OTZI'S ODYSSEY: THE TROUBLED SOUL OF A NEOLIT...
Age Range - Mature Young Adult
Genre - Adventure

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 36
Reviewer's Location - South Ogden, UT, United States
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This book begins with Otzi's body, a neolithic iceman, being found in the Otzal Valley Alps by hikers who come across him frozen in years of ice. Soon, a journey into Otzi's past life, around five thousand years ago, and a story set in the genre of historical fiction and metaphysical fiction begins. Otzi, named by the scientists who found him in the Otzal Valley Alps, is the first glacial mummy to ever be found. The author, Neil Perry Gordon, starts his book by writing in 1991 when Otzi is found, and then gradually jumps back into time during the Copper Age and begins sharing the plot of Otzi's life just weeks before his death. The metaphysical part of this story is when Otzi starts to see his own body being put into a museum for present-day humans to visit and then also chronicles the journey Otzi takes to redeem himself by passing through what is called Gehenna, a hell that he has to pass through in order to find his redemption to be with his loved ones and the Great Spirit. The story, before going into the metaphysical afterlife portion, is about Otzi's fall from grace because of a bad deal he makes with the devil to help him resurrect his dead son and also gain his rightful place as clan chief again. The betrayal of his right-hand military man, Shadrach, is the beginning of his son's demise and Otzi's fall from the throne. He has to come into contact with his demons, including Shadrach, in order to journey into the realm with his family and the Great Spirit.

Opinion: 

This book started out in the present modern setting of 1991 and was very intriguing because Otzi is actually a real glacial mummy that is in a museum in Italy. I was curious to find out if the storyline would become purely historical fiction or would veer off into another genre. It became clear a few chapters in that this book was not going to try to stay in a historical timeline but was going to follow a very metaphysical journey that included belief in an afterlife ruled by devils, or hell of sorts, and another heaven, ruled by a Great Spirit. I wasn't as interested in this story as it went into this direction, metaphysical fiction, but I appreciated the historical fiction aspects and really wished this book was going to stay in that genre. The book was overall interesting to read and definitely showcased a variety of skills in writing in order to keep the story sequenced through all of the differing timelines included. I felt it was too metaphysical for my own liking, although he did wrap up the story in a way that eventually left me feeling satisfied to know that Otzi was on a path toward redemption.

Rating:
3
Content Rating:

Content rating - some mature content

Explain your content rating: 

Some of the violence and gore might be disturbing to young readers, such as the scenes in hell where characters are striped of their skin, etc.
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