Only Forward

In The City there's Stark and he does a job that no one else could do, that no one else could even understand. This time the job is going to push him beyond his boundaries as he searches for someone and something before the time runs out... and, plotwise, that's all I've got to say. What else could I say about this book that won't spoil the shocks and surprises, that won't eventually detract from the enjoyment? I'll tell you I loved it - from Stark's world-weary, Marlowe-esque narration to the twisted, rancid entrails of the story that pulls you down and won't let you back up to breathe. But I gave it 5 stars, so you know that!

What it did for me, that was so special, is that it took me back, this futuristic semi-sci-fi noir called “Only Forward” kept pulling me back to my late teens in the 90s. Every time I opened the book Tori's words jumped into my head and I was singing along with the only person who understood my lost and twisted mind back then. I know I've read this before but I always forget a book unless I've read it many times, little bits of this were half-remembered but I'm sure it didn't have the same impact on me last time (I wish I'd left a review then). This time it changed who I was while I was reading it, it took me back and then it let me let myself go.

And that's why it gets 5 stars.