Simon
I did really enjoy the story, even though I found the main character quite unlikable. The story has a nice warm feel to it, like one of those horror movies you enjoy because of the atmosphere not because it's scary. There is quite a high level of corn but Masterton really does know how to right tension, there is an underwater scene that is brilliantly written.
Quite hard to review this because a quarter of the book was misprinted, the last 100 pages were 89-188 (again), basically missing the most important 100 pages in the book.
I gave it 4 because that was my feeling while I was reading.
HOT MESS ALERT
I don't want to be cruel, there's the bones of something really interesting here BUT, it just feels rushed, poorly put together and unfortunately for me I think Koontz's magic has gone and I used to be a huge fan and it fills me with sadness.
There's so much going on (Artificial Intelligence, Possession, Self Castration, Good Hackers, Bad Hackers, Hiking, Aliens, Agatha Christie, Proteus Syndrome, Fine Dining and Tech Billionaires) and non of it really comes together. When we reach the end game everything just flops down in a massive clop of “seriously whatever” . I suppose the last paragraph is supposed to be a chilling warning on the dangers of AI but by that point I was just thinking about chocolate and the fact I have none and that fills me with more sadness... No chocolate and Koontz's has lost his magic.
SIGH.
“Do you know how much harm ‘happily ever after' has done to mankind?”
So this is an urban horror that wiggles it's toes over the fantasy puddle. Fantasy really isn't my thing, I've tired a few times, but it just doesn't shake my tree. The great thing about The Changeling is the subtle way it manages to blend the horror and the fantasy together. The story is sound, the writing excellent, the characters solid and I loved the relationship between Apollo and Patrice. Just a little something missing at the end. Didn't enjoy it as much as The Devil In Silver but still really good.
17th century Boston, head strong Mary Duffield seeks divorce from her brute of a husband Thomas, she is granted a hearing at the local courts, but in a society where everyone is watching for signs of the devil, Mary's life soon spirals out of control.
Brilliantly crafted by the Mr Bohjalian, you can tell a lot of love and passion went into this book. One of my favourite reads of 2023.
So this is based on the true story of the McMartin Pre School Trial, where a parent accused one of the teachers of abusing her child. It started the so called Satanic Panic era in the 1980s. It's an incredibly unsettling read, purely for the fact it could easily happen to anyone at anytime. It just takes someone to start a rumour and you can see online just how quickly something can take hold.
Wonderful. Perfectly capturing the weirdness of the 70s,where the tv schedule was full of the paranormal and the apocalyptic, not just aimed at adults but kids too. Some excellent pop references, Dr Who, The Stone Tapes and those brilliant Ghost Stories For Christmas that the BBC did, the influences are plain to see.
One slight grumble. Part one is so good, meeting Tim and Abi as young teenagers, the observations and the whit almost perfect. The rest of it falls away, just a little, but it's still excellent.
So, if you love ghosts, books by Neil Spring, Adam Nevill and pretty much anything weird from the 1970s, this is probably a good book for you.
“As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that home is less about the place you live, and more about the people who love you. The memories you make. The laughter and tears and all the moments in between.”
A wonderful story of witches, malevolent spirits, curses, friendship and forbidden love. Possibly the best epilogue to a book ever. One of my favourites of 2023
I think I enjoyed this more than Shadow Of The Wind, probably because of its darker edge. I love a bit of ambiguity but I did feel there was so much going on, particularly at the end, that I felt I missed something and so much was left un-answered. I mean who or what was AC? Is David now a vampire or other creature? Where did the child at the end come from? Saying all that, reading this book was a pleasure, heavy on atmosphere and fluffy of word. Will definitely read the next one where I expect all the questions left in this book to be answered... but I bet they won't be.
Beautifully weird.
I really enjoyed this. I does probably suffer a little from style over substance, especially in the middle where it did lose me a little bit. There's a bit of “now and then” and the placing gets lost in this fluffy poetic prose. Simon is a brilliant protagonist, desperately trying make everything fit together, desperately trying to be heard. Ambiguous ending and I loved that, one of those that everyone will see differently.
If you love a bit of weird, a bit of folk lit, Iain Banks, The Wicker Man etc etc. You will definitely appreciate this.
In our neighbourhood, the problem wasn't the person who made the mistake; it was the person who acknowledged the truth
Small town Minnesota 1977 and it's a summer that will change the lives of Heather, Brenda and Maureen forever. This is a story about secrets and trust. Who do you trust? Your friends or the grownups who are meant to protect you?
This is as good as any thriller I've read this year. The author perfectly capturing that period of flux between childhood and adulthood where everything behind you is safe and familiar, and everything ahead of you is unknown, exciting and slightly terrifying.
“You know, I had a lot of romantic notions about the jungle, and this kind of finished that”
3.5 rounded up
So, this is basically the biography of Percy Fawcett and his many attempts to map the Amazon rain forest and discover the lost city of Z or El Dorado or Golden City or whatever. Smattered in-between these tales of courage and daring, you've got bits about the author, David Grann as he prepares to follow in Fawcett's path.
For the most part this was really interesting but there were some moments of dullness along the way, probably the bits where we weren't in the Jungle. Highlights are the horrific details of how the Amazon can kill you, including being eaten from the inside out by various critters and bugs, 20ft anacondas, cannibals and much much more.
There's no conclusion to the story, the mystery lives on and that's absolutely find because we all know the only way to find the Lost City Of Z is to find the Stargate and the DHD.
This is how I like my Sci Fi, not too tech heavy. There's a lot going on, perhaps too much for a 350 page book but I found it really enjoyable, a sort of Event Horizon meets Poseidon Adventure in space with some 2001 thrown in. Moral of the story is..... AI, just let it play chess, don't give it anything important to do, nothing good will come of it.
“People need a sense of righteousness to take things from others....to carry out violence. Divinity gives them that. It creates the reins for cruelty.”
Odd, beautifully odd and strange and weird.
There are some truly beautiful moments in this book, one in particular, when Pew is walking through the woods with a man who is telling her about his daughter, it's incredibly moving and that is where the above quote comes from. Aside from the beauty, there is a real sinister ripple running through the entirety of the story, almost a “purge” vibe, a nasty bubbling, but unfortunately the ending, especially the last two pages, just falls flat with a big WHAT??
Definitely NOT for everyone, and I guess different people will see different things.
A Story Of Love, Madness & The American Revolution
3.5 rounded up.
I can't help but be disappointed. I loved The Asylum, but this was just not as good. The story itself is really quite interesting BUT getting from start to finish was often a torturous experience. The duel narrator did nothing to tickle my fancy. Humph.
3.5 rounded up.
I suppose if Tarantino or Ryan Murphy did a daytime soap it would look something like this. You've got extreme bullying, spouse abuse, alcoholism, suicide, rape, domestic terrorism, murder, and all that is packed into 278 pages. It suffers from series pacing issues, way too many characters and one of the most confusing starts to a book ever. And yet, for all it's problems, I found the ending hugely satisfying despite the completely unnecessary epilogue.
In summary, a beautiful hot mess.
A story about grief, mental health, religion and possession. Lots to like but also lots to dislike. Older George, a pretentious narrator resulting in a general lack of empathy for him both as a child and grown up. The whole thing pretty much saved by the last 60 or so pages. Would recommend if you like possession stories, this one is a bit different and keeps you thinking.
So here we are dealing with multiverses, the path not taken, the tree and the string etc etc. and the mind expanding rabbit hole you can go down if you start thinking about them, especially after eating cheese. Starts off at 2000mph before slamming to a stop halfway through for the science bit. 2nd half of the book is a tad trippy and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. Hard to say much more without giving anything away but just imagine a room full of Cookie Monsters and you are not sure which one is yours.
My mind : Bent
My fancy : Suitably tickled
My whelm : Fluctuating
I asked how he had known it was the devil, Did he have horns? “He had no smell”, Mathew replied. “He looked like a man but he smelt of nothing”
So this is a story about the Manningtree witch trials as told through the eyes of Alice Hopkins, sister of Mathew Hopkins the notorious witchfinder (played by Vincent Price in the film The Witchfinder General). A tale of fear, paranoia, hatred and revenge and a country whipped up into a religious fever by a few bitter men. The ending is beautifully chilling. Brilliant first book by Beth Underdown.
Strange goings on in rural Herefordshire.
Scamvangelism V Paganism with some drugs, some fraud, a couple of murders and a truly truly bizarre exorcism. I love these books, I love the way the weird feels perfectly normal and there is a great supporting cast, especially deep thinker and all round good guy Gomer Perry (think No No No No No man from Vicar of Dibley with a bit of Ned from To The Manor Born). There are a few loose ends in this one and I wonder whether they will be picked up in the later books.
American Sasquatch In Ireland
American cop retires early and flees to Ireland, befriends semi feral child and helps solve the mystery of the mutilated sheep and the missing brother.
Not terrible, not great either. Most Tana French novels are slow burners and this one excels in that department because nothing really happens (apart from some shopping, some decorating and some nattering with the neighbours) until page 200. After that it's quite good but can you make it that far? I did but only just.
Exceptional. Set in Berlin just before the wall came down this is a wonderful coming of age story, spy thriller, love story, full of wonderful characters, some witty observations about life as a teenager in 1989 and some really touching moment. The last chapter is an absolute joy. Probably my favourite novel of the year so far.
Tough subject matter, abuse, neglect, abduction. Dark but poetic prose, pretty much everyone is broken. This is one of those book where right from the word go the feeling is grim and it stays that way throughout but there are beacons of light, Hal the ranger, Tally the psychic and Cricket the dog. Probably my favourite thriller of the year so far.