In the arms of the absurd – the review of ‘Alcatraz versus Librarians. Volume 5. Dark Talent “

Brandon Sanderson is an American author who has written more than one series of fantasy books. Polish readers may associate him with such series as White Sand , Last Empire or Avengers . This time we have a chance to take a closer look at the novel Alcatraz vs. Librarians. Volume 5. Dark talent .

The book focuses on the adventures of the Smedry family, who, similarly to the four previous parts, fights with the Librarians for world domination. The stakes of the conflict are high: if the Smedras lose this clash, people will be under librarian supervision, which can lead to death from boredom. Fortunately, thanks to the author’s generosity, the reader is not in danger.

Superheroes wrapped

Reading the description of the plot of Sanderson’s novel, you can come to the conclusion that this is another book about saving the world. Nothing could be more wrong. The novel is narrated by Alcatraz Smedry, a teenage boy who, like his relatives, is gifted. However, these are not ordinary talents, but rather… anti-talents. The main character has the ability to destroy everything in the vicinity, while his grandfather is gifted with the extraordinary power of being late for every possible event – even his own death. Despite many adversities, a crazy family, often completely by accident, finds ways to get out of a situation.

The characters in The Dark Talent in an extremely open parody of classic superheroes who come out unscathed even from the most severe oppression. The Smedras, unlike many characters from fantastic works, who are the sum of their advantages, are imperfect heroes. They can irritate with clumsiness, ignorance and the inability to predict the consequences of their actions, but they cannot be denied a bizarre charm.

No holds barred

In the novel, The Dark Talent, Sanderson gets rid of all the brakes when it comes to the plot. The writer invites the reader to a world dripping with absurdity. If the mere selection of librarians wearing knitted vests and bow ties as antagonists in a fantasy novel does not seem absurd to you, Sanderson rushes with more ideas, openly joking about convention. Arriving at Wielkoteka in order to infiltrate it by ordinary aircraft? Let’s not be such a stiff! For this purpose, the heroes use a giant penguin-shaped vehicle. An attempt to blend in with the crowd and organized action? It would be too easy! The Smedras are not only unable to perform any task incognito, but also have to be extremely careful not to accidentally contribute to its destruction by saving the world.

Is there a writer in the room?

Even after the first few pages of the novel, you can see that Sanderson has a great time creating absurd situations, but he enjoys teasing the reader just as much. The author, who, as he claims is also the main protagonist of the novel, constantly shares ironic comments on the very process of creation, making the book a perfect example of an auto-thematic work. The reader has a chance to find out why the chapters have names and what literary tricks the writer uses to keep his interest in the novel. Particularly noteworthy is the unconventional use of footnotes, by means of which the author explains concepts and phenomena that definitely do not require it. It is impossible to overlook the fact that Sanderson values ​​interaction with the reader uniquely,

Only for amateurs of strong literary impressions

Dark talent appears to my eyes as an eminently strange literary experiment. The book is certainly an interesting proposition for fans of the fantasy genre, who not only like breaking all types of conventions, but also have a great deal of distance to themselves. However, I cannot help but feel that the writer stands on his head to avoid clichéd solutions, losing the most important thing along the way: the reader’s interest.