I'm almost done reading this and already I've rated it a 10. I find myself addicted to it much like the central character is addicted to his book sortes. I think I will offer this in a book ring.

This book is great! I will definitely offer this for book ring status. I hope everyone else enjoys it.

RELEASE NOTES:

Bookring

First Stop: dagget in Austria
Second Stop: Chibia in Portugal

The First Verse made it to Austria! The book arrived today together with a surprise book, that has the cutest cover I've ever seen :)
I'll start reading The First Verse immediately after finishing my current read, though I can hardly await to begin.
Many thanks to Cocobarks for offering the bookring and for mailing it all the way to Austria!

Though I didn't like the book very much at the beginning I'm now, after finishing it, somehow enthralled. It took me a 100 pages to get into the novel and to stop wondering (what the heck is going on, what is this guy doing . . .) and to let myself get drawn into the story. A world made of words, magic underneath, the concept of synchronicity everywhere. I had to think of the bible words: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This book gave me something to think about! Thanks for sharing!

dagett wrote: "I had to think of the bible words: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

--Wow! You really put some vague ideas in my head into perspective with that statement above. So much of the religious/synchronicity aspects just floated around me unarticulated.

--I have a literacy background in the sense that I teach teenagers with dyslexia how to "break the code" of English; essentially, I start with decoding phonemes, move to syllables, to multisyllables, sentences, paragraphs, and ultimately reading for full meaning or the gestalt. I approached the novel very much from the perspective of the main character doing the opposite of what my students must do. He moved from the gestalt or reading for meaning process, to decoding segments and ultimately discovered new gestalts! It made my head swirl. But then the whole part of the synchronicities made my head swirl as well.

-Did you ever try one of his little games? Ask a question, open the book at random, and "read" your answer? I did, and it worked! Freaked me out. I haven't tried since. I felt like his sort of reading became a type of drug or a sort of monster in a horror story for readers. Books destroy but one must have more books in order to know how to function. The idea in movie form made me laugh out loud --like when his family innocently gave him books when he returned home for "rehab". I don't know if I'm making much sense. I experienced so many random and abstract thoughts all at once that I still find it hard to articulate them effectively with words.

I really appreciate your post. I was eager for input from other people.

PS. I don't know if I am supposed to comment here if the book is not in my possession. Let me know if I messed up anything regarding your ability to control the book's status, etc.

Thanks again for participating in this bookring.
Cheers!

RELEASE NOTES:

Off to Portugal! I'm really curious what Chibia's experiences will be when she has finished reading!

It arrived today from Austria! =) I'll read it as soon as I can. thanks everyone!

Returned safe and sound. Am lending to a friend.

Offering again for a book ring.

On loan in a very, very, very small bookring (samulli). I hope you enjoy it.

The book finally arrived here today. Which was good timing, because I just finished the last bookring I had with me and can start into this one right now.

Wow, I can't believe I actually managed to read this book in 5 days! Somehow it seemed to take ages and at times it really felt like work.
Don't get me wrong: it's not that I didn't like it (although I am sure it's not a book I would necessarily want to read again). I think, the idea of the book is very interesting, I just had some difficulties with McCrea's writing style. To me, he writes like an academic: slow, at times very long winded, for long stretches nothing is really happening, there's not much dialogue, no action, way too much sitting around. Or maybe that's just because it's a first person narrator (I have problems with these anyway).
The book was certainly not what I expected. I'm not a big fan of occultism of any sort, so the "sortes" seemed like a lot of rubbish to me. I think you can read anything you like into such short passages. And I for one definitely do not feel tempted to exchange my usual reading habits for this kind of thing.
The story itself was rather interesting and the characters for the most part quite convincing. The only gripe I have is the very abrupt ending. Why exactly did he change his mind all of a sudden at this point? I don't really get it.
One thing I did like very much was the book design. It reminded me a lot of a copy of "The Historian" I've read recently. Must be the same publisher or something.
Anyway, thank you Cocobarks for letting me read it. As soon as I have your address the book will travel home.

Received safe and sound.