The Perfect Run by Maxime J. Durand
A Novel Review by Hasbi Huda Maulaya (21)
XII MIPA 1
The Perfect Run, maybe if you’ve played enough games, you
might have an inkling what’s this about. In game, the Perfect Run term(usually)
refers to a save game (called a ‘Run’) where the player completed all that
could be completed. This novel, Ryan ‘Quicksave’ Romano have a superpower
ability to mark a specific point in time–called a “Save”–and when he dies, he
turns back time to that specific point in time—called a “Load”—essentially in
gaming term, he can Save and Load progress.
The story background is that there is a group of mad scientists
called “The Alchemist” who makes an Elixir that can grant humanity superpower. Every
Elixir has different color, which grant different superpower.
The story began as Ryan drove towards New Rome; a city
established after humanity have superpowers. Ryan going there was going to be a
side job, a delivery job. But all things change after he noticed a machine
which he recognized the maker, his long-lost best friend who he dedicated all
his life into searching for her.
There are 2 big factions ruling New Rome, the Augusti which
is close to a mafia mob, and the Dynamis a government-like corporation with the
face full of justice. There are smaller factions at play too one of which is
the Meta-Gang; a gang of ruffians, a group of thugs. Because Ryan can turn back
time, he can side with different factions each time, to find out information
about his long-lost best friend, whom he believes that she is staying in New
Rome.
The story heavily implies about psychological things that
would come being a time traveller, mainly the horror of everyone forgetting
about you, while you spend months building friendship with everyone. And don’t
forget about crazy things you would done being a time traveller, because your
choices effectively have no consequences. All of those factors being a time traveller
created Ryan, all of his harrowing experiences is what made Ryan to Ryan today.
One of the obvious things and thrown here and there which I
like in the novel is the humor. Ryan, with his witty self, always quip
something humorous to all of his enemies and allies, mostly a reference about
pop-culture. Ryan too takes seriously to his clothing style: a trench coat, a
purple shirt, a hat, pair of gloves, and a mask, which I admit sounds cool as
heck. Although less obvious in the novel and appear more frequently in later
parts of the novel, Ryan goes trough significant character change, or I should
say growth which one of the things I love in novel.
Even if he’s a time traveller and free of consequences of
all choices he makes, he will always have a limit, a bottom line to himself,
while some would like a ruthless person, personally I like a man of principle.
One of the best things that happened in the novel is that he is not an
unreasonable person, he would make amends and he could see different sides of the
same coins. And of course, I have to mention the author writing making all of
these possible, making my imagination vivid about Ryan interaction with his
surroundings.
And my favourite thing about this novel hand down, is the
romance. The vivid, true to life, authentic, faithful personality of all Ryan
significant others. Of course, all of the characters have their own personality
and the writing doesn’t feel forced (We’ll get back to this later) but it’s
more noticeable in Ryan’s significant others. One a sister-like traumatized shy
person, one a wild irresistable witty person, one a princess-like
melt-your-heart I’ll-always-be-there-for-you person. All of that feels like a
real people, all of their choices true to life to their personality, their own
situation is because of their personality. There is nothing but praise for the
author writing that makes all this possible, it even makes me relate to Ryan
even though I’ve never had a girlfriend.
If there is one thing I have to nit-pick, is that there is one
scene where it feels like it isn’t the author writing, it feels forced. If I
make an analogy, it would be like a kidnapper saying “Go to my van if you want
candies” “OK” and a passer by saying “NOO Ryan don’t go there” “OK I won’t go
there”. Feels like there is no reason at all, no forewarning that Ryan would do
that. But I know that probably the author is having a bad day or something so
to be honest I could let this slide.
All in all, one of the best novel I’ve read in 2021 and in
all my life. It’s a contender for my top 2 spot of Best Novel I Have Read. Only
short of my “First Experience” “Eye-opening novel”, and a contender for a novel
that I actually cry on. In total it has 1600 pages, and I finished it in about
a week. I would really recommend to read this novel, if there is 1 sentence to
explain this novel, it would be “A novel with daddy issues and jokes”
If you want to read this novel, I read it on royal road website
