Going Bovine

This was definitely a different book.  In general, I liked it, because I like weird, but I have never really read anything quite like it.  It definitely meets several of the qualities mentioned on page 18 in the text, in fact, I think it hits every single one.  Cameron seems to be a cynical, normal, teen-age boy, struggling with school and with getting along with his family.  He seems to be a bit hard hearted and has his walls up.  I like his sarcasm, because I am a very sarcastic person myself, and a lot of what he was thinking made me laugh.  But as the story progresses, and we get to know him better, he is not as cynical as he tries to make himself out to be.  If he were really that cynical, would he have believed the whole Dulcie, Dr X, cure thing?  He hopes beyond hope, and that hope gets him through the things he has to deal with, and that hope may be what causes him to totally ignore the medical fact that his disease can cause hallucinations.  The other characters, I think, are extensions of himself, especially Gonzo and Balder.  They are other parts of his personality, Gonzo, for all his hypochondria, keeps Cameron on track, and Balder is invulnerable, which I think Cameron would like to be.  All of the characters Cameron comes in contact with are believable, even the fantastic ones, such as a talking yard gnome. 
     Even as crazy as the plot was, I kind of knew that it wasn't going to be real-I've read and watched enough sci-fi to recognize the signs-Don Quixote on his "imaginary" quest, similar to Cameron's adventures, chasing something that may not exist, the cure to his disease.  This is similar to a TV show that was on a few years ago, "Life on Mars" where a police detective was shot, and his consciousness kept switching back and forth between the 1970's, where he didn't belong, was also a detective, but remembered who he really is, and the present day, where he is in a coma.  The first time Cameron mentioned seeing Glory, and then that his doctor's name was Dr Xavier (DR X!),  I thought that it may all be in his head.  And when he turns out to be his own enemy, the Wizard, I have seen that done before, too.  Not to say that it wasn't effective, actually it was used in "Star Wars" which is what "Star Fighter" is supposed to be referring to.  There were so many hints, angels in snowglobes, how Dulcie doesn't like snowglobes, her callouses, and page 31 seemed to be the basis for several of Cameron's delusions, if the reader is paying attention.  The question now is, did the author want us to catch on quickly, or not?  Either way, what a ride it was, and I did hope that it wasn't in his head, that Dr X could cure him, and that it would all be ok, but, I think it turned out ok after all, at least it seemed to for Cameron.  Death turned out to be not as fearsome as he thought.