Simon
An utterly bonkers hot mess of a book. Lies, deception, reanimation, OCD, ouija boards, its all here. There are several WTF moments at the end of the book which are so “out there” i just dont have the words to explain . Yes there are ghosts but its definitely, one million percent NOT a horror story or ghost story, it just has ghosts in it. I gave it a three because i loved the story of Martin & Marijke and it's the supporting cast of the book that steal the show here.
Some people will self-combust over how brilliant they think this book is. For me, while I really enjoyed some bits, I found too much of it really really annoying. It's not bad, just not the life changing experience that some people say it is.
Navidson report 5/5
Ramblings of Johnny Truant 3/5
Whalestone letters 3/5
Footnotes 2/5
Format of book 1/5
I finished!!!!
When I tell someone I couldn't get into Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, they always tell me that you need to give 4 or 5 episodes until it gets really good. And I always say but if it was THAT good it would grab me right from the first episode.
I'm here to tell you that you need to give this book 2oo pages before it gets REALLY good and trust me its worth it.
MAGICAL.
THIS IS NOT THE LESTAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
This is not a novel it's a sermon, a rant even. Its all here God, The Devil, Creation, Angels, Heaven & Hell. You could call it The Gospel according to Rice. If you get to the bit where Lestat drinks the blood of Christ then you've done really really really well. You might think that is a really exciting part of the book but it really isn't. Nothing really happens apart from a tiny bit at the end.
first 180 pages ok
last 40 pages ok
The rest is preachy, bonkers and pointless.
what!!! what!!!! what!!!!!
This is definitely an either love it or hate it book. For me its possibly the most confusing thing I've ever read. I really struggled with the narrative. You are constantly flung between first person - third person - journal and I'm going to admit that I had read about 100 pages before realising I was with about a completely different character than what I thought I was.
There are some really interesting ideas and the fact that I actually read the whole thing must count for something but in the end I just wanted to make sure the baby was ok.
If you are expecting a fast paced twisty crime thriller then move away. This is a book of great depth and beauty, a book about feelings and how a single act, a single word can twist those feelings and send them to the darkest of places. Fans of literary horror wold probably enjoy this more than those who love crime and thrillers.
