This book sat on my Kindle for quite a while before I finally opened it up
and started reading.
This story grabbed my attention immediately from the beginning and wouldn't
let me go until I finished it. It is fast paced, brilliantly written, and there
are surprises on nearly every page.
City of Orange is a post-apocalyptic fiction about a man who wakes up
and has no memories about anything before the moment of his awakening. In the
place he finds himself, it appears everyone has abandoned their homes and moved
away. As he moves through his unfamiliar world, he slowly gets his memories
back thanks to an old man, a young boy, and a crow.
The principal character awakens in the bright sunshine, afraid to open his
eyes. He is injured and alone and has nothing to remind himself of who he is,
or what he even looks like. He sees he is near a kind of river, lined with
concrete and measuring about a hundred meters wide, - most likely the Los
Angeles River - and he slowly tries to piece his life back together. Where he
is at the time seems safe, but he knows he needs more to survive. As he
explores, he happens upon a makeshift shelter under an overpass, and from
there, he expands his range and recovers his memories. Some of those are very
good memories, others are horrifying.
Imagine what it would be like!
The object of the story is not an adventurous sort. As a matter of fact, he
is rather timid as he moves about his immediate environment. As he gets his
memories back, he also regains some of his self-confidence. But what he learns
is not always pleasant and gives him no comfort.
We meet a few other characters along the way, some helpful and some not so.
My favorite plot point of City of Orange is how the story of the
man's life is revealed slowly through the entire novel. Each and every memory
the man recovers is painstakingly gained.
Another favorite point is what the cause of the setting is never really
revealed. It isn't really important to the man's story, but there are hints of
what might have happened.
I'm going to leave it at that because nearly anything further I can say
might be considered spoilery.
My takeaway from City of Orange is one must be careful who one trusts
when one finds themselves in unfamiliar surroundings and situations. There are
those who may seem like they want to help, but then turn out to be someone who
only wants to take advantage of a situation. Then there are those who will
help, but only if you are willing to open yourself up to them. Finally, though,
one needs to trust themselves and their instincts to make their way through an
uncertain world.
City of Orange is a story full of twists and turns through days of
confusion and self-discovery. It opens with no preamble and offers no obvious
moral when it ends. The reader will need to decide what this story has to offer
them. From the first paragraph, the action is nonstop, but it isn't
overwhelming. I wouldn't label this a Science Fiction book. The principal
character is more on a journey to rediscover who he is and how he can move
through his world with caution.
The quality of the writing and the story are great, and I recommend it to
anyone who would enjoy a story of discovery.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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