Book Review: Evensong by John Love
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Night Shade (January 6, 2015)
Author Information: Website
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
At first I didn’t think this would be my type of book, with its convoluted politics, bio-engineered super killer soldiers, dispassionate violence and casual sex, not to mention at times the narrative seemed more invested in the technicalities of hand-to-hand combat rather than the time it takes to build a convincing world. I know I’m not exactly selling it so far, but hear me out – because now that I’ve finished Evensong, the heavy emotional impact this book had on me is something I just can’t ignore.
Novels like these remind me why it’s important to step out of my comfort zone, for I ended up liking it a lot. Its dark and cynical futuristic cyberpunk-ish style reminded me a little of Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon, mixed in with a bit of that 007 Casino Royale vibe when it comes to the main protagonist. A biologically-enhanced operative, Anwar Abbas is an introspective character as raw and edgy as an unpolished stone, hardened by his life and work, but who nonetheless cares about standing up for what’s right.
Anwar is disgruntled when assigned bodyguard duties for Olivia del Sarto, the archbishop of the fast-growing New Anglican Church, but finds himself both repelled and intrigued by his charge’s abrasive candor. The morally ambiguous Olivia has an aggressive demeanor completely at odds with Anwar’s stubborn and systematic approach, but that doesn’t stop the two from plunging headfirst into a torrid affair – albeit one that is initially all sex and no feeling. Anwar is more than happy to satisfy Olivia’s voracious appetites, but stays by her side out of a sense of duty more than anything else, tasked to protect her from shadowy enemies who have threatened to assassinate her during a high-profile U.N summit on water rights.
Character development isn’t exactly strong, with both Anwar and Olivia’s personalities coming across as rather stunted and flat, causing me to constantly question their motivations especially when it comes to their relationship. And yet, somehow their affair manages to evolve into something much more nuanced. It’s not a love story, but at times it sure felt like one, even in all its twisted and dysfunctional glory. Here you have two characters on opposite sides of the spectrum; the harder they resist each other the more they are drawn together, becoming like one another. It sounds deceptively simple, but there’s a lot of synergy happening between the lines. It makes Evensong the perfect example of a story where the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.
John Love’s writing style also strikes me as a bit eccentric, especially since he utilizes a third person omniscient point of view for this novel, and is quite stark as he goes about his storytelling. For my part, I prefer a more personal touch, but admit that the author’s approach is also well suited for the story and its themes. I enjoyed my fair share of contemplation into the book’s more philosophical subjects – religion, human nature, etc. – but as I’d alluded to in my previous paragraph, I was mostly fascinated with the character dynamics and interactions. The author gradually adds layers to everything, so that the longer you read the novel, the more rewarding the experience gets. Like I said, there’s a combined effect at work here. At some point you’ll definitely get the feel of every piece snapping neatly into place, and suddenly it all makes sense.
I did say the novel had a huge impact on me emotionally. The revelations came at me like an explosion at the end, like one moment you’re traipsing down a sunny country lane and the next you’re blindsided by a Mack truck barreling into you at a hundred miles an hour. As the dust settled, I was left with a numbness, a melancholy that even now I find hard to explain, mixed with shock and disbelief…like, did I just read that?!!! The story definitely touched something deep inside me though, especially in light of the nature of Anwar’s character and the decisions he ultimately decided to make.
Certainly I never expected to be so powerfully affected by Evensong, since it’s such a departure from what I normally read. I can’t believe I almost dismissed this book as “not my thing”, and what a tragic mistake that would have been. I’m profoundly glad that I ended up ignoring my instincts, because against all odds, this book ended up working surprisingly well for me.
A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Night Shade Books!
The BiblioSanctum 
Oh my! Will definitely give this one a go, I definitely would not have expected an emotional punch type of book for some reason, but sound great! And I enjoyed Altered Carbon 🙂
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Yes, I think if you liked the “feel” of Altered Carbon you’d like this one too! It was the closest comparison I could think of.
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Hmm. I had this sitting fairly low in the TBR pile,a “nice if I get to it” kind of read, but you may have just kicked it up a few notches. If you went into it with those reservations, and had those issues with the text, but still came out so strongly in support of it . . . well, who am I to argue? 🙂
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Yes, in the face of the difficulties I had with it, I still loved it. Very rare for me!
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Well, I am going to have to bump this up closer to the top of the pile. I wasn’t planning on reading it this month, due to my toppling March TBR pile, but I’m intrigued! Sounds like an emotional story, and that’s something I’m definitely in the mood for:-D
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Emotional and unexpectedly so. I wouldn’t have thought it at all, given the style of the novel, but the ending hit me hard.
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Polished off my review yesterday as well. That ending was something else, wasn’t? You knew the pay off had to come from SOMETHING but I couldn’t even begin to guess what.
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I’m really looking forward to seeing your review!
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Wow, I’m really interested in this now! And yet, I would have looked at the cover and just automatically thought ‘not for me’. Go figure! Always happy to be proved wrong with my book cover judging.
Lynn 😀
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I had similar thoughts about the cover as well. I don’t think we’re alone in our book cover judging though 🙂
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Yeah, that ending… It’s an experience. I’ve been hopping up and down trying to get people to read this author for a while now.
(Also, if you liked this, check out PERSONA by Genevieve Valentine – another excellent novel about the intersection of personal and political.)
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Thanks for the rec! PERSONA is actually already on my list, I have the audiobook reserved at my library 🙂
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It did not sound like the book for me either but you never know
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Yep, it’s great to read outside my comfort zone sometimes 🙂
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I had to double-check your rating after I read your opening paragraph, but the last sentence went in a completely different direction, so I trucked on. It’s cool that after all of your misgivings, this book turned your ‘not for me’ sentiment into ‘heck, yes!’
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Haha, I’d hoped that opening would lead people to read on. It doesn’t always happen, but yes I love it when books surprise me like this.
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The point of view narrative style sounds odd and has me curious. Though I’m not sure I want to get out of my comfort zone right now. But I’ll definitely consider this one.
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Yeah, it’s good to read outside one’s comfort zone, but I agree you have to be in the right mood for it.
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Ah yes it’s not something that I would go to either because the topics aren’t really appealing for me but it’s great to be surprised like that and to finally have a great time with the story!
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It’s definitely a rare gem. I hope more people will give it a chance 🙂
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Good review! I’m going to go check out this book.
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