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Revolver
A LOADED GUN. STOLEN GOLD. And a menacing stranger. A taut frontier survivor story, set at the time of the Alaska gold rush.
In an isolated cabin, fourteen-year-old Sig is alone with a corpse: his father, who has fallen through the ice and frozen to death only hours earlier. Then comes a stranger claiming that Sig’s father owes him a share of a horde of stolen gold. Sig’s only protection is a loaded Colt revolver hidden in the cabin’s storeroom. The question is, will Sig use the gun, and why?
Revolver is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
204 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2009
164 people are currently reading
6127 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Sedgwick
107 books1,581 followersMarcus Sedgwickwas a British writer and illustrator. He authored several young adult and children's books and picture books, a work of nonfiction and several novels for adults, and illustrated a collection of myths and a book of folk tales for adults.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 926 reviews
February 15, 2021
What a fool I was, thinking that I rated my books depending on the story they delivered. If one novel can destroy this belief, it's Revolver.
Sometimes, it's all about the atmosphere.
Sometimes, a storyline that shouldn't work for me just does. And oh man, how Revolver shouldn't work :
Here's my advice : forget the blurb. Forget the story, even, because that's not really what matters. Let yourself be swept along in the chilling and sad atmosphere, where all our self-delusions are shattered. What's life, really, when so many factors stay beyond our control? See, I do not believe in Fate or whatever you want to call it. This is actually a concept that annoys me, because lazy much?! (I would say moronic, but I've spent years listening to my mum and she really believe in that stuff. Also, I respect others' opinions)
Yet I recognize that we deceive ourselves when we think that we hold a complete control on your life. We can't. Life's made of choices, of chaos, of other people and their choices, and we're too complex creatures to organize ourselves like a schedule (also, planning sucks, okay?)
I am really, really happy we're not machines, and reading the discreetly beautiful and compelling words of Marcus Sedgwick, the feeling of being lost spread into my chest more and more along the way - I loved it. In that sense, I think that his numerous references to guns, by showing the delusion of security, of control they offer (again, gun-skeptic here, bear with me), perfectly served this disenchanted and thought-provoking story.
Considering my personal preferences, I shouldn't have given this book the time of a day, yet I'm very, very glad I did, because wow. Such an haunting little story, Revolver is. I was invested from the beginning and my interest - my fascination - never wavered.
Strangely, I close this book thinking about Un roi sans divertissement, another strange tale that took me by surprise during my third year of French Literature in Uni. Same suffocating, snowy ambiance. Same intriguing, out of time mystery.
Same millions of people bored by it, maybe, and same pleasantly surprised Anna.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
March 11, 2016
Marcus Sedgwick is one hell of a writer. I'm serious. His books are profound, thought-provoking, sometimes weird but always beautiful. I don't think there's ever been a writer who has won my admiration so fast. Of course, Hermann Hesse is the exception, but let's not deal with that right now.
Revolver is a gripping tale of survival and the importance of knowing how to make the right decisions. It's set in the Artic circle, a place that settles perfectly the atmosphere of the story: Cold and lonely. The book starts with Sig finding the frozen body of his father – Einar. To worsen that fact, while Sig is waiting for her sister Anna and his stepmother to come with help, a stranger – Gunter Wolff – comes to take revenge on something Sig's father did 10 years before. All Sig has is his father's old rusty revolver and the lessons he learnt from him.
“They say that dead men tell no tales, but they’re wrong. Even the dead tell stories.”
The book alternates between 1899 and 1910 – the “past” and the “present”. In the past, we see the lessons Sig's father taught him. Einar was a lover of guns. He has like – let's say – a devotion for them. He worships them in an almost religious way. Maria, on the other hand, is a religious woman that only believes in God's words, and therefore she thinks guns are evil. But she all the same is teaching Sig lessons that will help him in the future.
The atmosphere of the book is solitary and sad. Throughout the book we see how Sig handles the tension of having his life threatened by a man who says Sig's father stole him some gold years before. And trust me, I was tense too. The story is very engaging and thrilling. I can't remember the last time I was so invested in a book.
(I take the last bit back. Of course I remember the last time that happened: It was when I read... The Ghosts of Heaven, White Crow and Midwinterblood. Ehhh, I promise I'm not obsessed.)
As I said on a previous review, Marcus Sedgwick has a great ability for delivering words: He immediately hooks you into the story. They can be talking about nonsense and you will be hypnotized. His writing is so sublime, and I freaking love it.
“Love, sing, cry, and fight, but all the time, seek to know everything you can about the earth upon which you stand, till your time is done.”
This book also deals with morality. It requires you to think if Sig's choices are the “correct” ones, or of he should do another thing. The only thing that didn't convince me a lot was the last line of the book, but aside that, everything was perfect for me.
However, I'm not sure whether I should recommend this or not. I mean... as much as I loved it, I can't see most people enjoying this. There's no action or romance. It's just a psychological thriller – a well told, for what matters. This book never sounded to me like a YA book, but then again, what defines YA fiction? I don't really know who is the best target audience for this. I guess readers of all ages can pick it... as long as they don't mind that their books lean a little on the philosophical side.
Still, I thought this book was fantastic. Marcus Sedgwick has not disappointed me and I really hope he doesn't.
P.S.: Want a proof of how much I love this author? Okay, I'll give it to you. See the images I used in the review? I spent all the afternoon editing those things... and my abilities with photo editing are really crappy. I wanted to use more, but really, they require so much effort from me.
February 20, 2011
As seen on The Readventurer
Revolver is a 2011 Printz Honor winner and yet, only 276 people on Goodreads have read it. After reading this book, I understand why.
This a beautifully written YA novel, but I have no idea who would be its audience. Boys will not read it because there is no magic or action, girls - because there is no romance or high school drama.
Revolver is set in 1910th Antarctic wilderness. 14-year old Sig just found his father's dead body. He froze to death after falling under ice while crossing a nearby lake. As Sig is waiting by his father's corpse for his sister and stepmother to come back with help, he is approached by a man who claims that Sig's father owes him gold from 10 years ago. What follows are 36 hours that test Sig's courage and his belief in life lessons taught to him by his parents...
A mix of mystery, psychological thriller and historical fiction, this book is, surprisingly, an ode to... a revolver, which is a major player in this story. As Anton Chekhov once said, "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it". The revolver in this novel does get fired and the decision to do it is a vital one and, of course, carries very serious consequences.
I think people who still like Jack London's stories about Gold Rush will appreciate Revolver. But how many teens are there interested in this period in American history? I'll bet every public and school library in America has a copy of this novel, but all of them are destined to gather dust on the shelves. No matter how good the book is, its subject matter is just not of much interest to current generation.
Revolver is a 2011 Printz Honor winner and yet, only 276 people on Goodreads have read it. After reading this book, I understand why.
This a beautifully written YA novel, but I have no idea who would be its audience. Boys will not read it because there is no magic or action, girls - because there is no romance or high school drama.
Revolver is set in 1910th Antarctic wilderness. 14-year old Sig just found his father's dead body. He froze to death after falling under ice while crossing a nearby lake. As Sig is waiting by his father's corpse for his sister and stepmother to come back with help, he is approached by a man who claims that Sig's father owes him gold from 10 years ago. What follows are 36 hours that test Sig's courage and his belief in life lessons taught to him by his parents...
A mix of mystery, psychological thriller and historical fiction, this book is, surprisingly, an ode to... a revolver, which is a major player in this story. As Anton Chekhov once said, "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it". The revolver in this novel does get fired and the decision to do it is a vital one and, of course, carries very serious consequences.
I think people who still like Jack London's stories about Gold Rush will appreciate Revolver. But how many teens are there interested in this period in American history? I'll bet every public and school library in America has a copy of this novel, but all of them are destined to gather dust on the shelves. No matter how good the book is, its subject matter is just not of much interest to current generation.
March 31, 2012
This is a short, simple and powerful story that I sat down to sample and ended up finishing in no time at all. Revolver is the second book I've read by Marcus Sedgwick - the other being Midwinterblood - and I have to say that both his novels have managed to impress and surprise me.
If I'm being honest, they just never really sounded that appealing to me, despite the fact that I've been told by numerous people to give his books a try. This story is about Sig and his family who live in the arctic circle, it alternates between 1899 and 1910 until the secrets of the past catch up with the present and things start to fall into place. It's quite a beautiful novel about choices and what happens when a good person is faced with a difficult decision involving a gun and the life of someone who means them harm.
If you're into short, meaningful stories that impart a message which is likely to affect you and make you think for a while, then Marcus Sedgwick is your man. However, it's difficult to recommend this book to anyone because I can't promise you lots of action or romance or magic... but if you don't need a story that is swamped with fast-pacing and melodrama, this could be for you. For a book that is quite subtle and not packed with the aforementioned, it is still addictively readable. I ate it up.
March 11, 2021
“You know, I understand it now. There's always a third choice in life. Even if you're stuck between two impossible choices, there's always a third way. You just have to look for it.”
I didn't get wrong with Marcus Sedgwick.
Revolver is my first book from him and definitely will never be the last. I am actually on the go to read his other works as soon as possible.
Gripping, intelligent and compelling, Revolver shared to me the experience of being held captive with a dead body; and to think or decide fast when your own life is at stake. Short and simple, it portrayed the life during the Gold Rush and told a one-of-a-kind story of danger of the unknown. Revolver also imparted emotions that truly affects me and a message that make me think for a while.
And even this book didn't have action or high school drama, I enjoyed and thrilled reading it. It is a powerful novel encompasses the importance of listening to your parents' advice and the risk of decision-making or choices.
At first, I haven't thought of any idea on why this book is titled Revolver but as I've read and read, I got and understand why. Is this thing will be used to end one's life? Maybe.
November 25, 2020
This is a very tense, isolated YA thriller that centers around Sig, a 14 year old boy and a trespasser who show up at their cabin and holds him hostage for an evening.
Whilst i was gripped by the story i can acknowledge that not an awful lot happens so if you're looking for an action packed read, this is not it.
Whilst i was gripped by the story i can acknowledge that not an awful lot happens so if you're looking for an action packed read, this is not it.
January 5, 2023
“Even the dead tell stories.”
...
Upon finishing Revolver, I concluded that while I really liked it, it definitely wasn't my favorite Marcus Sedgwick book.
I'm still thinking about this book, and I read it two months ago.
Revolver tells the story of Sig, a 14 year-old boy stuck in a cabin in the middle of the arctic wilderness with the corpse of his father. When a mysterious stranger knocks on his door, and threatens terrible violence if the boy doesn't hand over the gold his father owed him, Sig's mind wanders to his father's Colt revolver, hidden in the storeroom.
But when the time comes, will Sig be able to shoot?
I love tense, isolated stories like this, and Sedgwick really delivered with Revolver. As always, his writing was immaculate, and the nonlinear narrative beautifully blended the secrets of the past with the present. The cold, desolate landscape, along with the unbridled tension, had me flipping the pages like a mad woman.
This really felt like a story someone would tell around a campfire. A boy with a hidden gun and the corpse of his father is confronted by a mysterious stranger demanding gold. Will the boy shoot? The atmosphere, mystery, and intense nature of the plot made for a well-rounded story that I couldn't put down. Honestly, Marcus Sedgwick can do no wrong in my eyes.
As always, Sedgwick asks some compelling questions here. What would you do, if you had the choice? Would you fire the gun? Would you run? Themes surrounding choice, violence, and the burdens that parents pass onto their children are all interwoven into the story beautifully. I never thought a book surrounding guns, violence, and contemplations of religion would appeal to me so much, but here we are.
While I wasn't as attached to the characters in Revolver as I was with other Marcus Sedgwick books, I still found this book to be sharp, compelling, and wholly satisfying. If you're looking for a short, gripping tale to keep you occupied on a dark and stormy night, I highly recommend this one.
...
“There's always a third choice in life. Even if you think you're stuck between two impossible choices, there's always a third way. You just have to look for it.”
...
Upon finishing Revolver, I concluded that while I really liked it, it definitely wasn't my favorite Marcus Sedgwick book.
I'm still thinking about this book, and I read it two months ago.
Revolver tells the story of Sig, a 14 year-old boy stuck in a cabin in the middle of the arctic wilderness with the corpse of his father. When a mysterious stranger knocks on his door, and threatens terrible violence if the boy doesn't hand over the gold his father owed him, Sig's mind wanders to his father's Colt revolver, hidden in the storeroom.
But when the time comes, will Sig be able to shoot?
I love tense, isolated stories like this, and Sedgwick really delivered with Revolver. As always, his writing was immaculate, and the nonlinear narrative beautifully blended the secrets of the past with the present. The cold, desolate landscape, along with the unbridled tension, had me flipping the pages like a mad woman.
This really felt like a story someone would tell around a campfire. A boy with a hidden gun and the corpse of his father is confronted by a mysterious stranger demanding gold. Will the boy shoot? The atmosphere, mystery, and intense nature of the plot made for a well-rounded story that I couldn't put down. Honestly, Marcus Sedgwick can do no wrong in my eyes.
As always, Sedgwick asks some compelling questions here. What would you do, if you had the choice? Would you fire the gun? Would you run? Themes surrounding choice, violence, and the burdens that parents pass onto their children are all interwoven into the story beautifully. I never thought a book surrounding guns, violence, and contemplations of religion would appeal to me so much, but here we are.
While I wasn't as attached to the characters in Revolver as I was with other Marcus Sedgwick books, I still found this book to be sharp, compelling, and wholly satisfying. If you're looking for a short, gripping tale to keep you occupied on a dark and stormy night, I highly recommend this one.
...
“There's always a third choice in life. Even if you think you're stuck between two impossible choices, there's always a third way. You just have to look for it.”
March 9, 2012
Wow. It's pretty crazy how fast I devoured this book. I liked that it wasn't annoyingly long, cliché or sugar-coated. Sure, the writing is more on the simple side, but in this case, it fit with the book like a glove.
But wait: guns, no romance, a slightly childish protagonist, simplistic writing, and a predictable plot. Pshaw! Well I’d probably narrow my eyes and be prone to pass this book up in a heartbeat.
But surprisingly, I found myself rather loving it.
You have our protagonist, Sig. He absolutely worships his father. He hardly remembers his mother, and so, the family he has ever known has only been his father, older sister Anna and stepmother. But seeing as his stepmother and sister don't get along, he's always found a camaraderie of sorts with his father. Their love for guns, in particular, is what has brought them together. As the son hears his father talk about this object almost religiously, he becomes fascinated with it too. Particularly, the one his father keeps safe in a box. But this thought completely contrasts with what his mother believed as a religious woman. She deemed such a weapon evil. And by the look of it, it would seem his sister Anna pretty much thinks the same. In fact, you can see throughout the book that their passion for the Revolver makes her feel uncomfortable, and yet, it also makes her feel out of the loop. In my opinion, I think it's because a part of her also wishes that she could bring herself to love something that could clearly make herself and her father have something in common: to bring them closer.
This is no sweet book. If you view it from a distance, you might just assume it's a bit action-y with a mystery. But at its core, it's very deep and interesting. A young boy finding a curled up frozen corpse of his father is hard to stomach. Seeing the evidence of his struggle and will to live is even more tragic. The open book and match box and the glove he pulls off in his last trying attempt to save himself are all there as evidence of that.
However, the real struggle begins when a man comes knocking. He wants something from them, and since the father no longer lives, he's decided that he's now got a bone to pick with the heir. Clearly this is bad news. Oh, but it's about to get a lot worse.
He's the kind of guy I really wanted to get to know. In this messed up way, people like him intrigue me. I want to know what really leads a person to become like the kind of guy he is. Childhood trauma, anger, or are they just plain psycho? For a long time -no matter how much he unsettled me - I wanted to give him a chance. I wanted for him to have an opportunity to show me a different side to him. A side that gave me a sneak peek of a man that could still be in there somewhere. In all honestly, a hint of goodness was all that I wanted. Sadly, I didn't get it. And even then I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt - until one particular thing came to light - and then I just couldn't. I couldn’t bring myself to try to understand him. I had to accept that there really was no redeeming quality about this man. That he was just a sick bastard. And I tried to leave it at that.
Are there things that might have improved my reading experience: definitely. It's categorised as a thriller, but there really isn't all that much suspense. With an interesting premise and a whole lot of potential - I would have liked more of a shocking factor: a bit more blood, deaths and more depth to our Mr Baddie. Also, I do wish that I could have gotten to know Anna more; to have been shown that their stepmother wasn't just a stepmother. I say this because clearly she was such a huge support system to them. And I understand that it's harder said than done because they aren't in the book much, but I think they should have been. I mean, it's nothing that couldn't have been done with a few minor changes here and there, right?
So no, it’s not perfect. But it's different and sad and hopeful and engrossing.
So mate. Four stars for you it is :)
But wait: guns, no romance, a slightly childish protagonist, simplistic writing, and a predictable plot. Pshaw! Well I’d probably narrow my eyes and be prone to pass this book up in a heartbeat.
But surprisingly, I found myself rather loving it.
You have our protagonist, Sig. He absolutely worships his father. He hardly remembers his mother, and so, the family he has ever known has only been his father, older sister Anna and stepmother. But seeing as his stepmother and sister don't get along, he's always found a camaraderie of sorts with his father. Their love for guns, in particular, is what has brought them together. As the son hears his father talk about this object almost religiously, he becomes fascinated with it too. Particularly, the one his father keeps safe in a box. But this thought completely contrasts with what his mother believed as a religious woman. She deemed such a weapon evil. And by the look of it, it would seem his sister Anna pretty much thinks the same. In fact, you can see throughout the book that their passion for the Revolver makes her feel uncomfortable, and yet, it also makes her feel out of the loop. In my opinion, I think it's because a part of her also wishes that she could bring herself to love something that could clearly make herself and her father have something in common: to bring them closer.
This is no sweet book. If you view it from a distance, you might just assume it's a bit action-y with a mystery. But at its core, it's very deep and interesting. A young boy finding a curled up frozen corpse of his father is hard to stomach. Seeing the evidence of his struggle and will to live is even more tragic. The open book and match box and the glove he pulls off in his last trying attempt to save himself are all there as evidence of that.
However, the real struggle begins when a man comes knocking. He wants something from them, and since the father no longer lives, he's decided that he's now got a bone to pick with the heir. Clearly this is bad news. Oh, but it's about to get a lot worse.
He's the kind of guy I really wanted to get to know. In this messed up way, people like him intrigue me. I want to know what really leads a person to become like the kind of guy he is. Childhood trauma, anger, or are they just plain psycho? For a long time -no matter how much he unsettled me - I wanted to give him a chance. I wanted for him to have an opportunity to show me a different side to him. A side that gave me a sneak peek of a man that could still be in there somewhere. In all honestly, a hint of goodness was all that I wanted. Sadly, I didn't get it. And even then I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt - until one particular thing came to light - and then I just couldn't. I couldn’t bring myself to try to understand him. I had to accept that there really was no redeeming quality about this man. That he was just a sick bastard. And I tried to leave it at that.
Are there things that might have improved my reading experience: definitely. It's categorised as a thriller, but there really isn't all that much suspense. With an interesting premise and a whole lot of potential - I would have liked more of a shocking factor: a bit more blood, deaths and more depth to our Mr Baddie. Also, I do wish that I could have gotten to know Anna more; to have been shown that their stepmother wasn't just a stepmother. I say this because clearly she was such a huge support system to them. And I understand that it's harder said than done because they aren't in the book much, but I think they should have been. I mean, it's nothing that couldn't have been done with a few minor changes here and there, right?
So no, it’s not perfect. But it's different and sad and hopeful and engrossing.
So mate. Four stars for you it is :)
June 28, 2023
داستانِ پُر تنش و دلهره آور که با ضرب آهنگ اتفاقات نفس گیر که خواننده را دنبال خودش می کشد. نوع ایده هم خوب و نو بود.
ولی نوع نوشتارِ نویسنده و ترجمه انگار در پیوستگی داستان سکته میندازه.
مجموعا کتاب خوبی برای نوجوانان هست.
ولی نوع نوشتارِ نویسنده و ترجمه انگار در پیوستگی داستان سکته میندازه.
مجموعا کتاب خوبی برای نوجوانان هست.
March 20, 2016
I'm starting to think Marcus Sedgwick's books aren't for me. They're always weird and thought-provoking and stay with you long after you turn the last page, but they're also told in a completely emotionless style and seem... unfinished. As if he had an amazing idea but couldn't quite execute it perfectly. I felt this way with The Foreshadowing, with The Ghosts of Heaven, and now with Revolver. They're all very good, they all have their strong points, but they all lacked 'something'.
Do I make sense? No, I don't. But I can never make sense of Marcus Sedgwick.
I will give him another chance; I will pick up another book of his, but I doubt I will love it. Lots of people love his books, but... they always leave me cold.
Do I make sense? No, I don't. But I can never make sense of Marcus Sedgwick.
I will give him another chance; I will pick up another book of his, but I doubt I will love it. Lots of people love his books, but... they always leave me cold.
May 9, 2022
اگه میخواین تو گرمای تابستون یخ بزنید و یاس و امید رو با تمام وجودتون حس کنید این کتاب رو از دست ندید
September 20, 2021
اینار گفت:((حتی مرده ها هم قصه ای دارند و این کتاب پر از آنهاست.))
زیگ۱۴ساله در کلبه ای دورافتاده زندگی میکنه که جسد پدرش بعد چند ساعت در دریاچه افتاده و یخ زده مرده.
داستان جالبی بودش اما یخورده خسته کننده بودش برام.
اما حرفایی یا تیکه از کتاب بود که خیلی دوسش داشتم.
در کل بدک نبود ضعف هایی داشتش میتونست بهتر باشه.
زیگ۱۴ساله در کلبه ای دورافتاده زندگی میکنه که جسد پدرش بعد چند ساعت در دریاچه افتاده و یخ زده مرده.
داستان جالبی بودش اما یخورده خسته کننده بودش برام.
اما حرفایی یا تیکه از کتاب بود که خیلی دوسش داشتم.
در کل بدک نبود ضعف هایی داشتش میتونست بهتر باشه.
July 15, 2024
"وقتی اتفاقهای بد میافتند یعنی خدا از ما رو برگردانده است؟ یا تماشایمان میکند و از خودش میپرسد چطور خلقتش از اینجا سر درآورده است؟ آیا با تاسف سرش را تکان میدهد و غمگین میشود؟ یا لبخند میزند؟"
از نکتههای ریز و جالبی که درباره کلت شش لول توی کتاب آورده بود بسی خوشم اومد. داستان خوبی بود...
همین.
از نکتههای ریز و جالبی که درباره کلت شش لول توی کتاب آورده بود بسی خوشم اومد. داستان خوبی بود...
همین.
April 10, 2024
A book that demonstrates how much more talented a writer is when they can fit a full, complete, compelling, page turning story in 200 pages instead of 400 pages. Effortless writing style, believable characters, just the right amount of detail to make the setting real without bogging down in infodumps. I'm tagging it as a mystery/thriller, because it was a tense edge-of-your-seat story. There are reveals near the end that aren't exactly twists, but more like little revelations that make the reader go, "Ahhh, I see" as previous details click into place.
I read this right after reading "The Winter Road" which was also a 200ish page book set in the frigid north (Canada vs Alaska) in winter, and it's hard not to compare the two. This was was a much stronger book in every way. THIS is one I'd definitely reread.
I read this right after reading "The Winter Road" which was also a 200ish page book set in the frigid north (Canada vs Alaska) in winter, and it's hard not to compare the two. This was was a much stronger book in every way. THIS is one I'd definitely reread.
January 27, 2016
This book is really short but it will put you on the edge of your seat. One day Sig's father dies, and one that day a strange man comes to their house. And he has a revolver. Cue the music. Dun-dun-DUN. Like I said this is very short so you can't go in expecting it to be this super descriptive, utterly amazong plot with so much character development. It's 2 pages over 200 pages..... It's not going to be an amazing work of literature. But it did do a very good job of telling the story, which is what I am finding with Sedwick's writing. He knows how to tell a story. So if you are looking for just a short book to read, I recommend picking this up
July 5, 2011
“A single splutter of flame catches as the match head ignites, lying on the ice. It burns halfway down the wooden stalk of the match, and all Einar can do is watch it burn for a second, and then die.
An hour later, and he’s dead too.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Post- Epilogue.
Groooan.
Pre-Epilogue.
HOLY MOLY.
High Points.
I absolutely fell in love with Sedgwick’s writing style- it was haunting, shocking, beautiful and always gave me the sense that I was walking on dangerous ground (almost like a frozen lake, coincidence? I think not.) and feeling too safe and then just as I thought everything was fine, the ice begins to creak and there’s a knock on the door and…. Waaah. Location, location, location- I have never read anything quite like this. Stranded miles away from civilisation (and even then, ‘civilisation’, is a population of about 1000), surrounded by precarious snow drifts and no chance of escape. Claustaphobic, stifling, sinister… these words don’t even come close. This book was so (quick think of another word for chilling) unsettling and I loved it. Moral and spiritual dilemmas. Well-researched history. And then we have Wolff… but more on him later… *shudders and locks the door*
Low Points.
This is purely a personal quibble but I just don’t like epilogues. They just frustrate me because in 99% of cases, they are stupid, rushed and pointless. I like things left unsaid. There are some exceptions of course, but I can’t think of any at the moment, so if you can please… comment away. Because I get why they can be amazing, but I’ve just not seen it happen often. I’m thinking of the epilogue in ‘Revolver’ in two halves, the first bit I loved and I thought that I’d finally found an epilogue that didn’t make me angry, it answered all the questions that needed to be answered but also left a lot of things just there… subtle, like this whole book. But thennn we had to fast forward 60 years later and… yack. No, I’m sorry. Like I said, it’s probably just me and I’m being overly sensitive and in no way did it ruin it for me… I just… meh.
Hero.
This is a funny one because even though fifteen year old Stig is the main focus of plot (at least the 1910 sections), we only saw him when he was in a phenomenally high-pressured situation, so we never really got to find out about him post-Revolver. I don’t mean that to sound as a bad thing because I really liked Stig and thought he was a fantastic character, but I just don’t think I know him. But it didn’t really matter because this book wasn’t about him, as such, as I think it’s more about humanity in general. Humanity placed in an amplified situation where all the lines are blurred.
Stig had the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability stemming from growing up in harsh world, both physically and metaphorically.
I have to hand it to him, even though I don’t know his favourite colour or if he’s ever been in love, he has nerves of steel. If I was alone in a cabin in the middle of Antarctica wilderness with the nearest living person about a two day huskie trip away… and then I heard a knock on the door? I have four words for you… bat.out.of.hell. With extra flailing.
Baddie.
Mayor Prentiss, one of the creepiest villains that I have had the displeasure of meeting in my literary adventures, remember him? OK, yeah he is a pussy cat compared to Gunter Wolff. I’m not saying any more…. For fear saying his name will make him manifest, a la Beetlejuice.
Theme Tune.
A Moment of Stillness- God is an Astronaut.
I didn’t want a song with lyrics for this book because it would be practically impossible to find lyrics that captured the atmosphere of this book and didn’t sound too forced. So, I chose this song because it’s beautiful, eerie and ambiguous… like this book.
Angst Level.
10/10. The whole setting and situation of this book really scared me. I have quite a vivid imagination and I likenot being stranded in a snow drift (Mancunian winters are pretty frosty) to be around people. And there is a very prominent theme of helplessness that runs through this book.
The way Stig deals with his father’s death feels raw and brutal and it is only enhanced with the addition of everything he has to deal with afterwards.
There is also the addition of the argument of the use of guns and explores the moral issues around them. Whichever side of the argument you stand on, the way the revolver of the title is transformed into a character is both fascinating and frightening.
Recommended For.
People who like their YA with a psychological thrill. People who think it's fine to open the door to strangers when you're in the middle of nowhere.
You can also read the review for this book and others and a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
An hour later, and he’s dead too.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Post- Epilogue.
Groooan.
Pre-Epilogue.
HOLY MOLY.
High Points.
I absolutely fell in love with Sedgwick’s writing style- it was haunting, shocking, beautiful and always gave me the sense that I was walking on dangerous ground (almost like a frozen lake, coincidence? I think not.) and feeling too safe and then just as I thought everything was fine, the ice begins to creak and there’s a knock on the door and…. Waaah. Location, location, location- I have never read anything quite like this. Stranded miles away from civilisation (and even then, ‘civilisation’, is a population of about 1000), surrounded by precarious snow drifts and no chance of escape. Claustaphobic, stifling, sinister… these words don’t even come close. This book was so (quick think of another word for chilling) unsettling and I loved it. Moral and spiritual dilemmas. Well-researched history. And then we have Wolff… but more on him later… *shudders and locks the door*
Low Points.
This is purely a personal quibble but I just don’t like epilogues. They just frustrate me because in 99% of cases, they are stupid, rushed and pointless. I like things left unsaid. There are some exceptions of course, but I can’t think of any at the moment, so if you can please… comment away. Because I get why they can be amazing, but I’ve just not seen it happen often. I’m thinking of the epilogue in ‘Revolver’ in two halves, the first bit I loved and I thought that I’d finally found an epilogue that didn’t make me angry, it answered all the questions that needed to be answered but also left a lot of things just there… subtle, like this whole book. But thennn we had to fast forward 60 years later and… yack. No, I’m sorry. Like I said, it’s probably just me and I’m being overly sensitive and in no way did it ruin it for me… I just… meh.
Hero.
This is a funny one because even though fifteen year old Stig is the main focus of plot (at least the 1910 sections), we only saw him when he was in a phenomenally high-pressured situation, so we never really got to find out about him post-Revolver. I don’t mean that to sound as a bad thing because I really liked Stig and thought he was a fantastic character, but I just don’t think I know him. But it didn’t really matter because this book wasn’t about him, as such, as I think it’s more about humanity in general. Humanity placed in an amplified situation where all the lines are blurred.
Stig had the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability stemming from growing up in harsh world, both physically and metaphorically.
I have to hand it to him, even though I don’t know his favourite colour or if he’s ever been in love, he has nerves of steel. If I was alone in a cabin in the middle of Antarctica wilderness with the nearest living person about a two day huskie trip away… and then I heard a knock on the door? I have four words for you… bat.out.of.hell. With extra flailing.
Baddie.
Mayor Prentiss, one of the creepiest villains that I have had the displeasure of meeting in my literary adventures, remember him? OK, yeah he is a pussy cat compared to Gunter Wolff. I’m not saying any more…. For fear saying his name will make him manifest, a la Beetlejuice.
Theme Tune.
A Moment of Stillness- God is an Astronaut.
I didn’t want a song with lyrics for this book because it would be practically impossible to find lyrics that captured the atmosphere of this book and didn’t sound too forced. So, I chose this song because it’s beautiful, eerie and ambiguous… like this book.
Angst Level.
10/10. The whole setting and situation of this book really scared me. I have quite a vivid imagination and I like
The way Stig deals with his father’s death feels raw and brutal and it is only enhanced with the addition of everything he has to deal with afterwards.
There is also the addition of the argument of the use of guns and explores the moral issues around them. Whichever side of the argument you stand on, the way the revolver of the title is transformed into a character is both fascinating and frightening.
Recommended For.
People who like their YA with a psychological thrill. People who think it's fine to open the door to strangers when you're in the middle of nowhere.
You can also read the review for this book and others and a whole lot of other exciting stuff on my blog here.
November 8, 2019
"Even the dead tell stories."It took me long enough to finally read this and I must say that I'm quite disappointed with my former self for postponing this. I'm quite surprised with the weight that this little book holds, from morals to commentaries on life and death and faith. It's not an easy feat yet Revolver managed to string these themes into a digestible and fairly educational package. While this was marketed for young adults, I think that everyone should read this as well especially with the messages it conveyed.
February 14, 2017
This is the fourth Sedgwick book I’ve read. It’s crazy how different they are from each other. Revolver is tiny—only about 200 pages—but like all of Sedgwick’s books, it was still stuck in my mind long after I finished it.
In the early 1900s, fourteen-year-old Sig and his family are on the run from a mysterious stranger who has chased them all over the Arctic. One day, Sig’s father falls through the ice and freezes to death. Sig is home alone with his father’s thawing body when the stranger shows up at their door. He says he will kill Sig if Sig doesn’t hand over the gold his father stole. There is a revolver in the cupboard. Should Sig kill the stranger, or is there another way to escape?
I would have adored this book when I was a kid. It’s tense, fast-paced, and set in a variety of remote northern locations. For most of my childhood, I was obsessed with the gold rush and Arctic exploration. I was also a reluctant reader, so this book would have been perfect for me.
What I love most about Revolver is the atmosphere. There are very few characters. The setting is cold, quiet, and lonely. The reader is kept distant from Sig, which builds mystery. This is one of those books that almost crackle with tension. You don’t know who to trust, but you know that the story is going to end badly for someone. I read fast because I needed to know if Sig would shoot the stranger.
The story is deceptively simple. On the surface, it’s about a standoff in a cabin between a fourteen-year-old boy and a cunning old man. Underneath, it’s about gun violence. It’s very easy to pull the trigger of a gun, but could you live with the consequences of killing someone?
Obviously, I love this book, but I do have a few issues with it. Part of the story is told in flashbacks. The flashbacks are necessary to understand why Sig’s on the run, and they’re not very long, but I was tempted to skim them. The present-day story is way more interesting than the flashbacks. I wanted to read about the cabin with Sig and the gun. I wasn’t as interested in how he ended up there.
Also, it’s weird how tiny details can yank you out of a story. The characters in this book often travel by dogsled. I’ve probably spent more hours on dogsleds than the average modern girl, and I was slightly confused by the descriptions of sleds in the book. The characters sometimes grab the sled’s gangline while standing on the runners, but you can’t reach the gangline from the runners on any sled (historic or modern) that I’ve ever seen. Eventually I puzzled out that the sleds in the book have reins. I’ve never seen a dogsled with reins. Maybe they exist somewhere in the world? This tiny detail distracted me so much that I closed the book, Googled photos of historic dogsleds, and squinted at my computer screen to see all their parts. This is probably not what the author intended.
Despite my fixation on stupid things, I had fun reading Revolver. It’s like a throwback to the books I read as a kid. It’s perfect for Arctic-obsessed people and anyone who likes a tense, quick story.
In the early 1900s, fourteen-year-old Sig and his family are on the run from a mysterious stranger who has chased them all over the Arctic. One day, Sig’s father falls through the ice and freezes to death. Sig is home alone with his father’s thawing body when the stranger shows up at their door. He says he will kill Sig if Sig doesn’t hand over the gold his father stole. There is a revolver in the cupboard. Should Sig kill the stranger, or is there another way to escape?
“There's always a third choice in life. Even if you think you're stuck between two impossible choices, there's always a third way. You just have to look for it.” – Revolver
I would have adored this book when I was a kid. It’s tense, fast-paced, and set in a variety of remote northern locations. For most of my childhood, I was obsessed with the gold rush and Arctic exploration. I was also a reluctant reader, so this book would have been perfect for me.
What I love most about Revolver is the atmosphere. There are very few characters. The setting is cold, quiet, and lonely. The reader is kept distant from Sig, which builds mystery. This is one of those books that almost crackle with tension. You don’t know who to trust, but you know that the story is going to end badly for someone. I read fast because I needed to know if Sig would shoot the stranger.
The story is deceptively simple. On the surface, it’s about a standoff in a cabin between a fourteen-year-old boy and a cunning old man. Underneath, it’s about gun violence. It’s very easy to pull the trigger of a gun, but could you live with the consequences of killing someone?
“He'd watch the loading and unloading of boats; the building of houses, shacks, and huts; and above all, the people, each carrying a bundle of stories inside them.” – Revolver
Obviously, I love this book, but I do have a few issues with it. Part of the story is told in flashbacks. The flashbacks are necessary to understand why Sig’s on the run, and they’re not very long, but I was tempted to skim them. The present-day story is way more interesting than the flashbacks. I wanted to read about the cabin with Sig and the gun. I wasn’t as interested in how he ended up there.
Also, it’s weird how tiny details can yank you out of a story. The characters in this book often travel by dogsled. I’ve probably spent more hours on dogsleds than the average modern girl, and I was slightly confused by the descriptions of sleds in the book. The characters sometimes grab the sled’s gangline while standing on the runners, but you can’t reach the gangline from the runners on any sled (historic or modern) that I’ve ever seen. Eventually I puzzled out that the sleds in the book have reins. I’ve never seen a dogsled with reins. Maybe they exist somewhere in the world? This tiny detail distracted me so much that I closed the book, Googled photos of historic dogsleds, and squinted at my computer screen to see all their parts. This is probably not what the author intended.
Despite my fixation on stupid things, I had fun reading Revolver. It’s like a throwback to the books I read as a kid. It’s perfect for Arctic-obsessed people and anyone who likes a tense, quick story.
June 9, 2023
Intense
November 15, 2011
Original review posted on The Book Smugglers
It never gets old and it never ceases to fascinate me how reading can be a completely unpredictable act. How books are still able to surprise me even when I have the highest expectations. Take Revolver, for example. It has garnered the highest of praises (starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly to name only but two), nominations for many awards (including the Carnegie Medal) and this year it became a Printz Honor book. It comes as no surprise that I fully expected it to be good.
It’s 1910. In a small cabin situated north of the Arctic Circle, young Sig Andersson sits alongside his father’s frozen body, wondering how he could have died the way he did, falling through a weak-spot in the iced lake when he should have known better than that. He is waiting for his sister and stepmother to come back from the main town nearby with help, when there is a knock at the door. It is a stranger, a Gunther Wolff, who claims to have searched Sig’s father for years and who is convinced that the dead man stole his gold ten years ago. Despite Sig’s proclamations that there is no gold – as their poverty proves – Wolff will not leave until he has it, by any means necessary. Sig can only think of one way to protect himself- his father’s most prized possession, an old Colt revolver, hidden in the storeroom. If only he could get to it…and then his sister comes back and she is all alone.
Flashbacks set 11 years earlier are interspersed throughout. They fill us in about Sig’s parents’ lives in Nome, a small settlement of gold miners in Alaska where they hope to change their lot in life. His father Einar becomes an assay clerk for the mining company and this is how he meets Wolff, a local troublemaker. This is when tragedy strikes – where this story has truly begun.
There is an economy of language in Revolver that fits beautifully with this stark tale. There are no unnecessary lines as though more is a luxury this story cannot afford just like more cannot be afforded by Sig’s family. Their meagre existence in the wilderness of the Arctic is endured in the hopes of a better life one day. The setting is equally bleak: the barren landscape, the deep cold, the utter desolation and isolation of the extreme North are felt at every single turn of page. But for all of that, there is never a sense of desperation: Sig’s memories of his parents are a mixture of stern parenting and harsh love and the flashbacks describe a family who tries to do better, the only way they can. Some of these memories include Sig’s father’s love for the Colt and the beauty of its mechanics and Sig’s mother’s questioning of that very love – how can someone love a Gun, a thing that is meant to hurt others?
That economy of language coupled with the shortness of this book, create a first impression that Revolver is a simple, straightforward tale. Therein lies the brilliance of this story: that it is deceptively simple and the measure of its true complexity only becomes really clear when the story ends. There is no wasted moment in Revolver: the memory of the day long gone when a boy shoots a gun is as important as the small detail of a father’s oily hair. The storytelling is brilliant not only in that way but also how it combines past and present and how the characters are characters are utterly clever in a way that is never clearly announced to the reader. This story is therefore, a triumph of showing versus telling.
Last but not least there is the main theme of this story: the question of how one boy comes to age and how does he do that by being true to each of his parent’s truths – different as they are – and at the same time finding his own truth somewhere in between. This is a story about the harsh reality of the North, about gold mining and the terrible consequences of putting faith in passing dreams, about poverty and desperation and wanting to do better for one’s family, about obsession and thoughtless violence. But above all, it is a story about a young boy and the choice he has to make.
As I said before, I expected this book to be good. But I kinda hoped it would be awesome. It was.
It never gets old and it never ceases to fascinate me how reading can be a completely unpredictable act. How books are still able to surprise me even when I have the highest expectations. Take Revolver, for example. It has garnered the highest of praises (starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly to name only but two), nominations for many awards (including the Carnegie Medal) and this year it became a Printz Honor book. It comes as no surprise that I fully expected it to be good.
It’s 1910. In a small cabin situated north of the Arctic Circle, young Sig Andersson sits alongside his father’s frozen body, wondering how he could have died the way he did, falling through a weak-spot in the iced lake when he should have known better than that. He is waiting for his sister and stepmother to come back from the main town nearby with help, when there is a knock at the door. It is a stranger, a Gunther Wolff, who claims to have searched Sig’s father for years and who is convinced that the dead man stole his gold ten years ago. Despite Sig’s proclamations that there is no gold – as their poverty proves – Wolff will not leave until he has it, by any means necessary. Sig can only think of one way to protect himself- his father’s most prized possession, an old Colt revolver, hidden in the storeroom. If only he could get to it…and then his sister comes back and she is all alone.
Flashbacks set 11 years earlier are interspersed throughout. They fill us in about Sig’s parents’ lives in Nome, a small settlement of gold miners in Alaska where they hope to change their lot in life. His father Einar becomes an assay clerk for the mining company and this is how he meets Wolff, a local troublemaker. This is when tragedy strikes – where this story has truly begun.
There is an economy of language in Revolver that fits beautifully with this stark tale. There are no unnecessary lines as though more is a luxury this story cannot afford just like more cannot be afforded by Sig’s family. Their meagre existence in the wilderness of the Arctic is endured in the hopes of a better life one day. The setting is equally bleak: the barren landscape, the deep cold, the utter desolation and isolation of the extreme North are felt at every single turn of page. But for all of that, there is never a sense of desperation: Sig’s memories of his parents are a mixture of stern parenting and harsh love and the flashbacks describe a family who tries to do better, the only way they can. Some of these memories include Sig’s father’s love for the Colt and the beauty of its mechanics and Sig’s mother’s questioning of that very love – how can someone love a Gun, a thing that is meant to hurt others?
That economy of language coupled with the shortness of this book, create a first impression that Revolver is a simple, straightforward tale. Therein lies the brilliance of this story: that it is deceptively simple and the measure of its true complexity only becomes really clear when the story ends. There is no wasted moment in Revolver: the memory of the day long gone when a boy shoots a gun is as important as the small detail of a father’s oily hair. The storytelling is brilliant not only in that way but also how it combines past and present and how the characters are characters are utterly clever in a way that is never clearly announced to the reader. This story is therefore, a triumph of showing versus telling.
Last but not least there is the main theme of this story: the question of how one boy comes to age and how does he do that by being true to each of his parent’s truths – different as they are – and at the same time finding his own truth somewhere in between. This is a story about the harsh reality of the North, about gold mining and the terrible consequences of putting faith in passing dreams, about poverty and desperation and wanting to do better for one’s family, about obsession and thoughtless violence. But above all, it is a story about a young boy and the choice he has to make.
As I said before, I expected this book to be good. But I kinda hoped it would be awesome. It was.
Read
April 4, 2017Compelling and terrifying. I inhaled this.
June 21, 2010
I won this book through the Goodreads First-Reads giveaway. So, a big "thank you" to both Goodreads and the publisher for this book.
This is a fast paced tale of survival that will have you turning page after page to find out what happens next. I finished this book in 1 day (something I don't accomplish very often).
15 year old Sig Andersson is alone in his family's cabin with the body of his father who had tragically died earlier that same day when a mysterious and dangerous looking stranger comes knocking on the door. The man has unfinished business with Sig's dad and will stop at nothing to get what he says is rightfully his. Sig knows nothing of this business the man is speaking of but that makes no difference to the man, he's not leaving until he gets what he came for. Has Sig's dad been keeping a secret from the family or is this man just crazy? Now Sig must rely on the lessons each of his parents had taught him growing up to try and find a way out of this impossible situation.
This is a fast paced tale of survival that will have you turning page after page to find out what happens next. I finished this book in 1 day (something I don't accomplish very often).
15 year old Sig Andersson is alone in his family's cabin with the body of his father who had tragically died earlier that same day when a mysterious and dangerous looking stranger comes knocking on the door. The man has unfinished business with Sig's dad and will stop at nothing to get what he says is rightfully his. Sig knows nothing of this business the man is speaking of but that makes no difference to the man, he's not leaving until he gets what he came for. Has Sig's dad been keeping a secret from the family or is this man just crazy? Now Sig must rely on the lessons each of his parents had taught him growing up to try and find a way out of this impossible situation.
May 3, 2013
‘REVOLVER’, BY MARCUS SEDGWICK is a book about the third option. It is about being merciful and logical. It is about being religious and practical. It is about growing up. I found this book a beautiful coming-of-age story about a boy trying to decide who he was and what to do with it. Marcus Sedgwick once again enchants us with beautiful language, heartbreaking suspense, and hidden messages that, if acknowledged, can change the way you see the world. Three key things made this book the astounding read that it was; the idea of there always being a way out, always being a third option; the main character Sig, and his struggle with the world and the truth; and the economy of language used with gave it a deceptively straightforward feel.
Marcus Sedgwick gives us Sig, a young boy who has lived in a small world encompassing only his family for almost all his life. Although he won’t admit it, he is lost, and doesn’t know where his life if leading, or where he wants it to lead, for that matter. His mother, dead when he was young, is only a small pile of memories, and then his father dies on the ice. Practical, clever Einar, steadfast father to Sig and Anna, doesn’t follow his own advice, and his stupidity kills him. Sig is left unguided and alone, as Anna and their stepmother leave to organise the funeral. What happens in those short days change Sig forever.
Sig is a solitary boy who has always followed his father for guidance. Then one day there is no one left to follow, only the fractured remnant of long-ago memories. Throughout the book, we learn that his parents had very different ideas about the world, his mother’s most prized possession being the bible, his father’s: a revolver. Ingenious use of flashbacks help us understand the pressures placed on who Sig is and who he should be. Left alone, with no mother or father to guide him, and the untimely visit from a man seeking revenge, Sig is forced to make his own decisions and become the person he chooses, not what the world wants him to be. At the beginning of the story, Sig is lost and unsure of where he wants to go in the world. His only plans are to follow in his father’s steps and work in or near the mines, because in his small world, there is nothing much else to do. He thinks little of himself and has no expectations of glory, excitement or anything of the sort in his life. He lives in a cold harsh reality, where food and shelter are ample success, but with the arrival of the stranger comes an opportunity to be something more, to do something more, and most of all, to be in control of his own life.
Sedgwick uses remarkable economy of language which, at first, gives this book a deceptively simple feel. However, like Sig himself, we find that less is more, and there is certainly more under the cover than what is first anticipated. But this symbolises more than just the average ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. It is a symbol of the struggle Sig’s family has gone through. They don’t have very much of anything, so it only makes sense to be very reserved with use of words as well. Sedgwick only says what needs to be said, leaving no room for fluffy nonsense. This is how I imagine Sig’s life to be, having only the essentials, and few even of those. Yet despite all this, His family is still strong and have given him all the skills he needs to survive and be a good man. Just as you should not be fooled by the apparent simplicity of this novel, do not make the mistake of taking Sig’s disadvantages to mean a lack of intelligence and goodness. In fact, he seems to have better instincts than most of the western world, so is Marcus Sedgwick making a statement about our lust for the inessential?
Lastly, what I think to be the strongest theme in this wonderful book, which is the idea of the third option. This is a strong undercurrent throughout the story, whilst Sig wrestles with the ideals of each of his parents. With a dangerous traitor pushing him around and demanding payment of some unknown debt, should Sig do as his mother would have said and ‘turn the other cheek’? Or should he turn to his father instead, and succumb to the nagging presence of the old revolver lying in wait, hidden in the pantry? These are choices that no normal fourteen year old should have to make, and yet, on a smaller scale, we do anyway. We have to make choices about so many things, and often are pressured from a million different sides by people we fear disappointing. Sig’s dilemma is an indirect metaphor for what we all go through when coming of age - uncertainty. But when the moment comes to act and Sig must stake his loyalty to one side or another, he does the bravest thing of all. Chooses his own side. When you think about it, it seems only logical, when afraid of both options and sure of neither, to simply create your own. This critical moment, when Sig chooses to live as himself, free of the constraints his family and upbringing have placed on him, is what makes Sig stop being a boy and start being a man.
Revolver is a thrilling novel that explores some of the greyest areas in human existence. Sig’s uncertainty of his own world, the deceptive simplicity of the language, and the third option are just three of the countless things that make this novel one of the best books out. It will undoubtedly enthrall all age groups, and whether you choose to look at the psychology or the thrills, Revolver will always remind you of the astounding heights modern literature can reach.
Marcus Sedgwick gives us Sig, a young boy who has lived in a small world encompassing only his family for almost all his life. Although he won’t admit it, he is lost, and doesn’t know where his life if leading, or where he wants it to lead, for that matter. His mother, dead when he was young, is only a small pile of memories, and then his father dies on the ice. Practical, clever Einar, steadfast father to Sig and Anna, doesn’t follow his own advice, and his stupidity kills him. Sig is left unguided and alone, as Anna and their stepmother leave to organise the funeral. What happens in those short days change Sig forever.
Sig is a solitary boy who has always followed his father for guidance. Then one day there is no one left to follow, only the fractured remnant of long-ago memories. Throughout the book, we learn that his parents had very different ideas about the world, his mother’s most prized possession being the bible, his father’s: a revolver. Ingenious use of flashbacks help us understand the pressures placed on who Sig is and who he should be. Left alone, with no mother or father to guide him, and the untimely visit from a man seeking revenge, Sig is forced to make his own decisions and become the person he chooses, not what the world wants him to be. At the beginning of the story, Sig is lost and unsure of where he wants to go in the world. His only plans are to follow in his father’s steps and work in or near the mines, because in his small world, there is nothing much else to do. He thinks little of himself and has no expectations of glory, excitement or anything of the sort in his life. He lives in a cold harsh reality, where food and shelter are ample success, but with the arrival of the stranger comes an opportunity to be something more, to do something more, and most of all, to be in control of his own life.
Sedgwick uses remarkable economy of language which, at first, gives this book a deceptively simple feel. However, like Sig himself, we find that less is more, and there is certainly more under the cover than what is first anticipated. But this symbolises more than just the average ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. It is a symbol of the struggle Sig’s family has gone through. They don’t have very much of anything, so it only makes sense to be very reserved with use of words as well. Sedgwick only says what needs to be said, leaving no room for fluffy nonsense. This is how I imagine Sig’s life to be, having only the essentials, and few even of those. Yet despite all this, His family is still strong and have given him all the skills he needs to survive and be a good man. Just as you should not be fooled by the apparent simplicity of this novel, do not make the mistake of taking Sig’s disadvantages to mean a lack of intelligence and goodness. In fact, he seems to have better instincts than most of the western world, so is Marcus Sedgwick making a statement about our lust for the inessential?
Lastly, what I think to be the strongest theme in this wonderful book, which is the idea of the third option. This is a strong undercurrent throughout the story, whilst Sig wrestles with the ideals of each of his parents. With a dangerous traitor pushing him around and demanding payment of some unknown debt, should Sig do as his mother would have said and ‘turn the other cheek’? Or should he turn to his father instead, and succumb to the nagging presence of the old revolver lying in wait, hidden in the pantry? These are choices that no normal fourteen year old should have to make, and yet, on a smaller scale, we do anyway. We have to make choices about so many things, and often are pressured from a million different sides by people we fear disappointing. Sig’s dilemma is an indirect metaphor for what we all go through when coming of age - uncertainty. But when the moment comes to act and Sig must stake his loyalty to one side or another, he does the bravest thing of all. Chooses his own side. When you think about it, it seems only logical, when afraid of both options and sure of neither, to simply create your own. This critical moment, when Sig chooses to live as himself, free of the constraints his family and upbringing have placed on him, is what makes Sig stop being a boy and start being a man.
Revolver is a thrilling novel that explores some of the greyest areas in human existence. Sig’s uncertainty of his own world, the deceptive simplicity of the language, and the third option are just three of the countless things that make this novel one of the best books out. It will undoubtedly enthrall all age groups, and whether you choose to look at the psychology or the thrills, Revolver will always remind you of the astounding heights modern literature can reach.
August 11, 2021
A very strong, quick read! It has one of my favourite book traits-short chapters-and had a really easy to follow dual timeline/POV format, which isn't a common thing. The setting was absolutely perfect, the Arctic and the cold and the ice was described so beautifully and it was so vivid. The gold rush context is really cool and the plot as a whole was just well formulated. Beautiful writing and a really good little story-4 stars just for a lack of that little gut feeling where I just know it's a favourite.
April 20, 2025
"Revolver" - written by Marcus Sedgwick and published in 2009 by Roaring Brook Press. I really enjoy entering a book with no idea of what I'll find. This one was a cool (actually frozen most of the time), neatly told story of a family enticed by gold fever to travel to the Arctic wilderness around 1899. Hardships abound, with death a looming spectre, and the constant that holds it all together is the revolver Sig's father Einar owns: "The Colt is the finest machine I have ever seen in my life. It does one thing, and it does it superbly well." When huge "bear-man" Wolff arrives, chaos ensues, and it made me very nervous. Sedgwick's note tells readers that he built this taut story around a few main plot points, and I'm glad he did.
February 10, 2023
Quick read, but an incredible story
July 13, 2020
a work of art
September 20, 2018
Read this for a job. Wasn't something I'd normally read and was a pretty simplistic thriller set in the Arctic. Was obviously written for a young audience and there were a lot of plot holes and was very anti-climactic.
May 8, 2023
A story of a family struggling to survive the Arctic Circle lured there by rumors of a gold rush, cleverly combining a coming of age story of a young boy and the power and ease of destruction of a gun. Its suspenseful, atmospheric and poignant.
A short but wonderfully written story. Highly recommend. Sadly, the author, Marcus Sedgwick died far too young but left an impressive back catalogue of work I plan to work my way through.
A short but wonderfully written story. Highly recommend. Sadly, the author, Marcus Sedgwick died far too young but left an impressive back catalogue of work I plan to work my way through.
May 18, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
"To pull the trigger, or not to pull the trigger? It was such a tiny act, such a small difference between doing it and not doing it. So small a choice, was there really any difference at all?"
I was going to write this review the other day but completely forgot what happened in the book. I had to check the synopsis to remember (which says something on its own) and it's a thriller that takes place in the Arctic Circle. It was an enjoyable thriller but not the type of thriller to get out of your way to read. All I will say is that I don't know if I recommend it as it was an okay thriller (that's how I feel at the moment toward it).
"Even the dead tell stories."
"Know what you will of the world. Know what you can... Love, sing, cry, and fight, but all the time, seek to know everything you can about the earth upon which you stand, till your time is done."
"Always tell the truth.
Never lie, for Satan uses lies against us.
Turn the other cheek.
Be good and peaceful, and avoid the path to evil.
Forgive your enemies, and pray for them."
"There's always a third choice in life. Even if you think you're stuck between two impossible choices, there's always a third way. You just have to look for it."
"To pull the trigger, or not to pull the trigger? It was such a tiny act, such a small difference between doing it and not doing it. So small a choice, was there really any difference at all?"
I was going to write this review the other day but completely forgot what happened in the book. I had to check the synopsis to remember (which says something on its own) and it's a thriller that takes place in the Arctic Circle. It was an enjoyable thriller but not the type of thriller to get out of your way to read. All I will say is that I don't know if I recommend it as it was an okay thriller (that's how I feel at the moment toward it).
"Even the dead tell stories."
"Know what you will of the world. Know what you can... Love, sing, cry, and fight, but all the time, seek to know everything you can about the earth upon which you stand, till your time is done."
"Always tell the truth.
Never lie, for Satan uses lies against us.
Turn the other cheek.
Be good and peaceful, and avoid the path to evil.
Forgive your enemies, and pray for them."
"There's always a third choice in life. Even if you think you're stuck between two impossible choices, there's always a third way. You just have to look for it."
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