On the Risingshadow website, Seregil of Rhimini has reviewed Mike French’s debut novel The Ascent of Isaac Steward, republished by Elsewhen Press as an eBook in April and in print last Friday. Seregil starts his review by saying “I can honestly say that The Ascent of Isaac Steward is one of the most imaginative, extraordinary and challenging novels I’ve ever read.” He goes on to say that “One of the best things about this novel is that Mike French writes beautiful prose.”
He describes how Mike manages to balance reality with fantasy, he “fluently combines reality and fantasy” and as the story unfolds the “reality blends strongly with fantasy”. The inner struggle of the protagonist reveals “interesting” and “disturbing visions of love, violence, death and destruction. The images that the author conjures up from Isaac’s subconscious are both touching and horrifying.”
He concludes by noting that readers will be “rewarded by a beautiful and touching story of a man who tries to find reconcialition. I think that readers who are familiar with magical realism and surrealism will like it very much. If you like literary, unique and experimental novels, you should read The Ascent of Isaac Steward. It’s a powerful novel that won’t be easily forgotten.”
His final words…“Excellent surrealism!”
You can read the full review here