The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Series, Volume 1 & 2 - M. T. Anderson

Written by M. T. Anderson
Read by Peter Francis James
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

The Pox Party

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Series, Volume I
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Release date: January 2, 2007
Duration: 08:19:40

He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the best of classical educations. Raised by a mysterious group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother–a princess in exile from a faraway land–are the only people in their household assigned names. As the boy’s regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians’ fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments–and his own chilling role in them.

“Anderson is a master at taking popular culture iconography, epic and historic themes, and likable characters, adding his own twist, and creating stories that are unique. In this first of a projected two-part saga, narrator Peter Francis James puts flesh on a slave boy being raised by a philosophical cult in Colonial Boston. As Octavian grows, the harsh realities of being a black slave collide with the idealism of the social experiment in which he has been sheltered. Adapting Anderson’s novel to audio necessitated leaving out the book’s sketches, quill-pen jottings, and other visuals. But Peter Francis James’s euphonic reading and smooth cadence add humanness to the uneasy story. This 2006 National Book Award winner is not a pleasant story to hear, but it will provoke deep thinking and expand the listener’s horizons.” — AudioFile

June 1, 2007
Gr 7 Up -Many readers think that classics have little relevance to our modern lives. But with the right author and the right turn on a classic tale, these stories can remain as relevant today as they were when they were first written. …, M. T. Anderson’s The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, falls flat because its uniqueness renders it unintelligible. In this imitation of Voltaire’s Candide, written in 18th -century language, young Octavian Nothing, an African child, is raised by tutors with numbers instead of names and subjected to experiments performed on him by Boston philosophers who seek to determine the intellectual ability of Africans. While the idea and the scope of Anderson’s novel are fresh, the plot and the prose are so confusing that it becomes difficult to follow the story. The narration by actor Peter Francis James is first-rate, but only advanced high school students and aficionados of the Enlightenment will be able to wade through the novel. “… School Library Journal,

The Kingdom on the Waves

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Series, Volume II
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Release date: October 14, 2008
Duration: 13:25:36

In the summer of 1775, fleeing from a death sentence, Octavian and his tutor, Dr. Trefusis, escape through rising tides and pouring rain to find shelter in British-occupied Boston. Sundered from all he knows Octavian hopes to find safe harbor. But in the midst of war, no place is safe. The city of Boston itself is under siege. What follows is a tale of skirmish and flame, flight and fury, and battle on sea and land. Seeking both the truth of his past and some hope for his future, Octavian encounters generous thieves, pious carpenters, delicate lords, noble cowherds, bedazzled scientists, and murderous rebels–as this astonishing narrative escalates to its startling climax.

Gr 9 Up-Octavian, the 16-year-old slave whose story began in “The Pox Party”, continues his search for identity in this brilliant, affecting, and philosophical sequel…. After hearing of Lord Dunmore’s promise of freedom for slaves, he enlists in the Royal Ethiopian Regiment. Following a loss at Norfolk, they then take up quarters aboard British ships, barely fending off starvation and smallpox. Octavian’s uncertainty and doubt are tangible throughout. His detailed first-person narration is written in the richly expansive 18th-century prose introduced in volume one. He records the story while reviewing (and revealing to readers) his diary entries from the past year, so that “none of this shall pass from remembrance.” He endures abuse, shame, grief, and humiliation, and comes close to despair; however, he is ultimately hopeful that humanity can aspire to more than warring and despoiling. Teens will identify with Octavian’s internal tumult, how he experiences events as being acted upon him, and his transition from observer to participant, from boy to man. More than fascinating historical fiction, this is also a thoughtful and timeless examination of the nature of humanity and a critique of how society addresses (or ignores) identity, freedom, and oppression. Anderson’s masterful pacing, surprising use of imagery and symbolism, and adeptness at crafting structure make this a powerful reimagining of slavery and the American Revolution dazzle.”
— School Library Journal,