The Fifty Year Sword

The Fifty Year Sword
Author: Mark Z. Danielewski
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

I wish I could begin this review with an insightful quote or a funny scene from this novel, but that is, in essence, impossible. Where do I even begin with this book? Mark Z. Danielewski is an innovative, experimental fiction writer with an affinity for colored text, unusual line spacing, and non-linear storytelling. Author of the critically acclaimed novels House of Leaves and Only Revolutions, Danielewski has continued to evolve in the style that has made him popular.

When boiled down to its barest elements, this is a ghost story at heart. For such a slim volume, this is indeed a creepy tale, which will send shivers and goosebumps up your arms. Danielewski’s writing is hard to follow at times, as the way the book is formatted breaks up the text, and ultimately, fragments the reader’s understanding of the story. His characters also tend to make up words, or combine existing words, into unintelligible phrases. Still, there are some gorgeous passages in here, like little hidden gems, and I even wrote some of these lines down because they were so beautiful.

All in all, The Fifty Year Sword is a fast read (easily completed in under an hour) that is interesting and drastically different from anything else on the market. However, even the funky layout and inventiveness of its author couldn’t save this tale from being too short, too confusing, and in the end, unsatisfying.