The Rundown
Set in 2039 A.D., in a not-so-distant world of self-driving cars and artificially intelligent storekeepers, seventeen-year-old Elliot could have been just an ordinary university student sketching illustrations to his heart’s content and eating lunch with the girl he adores. Except he’s not just any ordinary teenager.
Taking a degree program in the computer science, he works on Project Alexandria, a global initiative his deceased grandfather helped build that aims to provide the entire world secure and equal access to the vast knowledge mankind has accumulated throughout its existence. Thus, all forms of print are destroyed. And the not-so-ordinary Elliot owns a book—a very special book gifted to him by his grandfather. The book is a collection of Shakespeare’s complete works and in between its pages, there lies something peculiar. One sonnet in the book, “Day Moon,” does not match the one in Project Alexandria.
There is much to enjoy in DAY MOON. The premise itself will hook you and pique your interest. This may be a futuristic sci-fi novel but the world in which the protagonist Elliot walks on is quite close to the present one. It is a chillingly plausible near-future which makes it so believable. And referring to current trends in technology and pop culture as “old school” or “classic” by that time will definitely bring a smile to your face.
However, for an action-adventure novel, it is lacking. The plot is dragging for most parts and there is no sense of urgency that can propel the reader to know more of what is going on. It is this page-turner feat that helps action and adventure stories like this one feel more immersive to the reader and DAY MOON is running short. The characters were okay but there is little emotional connection to create with the reader. One will not feel attached to any of the characters after reading. And the fact that most of the first half of the novel was spent inside Elliot’s head, ruminating on his life and the world around him in wordy paragraphs, certainly didn’t help.
Despite all this, Armstrong must still be credited for an intricately crafted novel and his palpable knowledge on both technology and literature—something that he has admirably integrated into and made significant in the novel. There is no doubt that DAY MOON is an interesting book and a good introduction to a world worth delving into.
The Recommendation
Despite its slow pace and a cast of characters you might not feel emotionally connected to, this is a novel worth checking out for its amazing world-building and its exploration on what makes up truth in the digital age—unsettlingly, something the world is experiencing right this moment.
The Rating
3 Stars (out of 5): Pretty good. Sure, there were some issues, but it was still worth the read.
The Pros & Cons
Pros: Believable, Strong World-BuildingCons: Character Developement, Slow, Wordy
