Eric Lualdi
This book kept me up for more late nights than any other that I've read. However, the first half outshines the second half considerably, and the ending feels very unrealistic. A few days ago I would have recommended this without hesitation; having finished it, I'm not so sure.
Strong beginning, but got pretty bad quickly. Terrible plot holes, leading to a twist that makes a liar out of the narrative.
I'll say this for it: It held my interest enough to get me through it. I read a good review of Crouch's latest, and when it wasn't available at the library, went with this one, which sounded intriguing. And intriguing it was, although in a very different way than I expected. My recurring thought throughout reading was, “How did this get published?” It read like a bad novelization of a bad thriller movie (think “Reindeer Games”). The plot moved along so quickly that there was never time to process why anything was happening. Motivations were completely untouched, and all of the characters felt unformed; not one seemed anything like a real person. The final twists in the last 2 chapters were so out of left field as to make one throw the book from a speeding car into a volcano under the ocean in a black hole. I guess what I'm saying is don't read this book.
Sometimes Peter Abrahams seems to get to the end of a book and just say “fuck it”. This is one of those times. I read this in 2 nights, couldn't wait to see what happened, and then just as things got really interesting, it was all tied up in 2 pages with a long list of unanswered questions. I gave it 3 stars for the first 290 pages, but the final 4 get a zero point zero.
This book is very well written in terms of dialogue and character, as well as atmosphere, but I saw the ending coming 1/5 of the way through.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Easily my favorite mystery that I've read, but something far more as well. Hart transcends the genre and arrives at literature reminiscent of Harper Lee, Stephen King, and Toni Morrison. Read this NOW!
I held on as the plot descended into ridiculousness jus to see how it ended, only to be greeted with a “To be Continued”. Nope.
I've heard this title mentioned in the periphery for years, and now I fully understand why. I was just talking to my wife earlier this week about how difficult it is for me to be emotionally effected by a book, as opposed to a performance of a story in a play, film, or television show. The last 2 pages of this book made me cry and smile with delight simultaneously. I can't believe this is a children's book. Beautiful.
I started reading this series so that I could discuss the books with my son, but found that they are actually very fun. You can get through one in a night or two, and there are some surprising twists and turns. One of the better children's series I've come across.
Utter waste of time
I kept waiting for something of substance to occur in this meandering, disconnected series of meaningless quests. I almost gave up several times, but was encouraged to continue by reviews mentioning the last 2 chapters as being a payoff. The “twists” of those chapters are cheap, and without any character development of those they involve, hollow and meaningless.
This had so much potential. Unfortunately, after laying out an extremely interesting and original premise, it essentially turned into another book. And a mediocre one, at that. Not much in the way of stakes in the central conflict, and the resolution came without much of a bang. The final chapter felt like a setup for a sequel, but not one that promised anything new.
Spoiler: If you could go anywhere in the world, at any point in history, forever, why would you choose to spend eternity in one place and time? Or, more to the point, to tell a middling fantasy story for 75% of what begins as a funny and interesting science fiction piece?
Engaging and unpredictable. I deducted a star because the ending didn't pack the punch I expect from a Reacher novel, but maybe that's the point. Reaches seems to evolve a bit in this one, and I'm not sure whether I like that or not.
A clever premise and interesting opening, but the tone of the writing feels very removed, which dilutes any sense of suspense or dread.
I saw the movie before I read the book. Loved both, but midway through the novel it goes in a different direction that I preferred. Love Pat as a narrator.
I loved it, then I thought, “Why did my kindle just skip to the acknowledgements?” Be prepared for an abrupt end, but upon reflection, a satisfying one.
This book starts out great, then completely changes... To greater. It's a hard one to review, in that the genius if it lies in plot points they can't be discussed. I want everyone I know to read this, it's that good.
