Through the Heart

by Richard Grant

A young boy is traded by his father to Oasis--a monstrous vehicle that moves inexorably across the wasteland, dispensing treatment for The Crying, a plague of madness that has destroyed the land. A daring and fearless writer, possessing uncommon ambition, talent, and literacy.--Washington Post Book World.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553293206
• ISBN13: 9780553293203
• Release Date: December 1991
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 3.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.1" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

commentary on fiction as commentary

The best fiction, we are told, imitates reality. _Through the Heart_, however, imitates reality in a very oblique manner- disguisedly- and this reality is far more bleak, and poisoned, than our own. It is also the only novel of Grant's that truly qualifies as 'science fiction'- the others include too much fantasy, or mystery, or mainstream, or delicately drawn parody- and thereby are difficult for a publisher to categorize. As usual, Grant's writing is like a steady stream of lucid clarity; also as usual, he's taking on a theme from which a genre novelist would be expected to shy away. A word of warning- the theme of this novel is very grim: moreso than his other works. It's a profoundly affecting work on an emotional level- however, as a 'Science Fiction' novel, it falls a bit short of the mark (which is probably why it's out of print): there is less of the frantic energy of invention and 'what-if' that characterizes the genre than in any of the author's novels. Still- It's a Richard Grant novel, and nobody writes like Richard Grant.

Outstanding post-apocalypse novel

Reviewer: Rich Barnett. Coming-of-age story set in a post-disaster USA, with good character detail and enough mystery to keep the pages turning. Great for Philip Dick or Harlan Ellison fans. I found a copy at the local library -- hurray for it! Contains sexual situations that may offend some