Recensione in italiano: QUI.
Good day everyone, thanks to be here on Alessandro III di Macedonia: Alexander the Great and Hellenism! I’m Elena and on this occasion I’m telling you about my latest reading:
Sperduti nel tempo. Parte I: Missione a Teheran
by Umberto Fattore
(Sperduti nel tempo #1)
Independently Published, 2023
ISBN: 979-8387966156, 117 pp.
Una storia avvincente ambientata nel futuro con un tuffo nel passato di più di duemila anni…
Reading time: from March 30 to April 3, 2023.
In this period I’m unfortunately looking for non-binding books about Alexander and I come across these works which are avoidable readings and this too is nothing in particular because it has obvious defects on several levels. Let’s go in order, let’s start from the plot and then analyze the technical aspects.
The plot isn’t particularly original: two very normal guys are hired for a top secret mission in Teheran because the world is in a world war and they are catapulted back in time. I can’t tell you anything else because there will be at least a second volume but for now we know very little.
In the Amazon book page, the author is stingy with information, perhaps to make it mysterious and attract the reader’s attention but, given that he is an unknown author, it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to give some more information. You can understand the book a little better from the available preview where we find this Presentation:
Alessio, Dora e Carlo sono tre semplici ragazzi di 25 anni, che vivono il loro lavoro e la loro quotidianità con assoluta disinvoltura. Poi però si ritrovano nel bel mezzo di una guerra a colpi di armi atomiche.
Ma la guerra non sarà nulla rispetto a quello che le seguirà. I ragazzi si ritroveranno in un qualcosa di molte volte più grande di loro, in un qualcosa che mai nessun uomo ha fronteggiato prima, un qualcosa che mette in dubbio qualsiasi legge fisica o scientifica…
E, come in ogni storia, non può mancare il cattivo, un uomo che, con la sua spregiudicatezza, senza il minimo scrupolo, tutto sommato non si allontana troppo dagli standard di uomo del nostro secolo.
Un uomo che per diventare “grande” sarà capace anche di uccidere i suoi migliori amici…
We thus understand that Alexander will be the villain of the story and in a certain sense my use of the future is right because in this first booklet Alexander is only mentioned, he isn’t really present. The reader expects a book with Alexander seen from a negative point of view, only that he isn’t and the book ends in a point that doesn’t even leave one’s breath away, but in general it’s not a page-turner and luckily it is short! The author inserts the three protagonists in the time of Alexander, makes them say something very general about him, just to show that more than anything else the main character Alessio knows at least who the Macedonian conqueror was and nothing more. I’m fine with that Alexander could be the villain of the story, indeed it can be curious and different from other readings, but there must be some way, even if the story will continue in a second volume but indeed this would be a real reason to continue reading. Which, as I have already told you, is missing here.
The places and the animals, although the author says it, are a little too adapted to the needs of the plot and the author kept only what was right for him, that is Alexander the Great and on the rest he played a little practicality and convenience. The descriptions, of places and scenes in general, are scarce and it lacks immersion in what one is reading.
There are points of view other than that of the protagonists but they are just mentioned and for now it is understood that the story will be developed later.
The characters’ characterization is poor, Dora with her jokes is irritating. The three are the classic boys next door but since they are so simple and ordinary why were they chosen for this top secret mission? On page 21, Alessio understands this answer which he basically already knew, but we are not in his mind, we cannot know it, so we remain in the dark. The author in this case but also in others leaves holes in the narrative, some scenes have small jumps that suggest a poor review or very superficial editing. To confirm this there are some wrong terms, wrong subjunctives, typos, mistakes, repetitions, a lot of euphony d (in Italian). In some sentences the text is badly formatted and written in a somewhat too small font.
These shortcomings combined with a very superficial narration in which the technique is for beginners haven’t made the work an interesting read. Writing tells without showing and reaches its peak in two sentences: on page 55 “Era incredibilmente sano, esageratamente esagerato, impassibilmente reale, eppure era tutto vero.” and on page 106 “Era incredibilmente spaventoso, spaventosamente orrendo, orribilmente raccapricciante.” In my opinion this writing with all these elements make me think that the work is very immature and you can also understand it from the preview available on Amazon.
The last element I consider, because that counts too, is the price: the digital version costs € 0.99 but the hardcover paper version costs a good € 12.49, a price too high in my opinion for a book that apparently has little work behind. It would have been better to make it available also in paperback at a lower price.
Will I read the sequel? I don’t know because unfortunately this first book could have been a little longer and at least would have made me more interested in reading a second chapter.
Thank you all for your trust, happy Good Friday and happy Easter weekend,
Alessandro III di Macedonia 
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