Steve Stred's Blog, page 72

Book Review: Bedfellow by Jeremy C. Shipp

Title: Bedfellow

Author: Jeremy C. Shipp

Release date: November 13, 2018

Having recently read Jeremy’s creepy ‘The Atrocities,’ I was excited to check out ‘Bedfellow’ when I saw him post about it on Twitter.

I know, going into a Shipp read, that my reading brain will be tested. He likes to write in an unconventional or non-straightforward manner (at least for how I read), so I expected the unexpected, and sure enough – I found it!

What I liked: The story opens up with a home invasion. A man has entered the family home and we have a mild standoff. This invader not only enters the home, but also whittles their way into the minds of each family member.

The story escalates fairly quickly and will make you question what you just read. Told through alternating perspectives between the members of the family, you’ll read a section, and immediately have to go back and reread what happened, when you get to the next section, the next family member.

It is psychologically unnerving, both for the reader and for the members in the story. You’ll feel like you’re actively engaged as part of the plot, trying to connect the dots, especially in the second half when things really take a bonkers turn.

Shipp writes incredibly complex ideas with a very simple, straight forward prose. Accessible writing with border-line inaccessible concepts. It really is fascinating and something that is both frustrating and phenomenal. This is a book that’ll make you contemplate DNFing a million times!

What I didn’t like: No surprise, from what I just said, but at first the various POV’s as well as subtle detail differences will drive you mad. This will test you. You will have to decide if this is a book you’re willing to persevere through or not.

Why you should buy this: As I mentioned, Shipp writes stories that challenge the reader. If you’re wanting a story that won’t make you think or be engaged, carry on. But if you’re wanting to read a physically unnerving story that wraps itself around your brain and pulls you into the story – and feel like you’re in the story – ‘Bedfellow’ is perfect for you.

Shipp is a fantastic writer, one whom seems to be writing on a different plain than most, and the dark fiction community should celebrate how much of the normal boundaries he pushes.

4/5

Book Review: Dreams for the Dying by Adam Light

Title: Dreams for the Dying

Author: Adam Light

Release date: June 14, 2021

Big thanks to Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi, Evans Light, Adam Light and Corpus Press for sending me a digital review copy of this one!

I’ve not had the privilege of reading anything from Adam yet, but based on what I’ve read, I’ll definitely be seeking out more of his work. ‘Dreams for the Dying’ is his first collection, one that groups together Light’s previously released short fiction.

It opens with a really well done foreword from Duncan Ralston, and while he does a good job of setting the reader up for what awaits, when the first story ‘Taken’ kicks in, even that foreword can’t completely prepare the reader.

What I liked: The collection features eleven stories, and to my pure joy, it also features authors notes on how each story came to be. I LOVE when books and collections have this. I wish every author did it and I often feel the weight deflated when I finish a book, flip the page excited to read an afterword and (whump whump) just see the ‘about the author’ section. These gave great insight into each story. But enough about that, let’s chat about some of my personal favs within.

The first story ‘Taken’ I thought was going to be my personal highlight (until something reared up later on). It follows a long-haul truck driver who wants to fulfill a promise to his wife. In doing so, he kidnaps a waitress. It is a simple premise, but as the story unfolds and we get some layers exposed, Light really delivers a creepy, moody, engaging piece.

‘Vengeance by the Foot’ was a short, crisp, cringe-creator and ‘Gone’ was moody and flew off the pages.

For me, the personal highlight was ‘Valley of the Dunes.’ The note after states that Light wanted to write a very straight forward story, but there is so much to unwrap with that one and the little sneaky nuances that he put within really led to the fantastic ending. Wish that one was a novel it was so good.

What I didn’t like: I really enjoyed each story, but a few didn’t connect with me as deeply as others and that’s a common finding with collections and anthologies. With this, Light delivered eleven really solid stories, but as always, reader mileage may vary between story subjects.

Why you should buy this:  Collections seem to be coming fast and furious lately from authors, but I think Light’s will stand the test of time based on the quality of the writing and the phenomenal way Adam delivers with his storytelling. The collection doesn’t have a sagging point, and the pacing and story sequence was really well done. If you’re looking for a collection to read between chapters of a novel, like I often do, this would be a perfect option.

I think this is a prime example of a seasoned story teller showcasing his absolute best and because of that the reader is richly rewarded.

5/5

Book Review: Maritime Monsters by Steve Vernon

Title: Maritime Monsters

Author: Steve Vernon with illustrations by Jeff Solway

Release date: Originally released September 30th, 2009, re-released July 31st, 2019

First – I just want to say, this isn’t going to be one of my ‘traditional’ reviews – in that I won’t be sharing any criticism or my usual ‘what I didn’t like section.’ The reason being that this is a book about mythical creatures for kids. I absolutely loved everything about it, and truthfully I can’t find something to suggest any improvement or something that may turn readers off, which is what I usually do.

Second – I owe Steve Vernon an apology. It never dawned on me to review this! How ridiculous, because I review so many books. Steve kindly sent this as a surprise gift for my son last year. My son (who’ll be turning 5 in two months at the time of this review) is OBSESSED with monsters, creatures and things that go bump in the night. So, while this book is suggested for kids aged 8-12, just know that I was reading this to my son while he was still three years old and he loved it.

The book is gorgeously illustrated by Jeff Solway (a prime example is that cover!) and it goes through over a dozen mythical creatures living over in Eastern Canada. Each creature is shown in stunning detail by Solway and is accompanied by the folklore around them as well as neat ‘facts.’

Vernon writes the background of the creatures with pure joy and throughout, humor is injected. The humor is done effectively enough that it’ll make adults and kids laugh; I know my son sure laughs at a number of parts.

The quality of this paperback is really amazing, with high gloss paper and the colors really pop. And while it is ‘Maritime’ monsters, I think any fan of Cryptozoology and strange and mysterious beasts will really enjoy this.

I’m very appreciative that Vernon sent this for my son, but truthfully this is a book I would’ve bought had I seen it somewhere or if he’d shared it online. Right up my son’s alley and mine! So, thank you again Steve and if you’re a parent with a youngster who is all about those scaly, creepy creatures that lurk in the water and in the woods, this is a book you NEED to get!

Amazing.

5/5

You can buy this direct from the publisher here;

https://nimbus.ca/store/maritime-monsters-2.html

Or at any of these other fine places;

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/maritime-monsters/9781771088145-item.html

Book Review: Master of the Moors by Kealan Patrick Burke

Title: Master of the Moors

Author: Kealan Patrick Burke

Release date: October 1st, 2008

I’ve probably read 6 or 7 of KPB’s novellas and 2 or 3 of his short story collections, but previous to this, I’d only read his novel ‘Kin,’ which was a blast. Kealan (or KPB to me!) has become a master of writing short fiction and novella length releases, and for many fans that’s what he’s known for. Well that, and his cover design work. But KPB has a number of long reads out, and I’ve had ‘Master of the Moors’ sitting on my Kindle for far too long. I was very happy to see it arrive at the top of my TBR list last week and I dove in, excited to see what was in store.

Strangely, and enjoyably, I found this book to almost be a sibling to John F.D. Taff’s ‘The Bell Witch.’ A historical piece (although this isn’t based specifically on a real event) written with a very similar style of prose.

What I liked: The story opens up with a frantic search along a foggy moor, a local man’s wife having been reported missing. From there Patrick Burke gives us a moving, haunting piece of things not always what they seem.

At its core, the book really does a great job of making the reader uncomfortable, and while the story itself has some truly shocking and disturbing moments (that opening sequence alone would make for a stunning novella) it is the atmosphere that KPB creates throughout that really was the highlight for this reader.

The characters are flawed people, which I really enjoyed. A prime example of this was the local physician who pines for the widowed barmaid, only to be made a fool and find himself in the fog.

What I didn’t like: I did find a few spots lagged a bit. Mainly the family dinner-type scenes. While necessary and did add to the tension between some characters, I wanted to know more about the rest of the events whenever these scenes arrived.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve not read Patrick Burke, this would be a great starting spot. You get his ability to inject every sentence with atmosphere and emotion. If you’ve read him before, but not this one, you know what you’re in for and get on it.

I really enjoyed this one and there are a half dozen scenes that have already worked there way into my brain to take their place where they’ll live forever. Creepy, haunting and filled with atmospheric dread, KPB really delivers with this full length.

4/5

Book Review: August’s Eyes by Glenn Rolfe

Title: August’s Eyes

Author: Glenn Rolfe

Release date: August 17, 2021

Over the last few years, I’ve read a number of Rolfe’s works and have fast become a fan. When I read and reviewed ‘The Window,’ I stated that it was amazing to read a novel that while reading it, you know you’re experiencing a book that will become a classic in the genre. I still believe that.

His last release, ‘Until Summer Comes Around,’ was a throw-back, coming-of-age vampire story. Vampire stuff has lost some of its appeal for myself, but it was Rolfe’s writing strengths that made that book enjoyable for me. I was excited for ‘August’s Eyes’ when it was announced. Big thanks to Netgalley, Flame Tree Press and Rolfe for approving this.

What I liked: ‘August’s Eyes’ opens up with two friends experiencing a horrible moment in a town’s history. Fast forward and we’re now following John, one of the two youth from back then, grappling with the ripples of that moment all those years ago.

Glenn does a great job of introducing the characters and giving them great depth (especially our teenager, Pat who had been dealt a tough hand) as well as making the small town of Spears Corner feel alive and real within a very short time.

Rolfe also introduces us to John’s dreams. More specifically Graveyard Land and his two friends there; August and One Eye. These two play an important role and, while August was fairly obvious to myself early on, Rolfe did a great job of teasing out their real identity and the place in John’s past that they hold.

One thing I always love with Glenn’s writing is that he always has characters that you feel like you’ve known your whole life, even within a few paragraphs of them arriving. No matter if they are good, bad or straight up creepy, Rolfe is a master at writing those folks who populate his books.

There’s a ton of emotion packed into this novel and the ending is both tragic, but fitting. One that’ll leave many readers gasping for air.

What I didn’t like: While the Indigenous storyline that plays out in the novel is necessary and really well done, I still don’t know if it completely worked for me. Or, more specifically, I can’t decide if it had a payoff moment for me.

As well, I found the epilogue to be a bit much and a bit too sweet. Not sure if it was a late addition, but it took some of the edge off of the ending for me. Some people will absolutely love it and theoretically it could set up a future sequel, but it was a bit deflating for myself.

Why you should buy this: Rolfe is really humming along and while this doesn’t read like some of Glenn’s traditional books that he’s released in the past, this one shows a really nice progression in how Glenn’s telling his stories and frankly, when a really great writer continues to better themselves with each and every release, the readers are in for a treat.

A book that’ll be a favorite of many readers this year, ‘August’s Eyes’ definitely delivered a fantastic read from start to finish.

5/5

Book Review: Daniel by Marcin Lechna

Title: Daniel

Author: Marcin Lechna

Release date: August 9, 2021

Even though I’m technically closed for review requests, I’ll still get the occasional one that’ll come through that meets my “exception” criteria. New authors or books with limited reviews that sound right up my alley.

So, when Cristina from Authors Large and Small contacted me about ‘Daniel’ by Marcin Lechna, I was intrigued. Marcin has an interesting background and because this was a book first written in Polish and translated to English, it had me wondering what I’d be getting into. Much like foreign horror movies, foreign (to me at least) horror stories don’t follow the formula or the norms. And while this synopsis seemed to lean more to speculative science fiction, I wanted to see what type of experience Lechna had created.

What I liked: ‘Daniel’ is a story about a man, named Daniel, who wakes one day in a white room. It’s sparse and seemingly has no exit. There is a computer which turns on to one singular website where Daniel can click on a few things, but otherwise he’s essentially trapped.

As the days go by, Daniel comes to the conclusion that this place is a puzzle and he must figure out the clues to allow for his escape.

Lechna has written a very unique story here, where there are limited set pieces but a lot of questions and what-ifs. Someone must be watching him. How else can things arrive? Someone must be visiting him. How else can things appear to move?

The prose is great, minimal but impactful and as Daniel goes through his character arc, the subtle shift in writing works really well.

What I didn’t like: It just so happens that this book was sent to be reviewed by the one reviewer who has written a book that is mildly similar with my debut novel ‘Invisible’ that came out almost 5 years ago. If you’ve read that book from myself, you’ll see some of the clues that I did that ultimately made the ending not as impactful as it could’ve been.

For those who haven’t read my book (shame! ha!) the ending will either work for you or it won’t. I think that’ll wholly depend on how much you’ve bought into Daniel’s realizations etc.

As for any worries regarding translation issues, I found none here and nothing felt clunky and there was no odd instances of dialogue.

Why you should buy this: The story was crisp and felt futuristic enough to create questions while reading that can really steer your experience reading this in a number of directions. Lechna does a great job of making Daniel a likeable/relatable character. The story offers the reader that ability to ask themselves ‘what if I woke up in a white room with no exit? What would I do?’ This really heightens the tension.

As for a rating – I’m leaning towards a 3.5/ maybe a 4, but as always – reader experience will vary!

The book launches August 9th, 2021 and looks to be only available currently for pre-ordering through Marcin’s website. If and when this gets added to Goodreads or Amazon, I’ll update this page!

Otherwise you can find out details and ordering links here;

Daniel

Book Review: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Title: A Head Full of Ghosts

Author: Paul Tremblay

Release date: June 2, 2015

** 2015 Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel **

Look, I know a lot of you think I’m only reading Paul Tremblay so I can keep the upper hand over George aka Book Monster aka Sshh_ImReading on Twitter in our ongoing battle of who is a bigger super fan. George for Tremblay – Steve for Andrew Pyper. I think at this point, I hold the upper hand (Sorry, George!) because I’ve now read two of Paul’s releases, the first being the excellent ‘The Cabin At the End of the World’ and now this one – and George will have to correct me here… but I don’t think he’s read a single Pyper release yet. Wow. I know.

But, the truth is – ‘The Cabin…’ was outstanding and George suggested my next Tremblay book should be ‘A Head Full of Ghosts,’ so here we are.

Now, this book was released back in 2015 and won a number of awards and was nominated for a number of awards. This is a book that even if you’ve not read it, you’ve heard of it. Saying all of that – I still had no idea what to expect going in.

What I liked: ‘A Head Full of Ghosts’ follows a family as their daughter, Marjorie either becomes possessed or has a psychotic breakdown. Much like ‘Come Closer’ by Sara Gran, that aspect will be wholly left in the hands of the reader. Depending on how you read the novel and how you want to perceive what’s happening, you’ll fall into one of those two categories and for that Tremblay really did craft a spellbinding gem.

I loved the ambiguity of what is actually happening to Marjorie. The book itself follows Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry and how she’s coping with the incident 15 years later. We get bits and pieces through an informative blog, Merry herself sharing the events, as well as through bits and spurts of what Merry filmed herself. The ‘possession’ was chronicled in a TV show that was part fiction/part dramatization called aptly ‘The Possession’ and what I absolutely adored was how Tremblay also adds in the real world aspects. What occurs when the show begins to air and the community and neighbors see what’s happening behind the closed doors of the house. This was a fascinating aspect and one that I’ve not come across too much in other releases.

There are some truly frightening moments in this, which I think really increased the reader’s experience, no matter which side of the fence you fell on.

Lastly – the ending moments of the show, the aftermath (which we find out in broken down detail in the blog) and the final interview between Merry and Rachel, the woman writing a retrospective on the events, was stunning and will rock even the hardest of readers.

I actually spent a lot of the first 25% wondering if Marjorie herself didn’t exist and this was purely a multiple personality type story, but once I got off that train and accepted her existence (I know, I know), the puzzle pieces Paul gave to us, one piece at a time, was superb.

What I didn’t like: I did find the dad’s abrupt acceptance of religion a bit jarring. It felt like just suddenly he started to pray and wanted a priest to be involved. Maybe I missed something, but that felt like it was a quick character turn.

Also, I hated how poorly Merry was treated throughout. It was necessary to the story but I felt so bad for this character – which was exactly what Tremblay wanted.

Lastly, and this is incredibly minor, but two real life authors are mentioned as fictional characters, with one of those authors books being named as a movie, and that was a bit off for me. It took me a bit out of this “fictional” world. Very minor and I chuckled at it, but I found it strange none-the-less.

Why you should buy this: One incredibly spot on thing that Tremblay did was use the blog within the book to actually compare the book to previous possession/exorcism based novels, which allowed for any similarities to actually be used as part of the confusion around the possessed versus psychotic story line. It was genius. Where you may be a bit put off if you purely read this and thought it was too much based around ‘The Exorcist,’ well, it wasn’t and here’s why. Genius.

Overall, this book was incredibly creepy and unsettling in every aspect. The ending left me with a hole and an ache in my heart with how Merry was used and manipulated. This was such a great character study on trauma and even PTSD, but it wasn’t until I was finished that I fully understood that.

Tremblay delivers a stunning look at a family falling apart in ‘A Head Full of Ghosts.’ I’m certainly glad to have read this and I’m looking forward to diving into ‘Disappearance at Devil’s Rock’ next.

5/5

PS – George (insert tongue sticking out emoji here!). I’m up 2-0!

Book Review: Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie

Title: Suffer the Children

Author: Craig DiLouie

Release date: May 20, 2014

Wow. Just wow. What did I just read. Seriously.

In July of last year, I came across a complete paperback set of The Dark Tower series on Facebook Marketplace. I immediately went to pick it up and while chatting with the man (aka capitalbookreview on Instagram) we shared some books we’d read that were page turners. He asked if I’d read ‘Suffer the Children’ by DiLouie and I was pretty sure I had. Turns out – I hadn’t. Turns out – I didn’t even own it. So, I snagged the Kindle version. I was going to dive into it asap, but lo and behold, I was approved for DiLouie’s ‘The Children of Red Peak.’ I read that and reviewed it in November of 2020 and you know what – as I said then, I repeat now – I loved that book and hated that book. It gave me such a visceral response to it that I wanted to both throw my Kindle across the room (I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! MY PRECIOUSSSS) and drive to DiLouie and shake his hand.

As things go, my TBR is packed, so it took me a bit to get to ‘Suffer the Children.’ When the book came up as the next to read on my list, I didn’t even hesitate. At worst, DiLouie would do it again, craft a story that had me engaged yet furious with reading it, at best – it would be a stunning read. As luck would have it, this one delivered in spades. I didn’t even read the synopsis, I couldn’t recall what it was even about, all I knew was that capitalbookreview had raved about it and at one point the synopsis had left me stunned.

What I liked: DiLouie. What a jerk. You know why? If I would’ve re-read the synopsis, the air from the room wouldn’t have been sucked from it when the hammer drops.

The story opens up simply enough. Regular folks doing regular things. Living life and going about their routines. Then all of the children in the world suddenly die. In the case of one of our main couples, Doug and Joan, Joan has managed to find a time to go see a movie with her friend. Doug takes the two kids to a birthday skating party. While the kids skate around, something starts to happen. The kids drop one by one. And so it begins.

The entire opening of this book was horrific. I was reading it with tears in my eyes and my mouth open. The world came to a stand still. Now, what? What was next? As the world began to comprehend the new reality, DiLouie decides to take it one step further. As the characters begin to say their goodbyes and bury them in mass graves, the kids all come back. Returned to “life.” Herod. A strange, mysterious disease that brings them all back, but only for brief periods of time. I really enjoyed the layered science that Craig uses within, explaining how this disease has infected the kids.

By the time the parents all realize the ‘how’ of getting more time with their kids, changes have begun.

I’ve said it before, I’ve kind of lost all interest in the vampire trope. I’ve never found them scary or all that interesting, but DiLouie does something unique here and reinvents it. Interesting to read this during a Global Pandemic, though. The riffs on society and how people change and became so selfish, so fast really resonate, even though this book came out seven years ago.

While, this book is a ‘vampire’ story, that’s such a minor part of it. You won’t find kids growing fangs or the sun coming up and garlic everywhere. Instead, what you’ll find are doctors struggling to make sense of what’s happened, parents deciding to do whatever it takes to get one more pint of ‘medicine’ and kids losing themselves and transforming. Just a harrowing descent from everyday life to the acceptance that mankind is running out of time.

What I didn’t like: Two things. The first is a specific character. Ramona. She really ground my gears from her introduction until the very end. She was done really well, but if I met her in real life I’d make sure to never talk to her ever again. The second was just how accurate some of the book was. I know that sounds odd, and I loved this book, but the similarities to the world right now and a few things made me angry, remembering how things were with toilet paper shortages and people becoming more selfish and more entitles.

Why you should read this: I’m always a fan of a book when it completely reinvents a popular/common theme and DiLouie’s take on the vampire lore was fantastic. It made me remember how much I loved the show ‘The Strain’ with dealing with real people and real decisions. This wasn’t a secret society battling blood suckers who are super powerful. These were parents struggling with the sudden deaths of their kids and trying to figure out how to keep bringing them back. Very emotional, heart wrenching story and I can see why this was nominated for a Stoker.

Outstanding book and one I’ll not soon forget.

5/5

Book Review: Vaudeville by Greg Chapman

Title: Vaudeville

Author: Greg Chapman

Release date: May 19, 2021

It’d be fair if you were seeing this review and found yourself confused.

Yes, I did recently read and review Chapman’s collection ‘Vaudeville and Other Nightmares.’ And yes, the title story is in that collection. But, now, the title story – a novella – is getting a stand alone release and fans of Chapman know just how fantastic that is, that more people will get their eyes on Greg’s work.

Greg kindly sent me both to read and review and I devoured the main novella and the collection over the course of a few sittings.

What I liked: ‘Vaudeville’ itself is a tense, tight read that is only about 50 pages or so. The story follows a young boy, Anthony, struggling to continue on after his father took his own life in the woods near the family home. His mother has stopped paying attention to him and high school hasn’t been so kind. So, one day, Anthony goes to the woods, searching for answers and finds Mr. Crispin, the leader of the ghoulish gang that inhabits the forest.

Chapman really has created a creepy story, but it’s the truly creepy characters within this that I found most unsettling. Crispin has two other ‘pals’ in his act and everything about this trio was unnerving. The entire time I wished I could yell for Anthony to run home, to stay away, but you know a bargain will be made and consequences will occur.

Greg did a stunning job of bringing the forest and these characters to life and Anthony may be one of the best young characters I’ve ever read. The depth giving to him is amazing and his hurt is palpable.

The ending, or finale, was spot on and as much as it hurt, it was exactly what the story required.

What I didn’t like: The story itself follows a plot line that’s been done before, but that doesn’t hurt it at the end of the day. You know how this will end, but you won’t be able to look away. For me this isn’t a criticism, but for some you may feel like you’ve read similar before.

Why you should buy this: I’ve said it so many times, but Greg Chapman is an author you NEED to be reading. His stories are so amazing and he can flip a switch between emotional depth and blood curdling carnage. Greg is one of my favorite authors and time and time again he delivers dark stories that stay with the reader long after you’re done.

‘Vaudeville’ is a fantastic novella and if you’re someone who loves dark stories that surround circus/carnival themes, you’ll absolutely love this.

Up for pre-order now!

5/5

 

Book Review: Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells

Title: Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3)

Author: Martha Wells

Release date: August 7th, 2018

At this point in sci-fi/action literature, Martha Wells has established herself as one of the greatest living authors and you can reserve a place on each award ballot for whatever her latest Murderbot entry is.

I, of course, am playing catch up in the series. Book 5 has just came out a few weeks back and Tor announced Wells has signed on for three more books in the series. It was originally Patrick Rothfuss who turned me onto this series with his review of book one, but seeing so many folks loving this series, I’ve been excited to dive in.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect with book three, and after book one I’ve stopped reading the synopsis’, so I dove in, wondering what our sarcastic Murderbot would get up to.

What I liked: Book three continues the story of Murderbot trying to get to the bottom of what happened to them many years ago. This is explained in more detail in book one and discussed in book two, but in book three they decide to try and help out the Doc who aided them in book one by trying to find more clues about those events.

Wells has created an iconic character with Murderbot (they even have their own active Twitter feed!) and as always we find them struggling with their desire to get their own answers and ultimately be able to watch tv programs while knowing they ultimately want to help those who’re in danger or following directions that’ll get them killed.

In this one, we get another story line where Murderbot has to tolerate another robot/machine character and it’s here where Wells really excels with the internal workings of Murderbot and how much they despise pleasantries and inside jokes.

The story has a ton of action and acts as a fine stand alone but also pushes the over-arcing plot of the series, which sets up book four really nicely.

What I didn’t like: Ultimately, this was a bit ‘more of the same,’ where we know Murderbot is going to have to protect the humans as they do have a conscious and as much as Wells keeps trying to show us that Murderbot doesn’t care about humans, three books deep tells us otherwise. I’m hoping book four reduces that aspect a bit and we see Murderbot make bigger bounds towards embracing their empathetic side, but I doubt it, ha!

Why you should buy this: If you’re invested in book one and two, you’ll want to keep following along and while this wasn’t the highlight so far of the three books I’ve read, this was a really great follow up and a fun read.

Murderbot is a unique character in that they are, at their base, a killing machine, but it’s a bit like watching Robocop have parts of his human identity burst through and aid in overriding their directives. Book three was a fun time and I’ve excited to jump into book four shortly.

4/5