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B L U R B
(as copied from request)
The island of Dorchester is a scientific anomaly, a chasm in space and time, and the grand secret that lurks within its centre could affect the very thread that holds the past, present and future in equilibrium.
When Blakely, a field doctor, is tasked with the important mission of unleashing a virulent plague on the inhabitants of the backwards 18th-century island, just about everything that could go wrong does. Soon he's hunted by warlocks with bushy moustaches, witches with strange powder, and bog bandits with a penchant for human flesh. With the help of his partner, Abis, a sailor boy named Dicky and a frazzled inventor named Vera, Blakely must seek to vanquish the chaos that could destroy time as they know it, and the very conflicts that ail his mind.
R E V I E W
I always thought a dormouse was a Dorset mouse.
Apparently, it isn't, but I also found out today that Dorchester is in Dorset too (at least the real Dorchester, in England).
In Harvest Season, Blakely, an eccentric doctor who wears plague masks, heads off to Dorchester on a boat with friends and not-really-friends-who-really-piss-him-off.
As I've only read four chapters, I don't have much to say about the plot except that it's riding a bit of an acid trip as far as I can see---and not a good one. Not that the plot is bad; it's just so insane and fantastical with new characters popping out from every corner that I'm a bit worried that the story may end up crashing.
However, like any good reader, let's start from the beginning.
First, even though it's almost too out of the box for me and my crazy mind (which I never expected), the beginning is absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud as I read it. The matter-of-fact tone in which Blakely speaks is almost to the point of a pompous air, like a Cumberbatch-esque Sherlock Holmes transported back into the 1700s. In addition, those Jane Austen references are comedy gold. Although, to be honest, Mr. Bingley was probably my least favorite character from Pride and Prejudice.
Back on topic: Blakely, no matter where he decides to pop up, is a hoot---I love the tone of your dialogue, as it contrasts so much with the perceived 18th century setting that it surpasses weird and is just an absolute laugh.
However, that brings me to my first concern about this book. Blakely & co. all speak in a very 21st century English despite their 18th century setting, which confused me immensely as I began to read. I understand that 18th century English is probably a hell of a ride to understand, but the perceived dichotomy between your tone and setting is jarring and slightly off-putting for those of us expecting a historical fiction.
Moving on, the characters: as mentioned earlier, I've only read four chapters, so I don't think I have enough information yet to deliver an official verdict on Dicky or the captain, but Abis feels like a stereotypical sidekick. With such an enigmatic main character like Blakely, I think it would be great if you developed Abis a little more and instead of just having him be a babysitter 24/7, create subplots for Abis and different layers to him because all humans have secrets that can be exposed, and literature's job is to find them.
What I've seen so far is a refreshing departure from the typical teen romance novels that you find on Wattpad---this is unabashedly a comedy, with Blakely and his plague mask and Yersinia (I'm a biology student, so seeing people do their research makes me HAPPY) running around with Abis on his coattails.
Finally, we come to the descriptions.
There is most definitely a solid amount of description in the novel. Adjectives galore and more adverbs than air in the world. As an editor, I love it when people spend the time searching for the right words and it comes to them. But in this case, I'm slightly worried that they begin to choke up the plot. The sheer amount of colourful and flowery descriptions at the beginning threw me off slightly as I struggled to figure out what was actually plot and what was just decoration; there are complex words used where simple ones would work just as well, or maybe even better. They begin to form a bottleneck, and the right things are getting trapped inside. (More biological evolutionary theory for you.)
In any case, it's been a long time since I've found a solid comedy to read, and despite the tame sense of the title, this is definitely a rip-roaring ride.
*in any case, no matter the quality of the story, i still encourage you to check it out! because in the end, anyone who is brave enough to publish work on Wattpad and ask for feedback deserves my respect.
