Book Review: The Commons 1: The Journeyman
The Commons 1: The Journeyman. Michael Alan Peck. Dinuhos Arts LLC, June 19, 2014, Trade Paperback and E-book, 538 pages.
Reviewed by U. A. Hall.
The Commons 1: The Journeyman, Michael Alan Peck's debut novel, follows the story of three unlikely characters thrown into a mysterious place due to a tragic event. To save themselves they must defeat a villain who has upset the balance between good and evil, but this decision may not only jeopardize their own souls but the souls of others. The story is told using the omniscient point of view, and takes the reader on an adventure through nightmares, dreams, and the stories that make us who we are.
Paul Reid is an orphaned teenager used to living life on the rough streets of New York City. He stays at a home for boys called New Beginnings and after a fight, decides to leave New York City for California. He boards a bus at the Port Authority just as a snowstorm is starting.
Annie Bruckner is an Iraq war veteran, and her five-year old son Zach has autism. She is going to California to talk to doctors about Zach's condition. She boards a bus at the Port Authority. From this moment on the three characters' stories become intertwined yet stay separated by chapter and journey.
After a fatal crash Paul, Annie, and Zach find themselves in a different world where some memories fade and are forgotten and others are sharp and clear, so the characters are in a fantasy. Peck explores the moment and space between life and death by examining ancient myths and debatable philosophies while adding his version to the mix: the Commons. Paul, Annie and Zach must traverse the Commons, a dangerous place fashioned out of past journeys.
Enter Porter, a Doctor Who-type character. His job is to assist Paul on his journey but Porter, even though he has powers, is rusty, and he and Paul begin to learn the new rules of this world along with the hazards and possibilities.
You can't have an interesting questing fantasy story about good and evil without a bad guy and Michael Alan Peck 's version is just the right fit. Mr. Brill is evil and creepy, and wants Paul’s soul but he is incompetent enough to give the reader hope that the good guys will win.
The supporting characters create depth to the story when Paul's characterization falls short. As the series goes on, I would like to see Paul develop more, become more charismatic, and not so dependent on other characters' decisions. The supporting characters also add meaning to the journey when secrets need to be revealed.
Peck's fantasy is imaginative but isn't as strong as similar books in this genre, Lev Grossman's The Magician or Salman Rushdie's Luka and the Fire of Life, for example, but the series has potential. There are moments when the descriptions are vague, and where Paul reacts too slowly to what is going on around him, but handling multiple characters on the page is difficult to pull off.
Overall, The Commons 1: The Journeyman is a story about discovering who we are and the power to choose who we want to be. It is an interesting, thoughtful read filled with suspenseful moments, fantastic settings and best of all magic.