat, and its resolution is no more satisfying than an episode of Scooby-doo. The rivalry between the grad students and the Past and Future corporation, who both believe Felix is the true reason the universes split, is treated with the same nonchalance. In the end, it's not clear that Felix's trip to universe B was the life changing event that it could or should have been.
What do You think about Bezüglich Enten Und Universen: Roman (2012)?
fun, light summer read, and only $2 in the Kindle store!
—gowripai47
Enjoyable mix of sci-fi and detective story.
—Joana
