The Boy Who Couldn't Die - William Sleator

William Sleator has written some fantastic books over the years. His career is mostly made up of science fiction and fantasy thrillers for a young adult audience, but his books never insult the intelligence of his readers. Sleator's best novels – House of Stairs, The Green Futures of Tycho, and Interstellar Pig – meld mundane experiences with fantastic occurrences, always taking the time to develop the characters and create a pervasive sense of suspense and mood. There are many similarities between Sleator's stories: a teenage protagonist (usually male) falls victim to some interesting challenge caused by a scientific principal or magical phenomenon and must think his way out of the puzzle, usually with the help of an exotic, and highly intelligent, girl, encountering several twists and complications along the way. In fact, that pretty much sums up The Boy Who Couldn't Die, a recent novel which can be read enjoyably in one sitting, but isn't one of Sleator's more memorable works.

Sleator's protagonist, Ken, is grieving for the death of his best friend, who died in a plane crash. Ken learns of a voodoo practice for granting immortality, and decides to visit a spiritualist who can help Ken avoid the fate of his departed friend. The ritual separates Ken from his soul, turning him into an invulnerable astral zombie. What sounds perfectly corny in summary works surprisingly well through Ken's living dead narration. Liberated from fear and risk, Ken also can no longer experience the joy and sweetness of life. Ken becomes a thrill seeker, and travels to the Caribbean to swim with sharks. While there, he learns of the true consequences of his bargain, and decides to regain his soul, whatever the cost.

The book is always interesting, but the roller coaster plot relies far too strongly on coincidence and logical fallacy to maintain a suspension of disbelief. Ken's family is almost limitlessly wealthy, and although a long passage of the book deals with how Ken will finance his quest to find his soul, the outcome is rarely in doubt. Far more interesting are the off-beat Cheri Buttercup, the stretch pant-wearing spiritualist, and Sabine, a poor island girl who joins Ken in his quest. Long passages describing SCUBA diving most likely reflect Sleator's interest in the activity, rather than adding anything meaningful to the plot.

The Boy Who Couldn't Die is fun and short – the one probably a factor in the other – and the subject matter is interesting and interestingly presented. However, the book can't quite compare to some of Sleator's better novels. It is possible that I simply found the magical aspects of the story less plausible than the scientific and science fiction ideas he usually puts in his story. I am looking forward to reading his next book, The Last Universe, which deals with quantum physics.