I Am The Messenger

I've been toying with the idea of starting a book log of sorts online for awhile now.  It's kind of ironic that it was this book that finally made me get around to it.

See, this book makes me not want to read another book.  In a GOOD way, if you can imagine that.

This book follows Ed Kennedy, a nineteen year old nobody in a small town.  He didn't have anything going for him really; just a few friends who he got together with to play cards with a few nights a week, a job as a cabdriver, and a mother who isn't exactly fond of her son.  Until the first card arrives.

On the card is scribbled addresses.  Three addresses that set Ed down a path that changes his life.

I'm not a big fan of spoiling stories, especially not in print/online form where people can analyze and look back on little hints given by reviewers, so I won't go into much detail.  But this book follows an inspiring change in Ed's life that fills a reader with a strange sense of satisfaction.  Or at least, it filled me with satisfaction.  I rushed to the end of this book, because despite the lack of magical explosions (I'm a fantasy buff) it kept me at the edge of my seat.

This book managed to have romantic elements that didn't muddy the true adventure of the tale.  It just seemed so well balanced; as if the author managed to mix all the genres into one well-rounded tale.  Gripping scenes of violence; tender scenes between parents and children; horrifying apathy.  It's got it all, in my humble opinion.

This is a must read!  This book would be perfect for anyone with more than a fifteen minute attention span.