One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.

Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons-playing friends are used to living in their imaginations. But when a new girl, Mia, joins the group and reality becomes weirder than the fantasy world they visit in their weekly games, none of them are prepared for what comes next. A strange—yet curiously familiar—man is following Nick, with abilities that just shouldn’t exist. And this man bears a cryptic message: Mia’s in grave danger, though she doesn’t know it yet. She needs Nick’s help—now.

He finds himself in a race against time to unravel an impossible mystery and save the girl. And all that stands in his way is a probably terminal disease, a knife-wielding maniac and the laws of physics.

Challenge accepted.

I'm impressed. This is quite a different style of book to the usual fair that is associated with Mark Lawrence, but he carries it off with distinctive flair. The 80s geek culture vibe is strong and echos closely with some of my current interests (board games etc). I can definitely see the Stranger Things vibes running strongly through it and the time travel aspect is intelligently plotted taking into account the necessary paradoxes.

Underlying this is the story of a young man with cancer, which is very poignantly done. I lost my mother to cancer less than a year ago and can recognize some of the descriptions of the cancer wards and the numbness with which the disease gets to you and the people around you. The coming of age tale which accompanies it is nicely done. All in all Mark Lawrence takes his engaging style of prose and crafts a wonderful tale with tense drama, wit and a strong underlying sadness. I look forward to continuing the series!

So, this is one of those books that did something quite rare - it surprised me.

I did not know much about this book. I had obviously seen countless reviews as I follow Mark Lawrence on this site and thought I must get around to reading that.

I totally agree with Robin Hobbs, this is a six star book. I loved it. I think especially because I was sixteen in 1986, I was a goth, not the updated type, but the proper 80's Sisters of Mercy type and I was right into fantasy stuff (and in later years, played D & D). So, Mark, you got me covered. And on top of that it has my son's name in it. He only appears for a minute (and just for clarity, The author does not know my son and any representation to people living or dead is purely coincidence, which this is).

You can tell it is a good book, when you find yourself with a spare five minutes, the book suddenly (as if by magic) appears in your hands, demanding you to find out what happens next. Except that the five minutes turns into an hour, tea is burning and you are quite blissfuly unaware that you have reached the end of the book in two days.

I loved this book and if the rest of it is like this, then I think that this will be the best trilogy I have read all year.

One small niggle and this is the smallest hill that I am willing to die on is that I am sure that in 1986 it would have been Beadle's about - not Candid Camera. Teeny weeny hill!

Oh and the bit about the nurses is hilarious. On two counts really, I was in and out of hospital when I was a kid and I am a nurse now, so that bit about nurses is definately true. I could go on and on, so I have to stop now.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for my open and honest review.

There is a magic power associated with adolescence. It is a collection of moments where you step out of the warm and safe embrace of childhood. And stick your proverbial toe in the cold waters of adulthood. It can be exhilarating. It can be terrifying in equal and confusing parts — all newness of experiences and the rush of first-times.

Now throw in cancer into childhood. The big C. The silent lurking predator that ravages your body and soul while you attempt to survive while being stripped and flayed alive. Cancer is the stuff of nightmares for adults, but for children who have enough mental juggling going on, it is world changing. It is hard to talk about adolescence and cancer without going down the dark path of maudlin. But this story isn't about swimming through the muck and mire of disease.

It could have been in lesser authorial hands, but it isn't.

What this story is, is a nostalgic trip into childhood built with the strength and craft of someone who remembers what it was like. This is written by someone who knows the sweet and enduring pleasures of friendship, the fantastic wild fun of D&D, and the relationships those two can create. This story was an absolute treat to read.

One Word Kill starts like a lot of stories do with a boy and his friends. I'll introduce his friends, but that's it. All of Lawrence's stories hold their own. They don't need me to run down the plot, because that is no fun for anyone. Meet Nick, the narrator of the story, the protagonist in 1980's London, newly diagnosed with leukemia, has a brilliant and advanced mind bent towards Quantum Theory. Simon, who can do mental computations in seconds. Elton, who can move like a spider and practices kung fu with his five brothers. John, the rich and cool kid that is written without stereotypes. And Mia. Mia is a smart, goth girl who is the heart of the story in so many ways. Friendships like these are what can make a person brilliant as an adult. Lawrence combines so much into such a short and excellent story. Cancer, adolescence, friendship, physics, D&D, time travel, and a charming love story. It has everything you would expect from Lawrence as a writer plus so much more you didn't know he had in him. Lawrence, thank you for the nostalgia of my childhood growing up in the 1980s. Thank you for the friendship and these fascinating characters that I get to take with me. Thank you.

If you would like to read more of my reviews, please check out my blog at www.beforewegoblog.com