We Predict Great Things for The Oracle Year, an Ingenious Sci-Fi Thriller
What if you could see the future? Even just in bits? Literature, religion, and mythology are absolutely lousy with prophecy and premonition, but comic book writer Charles Soule’s novel The Oracle Year brings something new to the table: verisimilitude. It’s the story of a New Yorker who gains sudden foresight and finds himself stumbling through the repercussions before trying to retake control of his life. Throughout the titular year, the consequences of the existence of a real-life oracle are explored realistically, and with tremendous wit. Soule is best known for his extraordinarily prolific career in both mainstream (Darth Vader, Daredevil) and creator-owned comics (Curse Words), but he makes and assured and confident debut as a prose novelist.
The Oracle Year: A Novel
Hardcover $21.99
The Oracle Year: A Novel
Hardcover $21.99
Soule smartly avoids any complicated exposition to explain how his protagonist, Will Dando, because a sooth-sayer. Instead, we join him already in the midst of the wildest year of his life, some time after the day he woke up with exactly 108 predictions in his head—prophecies of events both large and (seemingly) small, many of them utterly confounding. Nonetheless, he soon realized that they are coming true. Further, they seem to be entirely unalterable, even with foreknowledge.
Soule smartly avoids any complicated exposition to explain how his protagonist, Will Dando, because a sooth-sayer. Instead, we join him already in the midst of the wildest year of his life, some time after the day he woke up with exactly 108 predictions in his head—prophecies of events both large and (seemingly) small, many of them utterly confounding. Nonetheless, he soon realized that they are coming true. Further, they seem to be entirely unalterable, even with foreknowledge.
The down-on-his luck New York musician has struggled with what to do with the information, though his friend Hamza helped him settle on a scheme by which he would reveal some of the it online, by means of an ultra-secure website that becomes popularly known as simply “The Site.” He’ll then parlay the resulting frenzy of awareness into cash by selling the remaining prophecies to the highest corporate bidders—to the right buyer, even seemingly insignificant bits of prophecy can be worth many, many millions of dollars. Though he’s managed to keep his identity a secret, that type of exposure comes with risks: a prominent evangelist sees Will as a threat to his religious authority; to the president of the United States and his top advisors, he’s an uncontrollable element, threatening stability as well as prospects for reelection. Globally, some respond with dismissal, some with fear, and some with the desire to take advantage of the situation. No one, it seems, is unaffected or without an opinion on the this overnight oracle.
Curse Words Vol. 1: The Devil's Devil
Paperback $9.99
Curse Words Vol. 1: The Devil's Devil
By
Charles Soule
Artist
Ryan Browne
In Stock Online
Paperback $9.99
The U.S. government engages a charismatic fixer to deal with the fallout—a Bea Arthur-esque grandmother with a flawless track record and an utterly ruthless willingness to get the job done. In this case, the job is to get to Will. Once she’s on the case, it becomes just a matter of time before the Oracle is brought to heel, which sets the clock ticking for Will and his small group of confidantes, as they all begin to realize the scattered and seemingly unrelated predictions seem to be adding up to something decidedly non-random.
The U.S. government engages a charismatic fixer to deal with the fallout—a Bea Arthur-esque grandmother with a flawless track record and an utterly ruthless willingness to get the job done. In this case, the job is to get to Will. Once she’s on the case, it becomes just a matter of time before the Oracle is brought to heel, which sets the clock ticking for Will and his small group of confidantes, as they all begin to realize the scattered and seemingly unrelated predictions seem to be adding up to something decidedly non-random.
As the priorities of the generally well-meaning, but hapless Will change—a willingness to cash in becomes a need to save his friends and to use the prophecies for good—transforms the book into something of a suspense thriller, but at its core, the book goes above and beyond the mere requirements of telling a ripping sci-fi yarn: in the face of greed, ignorance, and fear, Will is called upon to decide how to use his newfound gifts. If there is a “tell” in the novel with regard to Charles Soule’s comic-book pedigree, it’s in the central question: how much responsibility comes along with Will Dando’s great power?
Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord Of The Sith Vol. 1 - Imperial Machine
Paperback $17.99
Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord Of The Sith Vol. 1 - Imperial Machine
By
Charles Soule
Illustrator
Giuseppe Camuncoli
Artist
Giuseppe Camuncoli
In Stock Online
Paperback $17.99
There’s an elegant, ingenious simplicity to the premise. By starting with so uncluttered a high concept, Soule is able to take the story in a variety of directions without ever losing the central thread. Will Dando is a cipher in some ways, and not nearly the most interesting character in the book, but there’s so much swirling around him, it doesn’t really matter. He’s the straight man among the larger-than-life assassins, fixers, politicians, evangelists, and tech geniuses that assemble to use him or stop him. He’s our window into a world of international political intrigue, global finance, and sly sci-fi twists as the mysterious prophecies play out. The Oracle Year has all of the elements of a straight-ahead action thriller, while exploring faith, politics, and personal responsibility with heart and a sly, satirical wit straight out of the funny pages.
There’s an elegant, ingenious simplicity to the premise. By starting with so uncluttered a high concept, Soule is able to take the story in a variety of directions without ever losing the central thread. Will Dando is a cipher in some ways, and not nearly the most interesting character in the book, but there’s so much swirling around him, it doesn’t really matter. He’s the straight man among the larger-than-life assassins, fixers, politicians, evangelists, and tech geniuses that assemble to use him or stop him. He’s our window into a world of international political intrigue, global finance, and sly sci-fi twists as the mysterious prophecies play out. The Oracle Year has all of the elements of a straight-ahead action thriller, while exploring faith, politics, and personal responsibility with heart and a sly, satirical wit straight out of the funny pages.