Review: The Oracle Year

The Oracle Year by Charles Soule
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m a little surprised at the lower ratings on this novel. I am usually a harsh critic and often find myself perplexed by the higher ratings. This time, however, I found myself completely engaged from beginning to end and struggling to understand those who didn’t share the experience.

Will Dando is a relatively young, part time musician when one morning he awakens after a very strange dream. In it, he heard spoken a series of 108 “predictions”—some seemingly innocuous and others with implications for the entire world, each with a date as to when it will transpire. He immediately jots them down, and it isn’t long before Dando realizes that the predictions are, without fail, actually spot on. He and a friend then conspire to anonymously release some of the more mundane predictions via a website, building an audience of believers suddenly willing to pay millions for information that will benefit the bottom line for themselves and their companies. Dando is known only as the Oracle and is a raging global phenomenon, as the entire world anxiously anticipates the release of more “predictions”. When the consequences of releasing, and selling, the byproduct of Will’s dream begin to globally wreak havoc, he questions his role in the big picture, if there IS a big picture, even as he dodges those searching to discover his identity.

Are there holes in the logic here? You bet. Reading takes a willing suspension of disbelief in order to fully enjoy the story. The writing, however, is sound; the characters, secondary to the book’s themes. Below the surface lies a running social commentary that takes on power, authority and organized religion. It is in this commentary that the strengths of the novel lie. The conclusion is rather anti-climactic, but after the rollercoaster ride of the read, that wasn’t such a bad thing at all.

Overall, an enjoyable few hours spent reading while on the drive to the lake.

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