Book Review: The Astonished Eye

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Astonished Eye     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Tracy Knight
Class/Genre:   Science Fiction
Five Star, Dec 2003, $25.95, 235

An UFO crash lands in Elderton, Illinois and the alien inside doesn’t know where he is or who he is. He just understands that he will bring change to this small town. The Astonished Eye tabloid hears the rumors of the flying saucer crash landing and sends Ben Savitch to report. Ben, who lived in Elderton until he was six, hopes that the rumors are true so that he can finally make it into the big leagues of journalism.

The town is nothing like Ben expects. It is filled with magic that allows people to live after they die. The heart of the town is Almo Parish the last munchkin from the wizard of Oz who is still alive. Each Fall there is a small ceremony in which Almo points out the first leaf that will drop from the trees signifying that the season has arrived. Jeffrey Sprague has run away from the last of a long line of foster homes and winds up in Elderton where the adults subtly take care of him. He might make a home for himself there if can get used to the magic that engulfs him. Cynical Ben finally believes in the magic after he realizes he can not stay in the place of his birth.

THE ASTONISHED EYE will make readers understand how Alice felt when she fell down the looking glass and entered a world in which nonsense makes perfect sense. This satirical fantasy makes readers want to believe in magic and in people who are kind and gentle like the population of Elderton. Tracy Knight’s first novel is a refreshingly original, light-hearted urban legend satire.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner