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The Great De-evolution #2
A Different Alchemy
As the human population continues to decline, most people travel south to maintain a semblance of the life they know. Entire cities are abandoned. But following a senseless act of violence, one man travels north, toward forgotten lands. Is it possible for a loving husband and father, surrounded by reminders of mankind's impending extinction, to reclaim what he lost?
A Different Alchemy is the tale of a man realizing that everyone has their own pain and their own way of dealing with it. It is the story of how one father's loss can mirror an entire society's sorrow. It is also a lesson about the importance of forgiveness.
A Different Alchemy is the tale of a man realizing that everyone has their own pain and their own way of dealing with it. It is the story of how one father's loss can mirror an entire society's sorrow. It is also a lesson about the importance of forgiveness.
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2014
24 people are currently reading
1397 people want to read
About the author
Chris Dietzel
31Ìýbooks423ÌýfollowersChris graduated from Western Maryland College (McDaniel College). He currently lives in Florida. His dream is to write the same kind of stories that have inspired him over the years.
Sign up for his mailing list to receive updates on future projects and some neat freebies:
In his free time, Chris volunteers for a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program for feral cats. (If you would like more information on how best to care for abandoned and feral cats in your neighborhood, please check out the Alley Cat Allies website at: )
Dietzel is a huge fan of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA). He trained in BJJ for ten years, earning the rank of brown belt, and went 2-0 in amateur MMA fights before an injury ended his participation in contact sports.
It is incredibly difficult for new authors to gain an audience. If you read one of his books and enjoyed it, please recommend it to anyone else you think may like them.
Sign up for his mailing list to receive updates on future projects and some neat freebies:
In his free time, Chris volunteers for a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program for feral cats. (If you would like more information on how best to care for abandoned and feral cats in your neighborhood, please check out the Alley Cat Allies website at: )
Dietzel is a huge fan of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA). He trained in BJJ for ten years, earning the rank of brown belt, and went 2-0 in amateur MMA fights before an injury ended his participation in contact sports.
It is incredibly difficult for new authors to gain an audience. If you read one of his books and enjoyed it, please recommend it to anyone else you think may like them.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
June 12, 2018
I first read a few years ago and was struck by how unusual a book it was among post-apocalypse novels. It left a lasting impression, and I recommended it to all and sundry. I'm not sure why I waited so long to read the others in the set, but I'm glad I finally did.
There is no huge catastrophe in Dietzel's books: no drought, no radiation, no rival warring tribes, no government guilty of misprision, no starvation, no battle against the elements. There is only homo sapiens winding to a slow end, only a lone survivor meditating on what matters when everything is gone. In each of the novels a solitary narrator wrestles with the choices he or she has made, with love and loyalty, grief and anger, regret and hope, and ultimately the question of what gives life meaning.
You might think that an author would have trouble crafting a solid and engrossing story out of such a simple premise, yet Dietzel does it not once but three times. In , the lone survivor was an old woman left to care for the last few insensible remnants of humanity; the theme of that one seemed to be the call of duty, the desire within each of us to do what we can to the best of our ability. In , an old man is left with his unresponsive brother in a decaying subdivision called Camelot; the theme of this one I would say is love.
This one, centers on a man whose wife has done the unthinkable; the theme I see here is regret. The story circles back several times to the narrator's regret for having persuaded his wife to have a child, knowing that it would be almost certainly be a victim of the universal malady; for leaving his silent and immobile son alone one night leading to his momentary kidnapping; for rejecting his wife's pretense that their son has sent him a father's day card; for the places he never took his son and the things they never did. In the end, he is alone but it's by his own choice, and he finds a kind of salvation in becoming the deus ex machina of another man's chance to get south to his family. Regret is transmuted to hope -- not his own, perhaps, but still hope.
There is no huge catastrophe in Dietzel's books: no drought, no radiation, no rival warring tribes, no government guilty of misprision, no starvation, no battle against the elements. There is only homo sapiens winding to a slow end, only a lone survivor meditating on what matters when everything is gone. In each of the novels a solitary narrator wrestles with the choices he or she has made, with love and loyalty, grief and anger, regret and hope, and ultimately the question of what gives life meaning.
You might think that an author would have trouble crafting a solid and engrossing story out of such a simple premise, yet Dietzel does it not once but three times. In , the lone survivor was an old woman left to care for the last few insensible remnants of humanity; the theme of that one seemed to be the call of duty, the desire within each of us to do what we can to the best of our ability. In , an old man is left with his unresponsive brother in a decaying subdivision called Camelot; the theme of this one I would say is love.
This one, centers on a man whose wife has done the unthinkable; the theme I see here is regret. The story circles back several times to the narrator's regret for having persuaded his wife to have a child, knowing that it would be almost certainly be a victim of the universal malady; for leaving his silent and immobile son alone one night leading to his momentary kidnapping; for rejecting his wife's pretense that their son has sent him a father's day card; for the places he never took his son and the things they never did. In the end, he is alone but it's by his own choice, and he finds a kind of salvation in becoming the deus ex machina of another man's chance to get south to his family. Regret is transmuted to hope -- not his own, perhaps, but still hope.
August 16, 2014
After reading this amazing dystopian drama, A Different Alchemy by Chris Dietzel, I'm a big fan of dystopian books, and so I'm vouching for more.
Read this review on:
First of all, a huge thanks to the author, Chris Dietzel for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Since I've not read the first book, I googled about the first one and found out that in the first book, it revolves around the idea that since women cannot produce healthy babies anymore, the human mankind is on the verge of extinction. The babies that are born are either physically or mentally challenged.
A Different Alchemy is also of the end of human race and people are facing the situation. All these events are seen through the eyes of a man, Jeffery, who has a mentally challenged son or rather coined as a Block. But one day the people of the city, where Jeffery resided with his family, decided to put an end to all the Blocks of this city, by burning them in a stadium, which included Jeffery's son too. Eventually Jeffery had to leave town and headed towards north instead of south, where people were migrating in large numbers in hope of possibilities. In his journey, we see how a man copes the with loss of his only son, also his flashbacks about his past happy life and about few people living up on the north.
Through his book, Chris has tried to give us a message which is, if we are facing the end of the world, we should look around ourselves to help protect us from the situation, like small things can come in real handy, and also we should unite together to protect us from this situation, unlike by migrating or killing. Reading this book will certainly make you realize that we should treat one another with love and care and also how to forgive oneself!
This book is very emotional one and a highly addictive book, once you start reading, you're unable to keep it down! The writing is very smooth so it won't be a difficult thing to read this. And also if you haven't read the first one in the series, it won't be a much problem, because what has happened in book 1, that is already been mentioned in book 2, a lot of insights of the first book.
This book definitely deserves 5 golden stars. There's a lot of things to learn from Jeffery's journey, so A Different Alchemy become a must read for everyone.
Read this review on:
First of all, a huge thanks to the author, Chris Dietzel for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Since I've not read the first book, I googled about the first one and found out that in the first book, it revolves around the idea that since women cannot produce healthy babies anymore, the human mankind is on the verge of extinction. The babies that are born are either physically or mentally challenged.
A Different Alchemy is also of the end of human race and people are facing the situation. All these events are seen through the eyes of a man, Jeffery, who has a mentally challenged son or rather coined as a Block. But one day the people of the city, where Jeffery resided with his family, decided to put an end to all the Blocks of this city, by burning them in a stadium, which included Jeffery's son too. Eventually Jeffery had to leave town and headed towards north instead of south, where people were migrating in large numbers in hope of possibilities. In his journey, we see how a man copes the with loss of his only son, also his flashbacks about his past happy life and about few people living up on the north.
Through his book, Chris has tried to give us a message which is, if we are facing the end of the world, we should look around ourselves to help protect us from the situation, like small things can come in real handy, and also we should unite together to protect us from this situation, unlike by migrating or killing. Reading this book will certainly make you realize that we should treat one another with love and care and also how to forgive oneself!
This book is very emotional one and a highly addictive book, once you start reading, you're unable to keep it down! The writing is very smooth so it won't be a difficult thing to read this. And also if you haven't read the first one in the series, it won't be a much problem, because what has happened in book 1, that is already been mentioned in book 2, a lot of insights of the first book.
This book definitely deserves 5 golden stars. There's a lot of things to learn from Jeffery's journey, so A Different Alchemy become a must read for everyone.
April 23, 2015
I should start by saying I read this book through in one sitting, which I did not expect. I expected the end of the world, but the story itself felt much smaller, and because of that, infinitely more human. The story encompasses the great whimper at the end of civilization, as people's actions become governed by the increasingly inevitable realization that tomorrow isn't coming. Its focus, though, is on one man as he struggles to come to terms with his own personal losses, and his attempt to find a way forward. This is what good science fiction should be - using fantastic worlds and events to speak about our own. Finding surprise gems like this are why I love GoodReads.
October 9, 2014
Perhaps one of the most depressing books I've ever read. I kept waiting for something good to happen in this book and it just. never. happens. Stay away from this book if you have a special needs kid.
Essentially it's about a father who abandons his wife after she takes their Block child to a stadium with thousands of other Block children and the place is burned to the ground (along with the kids). Block children are the result of De-evolution and it means the end of humanity since Block kids can't move, talk, see, react or anything. And of course every human on the planet is affected. The father then decides to take a trip in a tank while the remnants of civilization slowly die away.
Really, my WTF issue with the book is that these Block kids 'live' for decades. I just don't buy it. Without movement everything in the body atrophies and these kids (adults really) look like perfectly normal people except that they can't move, interact, etc.
I would have ranked the story higher if it had gone anywhere. Writing style was good and it kept me interested enough to finish but I kept waiting for...something.
Essentially it's about a father who abandons his wife after she takes their Block child to a stadium with thousands of other Block children and the place is burned to the ground (along with the kids). Block children are the result of De-evolution and it means the end of humanity since Block kids can't move, talk, see, react or anything. And of course every human on the planet is affected. The father then decides to take a trip in a tank while the remnants of civilization slowly die away.
Really, my WTF issue with the book is that these Block kids 'live' for decades. I just don't buy it. Without movement everything in the body atrophies and these kids (adults really) look like perfectly normal people except that they can't move, interact, etc.
I would have ranked the story higher if it had gone anywhere. Writing style was good and it kept me interested enough to finish but I kept waiting for...something.
August 25, 2014
NOT Earth Abides
NOT Earth Abides
Ok premise but formulaic and just average apocalyptic fiction. Wanted it to be like Earth Abides but nowhere near it.
NOT Earth Abides
Ok premise but formulaic and just average apocalyptic fiction. Wanted it to be like Earth Abides but nowhere near it.
December 30, 2021
Bought as books 1-3. Did not finish this one but the first two were horrible, depressing and stupid. This one was going the same way when I quit.
December 18, 2013
A Different Alchemy is Chris Dietzel's follow-up to his debut novel,
, taking place in the same setting (the Great De-evolution) about 50 years prior. The first book focused on an old man coping with the utter finality of the human race's gradual extinction. A Different Alchemy follows Jeffrey, a grieving father who embarks on an unlikely journey through the "wasteland" of the Great De-evolution, as he struggles to come to grips with both the loss of his son and the devastating betrayal leading to his son's death.
The story is told in an intriguing style, with Jeffrey's narrative alternating between his forward-moving journey up the East Coast, and his direct recollection of the weeks leading up to his son's death. The journey itself was for me the more interesting of the two narratives as it afforded a wider look at the world of the Great De-evolution, as opposed to the decidedly myopic picture of The Man Who Watched the World End. Dietzel's portrayal of a world crumbling into ruin is highly effective and believable. I was often reminded of an old adage my father taught me - that running away or ignoring my problems was never the proper way to handle them. Since the people in Dietzel's world hold no hope for a future, they simply stop caring about things that once seemed important and literally try to run away from the biggest problem in history.
I also thought the ending of the story, while not earth-shattering, was quite cathartic and oddly hopeful, similar to the feeling I got at the end of reading Cormac McCarthy's .
That being said, I did not find this book as enjoyable as Dietzel's debut. While I again appreciated the easygoing, introspective prose style, in my opinion it did not always lend itself to effective dialogue between characters in this book. Simply put, some of the passages that might have worked fine as internal monologue came across as stilted and unrealistic when put to voice. I also perceived a lack of variety among the characters, as too often they sounded similar in structure and tone to Jeffrey's own inner thoughts.
My main issue was the oft repetitive cycle of Jeffrey's obsessive thought process around his son's death. While understandable and realistic, it made for a dull read at times. I also didn't think Jeffrey's journey provided quite enough conflict; while there were a few tense moments, even those were more or less easily resolved. Given the setting that was a bit difficult for me to reconcile.
Despite the flaws I do consider this to be a good book, albeit one that plays things a bit safe. While I think there are still some good stories left to be told in this world, I'd love to see something that expands the scope of the narrative beyond "solitary man does a lot of thinking about the past."
Reviewer's note: The author provided this reviewer with an advance copy of the novel free of charge, in exchange for an honest review to be posted on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ when completed reading, and at Amazon.com at publication.
The story is told in an intriguing style, with Jeffrey's narrative alternating between his forward-moving journey up the East Coast, and his direct recollection of the weeks leading up to his son's death. The journey itself was for me the more interesting of the two narratives as it afforded a wider look at the world of the Great De-evolution, as opposed to the decidedly myopic picture of The Man Who Watched the World End. Dietzel's portrayal of a world crumbling into ruin is highly effective and believable. I was often reminded of an old adage my father taught me - that running away or ignoring my problems was never the proper way to handle them. Since the people in Dietzel's world hold no hope for a future, they simply stop caring about things that once seemed important and literally try to run away from the biggest problem in history.
I also thought the ending of the story, while not earth-shattering, was quite cathartic and oddly hopeful, similar to the feeling I got at the end of reading Cormac McCarthy's .
That being said, I did not find this book as enjoyable as Dietzel's debut. While I again appreciated the easygoing, introspective prose style, in my opinion it did not always lend itself to effective dialogue between characters in this book. Simply put, some of the passages that might have worked fine as internal monologue came across as stilted and unrealistic when put to voice. I also perceived a lack of variety among the characters, as too often they sounded similar in structure and tone to Jeffrey's own inner thoughts.
My main issue was the oft repetitive cycle of Jeffrey's obsessive thought process around his son's death. While understandable and realistic, it made for a dull read at times. I also didn't think Jeffrey's journey provided quite enough conflict; while there were a few tense moments, even those were more or less easily resolved. Given the setting that was a bit difficult for me to reconcile.
Despite the flaws I do consider this to be a good book, albeit one that plays things a bit safe. While I think there are still some good stories left to be told in this world, I'd love to see something that expands the scope of the narrative beyond "solitary man does a lot of thinking about the past."
Reviewer's note: The author provided this reviewer with an advance copy of the novel free of charge, in exchange for an honest review to be posted on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ when completed reading, and at Amazon.com at publication.
November 24, 2014
If you didn’t have anyone to take care of, it was easy to forget the world was full of people less fortunate than you.
Three and a half stars.
You know, I always felt that our species would end with a whimper rather than a bang. It seemed to be flavour of the decade to end humankind with exotic disasters such as an evil-minded asteroid giving our cute planet the death kiss. Or maybe a supervolcano popping like a megapimple, spewing its pustulence (my own word) across the face of the world. Heck, for all we know, there could be a simultaneous outbreak of severe flatulence causing our atmosphere to catch on fire and barbeque us all. In reality, we’ll probably disappear from the “current species� list through something boring like entropy, slow climate change, gradual starvation, and a bit of disease thrown in. How uninteresting.
Chris Dietzel’s idea is that there is a sudden, world-wide genetic problem, causing all our children to be born catatonic. A bit “out there�, but the idea has merit. There is a strong argument for Dysgenic Mutation affecting our mental capacity. In Cyril Kornbluth’s “The Marching Morons�, a man is transported to a distant future where humankind has devolved into mass stupidity � no doubt with machines doing our work while we sit around picking our noses. Hmmm...some days I think we are well on our way!
Anyway, here we have a man who has an obsessive relationship with his catatonic (Block) son; insistent on sitting on the porch with him each day, so that he can unload the day’s woes onto him. Well being a Block makes you a good listener at least. After the tragic death of his son, and in a fit of depression, he decides to steal a tank (he’s in the military after all) and get away from it all. Now here’s where you have to turn your “disbelief� button to the OFF position. He heads North, when everyone else is heading South � to where the action is. Society has been in decay for at least a decade, the roads are falling apart, infrastructure is in ruins, and yet our Jeffrey (the dad) manages to keep finding the 450 gallons of fuel to gas up the tank to complete his long journey! Not likely...but there you go. The story seems to be a bit repetitive at times, but you can’t help feeling a bit sorry for poor Jeffrey. He does kill a couple of innocent people, which tarnishes his character a bit, but maybe we would all be guilty of that given the circumstances.
I found “A Different Alchemy� to be thought provoking and entertaining. I’m glad I read it. Good job Chris.
Three and a half stars.
You know, I always felt that our species would end with a whimper rather than a bang. It seemed to be flavour of the decade to end humankind with exotic disasters such as an evil-minded asteroid giving our cute planet the death kiss. Or maybe a supervolcano popping like a megapimple, spewing its pustulence (my own word) across the face of the world. Heck, for all we know, there could be a simultaneous outbreak of severe flatulence causing our atmosphere to catch on fire and barbeque us all. In reality, we’ll probably disappear from the “current species� list through something boring like entropy, slow climate change, gradual starvation, and a bit of disease thrown in. How uninteresting.
Chris Dietzel’s idea is that there is a sudden, world-wide genetic problem, causing all our children to be born catatonic. A bit “out there�, but the idea has merit. There is a strong argument for Dysgenic Mutation affecting our mental capacity. In Cyril Kornbluth’s “The Marching Morons�, a man is transported to a distant future where humankind has devolved into mass stupidity � no doubt with machines doing our work while we sit around picking our noses. Hmmm...some days I think we are well on our way!
Anyway, here we have a man who has an obsessive relationship with his catatonic (Block) son; insistent on sitting on the porch with him each day, so that he can unload the day’s woes onto him. Well being a Block makes you a good listener at least. After the tragic death of his son, and in a fit of depression, he decides to steal a tank (he’s in the military after all) and get away from it all. Now here’s where you have to turn your “disbelief� button to the OFF position. He heads North, when everyone else is heading South � to where the action is. Society has been in decay for at least a decade, the roads are falling apart, infrastructure is in ruins, and yet our Jeffrey (the dad) manages to keep finding the 450 gallons of fuel to gas up the tank to complete his long journey! Not likely...but there you go. The story seems to be a bit repetitive at times, but you can’t help feeling a bit sorry for poor Jeffrey. He does kill a couple of innocent people, which tarnishes his character a bit, but maybe we would all be guilty of that given the circumstances.
I found “A Different Alchemy� to be thought provoking and entertaining. I’m glad I read it. Good job Chris.
September 29, 2014
I got an e-mail about this book being on sale and decided to check it out. The reviews were overall positive, and end of world scenarios are usually interesting reads. That was not the case in this book.
Without giving away the major plot points, the main character of the book suffers a personal tragedy very early in the story. The rest of the book rotates between flashbacks of his old life, and the details of his current life moving foward. The flashbacks always go something like this: He and his wife watching TV. Something on the TV makes him mad so he turns it off. His wife cries. He leaves the room and sits with his son. Then we are treated to an incredibly repetitive series of scenes depicting his journey north where EVERYTHING reminds him of his son. It was a depressing, melancholy, and ultimately infuriating experience. It is not a beautiful or poignant dystopian story like The Road, it is just boring, tedious, and depressing.
Then add in some Star Wars-esque food processors, abundant gasoline, as well as power and internet in areas of the country that no one has lived in for a decade, and the story just becomes laughable.
I gave this two stars instead of one because I actually like the writer’s prose and flow; I just wish that he had written a better story.
Without giving away the major plot points, the main character of the book suffers a personal tragedy very early in the story. The rest of the book rotates between flashbacks of his old life, and the details of his current life moving foward. The flashbacks always go something like this: He and his wife watching TV. Something on the TV makes him mad so he turns it off. His wife cries. He leaves the room and sits with his son. Then we are treated to an incredibly repetitive series of scenes depicting his journey north where EVERYTHING reminds him of his son. It was a depressing, melancholy, and ultimately infuriating experience. It is not a beautiful or poignant dystopian story like The Road, it is just boring, tedious, and depressing.
Then add in some Star Wars-esque food processors, abundant gasoline, as well as power and internet in areas of the country that no one has lived in for a decade, and the story just becomes laughable.
I gave this two stars instead of one because I actually like the writer’s prose and flow; I just wish that he had written a better story.
December 31, 2016
I really loved this book.
Dystopian isn't what I usually go for, but there was something that attracted me to 'The Man Who Watched the World End', so I bought a copy and really wasn't disappointed and when Chris asked me if I'd read his second novel early, I was only too happy!
There was no disappointment here either. I love the general setting of both the books and was very pleased to see it return in 'A Different Alchemy' and I loved the physical and mental journey that the main character, Jeffery, embarked on.
The structure of this novel was another big plus for me, I loved the way it would go back and forth between Jeffrey in the present and the events leading up to his journey north.
There's something about Chris' writing that I really like, there isn't really a climax or a twist, but you're gripped by the emotional journey that the characters from both books are going through, and I really loved both of these books for that reason, among many others.
I can't wait to get a physical copy of 'A Different Alchemy'!
Dystopian isn't what I usually go for, but there was something that attracted me to 'The Man Who Watched the World End', so I bought a copy and really wasn't disappointed and when Chris asked me if I'd read his second novel early, I was only too happy!
There was no disappointment here either. I love the general setting of both the books and was very pleased to see it return in 'A Different Alchemy' and I loved the physical and mental journey that the main character, Jeffery, embarked on.
The structure of this novel was another big plus for me, I loved the way it would go back and forth between Jeffrey in the present and the events leading up to his journey north.
There's something about Chris' writing that I really like, there isn't really a climax or a twist, but you're gripped by the emotional journey that the characters from both books are going through, and I really loved both of these books for that reason, among many others.
I can't wait to get a physical copy of 'A Different Alchemy'!
December 10, 2013
This is the story of a pained father, suffering from a tragedy while trying to make peace with his wife and with the community he once loved. I can understand Jeffry’s agony and could easily see myself in his state of mind if what happens to him happened to me. His two journeys, the one on land and the one of personal growth, were both powerful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought provoking story, regardless of what types of books they normally read.
One of the things that struck me about this book was how different it was from Dietzel's first book. While still taking place in the Great De-evolution, this book was the polar opposite of The Man Who Watched The World End. The first book was very personal, with almost no action. This book is on a more societal level and has a fair share of action. Even so, it still manages to be very personal and intimate.
One of the things that struck me about this book was how different it was from Dietzel's first book. While still taking place in the Great De-evolution, this book was the polar opposite of The Man Who Watched The World End. The first book was very personal, with almost no action. This book is on a more societal level and has a fair share of action. Even so, it still manages to be very personal and intimate.
March 23, 2014
Bleak. Sparse.
Two words that sum this novel up very well. They aren't nice words and they aren't flattering, however, I don't use them in negativity towards this particular read - all said and done this story that the author, Chris Dietzel, has shared with us is exactly what I was in the mood for.
The tone was perfect, the message simple, but so often ignored:
Don't sweat the bullshit.
At least that's what I took away from it all.
Life is harsh, unpredictable, and more often than not, completely unfair. If you don't make the best of it, if you don't appreciate the small beats of the everyday norm, then what, really, is the point?
I've also learned that if I ever find myself facing the end of the world, a tank could really come in handy.
All in all a very unique look at the unwinding of life.
January 11, 2018
A Different Alchemy is an amazing installment in the De-Evolution series of books. It is filled with love, betrayal, anger, discovery, forgiveness, and acceptance. I mentioned in my review of "The Last Teacher" that this book has uncanny parallels to "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, right down to a bird with a broken wing, and to "The Stranger" by Albert Camus, which basically questions the reason for life.
Alchemy is the supposed magical process of turning lead into gold. Its less well-known meanings include: "The discovery of a universal cure for disease" and "The discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life." It can also mean: " A power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way", and I think that is the definition most applicable to this book.
This is the story of Jeffrey and Galen, his Block son. There are other characters, such as his wife and parents, but this book is about a father's love for a son who is incapable of returning his love. It also fills in some details about what life was like as the de-evolution progresses and humanity makes it final journey to the south.
Jeffrey is in the armed services. He is about fifty and "works" at Fort Dix. Working in the de-evolution means getting up and going where you used to work to do nothing. Most people don't bother, but Jeffrey goes every day. His wife wants them to move south to become part of one of the communities, but he isn't ready to go. She has always felt like Jeffrey forced her to get pregnant and resents him for it. He resents her because she can't love their son. They don't talk about this, however.
Jeffrey can't share normal things with his son, but the one thing he has always had are nights on the front porch, sitting with Galen to watch the sun set. He told Galen the deepest thoughts he couldn't tell his wife. He held his hand and they listened to the birds and he watched Galen breathe. He loved his son and didn't understand why his wife couldn't accept him.
As they are almost ready to head south, a tragedy occurs and Galen dies. Katherine is complicit in his death. Jeffrey is consumed with grief. He doesn't go home, but, instead, goes back to Fort Dix and steals a tank. Well, it's not really stealing anymore.
As the rest of the world heads south, Jeffrey heads north, always keeping close to the ocean--reference to "The Awakening". He is free from his wife and from the world. He can go where he wants and do what he wants--and he does. He goes through all the northern states and into Canada. He meets a few people along the way, but isn't interested in any new relationships. At each places he stops, all he cares about is that he can find a safe place to live and a good library. Jeffrey is spending the rest of his life reading.
Thinking back to, "The Last Teacher", you can wonder what the point of reading books is anymore. Most people would say there is no point and it's a waste of the time they have left. That's not what Jeffrey believes (neither did The Last Teacher). It's what he wants to do. He reads "The Awakening" and "The Stranger". He says "The Stranger" had been one of his favorites, but now the ending made him feel like there was no use in anything. The ending talks about the absurdity of the human condition and the meaninglessness of freedom, existence and responsibility. There is also a statement saying people have no right to judge others for their actions or for who they are.
I think this entire series is encapsulated in those few sentences. What is more absurd than the human race being extinguished because life can no longer pro-create? Having children is the reason people can survive knowing they are going to die because a part of them will still live on in their children.Their lives will not simply cease to exist because they will be remembered.
The Blocks ended that. Although human, they can't reproduce and they can't remember their parents. They don't even know they exist. Something--something absurd--caused the very source of life to end life. It only happened to humans. Animals thrived and reclaimed the world. Humanity is ended by its own DNA.
Jeffrey goes as far north as he can, gives his tank to a man he meets, forgives Katherine, and, as in "The Last Astronaut" comes to terms with the life and loss of Galen. He "remembered those memories with fondness", just as The Last Astronaut was able to smile about Bob and put the pain behind him. Both men, as they face the end of their lives, are able to remember the good things and let go of everything else. That is the opposite of all the people heading south, thinking they can outrun death and never accepting the end of all things.
We don't know what becomes of Jeffrey. Does he live a natural life span and die on his own terms or does he decide to walk into the ocean without stopping, also ending life on his own terms? That is the question at the end of "The Awakening" and it is what we are left with at the end of "A Different Alchemy."
This is an amazing book and it didn't leave me feeling sad and hopeless. I lived Jeffrey's life with him. The character is so well-written, you can feel his pain, his love, his longing, and his need to just go away. Jeffrey came to terms with life and death through Galen; The Last Astronaut did it through Bob. I think the book is saying that as long as you have experienced happiness and love in your life, you don't need children and a future. The fact that you loved and were loved is reason enough to live.
Alchemy is the supposed magical process of turning lead into gold. Its less well-known meanings include: "The discovery of a universal cure for disease" and "The discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life." It can also mean: " A power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way", and I think that is the definition most applicable to this book.
This is the story of Jeffrey and Galen, his Block son. There are other characters, such as his wife and parents, but this book is about a father's love for a son who is incapable of returning his love. It also fills in some details about what life was like as the de-evolution progresses and humanity makes it final journey to the south.
Jeffrey is in the armed services. He is about fifty and "works" at Fort Dix. Working in the de-evolution means getting up and going where you used to work to do nothing. Most people don't bother, but Jeffrey goes every day. His wife wants them to move south to become part of one of the communities, but he isn't ready to go. She has always felt like Jeffrey forced her to get pregnant and resents him for it. He resents her because she can't love their son. They don't talk about this, however.
Jeffrey can't share normal things with his son, but the one thing he has always had are nights on the front porch, sitting with Galen to watch the sun set. He told Galen the deepest thoughts he couldn't tell his wife. He held his hand and they listened to the birds and he watched Galen breathe. He loved his son and didn't understand why his wife couldn't accept him.
As they are almost ready to head south, a tragedy occurs and Galen dies. Katherine is complicit in his death. Jeffrey is consumed with grief. He doesn't go home, but, instead, goes back to Fort Dix and steals a tank. Well, it's not really stealing anymore.
As the rest of the world heads south, Jeffrey heads north, always keeping close to the ocean--reference to "The Awakening". He is free from his wife and from the world. He can go where he wants and do what he wants--and he does. He goes through all the northern states and into Canada. He meets a few people along the way, but isn't interested in any new relationships. At each places he stops, all he cares about is that he can find a safe place to live and a good library. Jeffrey is spending the rest of his life reading.
Thinking back to, "The Last Teacher", you can wonder what the point of reading books is anymore. Most people would say there is no point and it's a waste of the time they have left. That's not what Jeffrey believes (neither did The Last Teacher). It's what he wants to do. He reads "The Awakening" and "The Stranger". He says "The Stranger" had been one of his favorites, but now the ending made him feel like there was no use in anything. The ending talks about the absurdity of the human condition and the meaninglessness of freedom, existence and responsibility. There is also a statement saying people have no right to judge others for their actions or for who they are.
I think this entire series is encapsulated in those few sentences. What is more absurd than the human race being extinguished because life can no longer pro-create? Having children is the reason people can survive knowing they are going to die because a part of them will still live on in their children.Their lives will not simply cease to exist because they will be remembered.
The Blocks ended that. Although human, they can't reproduce and they can't remember their parents. They don't even know they exist. Something--something absurd--caused the very source of life to end life. It only happened to humans. Animals thrived and reclaimed the world. Humanity is ended by its own DNA.
Jeffrey goes as far north as he can, gives his tank to a man he meets, forgives Katherine, and, as in "The Last Astronaut" comes to terms with the life and loss of Galen. He "remembered those memories with fondness", just as The Last Astronaut was able to smile about Bob and put the pain behind him. Both men, as they face the end of their lives, are able to remember the good things and let go of everything else. That is the opposite of all the people heading south, thinking they can outrun death and never accepting the end of all things.
We don't know what becomes of Jeffrey. Does he live a natural life span and die on his own terms or does he decide to walk into the ocean without stopping, also ending life on his own terms? That is the question at the end of "The Awakening" and it is what we are left with at the end of "A Different Alchemy."
This is an amazing book and it didn't leave me feeling sad and hopeless. I lived Jeffrey's life with him. The character is so well-written, you can feel his pain, his love, his longing, and his need to just go away. Jeffrey came to terms with life and death through Galen; The Last Astronaut did it through Bob. I think the book is saying that as long as you have experienced happiness and love in your life, you don't need children and a future. The fact that you loved and were loved is reason enough to live.
February 13, 2014
A Different Alchemy
Devolution, de-evolution or backward evolution: when species can change into more primitive forms over time. Evolution means progress to more advanced organisms. Each organism becomes more complex in structure and function over time. Evolution is thought or supposed to make species more advanced not primitive. But, some modern species have lost some of their more complex functions that were indicative of their ancestors or forebears and have or might be degenerated forms. The term “devolution according to dictionary.com is defined as going from an advanced state to a less advanced state or an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting would define the term alchemy or any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance usually of little value into a substance of great value. But, what happens when the opposite occurs? What happens when something strikes normal, healthy infants, children and turns them into non-responsive humans incapable of showing emotions, movement or any type of communication? What happens when the world refers to these children as Blocks and parents throughout the world find themselves caring for children that are not disabled in the normal sense but are not there but have no idea why. In a world that is diminishing, where fires have destroyed much of the landscape and structures,
When mankind gives up and shows no sign of up what happens will be revealed within the pages of this novel. From the author of The Man Who Watched the World End comes a novel that will make you wonder: Can this really happen? What happens to people when things go wrong? When panic strikes why do we often get violent, give up home and forget whom we are? When the world becoming devoid of people and those that are left begin to travel south what you will see as the author describes the devastation, despair, ruin and abandoned cities is a graphic depiction of a world that had decayed. Close your eyes: Can you small the fresh air? Do you see the beautiful flowers in a garden? Can you see the children playing the schoolyard or having fun shooting hoops? Can you see the beautiful highways lit up with the lights that help drivers see? Do you see the amazing houses, villages, stores and towns with their wares in the window? Open your eyes to reality: It’s all gone. Cities hunger for people, cars are left abandon on highways, and people are violent and will kill for just a tank of gas of a new tire. Mankind has become wanton, unfeeling, desperate, deceitful, and violent: of have they always been that way and we have not taken the time to notice?
This is the story of Jeffrey, Katherine and Galen. A story filed with hope, love, despair, frustration and anger. Nothing could be more powerful or painful than losing a child. What happens when your child receives so much love and care but cannot respond to the world around him? Within the pages of this novel you will hear the word Block. Blocks are children born after a certain time period unable to cry, scream, yell, walk, eat, talk, walk or do anything that would show that they are part of this world other than being able to breathe. Some feel that it was a great illness that caused children to be born this way. Others have no idea what the reason and found using them as scapegoats a fun pastime, blaming them for the shortages of food and other important life sustaining supplies their out. Others felt that would be a burden on the state. But, when cities were evacuated and homes left vacant why did their former owners burn them? The loss of a son that might have been avoided had his wife not fallen prey to false promises and dreams that their son would be okay if she left him with others at a stadium and somehow he might be okay. But, when the harsh reality of what she had done comes out and the fact that not only did the stadium burn but those within it too, Jeffrey finds it hard to ever face Katherine again and decides to leave his old life behind and instead of heading south like everyone else, he goes north. A Block Son but Jeffrey’s love is unconditional and at times we the author brilliantly shares conversations within this character’s mind with his son. Treating him as if he understands make him feel whole. Letting him know that he will always protect him despite the fact that he does not understand the mark of a dedicated parent. So, how can he forgive Katherine? The volatile nature of the public, the many newscasts, the flashbacks to where it all began as he reminds himself of why Galen might have become a Block blaming it on the timing of when they decided to have a child. But, is that the real reason? Scientists did not even fathom a solid guess and thought it was a strange illness that caused it and never worked on a vaccine or cure. It was easier to eliminate these children or adults by setting them on fire, leaving them in a shelter, leaving them behind so that they could justify fleeing to another town. As the author allows us to hear Jeffrey’s thinking, logic and sometimes rants we meet other survivors whose only goal is to find a way to the south, north or anywhere not caring for others or willing to help anyone along the way. Mankind became hard, unfeeling, distant and selfish as some had the implements needed to travel why others went in directions that would cause their deaths.
The author cleverly flashes back to discussions between Jeffrey and Katherine including arguments they had, the blame each one puts the other for Galen and the end result that caused his death. Author Chris Dietzel’s vivid descriptions of the decayed landscape, the fallen cities, the broken fences, the brown grass, the dead bodies strewn all over the streets, highways and cities and the smell of death all around brings to story to life for readers. Each chapter fosters memories of things that happened within this small family, things that he wished could have happened and the hopes and dreams he had for his son that he knew would never come to pass. The baseball games he would never play. The girls he would never meet or date and the fun getting drunk for the first time as a teen. How can Jeffrey forgive Katherine when he cannot forgive himself? In the military at Fort Dix the soldiers and those in charge do not report. Many of the officers just left and have not returned. Security has been eliminated and the airwaves had all of the spies from different countries divulge their hidden secrets. Wouldn’t that be interesting if that happened today and everyone worked together?
There are many major issues or themes revealed within this novel. Many feel that because of their inability to communicate or take care of themselves that block children or people have no value. Blocks cannot have children. The population might never grow unless something happens. The Great De-Evolution: Will this really happen if we are not careful?
The setting takes place in Philadelphia as those living there have abandoned their city and his wife caused him what he thinks is his son’s death. Putting thousands of these children in danger in a stadium and allowing it to burn was just where the chain of horrific events began with the justification that you might say but was left unsaid was for the greater good.
Meeting a man on the road enrages him as she realizes that he had something to do with the death of his son and the other Blocks. The rafe is real, the fire lingers in his mind and as his knuckles crack after hitting the side of the man’s skull you would think he would stop, rethink what he’s doing but he does not. Hoping that the man would take his last breath he leaves to wallow in his own blood and finds a grocery store to stop up on supplies as if nothing major happened and the fact that the man might be dead did not affect him in the least. What if he had left years ago? What if they had tried to have a child when they first married? What if the tank he us traveling in gives out? Imagine this as a movie more powerful than others depicting the decline of the world and its population. Reading the Road and seeing the movie this book presents many of the same issues of survival, greed, anger, violence and revenge but the powerful hope of forgiveness makes this one stand out even more. Taking books from bookstores or libraries, providing himself with sustenance and the what he needs to survive the pictures that the author relate4s as he thinks of Katherine driving their son to the stadium, flesh burning, the screams that would never be heard and the despair of a parent who would never see his son again. A man, bloody broke and dead in front of his tank did not bring any emotional response form Jeffrey. His swollen eye and purples did not matter to him. The man was a thief who wanted to steal his tank and prayed and begged for his own death. What did the world look like before the Blocks and the decline of the human race? What would have happened if people just accepted them and did not panic? What would have happened if they had stayed put? Imagine this world where food processors can do anything and generators never give out. Traveling from Philadelphia to cities across the country and stopping to find food, and using what others left behind, running water, the internet working and gangs trying to kidnap the blocks, what kind of world do we live in and would the same thing happen if this were reality today?
Bombed out cities that looked like they had never been rebuilt, stores City Hall and the Statue of Liberty falling apart, the smell of dead animals, the burning flesh of the Blocks and the forgotten homes and people he meets along the way will haunt Jeffrey and readers as the author brings the story to a dramatic close. People that traveled to Washington and were turned away. Using his food processor preparing meals for himself and strangers he met. The final chapters bring back the last days when he was on his military base, saying goodbye to friends, convincing others that their block children would be okay as the author flashes back to when some had hope before the siren blared and reality set it. Then he replays the beginning in his mind hoping that the end result will not be the same as Katherine states that the man on the TV said to bring all of the blocks to the stadium. An ending that will keep you wondering what is next for Jeffrey and where will he wind up. Will he continue until he runs out of land or will he finally find peace and settle somewhere? Will the author continue the story until we learn what the end result is for everyone? This is a powerful story that will keep you thinking about how we treat others, why people do the things they do, their actions and the fact that forgiveness is powerful but can he forgive himself first?
Fran Lewis: Reviewer
Five Golden Hugs For Galen
Devolution, de-evolution or backward evolution: when species can change into more primitive forms over time. Evolution means progress to more advanced organisms. Each organism becomes more complex in structure and function over time. Evolution is thought or supposed to make species more advanced not primitive. But, some modern species have lost some of their more complex functions that were indicative of their ancestors or forebears and have or might be degenerated forms. The term “devolution according to dictionary.com is defined as going from an advanced state to a less advanced state or an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting would define the term alchemy or any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance usually of little value into a substance of great value. But, what happens when the opposite occurs? What happens when something strikes normal, healthy infants, children and turns them into non-responsive humans incapable of showing emotions, movement or any type of communication? What happens when the world refers to these children as Blocks and parents throughout the world find themselves caring for children that are not disabled in the normal sense but are not there but have no idea why. In a world that is diminishing, where fires have destroyed much of the landscape and structures,
When mankind gives up and shows no sign of up what happens will be revealed within the pages of this novel. From the author of The Man Who Watched the World End comes a novel that will make you wonder: Can this really happen? What happens to people when things go wrong? When panic strikes why do we often get violent, give up home and forget whom we are? When the world becoming devoid of people and those that are left begin to travel south what you will see as the author describes the devastation, despair, ruin and abandoned cities is a graphic depiction of a world that had decayed. Close your eyes: Can you small the fresh air? Do you see the beautiful flowers in a garden? Can you see the children playing the schoolyard or having fun shooting hoops? Can you see the beautiful highways lit up with the lights that help drivers see? Do you see the amazing houses, villages, stores and towns with their wares in the window? Open your eyes to reality: It’s all gone. Cities hunger for people, cars are left abandon on highways, and people are violent and will kill for just a tank of gas of a new tire. Mankind has become wanton, unfeeling, desperate, deceitful, and violent: of have they always been that way and we have not taken the time to notice?
This is the story of Jeffrey, Katherine and Galen. A story filed with hope, love, despair, frustration and anger. Nothing could be more powerful or painful than losing a child. What happens when your child receives so much love and care but cannot respond to the world around him? Within the pages of this novel you will hear the word Block. Blocks are children born after a certain time period unable to cry, scream, yell, walk, eat, talk, walk or do anything that would show that they are part of this world other than being able to breathe. Some feel that it was a great illness that caused children to be born this way. Others have no idea what the reason and found using them as scapegoats a fun pastime, blaming them for the shortages of food and other important life sustaining supplies their out. Others felt that would be a burden on the state. But, when cities were evacuated and homes left vacant why did their former owners burn them? The loss of a son that might have been avoided had his wife not fallen prey to false promises and dreams that their son would be okay if she left him with others at a stadium and somehow he might be okay. But, when the harsh reality of what she had done comes out and the fact that not only did the stadium burn but those within it too, Jeffrey finds it hard to ever face Katherine again and decides to leave his old life behind and instead of heading south like everyone else, he goes north. A Block Son but Jeffrey’s love is unconditional and at times we the author brilliantly shares conversations within this character’s mind with his son. Treating him as if he understands make him feel whole. Letting him know that he will always protect him despite the fact that he does not understand the mark of a dedicated parent. So, how can he forgive Katherine? The volatile nature of the public, the many newscasts, the flashbacks to where it all began as he reminds himself of why Galen might have become a Block blaming it on the timing of when they decided to have a child. But, is that the real reason? Scientists did not even fathom a solid guess and thought it was a strange illness that caused it and never worked on a vaccine or cure. It was easier to eliminate these children or adults by setting them on fire, leaving them in a shelter, leaving them behind so that they could justify fleeing to another town. As the author allows us to hear Jeffrey’s thinking, logic and sometimes rants we meet other survivors whose only goal is to find a way to the south, north or anywhere not caring for others or willing to help anyone along the way. Mankind became hard, unfeeling, distant and selfish as some had the implements needed to travel why others went in directions that would cause their deaths.
The author cleverly flashes back to discussions between Jeffrey and Katherine including arguments they had, the blame each one puts the other for Galen and the end result that caused his death. Author Chris Dietzel’s vivid descriptions of the decayed landscape, the fallen cities, the broken fences, the brown grass, the dead bodies strewn all over the streets, highways and cities and the smell of death all around brings to story to life for readers. Each chapter fosters memories of things that happened within this small family, things that he wished could have happened and the hopes and dreams he had for his son that he knew would never come to pass. The baseball games he would never play. The girls he would never meet or date and the fun getting drunk for the first time as a teen. How can Jeffrey forgive Katherine when he cannot forgive himself? In the military at Fort Dix the soldiers and those in charge do not report. Many of the officers just left and have not returned. Security has been eliminated and the airwaves had all of the spies from different countries divulge their hidden secrets. Wouldn’t that be interesting if that happened today and everyone worked together?
There are many major issues or themes revealed within this novel. Many feel that because of their inability to communicate or take care of themselves that block children or people have no value. Blocks cannot have children. The population might never grow unless something happens. The Great De-Evolution: Will this really happen if we are not careful?
The setting takes place in Philadelphia as those living there have abandoned their city and his wife caused him what he thinks is his son’s death. Putting thousands of these children in danger in a stadium and allowing it to burn was just where the chain of horrific events began with the justification that you might say but was left unsaid was for the greater good.
Meeting a man on the road enrages him as she realizes that he had something to do with the death of his son and the other Blocks. The rafe is real, the fire lingers in his mind and as his knuckles crack after hitting the side of the man’s skull you would think he would stop, rethink what he’s doing but he does not. Hoping that the man would take his last breath he leaves to wallow in his own blood and finds a grocery store to stop up on supplies as if nothing major happened and the fact that the man might be dead did not affect him in the least. What if he had left years ago? What if they had tried to have a child when they first married? What if the tank he us traveling in gives out? Imagine this as a movie more powerful than others depicting the decline of the world and its population. Reading the Road and seeing the movie this book presents many of the same issues of survival, greed, anger, violence and revenge but the powerful hope of forgiveness makes this one stand out even more. Taking books from bookstores or libraries, providing himself with sustenance and the what he needs to survive the pictures that the author relate4s as he thinks of Katherine driving their son to the stadium, flesh burning, the screams that would never be heard and the despair of a parent who would never see his son again. A man, bloody broke and dead in front of his tank did not bring any emotional response form Jeffrey. His swollen eye and purples did not matter to him. The man was a thief who wanted to steal his tank and prayed and begged for his own death. What did the world look like before the Blocks and the decline of the human race? What would have happened if people just accepted them and did not panic? What would have happened if they had stayed put? Imagine this world where food processors can do anything and generators never give out. Traveling from Philadelphia to cities across the country and stopping to find food, and using what others left behind, running water, the internet working and gangs trying to kidnap the blocks, what kind of world do we live in and would the same thing happen if this were reality today?
Bombed out cities that looked like they had never been rebuilt, stores City Hall and the Statue of Liberty falling apart, the smell of dead animals, the burning flesh of the Blocks and the forgotten homes and people he meets along the way will haunt Jeffrey and readers as the author brings the story to a dramatic close. People that traveled to Washington and were turned away. Using his food processor preparing meals for himself and strangers he met. The final chapters bring back the last days when he was on his military base, saying goodbye to friends, convincing others that their block children would be okay as the author flashes back to when some had hope before the siren blared and reality set it. Then he replays the beginning in his mind hoping that the end result will not be the same as Katherine states that the man on the TV said to bring all of the blocks to the stadium. An ending that will keep you wondering what is next for Jeffrey and where will he wind up. Will he continue until he runs out of land or will he finally find peace and settle somewhere? Will the author continue the story until we learn what the end result is for everyone? This is a powerful story that will keep you thinking about how we treat others, why people do the things they do, their actions and the fact that forgiveness is powerful but can he forgive himself first?
Fran Lewis: Reviewer
Five Golden Hugs For Galen
July 18, 2017
I'm about 20% into this novel. Do not read if already depressed would be my advice. This is a beautiful, poignant rendition of mankind winding down. Horrific, compelling and heartbreaking. At last, someone is tackling those tiny questions--not the gore, the cannibalism, the growth in new wacky religious cults which permeate other apocalyptic stories, but when do you just stop going into work? When do you stop maintaining your house? Yourself? When do you just...stop? The MC of this book isn't ready for giving up just yet. He's stolen a tank and he's heading north, against the flow of people going the other way, against the despair, although he's carrying that in his heart too. He's a kind man. I'm reminded of the father and son on the road in The Road, speaking of carrying the fire--which I take to be the boy's innate kindness, which is needed in a world utterly without hope. Just occasionally, in that book, this "fire" inside the young boy is intensely annoying. I'm inside the father's head, furious as he's forced to give away their precious hoarded rations. But in this novel, Dietzel has the fire inside the man. A man with a tank. I'm intrigued and delighted to have found this novel approach to the end of the world.
I'll update when done.
I finished this last night. It's very short, more a novella than a full novel. Up to the end, the poignancy of this book holds you spellbound. What would happen to mankind if all new babies born come out utterly unable to respond in anyway to their surroundings--healthy otherwise, but just inert, and, critically, barren? The last generation of humans ever now nicknamed "blocks". This is the story of one father who loved his block son beyond reason and who, when he loses him, loses a tiny thread of sanity which chained him to a dying, insane world. Or, did he finally become sane and see life for what it really is?
A haunting meditation on what it means to be alive and human, but not to be read unless you're pretty chipper and able to take it.
I'll update when done.
I finished this last night. It's very short, more a novella than a full novel. Up to the end, the poignancy of this book holds you spellbound. What would happen to mankind if all new babies born come out utterly unable to respond in anyway to their surroundings--healthy otherwise, but just inert, and, critically, barren? The last generation of humans ever now nicknamed "blocks". This is the story of one father who loved his block son beyond reason and who, when he loses him, loses a tiny thread of sanity which chained him to a dying, insane world. Or, did he finally become sane and see life for what it really is?
A haunting meditation on what it means to be alive and human, but not to be read unless you're pretty chipper and able to take it.
January 15, 2021
Willing Trying A Different Alchemy
All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it’s a fire in the night sky. It could be both the beautiful and tragic memories of the human mind. Yet it could also be the bedside lamp, the glow of a screen, and the dawn of a new day. A guy has to read when he can, and I’ll try to remember what I can about A Different Alchemy by Chris Dietzel. A story of a father’s love for his child mixed in with several tales of that father’s life. Heartbreaking and yet awe-inspiring in one. So why only three stars, hmm?
I enjoyed how the story is told through Jeffery’s eyes from both the current and within flashbacks. There is also a view of the world that has been decaying. All due to the Great De-Evolution which is going on. Look at it as the living dead meets “Me Before You.� Jeffery is a military man that undergoes a tragedy, and really how does anyone get over it. He runs in one direction. While the rest of humankind heads in the other. Besides the ability to get by on his own, he has one more advantage. It’s a tank. So he goes, leaving his wife Katherine and the remnants of society.
On a personal level, the relationship between him and his son Galen shook me. My son isn’t a “block,� but he’s gone half-blind. Oh, and I have to carry him around sometimes, clean-up after him, feed him, everything that’s possible.
We see joys and sorrows of Fatherhood and then taking care of an invalid. This novel should make everyone think about what that would be like. Then imagine those invalids are the reason the world is coming to a final end. It was too many of them like there were too many smaller stories I’m having trouble remembering now. Jeffery’s mind, the thoughts of his poor boy, will stick, though. Willing Trying A Different Alchemy.
All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it’s a fire in the night sky. It could be both the beautiful and tragic memories of the human mind. Yet it could also be the bedside lamp, the glow of a screen, and the dawn of a new day. A guy has to read when he can, and I’ll try to remember what I can about A Different Alchemy by Chris Dietzel. A story of a father’s love for his child mixed in with several tales of that father’s life. Heartbreaking and yet awe-inspiring in one. So why only three stars, hmm?
I enjoyed how the story is told through Jeffery’s eyes from both the current and within flashbacks. There is also a view of the world that has been decaying. All due to the Great De-Evolution which is going on. Look at it as the living dead meets “Me Before You.� Jeffery is a military man that undergoes a tragedy, and really how does anyone get over it. He runs in one direction. While the rest of humankind heads in the other. Besides the ability to get by on his own, he has one more advantage. It’s a tank. So he goes, leaving his wife Katherine and the remnants of society.
On a personal level, the relationship between him and his son Galen shook me. My son isn’t a “block,� but he’s gone half-blind. Oh, and I have to carry him around sometimes, clean-up after him, feed him, everything that’s possible.
We see joys and sorrows of Fatherhood and then taking care of an invalid. This novel should make everyone think about what that would be like. Then imagine those invalids are the reason the world is coming to a final end. It was too many of them like there were too many smaller stories I’m having trouble remembering now. Jeffery’s mind, the thoughts of his poor boy, will stick, though. Willing Trying A Different Alchemy.
November 20, 2017
Kindle unlimited, though some of his are and some are not; depressing, but then again rather assume these type stories usually are. The one not included is The Last Teacher (The Great De-evolution) {not sure where this one belongs in the order of books} mentioned at end in list of these books, but my mind gets tired after reading so many back to back.
As the human population continues to decline, most people travel south to maintain a semblance of the life they know. Entire cities are abandoned. But following a senseless act of violence, one man travels north, toward forgotten lands. Is it possible for a loving husband and father, surrounded by reminders of mankind’s impending extinction, to reclaim what he lost? A DIFFERENT ALCHEMY is the tale of a man realizing that everyone has their own pain and their own way of dealing with it. It is the story of how one father’s loss can mirror an entire society’s sorrow. It is also a lesson about the importance of forgiveness
The Complete Collection presents all three Great De-evolution books in one volume for the first time. Be warned, these are not stories for people who need action sequences or pretty endings. But if you love introspective, reflective stories or want a different take on the end of mankind, these stories are for you.
The Man Who Watched The World End
A Different Alchemy
The Hauntings of Playing God
The Great De-evolution: The Complete Collection
The Last Teacher (The Great De-evolution) {not sure where this one belongs in the order of books}
As the human population continues to decline, most people travel south to maintain a semblance of the life they know. Entire cities are abandoned. But following a senseless act of violence, one man travels north, toward forgotten lands. Is it possible for a loving husband and father, surrounded by reminders of mankind’s impending extinction, to reclaim what he lost? A DIFFERENT ALCHEMY is the tale of a man realizing that everyone has their own pain and their own way of dealing with it. It is the story of how one father’s loss can mirror an entire society’s sorrow. It is also a lesson about the importance of forgiveness
The Complete Collection presents all three Great De-evolution books in one volume for the first time. Be warned, these are not stories for people who need action sequences or pretty endings. But if you love introspective, reflective stories or want a different take on the end of mankind, these stories are for you.
The Man Who Watched The World End
A Different Alchemy
The Hauntings of Playing God
The Great De-evolution: The Complete Collection
The Last Teacher (The Great De-evolution) {not sure where this one belongs in the order of books}
July 26, 2022
I am not great at having or expressing feelings. Before I became a father my biggest fear was that my child would be born with some (any) developmental disability. I did not think I could handle it. 7 years a father, I could never imagine not loving my children whoever they started as or whoever they became. Becoming a parent helped me to understand feelings, albeit still not great.
The events that transpire in this book are so hard. Clearly for the father, focus of this book. But also for the mother who's motivation is left unresolved but either way is understandable and unforgivable. Ugh. These books are so depressing.
The events that transpire in this book are so hard. Clearly for the father, focus of this book. But also for the mother who's motivation is left unresolved but either way is understandable and unforgivable. Ugh. These books are so depressing.
August 22, 2019
I'll probably read the other ones in the series as the premise was very interesting, but not before a long time. It's a very depressing read to be honest, and as someone suffering from depression it didn't put me in a good mental state.
Still this idea of a quiet apocalypse is amazing. Humanity doesn't go off with a bang; it just stops being able to produce a new functional generation, and the consequences are interesting to read about.
Still this idea of a quiet apocalypse is amazing. Humanity doesn't go off with a bang; it just stops being able to produce a new functional generation, and the consequences are interesting to read about.
March 19, 2021
The world building here is just fantastic. I am kind of obsessed with this world. I dont really feel connected with the main characters in the novels so far...but each novel adds new details to create this fascinating world. I will continue to listen to the series and I'm thankful that the books arent too long...and I think I will br thinking about this world long after I finish the series...but I doubt I will remember anything about the individual characters or the plot of each book.
Read
December 16, 2024I have now read all of Chris Dietzel's apocalypse books on the 'great devolution' and I have found them to be a fascinating and engrossing read, the author plots his way through a massive interconnection from book to book in a sure footed way, and at not one single time did I think "this doesn't quite fit with book X,Y or Z".
I am a bit disappointed to have read them all as there are no more forthcoming, so I am as up to date as I'll ever be with the world Dietzel has created.
I am a bit disappointed to have read them all as there are no more forthcoming, so I am as up to date as I'll ever be with the world Dietzel has created.
November 3, 2016
In the end, I enjoyed the book. There were a few things that got glossed over and/or which seemed too convenient such as the food processors and the actual state of the Blocks. I presume, from the description, that there is no brain function in the Blocks beyond that necessary for the automatic processes of breathing, etc, but I don’t recall any discussion of the clinical evaluation of whether or not these people have any measurable awareness regardless of their capacity to express it.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read…because it tackled a different view of the apocalypse and invited thought. An apocalypse of attrition. Interesting. I admit I find it an almost more believable rendition of what the actual end of man-kind might be…Blocks not withstanding. What would society be like with no “next generation� to think about, plan for, dream of? Would we all just give up? Would we become that paranoid mass of people clinging so desperately to the diminishing herd that we give up home, history, morality?
That said, the issue of the Blocks troubled me. Not so much their existence. I could conceive of a genetic mutation that rendered procreation impossible or limited, that invited birth defects and disabilities, etc. So that’s fine. I had a hard time swallowing the lack of discussion regarding actual brain function. That troubled me.
The fact that, as morally corrupt as a society might become, the solution to the Block problem turns out to be a fire-bombing? That bothered me even more. Not just because it’s a horrible thought but because I don’t buy it. I would think, if one were to take the position (as some of the Philadelphians apparently do) that the Blocks have no brain function, no soul, no value, that there would be easier, more humane and less messy methods. Poisoned nutrition bags? I feel creepy contemplating it but you get my point.
And, I’ll be honest, were society to be inundated with Block children with clinically confirmed lack of any higher brain function…I have a feeling society might well institute a method of humane euthanasia. The idea, as defined in the book, that eventually there’d be a population comprised 90% of Blocks and 10% forced caregivers? Society would not stand for it. And I suspect the “solution� society would come up with, horrible as it sounds, would be a clinical one…rather than a violent one. That’s just me theorizing though.
Jeffrey, our guide through this apocalyptic world, is meant I think to represent the last vestige of human morality and kindness. His love for his son is, I suspect, meant to warm the heart. But I found him to be selfish and judgmental and his love for his son, as genuine as he thinks it is, shallow. It’s untested. It’s uncomplicated. He never acknowledges the horror or difficulty in caring for a Block, not even in passing. Most people, no matter how much they might love a child such as Galen, would at one point or another acknowledge how awful that responsibility is, bemoan the lack of return, get frustrated and angry with the responsibility. Jeffrey delights in his son’s inability to cause problems or be disappointed by him. I wonder if he’d love a non-Block son half as well, a son who would challenge him, who wouldn’t be a captive audience to his talking every night.
Jeffrey’s love for Katherine is certainly limited. He blames her for not loving their son in the way he does (which is not to say she does not love the boy). He blames her for taking his son to the stadium (when there’s nothing to suggest she’d even dream they would fire the place). He blames her for not rushing into having children. He blames her for making him beg for a child, for making him promise to change every diaper (a promise he does not fulfill btw). He leaves her alone every day to deal with the reality of their Block son while he attends a job that has no purpose. And then he blames her for not being the carefree woman he married when he spends every second of the book finding fault with her. He abandons her after the stadium without even verifying his son died there. He doesn’t check on her even once, not even when he hears about the Philadelphians being turned away from Washington. He is not a loving husband.
Nor is he any ideal of humanity. He beats a young boy senseless for what seems a cruel but ultimately harmless prank. He beats a pathetic fellow traveler to a pulp for wanting his tank. He avoids interaction with humanity. And always is obsessing over the loss of a son who could never reciprocate instead of embracing those who could. In the end, he is no better than the people he sits in judgment on.
One might think I disliked the book from this review. Far from it. The fact that I found this main character, while at surface so sympathetic, so objectionable…that I spent such time contemplating what I felt and why…that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Any book that makes me think is one worth reading.
Is it perfect? No. The narrative sometimes seemed to be omniscient, at other times limited. There were issues, as stated earlier, that were glossed over. Other elements were a little easy. But it was an interesting and worthwhile read. Would I recommend it to others? Yes.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read…because it tackled a different view of the apocalypse and invited thought. An apocalypse of attrition. Interesting. I admit I find it an almost more believable rendition of what the actual end of man-kind might be…Blocks not withstanding. What would society be like with no “next generation� to think about, plan for, dream of? Would we all just give up? Would we become that paranoid mass of people clinging so desperately to the diminishing herd that we give up home, history, morality?
That said, the issue of the Blocks troubled me. Not so much their existence. I could conceive of a genetic mutation that rendered procreation impossible or limited, that invited birth defects and disabilities, etc. So that’s fine. I had a hard time swallowing the lack of discussion regarding actual brain function. That troubled me.
The fact that, as morally corrupt as a society might become, the solution to the Block problem turns out to be a fire-bombing? That bothered me even more. Not just because it’s a horrible thought but because I don’t buy it. I would think, if one were to take the position (as some of the Philadelphians apparently do) that the Blocks have no brain function, no soul, no value, that there would be easier, more humane and less messy methods. Poisoned nutrition bags? I feel creepy contemplating it but you get my point.
And, I’ll be honest, were society to be inundated with Block children with clinically confirmed lack of any higher brain function…I have a feeling society might well institute a method of humane euthanasia. The idea, as defined in the book, that eventually there’d be a population comprised 90% of Blocks and 10% forced caregivers? Society would not stand for it. And I suspect the “solution� society would come up with, horrible as it sounds, would be a clinical one…rather than a violent one. That’s just me theorizing though.
Jeffrey, our guide through this apocalyptic world, is meant I think to represent the last vestige of human morality and kindness. His love for his son is, I suspect, meant to warm the heart. But I found him to be selfish and judgmental and his love for his son, as genuine as he thinks it is, shallow. It’s untested. It’s uncomplicated. He never acknowledges the horror or difficulty in caring for a Block, not even in passing. Most people, no matter how much they might love a child such as Galen, would at one point or another acknowledge how awful that responsibility is, bemoan the lack of return, get frustrated and angry with the responsibility. Jeffrey delights in his son’s inability to cause problems or be disappointed by him. I wonder if he’d love a non-Block son half as well, a son who would challenge him, who wouldn’t be a captive audience to his talking every night.
Jeffrey’s love for Katherine is certainly limited. He blames her for not loving their son in the way he does (which is not to say she does not love the boy). He blames her for taking his son to the stadium (when there’s nothing to suggest she’d even dream they would fire the place). He blames her for not rushing into having children. He blames her for making him beg for a child, for making him promise to change every diaper (a promise he does not fulfill btw). He leaves her alone every day to deal with the reality of their Block son while he attends a job that has no purpose. And then he blames her for not being the carefree woman he married when he spends every second of the book finding fault with her. He abandons her after the stadium without even verifying his son died there. He doesn’t check on her even once, not even when he hears about the Philadelphians being turned away from Washington. He is not a loving husband.
Nor is he any ideal of humanity. He beats a young boy senseless for what seems a cruel but ultimately harmless prank. He beats a pathetic fellow traveler to a pulp for wanting his tank. He avoids interaction with humanity. And always is obsessing over the loss of a son who could never reciprocate instead of embracing those who could. In the end, he is no better than the people he sits in judgment on.
One might think I disliked the book from this review. Far from it. The fact that I found this main character, while at surface so sympathetic, so objectionable…that I spent such time contemplating what I felt and why…that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Any book that makes me think is one worth reading.
Is it perfect? No. The narrative sometimes seemed to be omniscient, at other times limited. There were issues, as stated earlier, that were glossed over. Other elements were a little easy. But it was an interesting and worthwhile read. Would I recommend it to others? Yes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2020
This book is just terrible. I'd read two others in the series and they were not great, but felt I should finish as I paid for them. I made it to 39% into this one before I decided that life is too short to waste time on badly written, poorly edited drivel, so this goes on my "didn't finish" shelf for good.
January 7, 2022
Another good entry in this series. The author takes one incident mentioned in the first book and expands it into a meditation on the end of humanity. Could use a bit more editing to cut down on repitition of ideas, but overall a good effort and something that kept my attention. Taking a short break from the series but I'll be back to it.
September 11, 2018
another book set in the 'block' world with views from a different angle. the first book followed a man with his block brother, this one follows a father recounting his life with his only son who was born a block. if you liked the first book you will also enjoy this one.
February 23, 2022
This is one of those rare books where I liked the second book more than the first, just to be fair the first book was very good as well but this book took me on a journey that I’ve never been on before.
A very good read.
A very good read.
September 17, 2017
Another stunning look into the human psyche.
January 23, 2018
Interesting
Thoughtful but ultimately falls short of the first book - The Man who watched the world end. Great writing style.
Thoughtful but ultimately falls short of the first book - The Man who watched the world end. Great writing style.
July 3, 2018
Modern day Neville Shutes "On the Beach"
January 2, 2017
This was by far my favorite book from the De-Evolution series.
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