Tribes Book

I am going to start out with a minor problem that bugged me, but that may be due to the translation, not the actual original writing. The swear words given into Elissa's mouth were really childish and girlie, as opposed to her description as a free spirit...

But otherwise, a stellar book, especially in its own genre. Well, I have been debating with myself, whether I can actually find some books, where I don't necessarily like the main character / I don't see them as perfect, yet I like the book. Tribes is a prime example for that kind of book. Perk isn't a character I hated, but I did find him annoying and flawed. But: 1) he was not put on a pedestal, 2)there was a complete world built up behind his erratic behaviour, psychological motives and such. These two things save these types of books and characters, at least for me.

It was amazing how Slade could write a book in a first person singular point of view, but could actually make us feel that not all of the people whom he looks down on or whom he finds silly are mean or stupid.

I love its psychological aspects. It was written down beautifully, in an understandable way for youngsters, how a maniac could be born, and how a maniac works and sees the world. Someone who puts his wicked ideas before anything else, even his companions, someone who makes a huge thing out of something little, something extraordinary. I mean, all he did, was just labeling kids at school. But in his eyes, it's more, it's almost sacred. Especially since he started doing this as something to take his mind off of something he did not want to think about.

I didn't find the ending too abrupt, either. Or at least not in the bad sense of the word. I believe that, if a maniac gives up their obsession, it CAN happen like this, so fast...