Status
Available
Call number
Publication
The Penguin Press (New York, 2013). 1st edition, 1st printing. 400 pages. $26.95.
Description
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren't taught history, geography, or mathematics. Instead, they are taught to persuade. The very best will graduate as "poets": adept wielders of language who belong to a nameless organization that is as influential as it is secretive. Whip-smart orphan Emily Ruff becomes the school's most talented prodigy until she makes a catastrophic mistake: She falls in love. Meanwhile, a seemingly innocent man named Wil Jamieson is brutally ambushed by two strange men in an airport bathroom. In order to survive, Wil must journey to the toxically decimated town of Broken Hill, Australia, to discover who he is and why an entire town was blown off the map..… (more)
Media reviews
Poets—yes, you read that right, poets—are specially-trained operatives who can change the minds of anyone, provided they use the right words in the right way. This two-tiered narrative gives us Emily, who has been recruited to join the mind-control group, and Wil, who is being tortured when the
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book opens and as his amnesia recedes, we see more and more of his link to the poets. ... As always, Barry is a social critic first and foremost. The power of his work comes from the absurdist take he has on already-absurd elements of our consumer-driven, advertising-fueled culture. Mark this one up as another winner in the Barry canon. Show Less
So there are several different genres and tones jostling for prominence within “Lexicon”: a conspiracy thriller, an almost abstract debate about what language can do, and an ironic questioning of some of the things it’s currently used for. The sheer noise of the thriller plot and its
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inevitable violence end up drowning out some of the other arguments Barry is making. Show Less
Modern-day sorcerers fight a war of words in this intensely analytical yet bombastic thriller.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: Power of words, power of emotions.
Extended review:
It might not seem like it, but this is a book about love.
To be sure, it's also a cerebral thriller, an action tale with words at its center, a picture of an alternate society with enough crossover into the world as we know it (but
But love. Love is it, ultimately. The story, the driver, the theme. The question and the answer.
Not that language doesn't come in for a major share of attention, enough to satisfy the language-loving reader on several levels, from the author's craftsmanship to the speculative premise of word as the thing of ultimate power. Here's a random example of Barry's smoothly evocative prose: "He righted a fallen chair and composed himself into it" (page 376).
One character enlightens another with this provocative definition of language, as well as the vulnerability that furnishes the basis of the plot:
"Words aren't just sounds or shapes. They're meaning. That's what language is: a protocol for transferring meaning. When you learn English, you train your brain to react in a particular way to particular sounds. As it turns out, the protocol can be hacked." (page 169)
Ideas about words, the use and abuse of words, and the magic of words have been a constant presence in my life since early childhood, formed the foundation of my career, and continue to occupy and entertain me in retirement. This book not only explores that realm from a fresh angle but introduces some concepts that were new to me. This, possibly, is why I liked it so much.
We are not by any means looking at perfection here. This novel is not (and does not aspire to be) deeply literary. And it has some flaws in the execution of its own plan. In the last quarter of the book, for example, I found the time sequences difficult to track and lost the connections among events several times, even though the plot structure is far less complex than, say, that of Station Eleven. I never did see an explanation for the surgery that was going on in the opening scene. I took points off for "Nahuati" (page 155), which should have been "Nahuatl", for "leech" instead of "leach" (page 299), and for saying "you could not underestimate Eliot" (page 374) when the author meant that you could not overestimate him--that is, any maximum you set on his abilities would be too low; his powers were greater than you could guess. "Could not underestimate" means that no matter how little capability you saw in him, it was too much; you were bound to rate it too highly because it was so low. People seem to get that one backward all the time these days.
On the other hand, I gave bonus points for spelling "analogue" with a ue (just because I like it), for the line about language as a protocol, and for an encapsulation of the basic principle of chess that makes more sense to me than anything I've read before:
She had been taught chess at the school, years ago, and the point was the pieces differed only in their attacking power. They were all equally easy to kill . . . The lesson was that you should be cautious about deploying your most powerful pieces, because it only required one dumb pawn to take them down. (page 164)
I'm not a chess player, but I learned the basics long ago and well enough to understand this analogy.
The story: A young woman who knows how to survive on street smarts is recruited by a clandestine organization whose most elite agents are dubbed poets. If she can withstand the rigors of their training program, she will become a wielder of words as literal weapons. Where this experience takes her is utterly unexpected as the craft of her former street life is multiplied by the esoteric skills she masters in the program. Meanwhile, a young man who seems somehow immune to the effects of weaponized language is caught in the crossfire of an organizational split. The deadly conflict is tied up with the history of a small, remote Australian town that was obliterated in a single day by an epidemic of unspeakable violence. And yes, this is all about love.
Extended review:
It might not seem like it, but this is a book about love.
To be sure, it's also a cerebral thriller, an action tale with words at its center, a picture of an alternate society with enough crossover into the world as we know it (but
Show More
do we? do we?) to tantalize with what-ifs. It traverses some of the linguistic territory covered so fascinatingly in Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, though in an altogether different way.But love. Love is it, ultimately. The story, the driver, the theme. The question and the answer.
Not that language doesn't come in for a major share of attention, enough to satisfy the language-loving reader on several levels, from the author's craftsmanship to the speculative premise of word as the thing of ultimate power. Here's a random example of Barry's smoothly evocative prose: "He righted a fallen chair and composed himself into it" (page 376).
One character enlightens another with this provocative definition of language, as well as the vulnerability that furnishes the basis of the plot:
"Words aren't just sounds or shapes. They're meaning. That's what language is: a protocol for transferring meaning. When you learn English, you train your brain to react in a particular way to particular sounds. As it turns out, the protocol can be hacked." (page 169)
Ideas about words, the use and abuse of words, and the magic of words have been a constant presence in my life since early childhood, formed the foundation of my career, and continue to occupy and entertain me in retirement. This book not only explores that realm from a fresh angle but introduces some concepts that were new to me. This, possibly, is why I liked it so much.
We are not by any means looking at perfection here. This novel is not (and does not aspire to be) deeply literary. And it has some flaws in the execution of its own plan. In the last quarter of the book, for example, I found the time sequences difficult to track and lost the connections among events several times, even though the plot structure is far less complex than, say, that of Station Eleven. I never did see an explanation for the surgery that was going on in the opening scene. I took points off for "Nahuati" (page 155), which should have been "Nahuatl", for "leech" instead of "leach" (page 299), and for saying "you could not underestimate Eliot" (page 374) when the author meant that you could not overestimate him--that is, any maximum you set on his abilities would be too low; his powers were greater than you could guess. "Could not underestimate" means that no matter how little capability you saw in him, it was too much; you were bound to rate it too highly because it was so low. People seem to get that one backward all the time these days.
On the other hand, I gave bonus points for spelling "analogue" with a ue (just because I like it), for the line about language as a protocol, and for an encapsulation of the basic principle of chess that makes more sense to me than anything I've read before:
She had been taught chess at the school, years ago, and the point was the pieces differed only in their attacking power. They were all equally easy to kill . . . The lesson was that you should be cautious about deploying your most powerful pieces, because it only required one dumb pawn to take them down. (page 164)
I'm not a chess player, but I learned the basics long ago and well enough to understand this analogy.
The story: A young woman who knows how to survive on street smarts is recruited by a clandestine organization whose most elite agents are dubbed poets. If she can withstand the rigors of their training program, she will become a wielder of words as literal weapons. Where this experience takes her is utterly unexpected as the craft of her former street life is multiplied by the esoteric skills she masters in the program. Meanwhile, a young man who seems somehow immune to the effects of weaponized language is caught in the crossfire of an organizational split. The deadly conflict is tied up with the history of a small, remote Australian town that was obliterated in a single day by an epidemic of unspeakable violence. And yes, this is all about love.
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LibraryThing member sturlington
Members of a shady, secret organization can control people using only words, but when one of them gets hold of a bareword, which has the power to compel everyone who sees it, an internal war breaks out.
A cinematic page-turner of a book. There are chases and shootouts galore. The story moves at a
A cinematic page-turner of a book. There are chases and shootouts galore. The story moves at a
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dizzying pace between past events and what's happening now, and into and out of the heads of various characters. Unlike many reviewers, I didn't find these shifts at all confusing. On the contrary, I thought Barry handled them eloquently, and I never felt lost in the timeline or point of view. My favorite character was Eliot, not one of the two protagonists but, I felt, the most deeply developed and relatable of the characters. I wish the story had focused more on him and his relationship with Emily rather than being what it was, which at heart is a love story. Love stories are invariably tricky, because if the reader doesn't wholly and completely buy into the romance, then the major characters' decisions seem rather pointless. No, I didn't buy the love story here. Harry comes across as someone incapable of feeling deep love--in fact, that's a major plot point--and Emily's version of love, as consistently portrayed, skews much closer to dangerous obsession. I mean, she's stalker-ish. By focusing on the love story, I think Barry omits the most interesting part of his premise, which is the organization of "poets" he has created. Who are they? What are their origins? What are their goals? Barry avoids answering these oh-so-interesting questions and leaves the reader wondering, if we don't know what the stakes truly are, then why should we care. This deficit keeps a good book from being a truly great book, unfortunately. Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
I keep wanting Barry to write Jennifer Government again, but he perversely insists on writing different books! This one is about a secret organization that uses words to hack the human brain. Don’t think too hard about the premise; the premise is that power corrupts, and that people can be taken
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over like hard drives recruited for a botnet. Except for one man, the sole survivor of an incident that killed three thousand people, who seems to be immune—though that really depends on what he’s forgotten, and who: Emily, aka Woolfe, who is coming to kill him (and who really should be played by Amy Acker in the movie version). Woolfe’s story is also complicated, and unreliable. It’s an engaging read, if no Jennifer Government. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
This novel opens with two distinct story strands. The first involves a guy being kidnapped in an airport. The second features a sixteen-year-old girl who is recruited to attend a special school where students learn to control people with words. Not just in the usual way -- although they're good at
It's a really fun story, pretty much right from the very first page. The premise is imaginative and cool. There's a little action, a little horror, a little humor, a little bit of a love story, some interesting characters and a wonderfully twisty plot. There is maybe one plot hole that's kind of bugging me, but that doesn't remotely stop it from being an entertaining read.
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that, too -- but by somehow using language to hack into the basic programming of the brain. Eventually, of course, it becomes clear that these two narratives are very intimately connected.It's a really fun story, pretty much right from the very first page. The premise is imaginative and cool. There's a little action, a little horror, a little humor, a little bit of a love story, some interesting characters and a wonderfully twisty plot. There is maybe one plot hole that's kind of bugging me, but that doesn't remotely stop it from being an entertaining read.
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LibraryThing member unsquare
Lexicon is the rare book that I found both completely unpredictable and intensely thrilling. I’d call it a page-turner, but I listened to the audiobook version, so instead I’ll tell you that I was so enthralled that I spent the several hours just sitting on my couch listening so that I could
Fans of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians will find much to enjoy here. Like that book, Lexicon tells the story of a school for talented youngsters that involves far more sinister and heartbreaking developments than ever graced the pages of Harry Potter. However, where The Magicians passes through pitch-black satire into chilling horror, Lexicon is equal parts paranoid “wrong man” thriller and cracked coming-of-age story, with constantly shifting motivations and alliances that hammer the fact that trust is a liability.
In Lexicon’s world, language is a technology indistinguishable from magic, and the right words make it possible to control anyone as long as you know their psychological profile. A society of “poets” founded on these principles collects words of power and trains recruits in the art of persuasion at an exclusive private school. In the outside world, this society’s activities extend from brute force mental takeovers of susceptible civilians to more subtle campaigns of influence embedded in advertising or political websites.
The book jumps between two primary story lines: the kidnapping, by poets, of Will Park, a middle-mannered man who is an “outlier” unaffected by their words of power, and the recruitment, schooling and eventual downfall of a seventeen-year-old con artist named Emily Ruff who joins the poets to escape her life on the street. At first, the connection between these story-lines isn’t entirely clear, and in fact they almost feel like entirely different books. Will is living in a paranoid thriller while Emily comes of age in a young adult novel with the occasional dark moment.
However, the genius of Lexicon is the way Barry doles out revelations and slowly but surely pulls the rug out from under you. It isn’t long before the connection between Will and Emily’s stories starts to become clear, and you begin to wonder if Barry is actually doing what it seems like he is doing. Barry seems to delight in undermining expectations, and it’s oftentimes hard to know who to root for when so many of the characters take part in despicable events. Even still, I found myself drawn into their stories, wondering if my worst fears or dearest hopes might come true. I wasn’t entirely sure how the book might resolve itself until the very last moments, but that resolution didn’t feel any less earned because of it.
There is the occasional minor plot hole, and one character’s stated motivations don’t completely make sense in the end, but none of that detracted from my enjoyment. Lexicon was an absolutely thrilling read, and I can’t recommend it enough.
The funniest thing about Barry is that when I read Jennifer Government many years ago, I didn’t particularly like it. However, I’ve read two more of his books this year (Company was the other), and thoroughly enjoyed both. I suppose it just goes to show that you can’t always judge an author by a single book. I’ll definitely be checking out his other books soon.
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finish it. That’s also rare – normally I only listen to audiobooks while I’m doing something else (dishes, chores, exercise, driving, etc.) – so I’d definitely call it a mark in Lexicon’s favor.Fans of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians will find much to enjoy here. Like that book, Lexicon tells the story of a school for talented youngsters that involves far more sinister and heartbreaking developments than ever graced the pages of Harry Potter. However, where The Magicians passes through pitch-black satire into chilling horror, Lexicon is equal parts paranoid “wrong man” thriller and cracked coming-of-age story, with constantly shifting motivations and alliances that hammer the fact that trust is a liability.
In Lexicon’s world, language is a technology indistinguishable from magic, and the right words make it possible to control anyone as long as you know their psychological profile. A society of “poets” founded on these principles collects words of power and trains recruits in the art of persuasion at an exclusive private school. In the outside world, this society’s activities extend from brute force mental takeovers of susceptible civilians to more subtle campaigns of influence embedded in advertising or political websites.
The book jumps between two primary story lines: the kidnapping, by poets, of Will Park, a middle-mannered man who is an “outlier” unaffected by their words of power, and the recruitment, schooling and eventual downfall of a seventeen-year-old con artist named Emily Ruff who joins the poets to escape her life on the street. At first, the connection between these story-lines isn’t entirely clear, and in fact they almost feel like entirely different books. Will is living in a paranoid thriller while Emily comes of age in a young adult novel with the occasional dark moment.
However, the genius of Lexicon is the way Barry doles out revelations and slowly but surely pulls the rug out from under you. It isn’t long before the connection between Will and Emily’s stories starts to become clear, and you begin to wonder if Barry is actually doing what it seems like he is doing. Barry seems to delight in undermining expectations, and it’s oftentimes hard to know who to root for when so many of the characters take part in despicable events. Even still, I found myself drawn into their stories, wondering if my worst fears or dearest hopes might come true. I wasn’t entirely sure how the book might resolve itself until the very last moments, but that resolution didn’t feel any less earned because of it.
There is the occasional minor plot hole, and one character’s stated motivations don’t completely make sense in the end, but none of that detracted from my enjoyment. Lexicon was an absolutely thrilling read, and I can’t recommend it enough.
The funniest thing about Barry is that when I read Jennifer Government many years ago, I didn’t particularly like it. However, I’ve read two more of his books this year (Company was the other), and thoroughly enjoyed both. I suppose it just goes to show that you can’t always judge an author by a single book. I’ll definitely be checking out his other books soon.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
The huge amounts of hype around this book had me expecting more than I thought it delivered.
The premise that people could be categorized extremely precisely and then verbally manipulated (Holy Myers-Briggs, Batman!) was well done. I thought the characters were distant and never really came totally
There are a lot of Barry fans out there, so I suspect that’s where the hype is coming from. Maybe I’ll try another of his at some point but this one was only mildly entertaining for me.
The premise that people could be categorized extremely precisely and then verbally manipulated (Holy Myers-Briggs, Batman!) was well done. I thought the characters were distant and never really came totally
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alive. The ending was specifically Not Good.There are a lot of Barry fans out there, so I suspect that’s where the hype is coming from. Maybe I’ll try another of his at some point but this one was only mildly entertaining for me.
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LibraryThing member Kate_Ward
It’s hard to find contemporary literature that crosses over with Sci-Fi that produces satisfying results, yet Max Barry manages this and then some with his latest novel Lexicon.
It starts at breakneck speed with the capture (and apparent torture) of male protagonist Wil as he fights against two
We then meet Emily a young fraudster living on the streets. She’s good at would she does; she can read and persuade people and this brings her to the attention of the Poets. She’s scooped up (almost literally) and taken to a unique training facility where among other things, she’s taught the power of words and to hone her powers of persuasion.
We follow Wil, Emily, and an amazing cast of supporting characters as the novel gives us both the build-up as well as the aftermath of the ‘Very Bad Thing’. And that’s where Barry shines as an author. At no point is the reader patronised or spoon fed plot details; the chapters are simply numbered, there are no dates or locations as sub-headings and the book is merely separated in sections with only quotes from books or poems to guide the way. Barry acknowledges that the reader may well have the brains to work it all for themselves and this is so refreshing. It makes for a better novel too, as there are moments in the story that are genuinely jaw-dropping ‘did not see that coming’ affairs. Another excellent device is the use of other printed media at the end of each chapter; these range from memos to staff in the diner Emily has been using, news articles on incidents occurring in the story, even questionnaires used by the school to screen applicants.
I borrowed this from the library (after a lengthy wait) but will definitely be buying a copy to keep as I feel it’ll be one of those novels that you gain a little something more from on each reading. Full concentration is required (this isn’t a doze off at bedtime book) but you will be handsomely rewarded with a clever, mature and thought provoking read.
It starts at breakneck speed with the capture (and apparent torture) of male protagonist Wil as he fights against two
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agents determined to extract something via his eyeball (yeah…still uncurling the toes over that one) his subsequent escape and recapture while racing through an airport lounge. It appears the info the agents need could be vital in fighting an organisation known as The Poets, one in particular known only at this point as ‘Woolf’. Woolf’s done some bad things, some very bad things and it would seem only Wil can stop her.We then meet Emily a young fraudster living on the streets. She’s good at would she does; she can read and persuade people and this brings her to the attention of the Poets. She’s scooped up (almost literally) and taken to a unique training facility where among other things, she’s taught the power of words and to hone her powers of persuasion.
We follow Wil, Emily, and an amazing cast of supporting characters as the novel gives us both the build-up as well as the aftermath of the ‘Very Bad Thing’. And that’s where Barry shines as an author. At no point is the reader patronised or spoon fed plot details; the chapters are simply numbered, there are no dates or locations as sub-headings and the book is merely separated in sections with only quotes from books or poems to guide the way. Barry acknowledges that the reader may well have the brains to work it all for themselves and this is so refreshing. It makes for a better novel too, as there are moments in the story that are genuinely jaw-dropping ‘did not see that coming’ affairs. Another excellent device is the use of other printed media at the end of each chapter; these range from memos to staff in the diner Emily has been using, news articles on incidents occurring in the story, even questionnaires used by the school to screen applicants.
I borrowed this from the library (after a lengthy wait) but will definitely be buying a copy to keep as I feel it’ll be one of those novels that you gain a little something more from on each reading. Full concentration is required (this isn’t a doze off at bedtime book) but you will be handsomely rewarded with a clever, mature and thought provoking read.
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LibraryThing member PhilipJHunt
I like a book that keeps me thinking and wondering. Lexicon does it. At one level it's a straightforward crime thriller, full of shooting, chases and general mayhem. Telling the good guys from the bad ones is part of the fun. At another level it is literally fantastic. Turning an exploration of the
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human brain and the power of language into a sci-fi kind of wonderworld. Sounds dull, but it sure isn't. Haven't enjoyed a book more for a while. Show Less
LibraryThing member c.archer
There is no easing into Lexicon with the action beginning on the very first page. A lexicon is a collection of words of any particular language. Language is key to this story, but this is no previously known language. It is an ancient language with the power to control others, and it is taught in a
One of the things that the author does very well is create story lines that begin disconnected but gradually blend together into a cohesive and well-planned plot. He introduces us to characters like Wil and Emily, who appear to be randomly sucked into the organization, against their will or at least having little say in the matter. Eventually we find that there is plenty to connect them to this group and in fact they hold the key to the prevention of further violence and destruction.
Lexicon is an ambitious story, created from the clever imagination of Mr. Barry. Although it is not strictly classified as dystopian, it will appeal to fans of this genre with its near "end of the world" scene of chaos and destruction. The use of a special language of words rather than a typical alien or zombie enemy to control and destroy mankind is what sets this book apart from so many others out there today. It is fresh and unique. I recommend it to traditional fans of sci-fi as well those who have never really tried it. This is a book that will cross boundaries and have wide appeal for many readers.
I am thankful to Penguin Press and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. I look forward to more from Mr. Barry.
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special school where only the most cunning and ambitious are admitted. The worship of words is evident by the names of the leaders of this organization with each of them given the name of a famous author and collectively called "poets". The story begins in Oregon, heads to DC, and ends up all the way in the Australian desert. Much of the book is predictive of what the future could hold and is modern science fiction at it's sophisticated best. One of the things that the author does very well is create story lines that begin disconnected but gradually blend together into a cohesive and well-planned plot. He introduces us to characters like Wil and Emily, who appear to be randomly sucked into the organization, against their will or at least having little say in the matter. Eventually we find that there is plenty to connect them to this group and in fact they hold the key to the prevention of further violence and destruction.
Lexicon is an ambitious story, created from the clever imagination of Mr. Barry. Although it is not strictly classified as dystopian, it will appeal to fans of this genre with its near "end of the world" scene of chaos and destruction. The use of a special language of words rather than a typical alien or zombie enemy to control and destroy mankind is what sets this book apart from so many others out there today. It is fresh and unique. I recommend it to traditional fans of sci-fi as well those who have never really tried it. This is a book that will cross boundaries and have wide appeal for many readers.
I am thankful to Penguin Press and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. I look forward to more from Mr. Barry.
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LibraryThing member pennwriter
This is a marvelous SF book -- rich with ideas, vivid, and action packed. Ending let me down just a bit, because novel was bristling with events and I couldn't totally reconcile all of them with the way it ended. Yeats is one of the greatest SF villians of all time.
LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.
Quick & Dirty: Did you know that words could be more deadly than we could ever imagine? Read Max Berry’s book Lexicon to see just how deadly they can be.
Opening Sentence: “He’s coming around.”
The Review:
This story is about an organization and a school
I had a very hard time getting through this book. The first thirty pages were very confusing for me. The story begins with a character who we are not introduced to waking up with two guys standing over him with a needle in his eye. After a very heated chase there was some random pages discussing what had happened and then a page about trains and how they make you use smart cards to ride them so the government could track you. I never figured out why this was important and throughout the book there were other random “posts”. If the posts were removed the story would have made it somewhat easier to follow. Also, it was hard to follow at times because they would jump from one time to another; I had to read for a while to understand if the characters were talking about the past or the present.
I believe that Max Berry has a very good concept with this book and when I wasn’t having a hard time following the story, I actually really liked it. It was a bit gruesome in spots but it was action packed and further into the book you learn something important that just makes you say wow, and want to finish the story to see how it turns out. The idea that words can actually be used to take your will from you is a scary but fascinating thought, and I liked how Barry showed how people could learn to persuade others to do things they never would have otherwise, even kill themselves.
The Poets are scary when you think about it. They can be anyone and they can take away your free will. The worst part is that they have trained themselves to have no feelings so they are not bothered when they hurt others. Two of these Poets include Yeats and Eliot. Eliot is on one side of the Poets and Yeats the other. Eliot is a friend of Emily and tries to help her as much as possible. He is also on the run with Wil as they out run Yeats and others who would hurt them. Yeats is the scariest type of Poet. He has totally shut off his emotions, if he ever had them. He wants to rule all of the Poets and the world. To do this he will need both Emily and Wil. Whether he needs them dead or alive though, is debatable.
I really liked Emily Ruff. She was so full of spunk and even though her life was not easy, she did not give up and let it beat her. Instead she learned how to survive on the street and in the world of the Poets. I wanted Emily to receive everything she wanted and get off the streets. Even when no one else thought that she would amount to anything she proves them wrong and perseveres. Wil Parke was a good male lead. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like him. He seemed too weak, but as the story progressed he became more likeable. His whole life is changed when he is noticed by the Poets because he is special and they want him so they can figure out what makes him special. He is on the run because if he stops running they may just kill him to get what they want. Wil is more special than he or anyone else knows though.
This book was hard for me to get through, but it was worth reading. I do believe that if Max Berry was to remove some of the extra posts and had time stamps maybe this would be a great story to read over and over again.
Notable Scene:
“I’m Sorry! I won’t tell.” He was halfway across, paused between lanes, his face thick with anger. He waited for a car, threw a glance to his right and ran at her. She screamed, Kassonin!”
His head jerked. He stopped. For a moment he was a child. Then he came back. She saw shock in his eyes and outrage and fear. She was transfixed by his face. Then a car swept him away. She shrieked and couldn’t hear herself over the tires.
FTC Advisory: Penguin provided me with a copy of Lexicon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Did you know that words could be more deadly than we could ever imagine? Read Max Berry’s book Lexicon to see just how deadly they can be.
Opening Sentence: “He’s coming around.”
The Review:
This story is about an organization and a school
Show More
where they teach people how to use words to persuade others to do things just by saying a few things and then telling them what to do. These people are called Poets. When Poets become advanced in their training enough, they change their names to those of famous Poets so no one can use their true names against them. One child with Poet potential is a girl named Emily Ruff who lives on the streets and uses cards to survive. When the Poets find her, her whole life changes drastically. Also swept up in a battle between the Poets is a man named Wil Parke, who has no memory of who he is or why these people who call themselves Poets are interested in him.I had a very hard time getting through this book. The first thirty pages were very confusing for me. The story begins with a character who we are not introduced to waking up with two guys standing over him with a needle in his eye. After a very heated chase there was some random pages discussing what had happened and then a page about trains and how they make you use smart cards to ride them so the government could track you. I never figured out why this was important and throughout the book there were other random “posts”. If the posts were removed the story would have made it somewhat easier to follow. Also, it was hard to follow at times because they would jump from one time to another; I had to read for a while to understand if the characters were talking about the past or the present.
I believe that Max Berry has a very good concept with this book and when I wasn’t having a hard time following the story, I actually really liked it. It was a bit gruesome in spots but it was action packed and further into the book you learn something important that just makes you say wow, and want to finish the story to see how it turns out. The idea that words can actually be used to take your will from you is a scary but fascinating thought, and I liked how Barry showed how people could learn to persuade others to do things they never would have otherwise, even kill themselves.
The Poets are scary when you think about it. They can be anyone and they can take away your free will. The worst part is that they have trained themselves to have no feelings so they are not bothered when they hurt others. Two of these Poets include Yeats and Eliot. Eliot is on one side of the Poets and Yeats the other. Eliot is a friend of Emily and tries to help her as much as possible. He is also on the run with Wil as they out run Yeats and others who would hurt them. Yeats is the scariest type of Poet. He has totally shut off his emotions, if he ever had them. He wants to rule all of the Poets and the world. To do this he will need both Emily and Wil. Whether he needs them dead or alive though, is debatable.
I really liked Emily Ruff. She was so full of spunk and even though her life was not easy, she did not give up and let it beat her. Instead she learned how to survive on the street and in the world of the Poets. I wanted Emily to receive everything she wanted and get off the streets. Even when no one else thought that she would amount to anything she proves them wrong and perseveres. Wil Parke was a good male lead. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like him. He seemed too weak, but as the story progressed he became more likeable. His whole life is changed when he is noticed by the Poets because he is special and they want him so they can figure out what makes him special. He is on the run because if he stops running they may just kill him to get what they want. Wil is more special than he or anyone else knows though.
This book was hard for me to get through, but it was worth reading. I do believe that if Max Berry was to remove some of the extra posts and had time stamps maybe this would be a great story to read over and over again.
Notable Scene:
“I’m Sorry! I won’t tell.” He was halfway across, paused between lanes, his face thick with anger. He waited for a car, threw a glance to his right and ran at her. She screamed, Kassonin!”
His head jerked. He stopped. For a moment he was a child. Then he came back. She saw shock in his eyes and outrage and fear. She was transfixed by his face. Then a car swept him away. She shrieked and couldn’t hear herself over the tires.
FTC Advisory: Penguin provided me with a copy of Lexicon. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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LibraryThing member ohsillytwigg
Shorter review than normal:
I LOVED the premise of words holding a power greater than we could imagine. The words in this book don't motivate people to better themselves, they create fear and chaos. One word destroys a town.
I loved the different timelines. You can that one time line is the result
Lexicon is witty, fast paced, and ingenious.
I LOVED the premise of words holding a power greater than we could imagine. The words in this book don't motivate people to better themselves, they create fear and chaos. One word destroys a town.
I loved the different timelines. You can that one time line is the result
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of the other but you don't know which came first and then you have to figure out what happened in between.Lexicon is witty, fast paced, and ingenious.
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LibraryThing member bpagano
Absolutely fantastic. I had to ration myself and read only one chapter per day. Otherwise I would have gulped down the entire novel in the two and it wouldn't leave a lasting impression. As exciting as it was intelligent, a rare combination. I will definitely seek other books he has written.
LibraryThing member themythicalcodfish
I've been looking forward to this book for some time, and it did not at all disappoint. I'm fascinated to see a scifi spy novel where the agents control people not with technology, or chemicals, but with the careful application of words. It's a completely new idea, and one that's utterly terrifying
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(but still incredibly cool). My quibbles with this book are very small - I didn't find the female lead to be a particularly sympathetic character, and her love interest (while possessed of a promising backstory) was not as fleshed out as one would hope. Also, I was really REALLY hoping to see the secret agents using their own poetry, or snippets of the work of the poets after whom they were named, as part of the persuasion techniques that they used to do their jobs. Of course, if Mr. Barry decides to write a sequel, he'll probably address that; if not, my imagination is more than vivid enough to fill in all the gaps. In summation: absolutely read this, but when you tell anyone about it, choose your words carefully. Show Less
LibraryThing member creynolds
It turned out to be more of a thriller than I had expected -- I thought it was going to be more cerebral. It did have some thoughtful ideas and it was pretty interesting throughout, especially towards the end, but I had some difficulty buying into the concept of a word having so much power. I
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understand the symbolism, but the actual execution didn't quite win me over. Show Less
LibraryThing member melissarochelle
Read from June 25 to 28, 2013
Wil is kidnapped and Emily is recruited by the same clandestine organization. These are not your normal poets (unless all poets have the word skills of these folks and it is a well-guarded secret -- it's possible). As the book continues and you get to know Wil and Emily
Definitely recommend it to fans of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (geeky mystery) and Ella Minnow Pea (word fun).
Wil is kidnapped and Emily is recruited by the same clandestine organization. These are not your normal poets (unless all poets have the word skills of these folks and it is a well-guarded secret -- it's possible). As the book continues and you get to know Wil and Emily
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a bit better, you become more and more invested. There were a few moments that left me a bit confused (like when/where did Eliot actually find Wil? did I miss that?), but overall it's fast-paced, clever, quirky, and an all-around good time. Great summer read -- especially if you'rw looking for something different from the usual James Patterson thriller. Definitely recommend it to fans of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (geeky mystery) and Ella Minnow Pea (word fun).
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LibraryThing member simplicimus
On the first pages, you witness two men attacking a third man in a restroom and kidnapping him. But very soon you realize: they are not the hunters, they are those who are hunted. The hunter is a woman called “Virginia Woolf”, a person with tremendous psychological powers, apparently. Then, at
So on one level this is a story about words, how the brain processes words and puts up de-fenses, and how these defenses can be taken down. It’s about an organization educating a rather creepy elite. On this level, I would have wished that the issues about neurolinguistics and psychology would have been a bit more elaborated, they remained quite vague. It was rather like “take this as a fact, or else leave it”. However, the book worked extremely well as a thriller, as I tried to indicate above. It’s very cleverly plotted and by far the best thriller I’ve read in a long time. I don’t really like the phrase “I couldn’t put it down” that much, but with this one I definitely have to use it myself.
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a moment when you absolutely have to know how the story continues, it’s interrupted and a storyline in the past, seemingly with little connection to the present, is introduced. But then you find the first clue, and little by little the connections are revealed, the storylines pushing each other forward at a breathtaking pace. It’s like a hurricane revolving faster and faster, the eye of the storm being a mysterious incident in a small mining town in the Australian outback.So on one level this is a story about words, how the brain processes words and puts up de-fenses, and how these defenses can be taken down. It’s about an organization educating a rather creepy elite. On this level, I would have wished that the issues about neurolinguistics and psychology would have been a bit more elaborated, they remained quite vague. It was rather like “take this as a fact, or else leave it”. However, the book worked extremely well as a thriller, as I tried to indicate above. It’s very cleverly plotted and by far the best thriller I’ve read in a long time. I don’t really like the phrase “I couldn’t put it down” that much, but with this one I definitely have to use it myself.
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LibraryThing member Gwendydd
Emily is recruited into a strange secret organization that has unlocked the secret to using words to control people. They don't just use words to persuade people: they can use phonemes to reprogram people's brains and control them. Meanwhile, Will is kidnapped by Eliot, a member of the same
This is an exciting and suspenseful story - all in all, a fun page-turner.
The two different storylines actually turn out to be the same storyline, just at different points in time. As the book continues, the two storylines converge. This got really confusing. It would have helped if there had been dates at the beginning of each chapter so you could keep track of how the different chapters relate to each other.
I was also disappointed in the portrayal of the relationship between Emily and Harry. They love each other enough to risk their lives for each other, but the love never feels genuine, especially given Emily's compulsive need to seduce other men.
Those gripes aside, this is a fun and exciting read.
I listened to the audiobook, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
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organization. He and Eliot must escape other members of the organization who are trying to kill them.This is an exciting and suspenseful story - all in all, a fun page-turner.
The two different storylines actually turn out to be the same storyline, just at different points in time. As the book continues, the two storylines converge. This got really confusing. It would have helped if there had been dates at the beginning of each chapter so you could keep track of how the different chapters relate to each other.
I was also disappointed in the portrayal of the relationship between Emily and Harry. They love each other enough to risk their lives for each other, but the love never feels genuine, especially given Emily's compulsive need to seduce other men.
Those gripes aside, this is a fun and exciting read.
I listened to the audiobook, and enjoyed it thoroughly.
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LibraryThing member wjohnston
I seem to be reading a lot of these books in which shadowy organizations run the world (or at least amass lots of power and wealth) behind the scenes (The Rook, The River of No Return, A Discovery of Witches, and I'm sure there are probably more). This latest book from Barry is one of the better
Here, the organization is a group calling themselves Poets. They are masters of human behavior who have discovered that language (or at least certain combinations of sounds) can be used to control people.
Barry mixes things up nicely. He tells two different stories, and eventually you figure out how the stories are going to converge, but there are still a few nice twists thrown in.
The plot hinges on a 'bareword,' a word so powerful that anyone can use it to completely control others. And yet the bareword in question is seen, not heard. Given how Barry sets up this notion of language as control, I don't quite understand how seeing the bareword would make you susceptible to it. (We're never told what, if any, language it is written in.) But, I've forgiven larger flaws in Star Trek, so I'm willing to forgive this one.
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ones.Here, the organization is a group calling themselves Poets. They are masters of human behavior who have discovered that language (or at least certain combinations of sounds) can be used to control people.
Barry mixes things up nicely. He tells two different stories, and eventually you figure out how the stories are going to converge, but there are still a few nice twists thrown in.
The plot hinges on a 'bareword,' a word so powerful that anyone can use it to completely control others. And yet the bareword in question is seen, not heard. Given how Barry sets up this notion of language as control, I don't quite understand how seeing the bareword would make you susceptible to it. (We're never told what, if any, language it is written in.) But, I've forgiven larger flaws in Star Trek, so I'm willing to forgive this one.
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LibraryThing member bubblyair
Read this and thought to myself: what an underwhelming ending, which has been happening a lot lately with my recent reads. But let me just talk about the rest of the novel.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the main characters when I first met them, but both started growing on me as the narration began
I read this book quite quickly once I finished exams, because there are many chapters that end with this cliffhanger-y, mind-splosions. Basically leaving you with this general feeling:
image
I had no attachment for the love interest, and I think the author meant for it to feel very distanced and as part of the lexicon coding the organization members’ use. Basically it left you feeling untrusting of just about anyone, not knowing who is honest and who is loyal to whom. If you enjoy books that make you suspicious of everyone, have a ‘big-brother is watching’ vibe, then this book will certainly satisfy!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the main characters when I first met them, but both started growing on me as the narration began
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revealing their motives. I didn’t particularly care about one of the main antagonists until much later when it was pretty obviously revealed that they are, in fact, behind it all. What was great about the book was that it was told by a dual perspective and the reason I know it was written well was how I didn’t want to stop reading from either character’s perspective once I began their chapter. I read this book quite quickly once I finished exams, because there are many chapters that end with this cliffhanger-y, mind-splosions. Basically leaving you with this general feeling:
image
I had no attachment for the love interest, and I think the author meant for it to feel very distanced and as part of the lexicon coding the organization members’ use. Basically it left you feeling untrusting of just about anyone, not knowing who is honest and who is loyal to whom. If you enjoy books that make you suspicious of everyone, have a ‘big-brother is watching’ vibe, then this book will certainly satisfy!
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LibraryThing member norabelle414
Homeless teenager Emily Ruff is specially selected to attend a secret school because of her uncanny ability with words. She always knows the exact words to say to the right people to get what she wants - usually, their money in card tricks. She's not exactly enthusiastic until she learns that this
That's not a very well-written summary because I somehow managed to make it sound really melodramatic. It's not, I swear. It's much more cerebral thriller than angst, I promise. There is true love here (not (just) teenage sexual frustration), but saving the world is always more important. It's not a perfect book - the dialog can be confusing, and some of the science doesn't add up - but the thrilling plot and thought-provoking themes more than compensate. I enjoyed it a lot.
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school will teach her more of what she has already scratched the surface of - the right words used against the right personality (of 250 possible personality types) can "compromise" the person, and you'll be able to completely control them. To smart and independent Emily, life becomes a giant challenge. Get a person to answer some simple questions and you can pinpoint their personality type. Memorize words that will control that personality type. Don't let other people know who you are, or they can compromise you. The only rule is that students (and "poets", which they are called in their post-graduation jobs) are not allowed to fall in love, obviously, because to love someone is to allow them to know who you truly are. But Emily has never been much for following the rules.That's not a very well-written summary because I somehow managed to make it sound really melodramatic. It's not, I swear. It's much more cerebral thriller than angst, I promise. There is true love here (not (just) teenage sexual frustration), but saving the world is always more important. It's not a perfect book - the dialog can be confusing, and some of the science doesn't add up - but the thrilling plot and thought-provoking themes more than compensate. I enjoyed it a lot.
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LibraryThing member Mecaza
Well I must be missing something - most others rated this book highly.. BUT.. it started off great - brilliant concept but by halfway through I was just lost. The plot was all over the place.. and, to me, just got stupid. Then I got to wishing it would finish.. hate to NOT finish a book. By two
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thirds of the way through I realised I was just wasting my time, read the last chapter and thanked god I hadn't wasted any more time on it.. Sorry, author, just didn't do it for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member SarahWagner503
I started this book thinking it would be too sci-fi for me, but was very pleasantly surprised. The book pulled me in almost immediately, and I was still hooked even after I made the connection between past and present character identities. I highly recommend this book, whether you're a fan of
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sci-fi or not. Show Less
LibraryThing member tottman
Lexicon is a tough book to pigeon-hole. Part thriller, part science fiction, part dystopia and all of it fascinating. It manages the difficult task of being both wildly entertaining and deeply thought provoking.
Lexicon examines the power of words and language. The power to influence, persuade and
Max Barry imagines a world where powerful people study and unlock the mysteries of language and use it to shape events to their needs. The most skilled of these people are “poets” who manipulate the unskilled.
The plot is fairly breakneck. Barry plunges you into the middle of the action leaving you somewhat bewildered as you try to make sense out of what is going on. The plot jumps forward and backward in time, as well as to the side. It is not immediately clear how the different storylines are connected, but they slowly converge to a coherent and satisfying conclusion. The world and the story is revealed, rather than explained. Strong characters exist throughout, yet uncertainty surrounds each of them as you cannot be sure until the end who they really are, or even if they are who they believe themselves to be.
Lexicon is both exciting and unsettling. It is one of those books that worms its way into your mind and lingers there. It makes you think not only about the story itself, but about what truths it has revealed about human nature. This is an extraordinary book and is one to be experienced as much as enjoyed. Highly recommended.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
Lexicon examines the power of words and language. The power to influence, persuade and
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destroy. It examines how we define ourselves and how our words and language reveal who we are, and having been revealed, make us vulnerable. The importance of language is as ancient as the existence of the spoken word. From biblical tales like the tower of babylon, to medieval charlatans to modern times with charismatic cult leaders or great political communicators. Words can inspire or condemn.Max Barry imagines a world where powerful people study and unlock the mysteries of language and use it to shape events to their needs. The most skilled of these people are “poets” who manipulate the unskilled.
The plot is fairly breakneck. Barry plunges you into the middle of the action leaving you somewhat bewildered as you try to make sense out of what is going on. The plot jumps forward and backward in time, as well as to the side. It is not immediately clear how the different storylines are connected, but they slowly converge to a coherent and satisfying conclusion. The world and the story is revealed, rather than explained. Strong characters exist throughout, yet uncertainty surrounds each of them as you cannot be sure until the end who they really are, or even if they are who they believe themselves to be.
Lexicon is both exciting and unsettling. It is one of those books that worms its way into your mind and lingers there. It makes you think not only about the story itself, but about what truths it has revealed about human nature. This is an extraordinary book and is one to be experienced as much as enjoyed. Highly recommended.
I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.
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LibraryThing member oddbooks
I purchased this book on a whim and because several people I like and respect thought highly of the book, I wanted to like it (though it should be mentioned that Cory Doctorow likes this book and the Venn diagram that shows in common the literature we like is generally two circles that never
The plot even now doesn’t really make sense to me. I don’t recall why Emily did as she was told by the agency that recruited her and the plot wasn’t helped by the fact that the people working for this agency all took the names of authors and, you know, since there was more than one Bronte writer, we had a couple of Brontes in the mix. I lost track of who was who at times because of their assumptions of new names. There was a Fight Club-esque twist that irritated me and it’s hard to remember a book in recent memory that left so many open threads at the end.
What makes this book so frustrating to discuss is that the concept is great and elements of this book are very gripping, while character motivations and the plot were weak. This novel is both excellent and terrible.
I also want to answer the questions presented in the book, questions that when answered honestly can evidently enable people to know you and control you.
1. What do you do in your spare time.
Answer: Two prong answer:
a. All my time is spare time so I guess I do everything.
b. If all my time is spare time, then spare time is my real time, so I guess I don’t actually have any spare time.
2. What would you do if you had a year to live.
Answer: This assumes I have a year to live. Trick question.
3. What are you most proud of?
Answer: How organized my books are.
4) What do you want?
Answer: The Voynich Manuscript. In my hands. Right now.
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overlap and I should bear that in mind the next time I buy a book that has a front page blurb from him). And I did like the first part of the book. I really liked the female protagonist, Emily, and the notion of an elite corps of spies recruited and trained on the basis of their ability to persuade with words, including magic words and phrases that can quite literally destroy the world. She is on a traditional thriller collision course with the other protagonist, Wil Parke, a man immune to extreme persuasion, and that’s where things started falling apart for me. Others have commented on how this was a intricate plot that still somehow managed to remain simple for the reader. That was not my experience with this book.The plot even now doesn’t really make sense to me. I don’t recall why Emily did as she was told by the agency that recruited her and the plot wasn’t helped by the fact that the people working for this agency all took the names of authors and, you know, since there was more than one Bronte writer, we had a couple of Brontes in the mix. I lost track of who was who at times because of their assumptions of new names. There was a Fight Club-esque twist that irritated me and it’s hard to remember a book in recent memory that left so many open threads at the end.
What makes this book so frustrating to discuss is that the concept is great and elements of this book are very gripping, while character motivations and the plot were weak. This novel is both excellent and terrible.
I also want to answer the questions presented in the book, questions that when answered honestly can evidently enable people to know you and control you.
1. What do you do in your spare time.
Answer: Two prong answer:
a. All my time is spare time so I guess I do everything.
b. If all my time is spare time, then spare time is my real time, so I guess I don’t actually have any spare time.
2. What would you do if you had a year to live.
Answer: This assumes I have a year to live. Trick question.
3. What are you most proud of?
Answer: How organized my books are.
4) What do you want?
Answer: The Voynich Manuscript. In my hands. Right now.
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Awards
Alex Award (2014)
Aurealis Award (Shortlist — Fantasy Novel — 2013)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — 2014)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (Finalist — 2014)
Maine Readers' Choice Award (Longlist — 2014)
NPR: Books We Love (2013)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2013)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2014)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-06-18
Physical description
400 p.; 6.44 inches
ISBN
9781594205385