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“The real reality is something we create every moment of every day, that realities spin off from our decisions in every second we’re alive.”
The book will not be for everyone.
Firstly we have Vandermeer’s poetic prose style. Let’s see I have selected a paragraph at random.
“Came the prying snarl. Came the toothsome growl, so thick and loud it permeated every surface, seemed to shake my bones our of alignment. Came the huffing after. “
Then we have we have a very strange and surreal world of a city’s ruins populated by biotech creatures and the few remaining humans. Here you get drunk by eating alcohol minnows, feral children have me been manipulated with biotech and a giant bear called Mord rules over the city.
Finally, for Science Fiction there is very little action. This book is instead a slow-paced characterisation of Rachel, her partner Wick and her foundling Mord.
The novel is complex but is essentially about what it means to be and what defines a person. Why we live and struggle to survive. The relationship between a parent and child. The secrets we keep from each other. What is good and what is wrong. And the search for happiness in a world that has been destroyed.
This book is disorientating, however, Vandermeer keeps the reader tethered by writing the book from Rachel’s first-person perspective. It’s written almost as her journal. At one stage she talks directly to the reader “ What would you have done, reader, who has been able to follow me like the Magician followed me, invisible and ever-watchful and without consequences?”.
This book is recommended for fans of weird fiction.
The book will not be for everyone.
Firstly we have Vandermeer’s poetic prose style. Let’s see I have selected a paragraph at random.
“Came the prying snarl. Came the toothsome growl, so thick and loud it permeated every surface, seemed to shake my bones our of alignment. Came the huffing after. “
Then we have we have a very strange and surreal world of a city’s ruins populated by biotech creatures and the few remaining humans. Here you get drunk by eating alcohol minnows, feral children have me been manipulated with biotech and a giant bear called Mord rules over the city.
Finally, for Science Fiction there is very little action. This book is instead a slow-paced characterisation of Rachel, her partner Wick and her foundling Mord.
The novel is complex but is essentially about what it means to be and what defines a person. Why we live and struggle to survive. The relationship between a parent and child. The secrets we keep from each other. What is good and what is wrong. And the search for happiness in a world that has been destroyed.
This book is disorientating, however, Vandermeer keeps the reader tethered by writing the book from Rachel’s first-person perspective. It’s written almost as her journal. At one stage she talks directly to the reader “ What would you have done, reader, who has been able to follow me like the Magician followed me, invisible and ever-watchful and without consequences?”.
This book is recommended for fans of weird fiction.
I am not sure how to rank this one. So take the star rating above with a grain of salt and forgive my stream of consciousness review below.
At the moment I am reading all of King’s books in chronological order and so I have just completed ‘Salems lot and the Shining. What strikes me most while reading this was that this book could be written by one of two of Kings Fictional Characters, that is either Ben Mears from ‘Salem’s Lot or Jack Torrance from the Shining. In fact, as this novella deals with the effect of childhood abuse on the child and the ensuing uncontrollable rage that emerges in the young man as a result of the abuse, it is most definitely a story Jack Torrance would have written.
Which begs the question was this a type of Novel that King wanted to write all along? He seems to have been thinking about writing it through author characters for a couple of years before the publication of this one. Therefore was Richard Bachman at this stage nothing more than another fictional character that King used to write a story he really wanted to be told? Interesting.
As I write this I think I will rate it four stars because I was intrigued by the ending (more of that below) but I have to say I feel it actually fell short of what King/Bachman was trying to achieve. I believe that this is meant to be a clever piece of literary fiction, talking about how life forms who we are as teenagers and giving some important comments on who actually is the bad and/or the good guy. Now Literary fiction is something I have only been reading for a couple of years (so I could be talking out of my arse here) but this is what I think King as Bachman was trying to achieve.
Unfortunately, the novella falls short of good literary fiction for me due to the unrealistic characterisations of the teenagers. I have read several novels that have done this in a truly believable manner. The most recent of which being [b:Allegedly|30037870|Allegedly|Tiffany D. Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476974718s/30037870.jpg|50000013] by [a:Tiffany D. Jackson|15119254|Tiffany D. Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1466121798p2/15119254.jpg] and [b:Far from the Tree|33830437|Far from the Tree|Robin Benway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501680687s/33830437.jpg|54757933] by [a:Robin Benway|753097|Robin Benway|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1359394916p2/753097.jpg]. In both books damaged sometimes very angry teenagers were drawn in a believable manner by their authors. In Rage King falls far short of this and has his teenagers acting and behaving almost like adults and well, I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief and believe in these kids. So the quality of the narrative. at least for me, was patchy at best.
However I am a big fan of the ending. So yes an extra star for it.
I am recommending this to anyone who has enjoyed the first part of [a:Yōko Ogawa|42775|Yōko Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236603936p2/42775.jpg]'s [b:Revenge|16032127|Revenge|Yōko Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349818757s/16032127.jpg|6316882] and actually would recommend people read both novellas together.
Final note and comment. I realise Stephen King has withdrawn this book from publication after an incident when the book was found after a high school shooting. I am not sure whether I did the right thing in reading this if the author wanted it withdrawn? I am very glad I did as It is important part of the catalogue of one of my favourite authors. But is it morally right? I do not know.
At the moment I am reading all of King’s books in chronological order and so I have just completed ‘Salems lot and the Shining. What strikes me most while reading this was that this book could be written by one of two of Kings Fictional Characters, that is either Ben Mears from ‘Salem’s Lot or Jack Torrance from the Shining. In fact, as this novella deals with the effect of childhood abuse on the child and the ensuing uncontrollable rage that emerges in the young man as a result of the abuse, it is most definitely a story Jack Torrance would have written.
Which begs the question was this a type of Novel that King wanted to write all along? He seems to have been thinking about writing it through author characters for a couple of years before the publication of this one. Therefore was Richard Bachman at this stage nothing more than another fictional character that King used to write a story he really wanted to be told? Interesting.
As I write this I think I will rate it four stars because I was intrigued by the ending (more of that below) but I have to say I feel it actually fell short of what King/Bachman was trying to achieve. I believe that this is meant to be a clever piece of literary fiction, talking about how life forms who we are as teenagers and giving some important comments on who actually is the bad and/or the good guy. Now Literary fiction is something I have only been reading for a couple of years (so I could be talking out of my arse here) but this is what I think King as Bachman was trying to achieve.
Unfortunately, the novella falls short of good literary fiction for me due to the unrealistic characterisations of the teenagers. I have read several novels that have done this in a truly believable manner. The most recent of which being [b:Allegedly|30037870|Allegedly|Tiffany D. Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476974718s/30037870.jpg|50000013] by [a:Tiffany D. Jackson|15119254|Tiffany D. Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1466121798p2/15119254.jpg] and [b:Far from the Tree|33830437|Far from the Tree|Robin Benway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501680687s/33830437.jpg|54757933] by [a:Robin Benway|753097|Robin Benway|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1359394916p2/753097.jpg]. In both books damaged sometimes very angry teenagers were drawn in a believable manner by their authors. In Rage King falls far short of this and has his teenagers acting and behaving almost like adults and well, I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief and believe in these kids. So the quality of the narrative. at least for me, was patchy at best.
However I am a big fan of the ending
Spoiler
as it left me hanging, what exactly did the class do to Ted when the blinds were down? I am a fan of this kind of ending, where there an element open for interpretation.I am recommending this to anyone who has enjoyed the first part of [a:Yōko Ogawa|42775|Yōko Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1236603936p2/42775.jpg]'s [b:Revenge|16032127|Revenge|Yōko Ogawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349818757s/16032127.jpg|6316882] and actually would recommend people read both novellas together.
Final note and comment. I realise Stephen King has withdrawn this book from publication after an incident when the book was found after a high school shooting. I am not sure whether I did the right thing in reading this if the author wanted it withdrawn? I am very glad I did as It is important part of the catalogue of one of my favourite authors. But is it morally right? I do not know.
3.5 Stars rounded down. This was a tiny bit of a disappointment. I will have to remember in the future that YA Fantasy is likely to have an instalove story-line that I am just not into.
There is no escaping that the world building was amazing, the prose decadent, the plot deliciously misleading and the characters well drawn (mostly in blue :)).
However, this reads very much as only part one of a three-part story. There is a tremendous amount of set up (nearly half the book). Half the characters that were introduced had nothing to do in the end – So I am assuming here that they are meant to appear in later books? This is a bit annoying as they are yet to be published.
Recommended to fans of YA Fantasy but you may like to wait until the other two books are published.
There is no escaping that the world building was amazing, the prose decadent, the plot deliciously misleading and the characters well drawn (mostly in blue :)).
However, this reads very much as only part one of a three-part story. There is a tremendous amount of set up (nearly half the book). Half the characters that were introduced had nothing to do in the end – So I am assuming here that they are meant to appear in later books? This is a bit annoying as they are yet to be published.
Recommended to fans of YA Fantasy but you may like to wait until the other two books are published.
A couple of weeks ago, a work colleague told me he was rushing home to finish this novel. I can understand that. This is a solid four star read for me.
This is a police procedural who-done-it thriller. We have a detective (Aaron Faulk) returning to his hometown where a murder has occurred that may be linked to a death from his teenage years. This is quite a common trope in the genre (thinking Tana French’s in the Woods and several others) and it’s handled well by Harper.
The book has all that you want from this kind of genre, a few twists an turns and the ability to keep you guessing. The backdrop of a small Australian town and it’s residents trying to survive a two-year drought adds nicely to the drama.
While I won’t be running out to buy Jane Harpers [b:Force of Nature|34275222|Force of Nature (Aaron Falk, #2)|Jane Harper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501790749s/34275222.jpg|55334611] immediately I will definitely pick it up when it comes out in paperback and see what else she has in store for policeman Aaran Falk.
This is recommended to anyone who loves a good police procedural.
This is a police procedural who-done-it thriller. We have a detective (Aaron Faulk) returning to his hometown where a murder has occurred that may be linked to a death from his teenage years. This is quite a common trope in the genre (thinking Tana French’s in the Woods and several others) and it’s handled well by Harper.
The book has all that you want from this kind of genre, a few twists an turns and the ability to keep you guessing. The backdrop of a small Australian town and it’s residents trying to survive a two-year drought adds nicely to the drama.
While I won’t be running out to buy Jane Harpers [b:Force of Nature|34275222|Force of Nature (Aaron Falk, #2)|Jane Harper|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1501790749s/34275222.jpg|55334611] immediately I will definitely pick it up when it comes out in paperback and see what else she has in store for policeman Aaran Falk.
This is recommended to anyone who loves a good police procedural.
I read a lot of horror and I used to watch quite a bit on film but to be honest besides the few "popcorn spilling jump scenes" no horror movie has ever actually scared me except one.
The only film/movie that ever frightened me was [b:The Exorcist|179780|The Exorcist|William Peter Blatty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375168676s/179780.jpg|1945267] - which I saw when I was 15/16 and a devout Catholic so believed in that kind of thing. That seemed to be the key to actually frightening me - making it real.
When I was an adult (and an atheist) I rewatched it and thought that except for the special effects (twisting heads, peas soup) this was describing a Schizophrenic teenager. I wondered what would be scarier - the possession being real or a sick teenager being treated as if she was possessed and really just needed help.
This book dealt with that exactly and leaves the conclusion up to you.
A Head Full of Ghosts is recommended to those who enjoy Horror stories that make you think and plays with the "is it real or have we all gone mad" theme. So let's say fans of [b:The Haunting of Hill House|89717|The Haunting of Hill House|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327871336s/89717.jpg|3627] and [b:Burnt Offerings|897717|Burnt Offerings|Robert Marasco|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1297539225s/897717.jpg|882910]. I would also recommend my edition of the book to real Horror fans as it has Paul Tremblay notes on each Chapter (they refer to lots in the genre) and recommendations for further reading/watching (I may have already picked up a couple).
The only film/movie that ever frightened me was [b:The Exorcist|179780|The Exorcist|William Peter Blatty|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375168676s/179780.jpg|1945267] - which I saw when I was 15/16 and a devout Catholic so believed in that kind of thing. That seemed to be the key to actually frightening me - making it real.
When I was an adult (and an atheist) I rewatched it and thought that except for the special effects (twisting heads, peas soup) this was describing a Schizophrenic teenager. I wondered what would be scarier - the possession being real or a sick teenager being treated as if she was possessed and really just needed help.
This book dealt with that exactly and leaves the conclusion up to you.
A Head Full of Ghosts is recommended to those who enjoy Horror stories that make you think and plays with the "is it real or have we all gone mad" theme. So let's say fans of [b:The Haunting of Hill House|89717|The Haunting of Hill House|Shirley Jackson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327871336s/89717.jpg|3627] and [b:Burnt Offerings|897717|Burnt Offerings|Robert Marasco|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1297539225s/897717.jpg|882910]. I would also recommend my edition of the book to real Horror fans as it has Paul Tremblay notes on each Chapter (they refer to lots in the genre) and recommendations for further reading/watching (I may have already picked up a couple).
A heady mix of Agatha Christie, Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap. The reader feels like S/he has been blindfolded, spun around and then asked to solve the murders past and murders future. Who can be trusted and who is a secret enemy?
Although I guessed one of the major secrets quite early on it was still a real puzzler with plenty of surprises until the end.
Recommended obviously to fans of Agatha Christie, Quantum Leap and Groundhog day.
Although I guessed one of the major secrets quite early on it was still a real puzzler with plenty of surprises until the end.
Recommended obviously to fans of Agatha Christie, Quantum Leap and Groundhog day.
