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The Hollow City

by Dan Wells (Goodreads Author)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 593 ratings · 143 reviews

Dan Wells won instant acclaim for his three-novel debut about the adventures of John Wayne Cleaver, a heroic young man who is apotential serial killer. All who read the trilogy were struck by the distinctive and believable voice Wells created for John.

Now he returns with another innovative thriller told in a verydifferent, equally unique voice. A voice that comes to us fro...more

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published July 3rd 2012 by Tor Books

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Jul 06, 2012 Seak (Bryce L.) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-review, 2012

Dan Wells is my hero.

In his debut novel, I Am Not A Serial Killer (review), he takes on a protagonist who's a teenage sociopath. In The Hollow City, his protagonist is a schizophrenic mental patient. Both get you into their heads and both make you feel like you understand people a little bit better. Both are compulsively readable and impossible to put down.

I gotta hand it to Wells, that's quite a way to start a writing career.

The Hollow City is like Memento goes to the nuthouse. Not that it's to...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror-thriller-mystery, 2012-book-challenge, science-fiction

Brief Book Description:

Michael Shipman is on the run. Pursued by "The Faceless Men", a secret organization who covertly monitor him through electronic devices such as cellphones and televisions, he finds himself trapped in a hospital with no memory of the past two weeks. Not knowing who he can trust, and desperate to uncover the truth and thwart their diabolical “Plan”, he must find a way to escape before “They” find him.

To make matters worse, authorities suspect Michael may have a connection t...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Nicola rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, horror, thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 10, 2013 Rosalyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

In a city haunted by a serial killer (the Red Line Killer) who leaves his victims faceless, Michael Shipman sees things that other people don't. He sees men without faces and fears electronics (cell phones in particular) because he believes a government conspiracy is using the phones to monitor him. When his visions land him in a psychiatric ward, Michael is told he has schizophrenia--that his brain interprets stimuli that don't actually exist. He's also given reason to believe that he's the Red...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not really comfortable with mental illness. No, that's an understatement. I'm profoundly uncomfortable with mental illness. I can withstand a lot of things in the fiction I read—violence, sex, language, whatever—but I like to know that the characters I read about have some sane motivation for the things they do, and I can bucket them into "good" or "evil" or "morally gray" based on the choices they make. The idea that someone might do horrible things and, in their head, not even comprehend w...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Bücherplanet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dan Wells hat im Bereich des Genre Fantasy-Krimi mit seiner Trilogie um John Cleaver (Ich bin kein Serienkiller...) einen tollen Start hingelegt. Die Bücher von ihm habe ich fast an einem Stück gelesen, so toll fand ich sie. Von daher war ich natürlich schon voller Vorfreude, was den neuen Roman "Du stirbst zuerst" betraf. Zur Story: Michael erwacht mit einer Gedächtnislücke, die sich über die letzten 14 Tage erstreckt, in einem Krankenhaus. Dem Leser wird schnell klar, dass Michael offensichtli...more Dan Wells hat im Bereich des Genre Fantasy-Krimi mit seiner Trilogie um John Cleaver (Ich bin kein Serienkiller...) einen tollen Start hingelegt. Die Bücher von ihm habe ich fast an einem Stück gelesen, so toll fand ich sie. Von daher war ich natürlich schon voller Vorfreude, was den neuen Roman "Du stirbst zuerst" betraf. Zur Story: Michael erwacht mit einer Gedächtnislücke, die sich über die letzten 14 Tage erstreckt, in einem Krankenhaus. Dem Leser wird schnell klar, dass Michael offensichtlich unter schizophrenen Wahnvorstellungen leidet. Er hört Stimmen, sieht Monster und Menschen, die nur in seinem Kopf existieren... oder doch nicht? Ist das was Michael sieht tatsächlich die Realität und er ist der einzige, der die Fähigkeit hat, diese zu sehen?? Michael jedenfalls ist davon überzeugt, dass die Monster und Menschen "ohne Gesicht", die er sieht, real sind und einen mörderischen Plan verfolgen. Außerdem ist er davon überzeugt, dass die Fähigkeit, diese Kreaturen zu sehen, damit zusammen hängt, dass man ihm als Kind etwas in den Kopf implantiert hat. Aufgrund seiner Wahnvorstellungen wird Michael schließlich in eine geschlossene Anstalt eingewiesen und mit allerlei Medikamenten behandelt. Langsam aber sicher scheint er wieder klar zu werden und sieht ein, dass seine Erscheinungen wohl doch nur Einbildung waren. Gerade, als er dies unter Wirkung der Medikamente endlich akzeptiert, tauchen die Monster aber wieder auf...
Die Story fesselt und ist toll geschrieben. Wells beschreibt das Bild eines Schizophrenen aus Sicht der Ärzte so detailliert, dass man die Tragweite dieser "Krankheit" wirklich zu begreifen glaubt. Nach einem tollen Start der Geschichte und einem sehr guten Hauptteil wird die Story aber zum Ende hin immer verworrener. Leider hat mich das Ende dann nicht mehr so vom Hocker gerissen und eher an einen mittelmäßigen Science Fiction Film erinnert. Zum Schluss wollte ich eigentlich nur noch wissen, wie die Geschichte endet. Schade! Dass Wells das besser kann, hat er in drei Büchern bereits bewiesen. Für diese "Wahn-"Vorstellung gibt es von mir daher nur 3 mittelmäßige Sterne.

Sabandi von MexxBooks (less)

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Oct 19, 2012 ReaderM rated it 3 of 5 stars

After reading the John Cleaver series by Dan Wells,he instantly became an instant favorite of mine.Thus knowing the high standards he had set, I decided to give his new book.. "The Hollow City" a try. For those expecting the same brilliance that was "I Am Not A Serial Killer" , sadly you are in for a slight disappointment.However, that is not to mean the book is not captivating within it's own terms as a literary work.

In "The Hollow City" Dan Wells stick to what he has shown talent for;detailing...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Arthur Arboleda rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I like to pretend that Michael Shipman ends up being transported into John Cleaver when he was a kid, just so his story can continue in my head.

Dan wells does an AMAZING job putting you through what Michael is experiencing. Michael is being played on by forces above him, and as the reader Dan Wells makes you feel as if you are being played yourself.

The concept of "Who is real and who is not real" is a huge element of the book. In no ways does Dan Well use it in a way that makes it cliche. Every...more I like to pretend that Michael Shipman ends up being transported into John Cleaver when he was a kid, just so his story can continue in my head.

Dan wells does an AMAZING job putting you through what Michael is experiencing. Michael is being played on by forces above him, and as the reader Dan Wells makes you feel as if you are being played yourself.

The concept of "Who is real and who is not real" is a huge element of the book. In no ways does Dan Well use it in a way that makes it cliche. Every character has a purpose and Dan Well innovates "real or not real" perfectly into this well woven story.

Like seriously, how the hell does someone come up with a plot SO COMPLICATED. I watched his, "How to write a story" presentation at a University through a video on youtube, and DAMN "The Hollow City" can not be predicted.

The writing style is Aced to perfection. Dialogue is interesting and heart tugging at scenes. Character development is everywhere in this book. God damn, your attachments to these characters shift so many times while reading this novel.

One thing I have to pick on is the ending. I feel the same way about how Dan Wells' "I Don't Want to Kill You" ended. The ending of both novels just seem... Rushed ? No no rushed, definitely not rushed. But both of the endings share that, "Wow really, did the just happen ?" type of ending.

However with Hollow City's ending. I just wanted to fucking cry.

The ending is the epitome of bitter sweat. You realize how much Michael's life sucks. His life and childhood was stolen as a baby. Opportunities for a normal life was robbed, and at the end, he still hasn't accomplished much except by sacrificing himself. He has not been able to live life to the fullest extent. By all means I know hes not dead, but hes pratically in a hole dying by himself. What makes this ending SO HARD TO HATE, is the fact that he's with Lucy... In his vast house in his head. I love the ending honestly, I'll just grow onto it later. It's so beautifully concluded but then again it's SO DAMN SAD.

Character wise, nearly all of the characters have purpose to drive the story forward and it's hard to stay mad at any one character. In detail to Michael, Michael is an amazing and well thought out character. He's definitely a main character that's actually like-able. I usually find supporting characters more appealing, but Michael was definitely my favorite character in the whole novel.

I suggest to anyone reading this, go buy this book. You will not be disappointed in the masterpiece Dan Wells has created.

Well done Dan Wells...Well done.

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Jul 05, 2012 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

“How much do you know about me?” I demand. “What’s really going on here?”

“I…,” she stumbles over her words, brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t know anything, why? Are you a member of the Children?”

“The Children of the Earth are a murder cult,” I say. “They kidnapped my mother while she was pregnant, and when I was born they killed her. I wouldn’t associate with them for anything. I’d kill them first.”

Her face goes white. “You did not just say that.”

“What do the Children of the Earth have to do...more “How much do you know about me?” I demand. “What’s really going on here?”

“I…,” she stumbles over her words, brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t know anything, why? Are you a member of the Children?”

“The Children of the Earth are a murder cult,” I say. “They kidnapped my mother while she was pregnant, and when I was born they killed her. I wouldn’t associate with them for anything. I’d kill them first.”

Her face goes white. “You did not just say that.”

“What do the Children of the Earth have to do with the Red Line Killer?”

She sucks in a breath. “Almost all of the victims have been members.”

I curse.

“Someone is hunting down the Children of the Earth and cutting off their faces,” she says. “Someone who hates them as much as you do.”

***

Michael Shipman is a paranoid schizophrenic accused of being a serial killer in Dan Well’s newest work, The Hollow City. Suspected of being the cult member-mutilating Red Line Killer (a name that, once revealed, will give any hockey lover reason to grin), Michael is fighting to understand the nature of his illness, and, more importantly, the division between what is real in his life and what is fiction. With doctors, nurses, FBI agents, and faceless men and women stalking him, tormenting him, and threatening his very existence, Michael is backed into a series of corners with an ever-increasing dosage of medication tight-roping his mind between clarity—seeing the hallucinations for what they are and learning to parse them from the physical world—and confusion.

Told from the first-person, Wells does an admirable job placing the reader in a mind not entirely whole. Michael’s confusion isn’t played for cheap tricks and slights of hand. Instead, Wells uses cascading tactics, layering the possibilities of Michael’s psychosis—are his reactions to cell phones and television signals psychosomatic? Or does he actually have something foreign implanted in his brain triggering vicious nosebleeds and violent outbursts whenever a cell phone so much as vibrates in his vicinity?—on top of one another to upset any sense of narrative stability. We keep guessing alongside him, not because of loose threads or unnecessary red herrings, but because, deprived of his medication and thwarted with repeated troublesome stimulus, Michael, too, is kept guessing. He is continuously unsure of even the antagonists in his life, as his mind works to both enforce and destroy the illusions it has crafted.

The Hollow City is a fast-paced mystery with an unconventional perspective that, more often than not, works. Michael is a great sympathetic character; his relationships—both real and hallucinatory—are tragic, their true natures unknowable and without ground to stand on. The further his layers of psychosis are peeled back, the more unfortunate his life becomes, until there is seemingly very little left to salvage.

Though thoroughly enjoyable, not everything is right and rosy in The Hollow City. While I won’t spoil anything here, I was somewhat disappointed by the final series of events. Michael remains an interesting character right until the end, but the reasons… the machinations behind his psychosis, felt too far removed from what had been previously established. As the story turns away from chemical imbalances in the brain to a straight-up science fiction/supernatural conclusion, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been cheated. While there are a few narrative hooks along the way to give purpose and premeditation to the Deus Ex Machina of the finale, the end result feels a bit too mundane and simplistic for all that came before. When all is said and done, the push and pull of Michael’s mental and emotional journey feels too readily abandoned for what amounts to an X-Files-style U-turn that, unfortunately, does not feel as if it has been earned.

I still recommend The Hollow City. My problems with its ending aside, Michael Shipman is an intriguing, original character, and Wells does an excellent job of constructing a narrative around Michael’s schizophrenia, offering a point-of-view not often seen. The Hollow City is a fun page-turner, perfect for the beach.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Peggy Um, did you totally miss the fact that Michael's unbalanced brain was how he avoided being replaced like all the others? Or did you just object to the...more
Aug 05, 2012 05:44am

Andrew Peggy wrote: "Um, did you totally miss the fact that Michael's unbalanced brain was how he avoided being replaced like all the others? Or did you just...more
Aug 05, 2012 07:10am

Jen Walker I agree Andrew. I think it was that complete u-turn at the big reveal that made me not enjoy the book as much. I really enjoyed the other Well's book...more
Aug 16, 2012 09:32am

Jul 05, 2012 Kristine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, this was a fun, fun book. I spent the whole novel trying to figure out what and who were real, and loved it at every twist and turn.

The story is about Michael, a 20-year-old who has battled depression and anxiety his whole life and recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He believes there is a vast conspiracy of faceless men and women watching his every move using the electronic devices surrounding us all. At the beginning of the story, Michael wakes up in a hospital room, the last two...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Shallee Mcarthur rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky to snag an ARC of this book. I read the entire thing in one sitting. The murder mystery angle gives the story a familiar base to start from, and from there it twists off into one of the freshest reads I've had in a while. Dan has a real talent for taking slightly twisted characters (like John Cleaver in I Am Not a Serial Killer) and making them sympathetic and engaging. Michael, the main character, was one of the most brilliant unreliable narrators I've ever read-- and one that I lov...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh. Michael...I already forgot his last name, has a history of mental illness that has recently been upgraded to include schizophrenia. With no memory of the past two weeks, he finds himself hospitalized in a psych ward and subjected to a greater and greater number of drugs meant to give him relief from his hallucinations (mostly of Faceless Men out to get him) and fear of electronics. Meanwhile, a serial killer dubbed the Red Line Killer is murdering seemingly random people by shooting them mu...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Lincoln Dewey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Quite possibly the strangest book I have ever read. I have read short stories that are out there...and I typically enjoy them because they are short stories that can take a simple idea and turn it on its head and have fun for 20 to 30 pages and often the short stories end with the question what if this were to continue...Earth with no moon...Space exploration without a chance of return journey..robots that rule the world...

How about a schizaphrenic who never knows what is real at any one time. I...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Peggy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I liked this book A LOT! (I stayed up all night reading it.) Maybe I should have rated it a 4, because I'm not sure about it's re-readability. Basically, part of what made this such a fascinating read was that you weren't sure what was real and what was not. So once you get to the end, you know what was real. Then again, you might want to re-read it because you can now know which stuff is real and which is not - the behind the scenes look at the story. *lol* Well, anyway, I was erred in favor of...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Eric Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Hollow City
By Dan Wells

A Review by Eric Allen

Dan Wells has been a busy man this past year. This is the third book he's published in the last 12 months, and he has another short novel to be released in August as a prequel to Partials. I have been a big fan of his ever since the release of his first book, I Am Not a Serial Killer. He is an excellent writer, that keeps getting better with every book that he puts out. And he sure does crank them out.

The Hollow City follows Michael Shipman, a pa...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller, paranormal

The Hollow City is light on mystery and heavy on mental illness. While I liked Wells' John Cleaver Series quite a lot, my feelings on this book are no where near as positive. While it held my attention, I was never entirely invested in the story or the characters, and, in retrospect, likely would not have picked up this book.

When we first meet Michael we find out that he is homeless, violent and has spent the last several days peeing his pants. Quite a picture. We, and Michael, soon find out th...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dan Wells is a fantastic author. I started reading his books very early, from when I Am Not A Serial Killer came out onwards. I've enjoyed everything that he's written, and read most of his books multiple times.

And yet, there's a part of me that's always surprised when one of his books blows me away. I have no idea why, but there you go.

I can't really say much about The Hollow City without spoilers, so I'll just copy the Amazon blurb: "Michael Shipman is paranoid schizophrenic; he suffers from h...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Tanya rated it 4 of 5 stars

WRITING STYLE: 4
PLOT: 3.5
PROTAGONIST: 3
CAPTURED MY INTEREST: 4
COMPARED TO ITS GENRE: 3
OVERALL: 3.7

I feel like this is such a hard book to review. Obviously my ~~obsession~~ fondness for Dan Wells makes me a little biased. Had the book not been authored by him I probably wouldn't have read it. It is still not a genre I prefer. It was a bit of scifi mixed with horror mixed with psychological mind games. The whole time I was stressed and on edge. I literally did not trust the narrator and could not tel...more WRITING STYLE: 4
PLOT: 3.5
PROTAGONIST: 3
CAPTURED MY INTEREST: 4
COMPARED TO ITS GENRE: 3
OVERALL: 3.7

I feel like this is such a hard book to review. Obviously my ~~obsession~~ fondness for Dan Wells makes me a little biased. Had the book not been authored by him I probably wouldn't have read it. It is still not a genre I prefer. It was a bit of scifi mixed with horror mixed with psychological mind games. The whole time I was stressed and on edge. I literally did not trust the narrator and could not tell what was and wasn't real. That alone to me was amazing. Every time I felt like I understood what was going on, bam, everything would shift. I greatly appreciate the look into the mind of a schizophrenic and especially the struggles of someone committed to a mental institution. The loss of rights, of self, of choice, it was very eye opening.

As for the ending:
(view spoiler)

Finally we all know I'm a HUGE closure person but not an epilogue enjoyer. I don't want a fake/forced everything tied up with a pretty bow. But this story had in my opinion the perfect epilogue. It gave just enough so I wasn't going, but but but wait what happened?. But not so much that everybody wins and every story has a happy ending (cough Clockwork Princess cough).

I wouldn't out right recommend this for everyone. You have to have a strong stomach for the creepy and trippy. But if that's your thing it was beautifully done and I highly recommend it.(less)

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Jul 09, 2012 Kurt Pankau rated it 5 of 5 stars

The elevator pitch for this book doesn't do it any justice: Michael Shipman is a paranoid schizophrenic who discovers that some of the monsters in his delusions are real. Of the tensions that keep this story propelled, Michael's confusion over whether what he's seeing actually exists is probably the least interesting.

Supposedly this was one of Wells' trunk novels that he completely re-worked, and it definitely has that vibe. There are several different story ideas going on, each of which could b...more The elevator pitch for this book doesn't do it any justice: Michael Shipman is a paranoid schizophrenic who discovers that some of the monsters in his delusions are real. Of the tensions that keep this story propelled, Michael's confusion over whether what he's seeing actually exists is probably the least interesting.

Supposedly this was one of Wells' trunk novels that he completely re-worked, and it definitely has that vibe. There are several different story ideas going on, each of which could be compelling on their own, but they're stitched together awkwardly because they live in different worlds. It's telling that book has a prologue in a completely different perspective than the rest of the book that objectively announces that this story will have some sort of supernatural element to it. Without that setup, the ending would feel completely artificial. But once Wells establishes the world, he has an awful lot of fun playing with it. Michael is not just an unreliable narrator, he's an unreliable narrator of fluid lucidity and increasing awareness of just how unreliable he is. But what makes Michael really, truly engaging is the way he deals with his own helplessness. He has no home, no job, a paralyzing fear of electronics, and he is literally crazy. How do you navigate the world when you're afraid of cars and cellphones? How far can you go when your only resource is force of will?

And that's really how this novel succeeds. Despite a plot that feels unnecessarily convoluted (faceless men and monster maggots and cultists and which-one-do-you-think-will-turn-out-to-be-Tyler-Durden?), Wells keeps you guessing and makes it all work through the strength of his protagonist. Like John Cleaver (of the I Am Not A Serial Killer books), Michael Shipman shouldn't be likable, but you root for him and engage with him despite his neuroses because he's passionate, well-intentioned, and facing incredible obstacles.

Despite its flaws, I was really drawn in by this book and continue to be a devoted Dan Wells fanboy.(less)

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Jul 29, 2012 Tea Time with Marce rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-kindle

From my blog

Dan Wells is a master at characters, you are totally on their side when you truly should be scared of them. John from I am not a Serial Killer trilogy an all time favourite character of mine was trying not to become a serial killer and Michael Shipman, wow, a brilliant mind with a twist of crazy, trying to convince everyone including himself he wasn't crazy.

Michael was an unreliable character, this was what made the book, he was delusional with paranoia tendencies, scared off all ele...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Stefan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, www-tor-com-review, far-beyond-reality-review

Michael Shipman, the main character of Dan Wells’ newest novel The Hollow City, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and lives with horrible hallucinations and delusions. He is convinced that Faceless men are following him everywhere. They can monitor him through any electronic device: televisions, mobile phones, even alarm clocks. It’s all part of a Plan that’s been going on for years. Michael doesn’t take the medication his personal psychiatrist prescribes because he isn’t convinced that the do...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Steph rated it 5 of 5 stars

"The Hollow City" is about a man named Michael Shipman who has schizophrenia and finds himself in a mental hospital being treated with various drugs to help control hallucinations, having lost two weeks of recent memory, (which coincide with the gory murders of members of a nearby cult-- whom he believes kidnapped and murdered his mother right after his birth). As if that's not enough to wrap your head around, along with hallucinations of "faceless" men, he sees other things, hears voices and be...more "The Hollow City" is about a man named Michael Shipman who has schizophrenia and finds himself in a mental hospital being treated with various drugs to help control hallucinations, having lost two weeks of recent memory, (which coincide with the gory murders of members of a nearby cult-- whom he believes kidnapped and murdered his mother right after his birth). As if that's not enough to wrap your head around, along with hallucinations of "faceless" men, he sees other things, hears voices and believes there is a massive conspiracy and a Plan that has something to do with him and is very dangerous.

As the story moves along, we are just as unsure as Michael about which people and events in his life are real or imagined, and the deeper aspects of mental illness, and its treatment, are explored through his first-person present-tense narration. They psychosomatic drugs he is treated with cause uncontrollable physical reactions: his teeth click, his head bobs and his left arm involuntarily and compulsively swings. The matter-of-fact way he narrates these things makes him so relatable. Don't we all try to hold back if our body tries to shake or twitch or fidget? Wouldn't it make you frustrated if you couldn't control your own body? I feel like I totally understand this, even though I don't have anything in my life quite like what Michael has. Which brings me to my next point:

Dan Wells is very good at planting readers right into the minds of his protagonists, and not only do you become deeply sympathetic to them, but his compassionate and honest storytelling make you love them. In his John Cleaver books, the protagonist is a sociopath, and I quickly found myself caring about, sympathizing with and, on some level, really understanding him-- his motivations, his feelings (and lack thereof) and how his mind worked. I connected with a sociopath, causing some pondering about how my own brain is wired. I love a book that makes me think, without overwhelming my puny brain.

In "The Hollow City", Dan has done the same thing with the schizophrenic patient. The story is so well written that as the reader experiences Michael's story, we feel his fear, love, hate, anger, frustration, confusion, sadness, and sometimes clarity right along with him. I've never known much about schizophrenia beyond the fact that people with it generally hear voices and hallucinate. I feel like I have a little more sympathy and a tiny bit more understanding of the disease now, and imagine that- gained from a work of fiction. As he said at the book signing, (and I'm paraphrasing from my faulty memory, forgive me if I get it wrong) Dan didn't want to "demonize" or "canonize" mental illness, as so many fictional stories do. He wanted to make it real and relatable. He did just that.

The story is very good, the resolution satisfying and exciting, and the very last scene is AWESOME! I said it before, I think Dan Wells is a serious smarty-pants. I can't wait to see what he does next.
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Feb 02, 2013 Emmamary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh, Dan. The ordeals you put me through.

I won't re-summarize the plot, or even discuss any spoiler-free safe zones, but I will say this: unreliable protagonists sure do make for a heartbreakingly tense read. While Michael Shipman is no John Wayne Cleaver, he is equally burdened by forces others cannot understand. Every step of the way, I felt what Michael's nurses must have felt constantly: I feel for this poor, sweet kid, I want to help...I want so much to believe in him. But I can't.

BECAUSE...more Oh, Dan. The ordeals you put me through.

I won't re-summarize the plot, or even discuss any spoiler-free safe zones, but I will say this: unreliable protagonists sure do make for a heartbreakingly tense read. While Michael Shipman is no John Wayne Cleaver, he is equally burdened by forces others cannot understand. Every step of the way, I felt what Michael's nurses must have felt constantly: I feel for this poor, sweet kid, I want to help...I want so much to believe in him. But I can't.

BECAUSE HE'S CRAZY.

And OH, I'm so very glad he is. Not only because it is important to the storyline - Wells wouldn't make his main character schizophrenic for no good reason, just as he would not create a sociopathic teenager with early signs of rage control issues, if said issues were going to be completely useless to his ultimate cause - but also because it generates in me a swirly happy mixture of empathy and confidence. I am empathetic towards Michael's terrible plight, knowing full well that I would be a useless wet rag and a miserably inadequate excuse for a hero were I to walk in his shoes, and I am also confident that he is strong enough to see both the delusion and the reality, and decide for himself what best serves his ultimate cause.

I take a star away from a perfect score only because I got tired of yelling at Michael to stop SOUNDING like a crazy person whenever he talked to the doctors and nurses who were treating him [for being crazy]. Even Michael couldn't help realizing how ridiculous he sounded...but boy, oh boy, he kept on going. And going, and going.

But isn't that what I would do? Such trust do I put in the system - without even actively thinking about it - to protect me from injustice, from injury, from anything outside that system that could potentially harm me and everyone else. So what happens when I need to hide from something that "perfect" system of government, and police, and doctors etc. can't protect me from, can't understand? Can't even SEE?

Well, I might try telling them everything, and then waiting for them to help me fix it. And waiting. And waiting. And I'd be wrong, wouldn't I. (less)

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Sep 13, 2012 Linda Branham Greenwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very strange book :)
Michael Shipman is schizophrenic and sees faceless men - he also fears electronic gadgets of all kinds. He awakens in the hospital with a memory loss of the past 2 weeks, but begins to show signs of his schizophrenia and so is placed in a mental hospital.
It becomes a matter of what is real and what is his illness...it brings to mind the saying, "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean no one's out to get you". As a consequence I spent the entire book right there with Ship...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, fantasy, mystery-thriller, psychology

this was an interesting book. not quite as gripping or surprising as "I am not a serial killer", which is one of my favorites and also by Dan wells. Mr wells seems to have a theme going here--mental illness in a protagonist and then throw in some mystery that ultimately ends in fantasy/sci-fi elements. in "I am not a serial killer" this was masterfully done and completely throws the reader for a loop. here, you can see it coming, though not exactly how, and it seems a bit forced.

the majority of...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Wm rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-crime-thriller, science-fiction-and-fantasy

Wells does an excellent job of taking us into the confused mind of a schizophrenic and spinning that into a horror thriller that justifies the use of a mentally ill protagonist. If you like the John Cleaver books without reservation then you'll like The Hollow City.

A word to the haters:

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Jun 10, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-s, 100-in-2012, favorites

First of all, did I mention, DAN WELLS IS COMING TO MY BOOKSTORE JULY 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look – it’s on his website and everything!!!!

Sorry, had to get that out. The book actually comes out July 3. I’m also talking to my Tor rep (The Hollow City) and my HarperTeen rep (Partials ) to see if there’s any way to get some copies to give away. I probably won’t haveThe Hollow City early, but I will try to get some signed copies of Dan’s books to give you guys. And...more First of all, did I mention, DAN WELLS IS COMING TO MY BOOKSTORE JULY 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look – it’s on his website and everything!!!!

Sorry, had to get that out. The book actually comes out July 3. I’m also talking to my Tor rep (The Hollow City) and my HarperTeen rep (Partials ) to see if there’s any way to get some copies to give away. I probably won’t haveThe Hollow City early, but I will try to get some signed copies of Dan’s books to give you guys. And I’m probably going to take some medication before the signing so that I don’t freak right out. Again.

Ok,The Hollow City. First off, it’s brilliant! I mean, just really, really good. The first thing you have to understand, is that Michael Shipman, our protagonist, is not to be trusted. I mean, he’s a nice enough guy, but he’s a paranoid schizophrenic. He has delusions. He sees things that aren’t there and imagines that dark, shadowy people are out to get him. They communicate thought any device that sends an electronic signal; cell phones, computers, tvs, clock radios. The faceless men are the worst. They literally have a blank where their face should be. They’re out to get him and do something horrible to him.

Granted, Michael has a right to be paranoid. His pregnant mother was kidnapped and murdered by a cult. People were out to get him before he was even born. His father resents that Michael lived while his mother died. He’s had a hard life for a young man. But, it’s all just in his head. Right?

The problem is that there are murders happening in the city. Horrible murders. Murders where the killer disfigures the victim’s face. The FBI think that Michael might know something, have seen something during one of his episodes. Or maybe, Michael saw everything because he is the killer? Michael himself can’t remember what happened the last time he blacked out. But there are only two possibilities; either he is a serial killer, or, some of the things he sees are real and they’re coming for him next.

I read this book incredibly fast. When I finished it, all I could say was, “Wow”. On twitter. Where I apparently made the author a little nervous.

I highly recommend this book! Michael is an amazing character. He is beautifully human in the midst of the horrible things happening around and to him. The story is tense and well thought out. I don’t want to keep talking about it because I don’t want to give anything away. Just buy it. Please.

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Jan 27, 2013 Kimsandara rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blah-read, will-not-finish, thriller, ya-books

**I did not finish this book*

I had a terrible time connecting with this book.
The premise sounded interesting ,and I loved his John Cleaver's series.So you can imagine my disappointement.

The major problem I had with this book is that it felt like the narration was going nowhere.Fitting considering the fact that there is a touch of mental disorder in this book but particularly annoying for the reader.

Michael does not make for an interesting narrator,I felt annoyed by his angsting and his endless r...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Dolores rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really love Dan Wells' books. I loved the John Wayne Cleaver serial killer books. Zoomed through "Partials" and can't wait for the sequel. So I was really looking forward to this one. Right away I could see it was going to be different, but that was okay. "The Hollow City" didn't have the humor of the Cleaver series. It lacked the action of "Partials." It was a slow, painful descent into madness, and all the action took place inside Michael's head. But that was cool. I'm a Psych major and I wa...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I was fortunate to win an advance reader’s copy of The Hollow City by Dan Wells through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you TOR and Goodreads! One of my biggest pet peeves about books is when the story is too predictable. This book is anything but predictable. Wells does a masterful job of keeping the reader engaged, turning page after page. This book hooks you from the beginning as it starts off with a murder scene and sets up the premise of whether or not Michael is a serial murder. Michael is the...more

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About Dan Wells

Dan Wells is a thriller and science fiction writer. Born in Utah, he spent his early years reading and writing. He is he author of the Partials series (Partials, with the second book coming early 2013) and John Cleaver series (I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want To Kill You). He has been nominated for both the Hugo and the Campbell Award, and has won two Parsec Awards for his p...more

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Books by Dan Wells

I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver, #1)

I Don't Want to Kill You (John Cleaver, #3)

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