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Read Dark Matter (2016) by Blake Crouch.

If you by any chance haven't heard of it, it's a technothriller dealing with parallell realities - and an insanely good one. My third book this year dealing with this plot device, and it's arguably the best one. Crouch manages to make it fresh and at the same time inject a crazy amount of plot momentum into it.

Also read Recursion (2019) by Blake Crouch.

In the same vein as Dark Matter, this time dealing with time travel. Also very good, definite top marks from me albeit perhaps not as slick in structure as the previous work. I think Crouch's strength definitely lies with well worked out technical details.

And The Woman in the Window (2018) by A. J. Finn which I read in a day, after having recently watched the Netflix-movie of the same name. The movie was notoriously bad, so I had to check out the novel which unlike the movie had great reviews. Much, much better even though the plot stays the same. Not a fan of the ending, but thought the overall writing was really good.

Now reading Antimatter Blues (2023) by Edward Ashton, the sequel to Mickey7.
 
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It’s appalling to see just how much of this has come true over the years.
 
Finished Antimatter Blues (2023) by Edward Ashton. Excellent sequel. Continues where Mickey7 left off basically, and is a fun and engaging sci-fi story - to me even better than the first novel. I really have no complaints, other than having to wait awhile for the next sequel... Yes, the aliens became better developed in this one - but it still feels like a dark comedy trying to recall other SF-classics rather than trying for its own thing entirely. What engages is instead the characters and narrative, which are supreme.

Also read First Born (2022) by Will Dean, a thriller about a young British woman whose identical twin has been murdered in New York and how she travels there to try and find answers. Not sure if it holds up to (any) scrutiny, but if you want an absolutely bonkers twisty thriller, this is it.

And Upgrade (2022) by Blake Crouch, which continues in the same style as Dark Matter and Recursion (although otherwise completely stand alone); this time dealing with gene-editing. Probably my favourite of the three, which I might be a minority in. I just felt this subject matter felt like a slightly less threaded path than the multiverse and time-travel plots of his previous two works, even though those also were done very well. Fast paced, and an emotional gut-punch which asks some interesting questions. Great literature it ain't, but if you like Michael Crichton-type stories like Jurassic Park, Crouch is almost definitely your guy.

And Quicksilver (2022) by Dean Koontz. Hard book to review. I am not sure it quite works - the tone goes from serious subject matters to supremely silly passages and it's never really clear where it will land, but I think there are a lot of stuff to praise as well. Judging from the countless of both 1-star and 5-star reviews on Amazon as well as Goodreads, I'm not the only one. I could easily see myself writing both types of review on this...

Now reading Billy Summers (2021) by Stephen King.
 
Finally reading Mr Nice, the Howard Marks autobiography.

Hes some character. Although I'd gladly trade some of the repetitive detail of drug smuggling for some titilating tales of celebrity parties. Im a basic bitch, after all.

Recently read Kafka on the Shore by yer man Murakami. I enjoyed that a fair bit. Odd and up lifting. Think thats the 3rd of his I've read. I'll definitely read another one.
 
Under Bethel by [Hubert L. Mullins]

Read sample




















In the Highlands of Scotland lies the Hole, a famed passageway under the town of Bethel where hundreds have vanished. After years of ignored recovery wishes, the Hole’s ownership has passed to Elisabeth Wingate.

A former child star and British fashion mogul, Elisabeth wants to redeem her scandalous, reckless life. She agrees to finance an expedition to retrieve the legion of bodies that have accumulated over the years, but there’s only one catch: She wants to venture alongside the caving team.

But they’re not alone down there . . .

Everything goes wrong in the darkness. Elisabeth is split from her group, navigating a labyrinth of caves and inexplicable rooms of carved stone. With limited supplies and a failing light, she must reunite with her group. And somehow escape the creatures in the dark before they claim another victim Under Bethel . . .

Mullins returns to dreadful horror in this tense, creepy, and atmospheric tale of the shadowy things that linger in the deepest chasms of the world . . .
 
Finished Billy Summers (2021) by Stephen King. King doing crime once again. A hitman is hired to do one last job before retiring, and it goes like you'd expect it to. Decent, a relatively well-crafted story, but did not hit me like The Institute did earlier this year.

Also finished Space Opera (2018) by Catherynne M. Valente. A The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy-esque comedy science fiction novel about an intergalactic Eurovision Song Contest where humanity has to compete & beat other alien species - or be deemed non-sentient and sentenced to extermination. Started this book end of June, and wasn't feeling it. Basically never not finish a book I've started, but I came close here. Fun idea, extremely boring execution. Do not recommend.

Also read The Last Word (2023) by Taylor Adams. A thriller about a self published author who is going to murder someone who left a bad review on Amazon... Pretty entertaining self-aware trash with too many over-the-top twists.

Now reading Fairytale (2022) by Stephen King.
 
I came across an excerpt from Anne Frank’s diary today and it captivated me. I never bothered to delve deep into her story before but now I want to read her diary in full and will do just that, probably after I finish the last book in The Dark Tower series, which I still haven’t finished, but I’m determined to go till the end now. Only around 400 pages to go.
 
The_7th_one said:
Did you like it ? I stuck in the third one.
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I started reading the series because I was compelled to find out where the journey ends, what lies at the end of the road to the Dark Tower, and this curiosity brought me to finish it. I have no regrets at all, but that said, the series is way too long. If King cut down on some of his unnecessary babble, I believe it would make for a smoother read. Then again, I understand the need to make a grand story even greater with side-stories branching out in every direction. And I’m grateful that the author keeps the readers on this road for so long that the characters become like a second family to us. That is the one greatest thing about this story in my opinion: the characters get into your heart. I won’t spoil anything but I think the ending is the most logical one possible. If you’re keen, there are clues along the way about what is going to happen at the end, but it might be hard to see.
My favourite book in the series was #4: Wizard and Glass. That one was a great story in itself and could be read as a stand-alone book, I believe.
 
I'm currently into fantasy books, and have finished the first Mistborn series (medieval setting). The main plots (and side plots) are grand and immersive, with cool twists, and the exposé is done in spurts throughout the series. The only drawback is that the characters are rather flat (that is not to say that some do not develop over time; they are too black and white and one dimensional, is all). I just started the second book of the second trilogy, where the setting is roughly that of the 19th century West. This is one of the particularly interesting aspects about the series, that it's divided into eras instead of perpetually being stuck in a medieval time loop. There are two other trilogies planned (one where the timeline equals the 1980's and one futuristic space series), although no work has yet been released.
 
Yax said:
I'm currently into fantasy books, and have finished the first Mistborn series (medieval setting). The main plots (and side plots) are grand and immersive, with cool twists, and the exposé is done in spurts throughout the series. The only drawback is that the characters are rather flat (that is not to say that some do not develop over time; they are too black and white and one dimensional, is all). I just started the second book of the second trilogy, where the setting is roughly that of the 19th century West. This is one of the particularly interesting aspects about the series, that it's divided into eras instead of perpetually being stuck in a medieval time loop. There are two other trilogies planned (one where the timeline equals the 1980's and one futuristic space series), although no work has yet been released.
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Sounds very good!
 
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Yax said:
I'm currently into fantasy books, and have finished the first Mistborn series (medieval setting). The main plots (and side plots) are grand and immersive, with cool twists, and the exposé is done in spurts throughout the series. The only drawback is that the characters are rather flat (that is not to say that some do not develop over time; they are too black and white and one dimensional, is all). I just started the second book of the second trilogy, where the setting is roughly that of the 19th century West. This is one of the particularly interesting aspects about the series, that it's divided into eras instead of perpetually being stuck in a medieval time loop. There are two other trilogies planned (one where the timeline equals the 1980's and one futuristic space series), although no work has yet been released.
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Just now I'm reading the second book of the first trilogy, with my intention being reading the whole Cosmere, hopefully before he releases Stormlight 5.

Besides that I'm reading Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun (I'm close to finishing book 2 out of 4) and in my Tolkien Ultimate Reading List the Tolkien "compilation" Fall of Númenor.
 
Yax said:
I'm currently into fantasy books, and have finished the first Mistborn series (medieval setting). The main plots (and side plots) are grand and immersive, with cool twists, and the exposé is done in spurts throughout the series. The only drawback is that the characters are rather flat (that is not to say that some do not develop over time; they are too black and white and one dimensional, is all). I just started the second book of the second trilogy, where the setting is roughly that of the 19th century West. This is one of the particularly interesting aspects about the series, that it's divided into eras instead of perpetually being stuck in a medieval time loop. There are two other trilogies planned (one where the timeline equals the 1980's and one futuristic space series), although no work has yet been released.
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I'm currently in the middle of The Alloy of Law and I immediately found it vastly superior to the original series. The characters are light years more interesting from the jump, even the smaller characters.

Sanderson's world-building in the first Mistborn trilogy was fantastic and the ending was certainly rewarding, but it was pretty shocking how little I cared for the main characters. He definitely had a long way to go in terms of writing believable, three-dimensional characters. When I read Mistborn for the first time I never would have assumed that the most interesting characters would end up being a laconic librarian and a puddle of boney goo that sometimes looks like a dog.
 
Saapanael said:
I started reading the series because I was compelled to find out where the journey ends, what lies at the end of the road to the Dark Tower, and this curiosity brought me to finish it. I have no regrets at all, but that said, the series is way too long. If King cut down on some of his unnecessary babble, I believe it would make for a smoother read. Then again, I understand the need to make a grand story even greater with side-stories branching out in every direction. And I’m grateful that the author keeps the readers on this road for so long that the characters become like a second family to us. That is the one greatest thing about this story in my opinion: the characters get into your heart. I won’t spoil anything but I think the ending is the most logical one possible. If you’re keen, there are clues along the way about what is going to happen at the end, but it might be hard to see.
My favourite book in the series was #4: Wizard and Glass. That one was a great story in itself and could be read as a stand-alone book, I believe.
Click to expand...

My favourite series ever... and I agree about the ending. It's one of the best ever, if you ask me. I don't necessarily agree about too long though. I wanted more. And I think one of the reasons King is such a beloved author, is because his books are long and we actually get to spend time with the characters which isn't necessarily plot focused.

Favourites of the series are The Gunslinger and The Dark Tower. I'd probably rank Wolves of the Calla third, Wizard and Glass fourth and Song of Susannah last.

Read A Flicker in the Dark (2022) by Stacy Willingham, an interesting though quite predictable thriller. Sort of enjoyed it, but it ended the only way I could see it ending and was fairly standard for a thriller.

Been ill and haven't read much last two weeks, still haven't finished Fairy Tale by Stephen King (two thirds through and disappointed, I think the word is...). Going to finish it sooner or later though.

Now reading The Last Astronaut (2019) by David Wellington.
 
Finished The Last Astronaut (2019) by David Wellington.

A first contact story which never really took off for me. Felt like a more boring Rendezvous with Rama without any new ideas which went on for too long.

Also read Shadow Captain (2019) by Alastair Reynolds.

A direct sequel to the brilliant Revenger (2016), this universe continues to deliver its own brand of 'Firefly-meets-Pirates of the Caribbean'-adventure stories. Glorious adventure stories. Set in our solar system in an unrecognisable distant future - a sort of post-apocalyptic 18th century seafaring setting - but with spaceships with sunsails and pirates, and treasures and futuristic weapons, this YA-labeled series provides both fun exciting twists and heartfelt emotional impact. All driven by Al Reynolds' patented mystery style plots - and at this point the man's prose is truly a joy to read.
 
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