Review of "The Rule of Claw"

“I don’t have to do what you say.”

     In John Brindley’s novel The Rule of Claw, the end of the world is little more than a distant memory. For years, Ash and her friends have lived in Admittance Strictly Prohibited, a small camp squashed between the ever-changing forest and the deep blue sea. There are no adults here, only the five Camp Commandments and a handful of teens. As long as the commandments are followed, they think, everything will be fine. When a boy named Derri braves the forest and comes back dead, Ash takes it as another sign that they should do as they’re told. But when monsters from the darkness snatch her from her hut, everything changes. The forest isn’t what the ASP dwellers thought it was—and if Ash doesn’t intervene, it will destroy her friends and family forever.

     Ash’s world is richly detailed, the kind of place that seems almost unbelievably real. From the lush, multicolored forest to the once-human Rodents and Raptors that call it home, everything beyond the ASP fence is entirely immersive without losing its sense of mystique. The camp itself is similarly clad in description, painting with deft strokes a complete location and flourishing culture. Most interesting is the language difference, as the human teens have extremely limited vocabularies, making for some amusing interactions when they at last meet people who know a broad range of words. And when the ferocious Raptors make an appearance, it’s her ability to read body language that will make or break her chances of survival.

     Brindley doesn’t stop there. Even the characters themselves are complex and dynamic, filled to the brim with conflicting needs and desires. Not everybody gets along, even among their own species. This builds a feud greater than any of its components, a struggle between man and nature as the ASP dwellers, Raptors, and Rodents fight for a place in their fragile new world. Though at times the pacing seems to slow, the reason for this always kicks the tension back into high gear when revealed. And just when it seems the story is about to end, some small factor will throw itself into the mix and create a delicious flurry of chaos, setting things in motion once again.

     Because they grew up without adults to expand their vocabularies, the ASP dwellers have a very small set of insults to hurl at each other. These are generally various forms of “idiot”, and are not crude. The only romance present consists of an admission of love between two of Ash’s friends, who are married. When one character becomes pregnant, the hows and whys are not expanded upon. Higher on the questionability list is the violence, made worrisome by the Raptors’ vicious, hawk-like attack methods. There’s a little bit of gore, though not an excessive amount. Anti-theism is not a huge theme until the end, when any notion of a higher power is portrayed as dangerously stupid.

     I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting adventure through a version of the future that seems terrifyingly real. The world is lushly decorated, with thorough details scattered naturally around the action, while the conflicts themselves are thick with tension and emotion. Pacing is constantly in flux, keeping readers forever on edge. Aside from the splash of gore, the only true flag-raiser is dependent on the reader, as it heavily overplays the anti-theism card. Otherwise, the novel is exceptional. John Brindley’s The Rule of Claw is definitely worth reading, and deserves five stars.