By Charles Soule; Harper Perennial
What would you do if you woke up with knowledge of the future? The idea has been the subject of many books, TV shows, and movies in the past, so perhaps another book covering the same territory might not sound particularly appealing. However, The Oracle Year, by Charles Soule, manages to be interesting by going a different route by trying, somewhat, for realism. The main character, Will Dando, does many of the things any normal person would try to do under the same circumstances – trying to stay anonymous while making tons of money, telling virtually no one about his knowledge except for a trusted few, seeing whether or not he can change the future with his foreknowledge – the standard routine you’ve read or seen time and again. And, as is expected, there are also those that are threatened by Dando’s knowledge, including the government and, in a bit of a twist, religious leaders, who decide to do whatever is necessary to find Dando and expose him as a fraud. It’s entertaining, if predictable; typical wish fulfillment fare.
The Oracle Year, however, doesn’t stay in the realm of the typical very long. Once Dando starts to realize knowledge he’s received is linked to something bigger, the story’s action takes a bit of an uptick; unfortunately, to the detriment of the realism previously established. Things getting a bit strange wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing – many books have been greatly improved by the insertion of a little weirdness – but the absolute lack of any explanation as to the reasons why behind, well, anything happening, makes this novel ultimately more of a frustrating read than an enjoyable one. Maybe it is realistic that one would be left with more questions than answers in this type of situation, but The Oracle Year may prove that realism in fiction doesn’t always serve the story.
