The Meandering Orb Trail of Avery Adludian Stein A Modern Day Fairy Tale Karen Costakes Books
Download As PDF : The Meandering Orb Trail of Avery Adludian Stein A Modern Day Fairy Tale Karen Costakes Books
Sam is living a life that is very different than the modern day fairy tale her younger self envisioned. She is neither a writer, an artist, nor a Peace Corp volunteer. Instead, she spends her days selling junk for her father’s flailing Ebay business. Her nights are spent trying to pretend that she is not nearing thirty and still living in her parents' house, sleeping in the same bed as she did in elementary school. Amidst an extremely dismal morning, Sam makes a startling discovery. When wearing a pair of antique glasses, Sam finds an odd, ruby-red, half-sphere blob. The orb appears to have mysteriously grown from the faded carpet of her back porch. Sam rushes to the door to inform Matty, her best friend, foodie neighbor, and to confirm her saneness. When Sam steps outside, she makes another startling discovery. She sees a path made up of hundreds of multi-colored orbs. Sam and Matty decide to follow the mysterious path and begin to encounter challenges testing them to their core. When they uncover who the creator of the orb trail is and learn what awaits them at the end of the path, they press through grueling tasks and, at times, disturbing punishments. Join Sam and Matty on this cross-country, cross-globe adventure as they follow the path of orbs and encounter evil descendants with uncanny senses, odd coffee house rituals, ancient riddles, soup stealers, pirate transfiguration, and grotesque, cupcake punishments.
The Meandering Orb Trail of Avery Adludian Stein A Modern Day Fairy Tale Karen Costakes Books
What’s perhaps most remarkable to me about this book is that there are so very many reasons why is just shouldn’t work, but it does anyway.Our heroes Sam and Matty did not come close to engaging me immediately, but soon became strong stand-ins for ideologies where their own characters were sometimes not too deep or complex.
This worked, for me anyway, as I found myself reframing them in the fashion of Platonic dialogues, or when talking with Avery, their magical guide (examiner, tormenter, judge, benefactor, or executioner?), I was reminded heavily of some of the (initially quite clunky) exchanges in the famous “Gödel Escher Bach” book of logic puzzles and thought experiments presented in the form of light-hearted dialogues with a serious undertone and purpose.
Many of the “tests” in the book will not be new to a lot of readers. The old “one guard always lies and the other always tells the truth; you can ask one guard one question” riddle pops up in a groan-worthy fashion, for instance, while the old “divide the treasure amongst the pirates” chestnut makes an appearance with what to me was a much more satisfying solution than the traditional mathematical model for optimizing personal booty while not being made to walk the plank (the maths is also explained, though). Stanley Milgram makes an appearance, not in person, but with a hat tip to his famous electroshock experiment into conformity. I was surprised Phil Zimbardo’s prison experiment didn’t show up, actually! There are plenty of other tests too, but the numerous (and enumerated) tests are really the main meat of the book so I’ll not labour the point with more examples here.
Where reviewers are talking about the book being whimsical, I’ll agree with them and add some more concrete illustration, for example...
Our heroes never reject the call to adventure at any point, and launch off into the unknown without hesitation, continuing this trend right through the book, without ever considering the consequences.
There’s a chapter of quite free-association hopping from one idea to the next, while our heroes get a taste of what it’d be like if they had the Magical McGuffin they’re seeking, which transmutes whatever they imagine into reality.
Because their “guide” can conjure new realities for them at a moment’s notice, there’s a LOT of very dream-like flitting from one reality to the next, often with quite dream-like absurdities that the characters take seriously.
All in all, there are a lot of things about his book that make it look like it hasn’t suffered editing (and I’m not just talking about the typos that gradually increase in frequency over the course of the book), and yet, despite my initial misgivings, I came to really enjoy the book, not really for the story or characters very much, but mostly for the individual little tests and how they went about passing or failing them.
Ok, I’ll admit I was rooting for them to finally acknowledge their feelings for each other by the end, so maybe they did grow on me at least a bit!
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The Meandering Orb Trail of Avery Adludian Stein A Modern Day Fairy Tale Karen Costakes Books Reviews
The Meandering Orb Trail of Avery Adludian Stein, an e-book by Karen Costakes.
Plot a Prologue describes a seemingly depressed Robert shuffling toward his rather dilapidated truck from another yard sale with a musty box of gatherings labeled “Free Junk”. While opening the car door, it suddenly disengages from its rusty hinges and falls making him drop the box, widely scattering the buttons, yarn and other material. Now greatly chagrinned and about to pull a childish tantrum, two words come to mind - “For Sam” - and his disgruntled state turns into one of resolve. He believes she will look at the world with ‘rose-colored glasses’ instead of from his more jaundiced approach. Then, while recovering the last of the scattered objects, he encounters a dapper man who questions his success at the sale. Robert answers that it was not particularly successful, but there always was the next one that could be. Liking his optimism, the man hands him a small parcel and suggests he take this and “Maybe it will lead you to something of more value.” Robert returns to his home whose state resembles that of his truck, and stops to listen to his wife reading to their soon-to-be-delivered daughter “You are going to be brilliant and beautiful. You are going to have adventures galore. You may go through tough times but you are a fighter.” The story then opens with a nearly thirty-year-old Sam living at home helping with her father’s EBay business that barely is eking out a living for the family. While going through junk in the barely surviving attic, she discovers a pair of somewhat unique glasses. Descending to the main floor and exiting to the back porch, she dons the glasses and is shocked to see a strange red orb developing from a red spot in the carpet. Even more disquieting is the fact that the orb has multiplied and seems to provide an extended path. She rushes to confirm her sanity with her unusual neighbor Matty, who offers assurance and the two set off on a journey that provides the substance of story.
Discussion Quite frankly and regrettably, this is one of the very few books I ever have read that I found extremely difficult to finish. For this reason I indulged in a procedure I always avoid - I read the reviews that already had been posted. Here among others, it has been described as “unique and whimsical”, which it is; as “clean, happy, fun, hilarious, and sensitive” which for many no doubt it will be; “If you are a junkie for a good book to take you out of the ordinary, this is it!”
These analyses require me to simply apologize for totally disagreeing with the seeming ‘flow of positive reviews’ and to offer, perhaps somewhat apologetically, the following 1) I may have ‘missed’ something; 2) my many years as an investigative scientist may have pushed me too far toward pragmatism even though I thoroughly enjoy many books in the fantasy, occult, sci-fi and similar genres; or 3) I simply prefer a book that provides a plot that is somewhat more structured, i.e., ‘seems to be going somewhere’; characters with some, even slightly, more definition to provide some empathy or even a desire for the protagonist to accomplish his/her goals.
Conclusion I understand that the author’s former endeavors have included Peace Corps volunteer, professional dog walking, kindergarten substitute, nanny and a struggling EBay business. The latter forms a knowledgeable base for the story’s initiation and the various other endeavors provide an insightful basis for the thrust and management of her story. Her optimism is impressive and the story has a most commendable underlying belief set forth in her statement “God gave no greater gift than creative thought.” Thus, many readers no doubt will concur with the other reviewers. Most regrettably, it just is too unstructured for this reviewer.
The Meandering Orb Trail of Avery Adludian by Karen Costakes is an excellent and exciting read that captures the powerful life-changing journey of our heroes Sam (Samantha) and Matty (Matthew).
Sam, the daughter of a humble second hand merchandise dealer, comes into the possession of magical "Elton John" glasses that are encrusted with hundreds of colorful tiny stones. Magical in that when worn, brightly colored orbs are revealed and soon create a mystical pathway leading the two on a thrilling journey replete with adventure, danger, excitement and self-awareness.
Self-awareness in that the journey is a series of tests designed by the mystical keeper of the vision stone, Avery Adludian. The mystic's desire is to find a worthy recepient of a vision stone. A powerful stone, when in the hands of a mortal, can shape the destiny of mankind. Added to the mix, the adventurers are gifted with a book that explains the value of their journey and pictures capturing various phases of their escapade that are all designed to enlighten.
From large rats, scorpions, red ants and tarantulas to sailing on the high seas as pirates, this well written fictional novel will keep the reader engaged by energizing the reader's thought processess and imagination. The author clearly has a lovely imagination that is contagious and vivid which allows for the full development of the characters within the book while drawing in the reader on the magic orb ride.
Added to the entertainment value, The Meandering Orb Trail of Avery Adludian will stimulate one's perception of life's choices and the testing of their own character.
What’s perhaps most remarkable to me about this book is that there are so very many reasons why is just shouldn’t work, but it does anyway.
Our heroes Sam and Matty did not come close to engaging me immediately, but soon became strong stand-ins for ideologies where their own characters were sometimes not too deep or complex.
This worked, for me anyway, as I found myself reframing them in the fashion of Platonic dialogues, or when talking with Avery, their magical guide (examiner, tormenter, judge, benefactor, or executioner?), I was reminded heavily of some of the (initially quite clunky) exchanges in the famous “Gödel Escher Bach” book of logic puzzles and thought experiments presented in the form of light-hearted dialogues with a serious undertone and purpose.
Many of the “tests” in the book will not be new to a lot of readers. The old “one guard always lies and the other always tells the truth; you can ask one guard one question” riddle pops up in a groan-worthy fashion, for instance, while the old “divide the treasure amongst the pirates” chestnut makes an appearance with what to me was a much more satisfying solution than the traditional mathematical model for optimizing personal booty while not being made to walk the plank (the maths is also explained, though). Stanley Milgram makes an appearance, not in person, but with a hat tip to his famous electroshock experiment into conformity. I was surprised Phil Zimbardo’s prison experiment didn’t show up, actually! There are plenty of other tests too, but the numerous (and enumerated) tests are really the main meat of the book so I’ll not labour the point with more examples here.
Where reviewers are talking about the book being whimsical, I’ll agree with them and add some more concrete illustration, for example...
Our heroes never reject the call to adventure at any point, and launch off into the unknown without hesitation, continuing this trend right through the book, without ever considering the consequences.
There’s a chapter of quite free-association hopping from one idea to the next, while our heroes get a taste of what it’d be like if they had the Magical McGuffin they’re seeking, which transmutes whatever they imagine into reality.
Because their “guide” can conjure new realities for them at a moment’s notice, there’s a LOT of very dream-like flitting from one reality to the next, often with quite dream-like absurdities that the characters take seriously.
All in all, there are a lot of things about his book that make it look like it hasn’t suffered editing (and I’m not just talking about the typos that gradually increase in frequency over the course of the book), and yet, despite my initial misgivings, I came to really enjoy the book, not really for the story or characters very much, but mostly for the individual little tests and how they went about passing or failing them.
Ok, I’ll admit I was rooting for them to finally acknowledge their feelings for each other by the end, so maybe they did grow on me at least a bit!
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