The Navigator by Eoin McNamee

Title: The Navigator
Author: Eoin McNamee
ISBN: 978-0-375-93910-5
342 pages
Wendy Lamb Books, 2006 edition

Description:

A sort of fantasy/science fiction combination, 'The Navigator' tells the story of a young boy named Owen. His father has taken his own life and his mother has sunk into the depths of a deep depression. Owen's world is filled with anxiety and fear. He hears murmurs about his family being crazy and has an overwhelming fear of water. His one refuge is his den, a place out in the woods where he can be secluded from all the world's problems. After meeting a tiny man only known as the Sub-Commandant who tells his daughter Cati to essentially be Owen's bodyguard, and is recruited into a group called simply the Resistors. When Owen is brought amongst the Resistance the are skeptical of him due to some of his similarities to their greatest enemy, the Harsh (namely that both hold a phobia toward bodies of water). Owen must not only prove that he belongs, but must take on the mythic role of the Navigator, the only hope against in the battle of good versus evil.

Review:

I found this title to be extremely derivative of other good vs. evil, 'the chosen one' type of stories where one seemingly unaware and none-to-special (initially) child turns out to be the only hope for the 'good guys'. While not poorly written in any sense, one gets the feeling that we've all already read this book (or maybe just so many others like it). I am sure that some young people, especially boys interested in the whole good guys versus bad guys aesthetic, will enjoy this book. But, for me, it was very run-of-the-mill and offered little in excitement or innovation.