Dylan Callens

What caught my eye on LibraryThing’s list of available ARCs was Operation Cosmic Teapot’s subtitle: Is God’s job in jeopardy? Dylan Callens has populated an incorporated heaven with gods from major and minor religions and mythologies as well as various noted philosophers. From page one, I appreciated his assumption that the reader would understand his references (although I admit to needing a little “refresher” on a couple of the more obscure figures.)

Operation Cosmic Teapot’s storyline is intriguing and amusing, its conclusion is thought-provoking, but the overall execution is a little too uneven to be truly successful. Far too often I found myself wishing there had been an editor with a stronger hand and a proofreader with a sharper eye (example: the sentence that called for segue not Segway).

For a first effort Operation Cosmic Teapot is commendable. I thank Dylan Callens for the opportunity to read it and hope he will continue to develop as a writer. (The retired high school librarian in me can’t help wondering whether a variation of this story might be turned into a YA novel that could serve to introduce teens to philosophy.)… (más)