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Liminal States
Deep water rises.
Abandon your spire.
It is coming.
It is 1874 and Gideon Long is dying. Wandering the savage desert of the New Mexico Territory, he craves a last drink before he bleeds out. On the brink of madness, he discovers a place best left forgotten and makes an insidious bargain: escape his fate and incur a debt too great for one man. His country will pay the price over the twisting course of more than a century and Gideon will learn there are worse things to bargain with than the devil.
(Source: back cover)
Liminal States is the debut novel from SomethingAwful editor Zack Parsons, and it's extraordinary. It begins as a grim, relentless western novel that describes a doomed love triangle between a simple lawman, the twisted scion of an land-baron, and a woman who has married one but thinks she might belong with the other. After a botched train robbery and an epic battle, Gideon (the rich man's son) finds himself gutshot in the desert, led by a mysterious spirit animal to a mystical pool that dissolves him and then reincarnates him, young and whole and vital and immortal. Gideon goes back for the woman he loves, only to discover that she has died in childbirth, and, enraged, he kidnaps the lawman who was her husband and throws him into the pool, too. And now they are both immortal. Every time they die, they are reborn in the pool, over and over, locked in orbit around each other like twin suns being drawn into a destructive nova. This first third of the novel is dark and bloody and remorseless, a story of revenge and tragedy that doesn't let up, until...
Abandon your spire.
It is coming.
It is 1874 and Gideon Long is dying. Wandering the savage desert of the New Mexico Territory, he craves a last drink before he bleeds out. On the brink of madness, he discovers a place best left forgotten and makes an insidious bargain: escape his fate and incur a debt too great for one man. His country will pay the price over the twisting course of more than a century and Gideon will learn there are worse things to bargain with than the devil.
(Source: back cover)
Liminal States is the debut novel from SomethingAwful editor Zack Parsons, and it's extraordinary. It begins as a grim, relentless western novel that describes a doomed love triangle between a simple lawman, the twisted scion of an land-baron, and a woman who has married one but thinks she might belong with the other. After a botched train robbery and an epic battle, Gideon (the rich man's son) finds himself gutshot in the desert, led by a mysterious spirit animal to a mystical pool that dissolves him and then reincarnates him, young and whole and vital and immortal. Gideon goes back for the woman he loves, only to discover that she has died in childbirth, and, enraged, he kidnaps the lawman who was her husband and throws him into the pool, too. And now they are both immortal. Every time they die, they are reborn in the pool, over and over, locked in orbit around each other like twin suns being drawn into a destructive nova. This first third of the novel is dark and bloody and remorseless, a story of revenge and tragedy that doesn't let up, until...
442 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
76 people are currently reading
2171 people want to read
About the author
Zack Parsons
11 books77 followersZack Parsons is a Chicago area writer known for his acerbic commentary and bleakly humorous science fiction. He has authored two non-fiction books, MY TANK IS FIGHT! and YOUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR IS A DRAGON. His works, including That Insidious Beast and CONEX: Convict Connections, have appeared online and in various published anthologies including A COMMONPLACE BOOK OF THE WEIRD: THE UNTOLD STORIES OF H.P. LOVECRAFT and OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS: DOOMSDAY SCENARIOS.
His debut novel, LIMINAL STATES, will be released in April of 2012.
His debut novel, LIMINAL STATES, will be released in April of 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
April 9, 2012
It's 1874.
Gideon Long masterminds a botched train robbery. Gutshot and dying, he escapes into the New Mexico desert. Guided by visions, he crawls into a cave...and emerges younger, unscarred, his wounds miraculously healed. More curse than blessing, what he discovers there will forever change the face of humanity.
Now, hold onto your hat. The book that started as a western morphs into a crime/noir thriller set in 1950s Los Angeles. Long and his archenemy pursue each other for decades, prompting violent confrontations in the unending quest for vengeance.
It all winds up in the year 2006, where we are plunged into pure science fiction/horror as the spores hit the fan, and the world goes pretty nutso. And I haven't even mentioned the giant grasshoppers and flesh-eating mutants...oh, yeah!
Seriously, my words can't do it justice. I have never read ANYTHING like this before!
Gideon Long masterminds a botched train robbery. Gutshot and dying, he escapes into the New Mexico desert. Guided by visions, he crawls into a cave...and emerges younger, unscarred, his wounds miraculously healed. More curse than blessing, what he discovers there will forever change the face of humanity.
Now, hold onto your hat. The book that started as a western morphs into a crime/noir thriller set in 1950s Los Angeles. Long and his archenemy pursue each other for decades, prompting violent confrontations in the unending quest for vengeance.
It all winds up in the year 2006, where we are plunged into pure science fiction/horror as the spores hit the fan, and the world goes pretty nutso. And I haven't even mentioned the giant grasshoppers and flesh-eating mutants...oh, yeah!
Seriously, my words can't do it justice. I have never read ANYTHING like this before!
April 1, 2012
I am convinced that this book will be remembered as one of our generation's great works of science-fiction.
For those of us who reached adulthood just in time to witness the rise of social networking and the slow collapse of American politics in the aftermath of 9/11, this is a novel that plays on our deepest fears. Beneath its sci-fi trappings, Liminal States is a story about being robbed of the illusion that our identities are unique while watching our world march inexorably to self-destruction. It's a story about transhumanism and our slow, insidious drift away from human nature and towards some wholly unplanned and quite possibly catastrophic destination. It's a story about America and its uncertain future.
That this novel worked at all, with its era-hopping, century-spanning plot, is truly a testament to Parsons' skill as an author. The first two acts are not only excellent and well-crafted love letters to their respective genres, but they are core to the plot; where a typical dystopian novel simply drops the reader into its bleak landscape, Liminal States guides the reader down the long road by which its world unravels, from an ominous beginning to an inevitable end.
I urge anyone with any affinity at all for either sci-fi or horror to give Liminal States a chance. Here's hoping this is only the first in a long line of great literary works from Zack Parsons.
For those of us who reached adulthood just in time to witness the rise of social networking and the slow collapse of American politics in the aftermath of 9/11, this is a novel that plays on our deepest fears. Beneath its sci-fi trappings, Liminal States is a story about being robbed of the illusion that our identities are unique while watching our world march inexorably to self-destruction. It's a story about transhumanism and our slow, insidious drift away from human nature and towards some wholly unplanned and quite possibly catastrophic destination. It's a story about America and its uncertain future.
That this novel worked at all, with its era-hopping, century-spanning plot, is truly a testament to Parsons' skill as an author. The first two acts are not only excellent and well-crafted love letters to their respective genres, but they are core to the plot; where a typical dystopian novel simply drops the reader into its bleak landscape, Liminal States guides the reader down the long road by which its world unravels, from an ominous beginning to an inevitable end.
I urge anyone with any affinity at all for either sci-fi or horror to give Liminal States a chance. Here's hoping this is only the first in a long line of great literary works from Zack Parsons.
October 6, 2013
Liminal States gets two-and-a-half stars - the Charlie Sheen of book review scores and the correct, absolutely on the money number of stars it deserves, tru dat. Which makes the insistent choric whisper I hear behind me extremely annoying - yes, I CAN see all those other five star reviews thank you. They're right as well - five stars is also the correct, absolutely on the money number of stars Liminal States deserves.
77058, we have a problem.
Note spoiler tags. If you've not read Liminal States yet, then feck off elsewhere - you're not welcome round these parts. Caveat lector.
You, Zack Parsons, owe me a beer. Not my money back - I bought this, I'll be buying your next novel and I hope all of that lovely money makes you warm and fuzzy and happy. But you owe me a cold one.
I don't think I've ever been so simultaneously enthralled and frustrated by a novel before - from Kindle splashscreen to "Tweet/share that you finished this book" I just never had solid ground under my feet. Instead I spent most of this novel experiencing a persistent, unpleasant intellectual nausea - the sensation that a handful of crucial chunks of info and context were being kept DELIBERATELY kept out of my reach - very uncool.
I'm not 43rd-President slow - I don't think every plot point should be satnav-narrated to me, nor do I expect constant Basil Exposition colour-by-numbers world building. There SHOULD be an opening phase where the mystery of the author's vision needs teasing out into view. But those novels I love with a passion always have an epiphanic moment - that shining pivot where you just "get" what the author is doing and where we might or might not be going. Still waiting Zack, still waiting.
Do I have the right to be so annoyed? You could argue I don't - there's a vast literary landfill out there of badly written 99c monkey-squared-times-typewriter-squared garbage (Yay for Kindle self-publishing!) within which I'd be equally bewildered.
Except.
Liminal States isn't landfill - it's the rarest fucking white truffle you can find, and whilst the I-have-no-idea-where-the-fuck-I-am-or-what-I'm-doing-here problem was a drag, I still enjoyed the view - the range and ambition of the writing here is giddyingly exciting and Parsons wears multiple genre tropes with catwalk-like elegance.
Oh, and how many other genre authors could write a divergent history of the Twentieth Century WITHOUT gorging on the low-hanging fruit of The Kennedys and the Titanic? - now that is self-control. Best of all, Parsons wrote the whole thing as a NOVEL - not as a screenplay-in-waiting (hello Robopocalypse).
Liminal States was a genuine frustration for me then, but I do recognise great writing when I'm in it. So, here's the plan Zack. Next time we go for a spin, just glance in the rearview once in a while and check that last hairpin didn't, y'know, toss us all the fuck out. Cheers.
77058, we have a problem.
Note spoiler tags. If you've not read Liminal States yet, then feck off elsewhere - you're not welcome round these parts. Caveat lector.
You, Zack Parsons, owe me a beer. Not my money back - I bought this, I'll be buying your next novel and I hope all of that lovely money makes you warm and fuzzy and happy. But you owe me a cold one.
I don't think I've ever been so simultaneously enthralled and frustrated by a novel before - from Kindle splashscreen to "Tweet/share that you finished this book" I just never had solid ground under my feet. Instead I spent most of this novel experiencing a persistent, unpleasant intellectual nausea - the sensation that a handful of crucial chunks of info and context were being kept DELIBERATELY kept out of my reach - very uncool.
I'm not 43rd-President slow - I don't think every plot point should be satnav-narrated to me, nor do I expect constant Basil Exposition colour-by-numbers world building. There SHOULD be an opening phase where the mystery of the author's vision needs teasing out into view. But those novels I love with a passion always have an epiphanic moment - that shining pivot where you just "get" what the author is doing and where we might or might not be going. Still waiting Zack, still waiting.
Do I have the right to be so annoyed? You could argue I don't - there's a vast literary landfill out there of badly written 99c monkey-squared-times-typewriter-squared garbage (Yay for Kindle self-publishing!) within which I'd be equally bewildered.
Except.
Liminal States isn't landfill - it's the rarest fucking white truffle you can find, and whilst the I-have-no-idea-where-the-fuck-I-am-or-what-I'm-doing-here problem was a drag, I still enjoyed the view - the range and ambition of the writing here is giddyingly exciting and Parsons wears multiple genre tropes with catwalk-like elegance.
Oh, and how many other genre authors could write a divergent history of the Twentieth Century WITHOUT gorging on the low-hanging fruit of The Kennedys and the Titanic? - now that is self-control. Best of all, Parsons wrote the whole thing as a NOVEL - not as a screenplay-in-waiting (hello Robopocalypse).
Liminal States was a genuine frustration for me then, but I do recognise great writing when I'm in it. So, here's the plan Zack. Next time we go for a spin, just glance in the rearview once in a while and check that last hairpin didn't, y'know, toss us all the fuck out. Cheers.
April 3, 2012
I don't often read fiction, but Liminal States is a work of art worthy of the highest regard. As another reviewer has said, it is more an experience than a book and will leave your mind firing on all pistons after you've finished reading it. It is a deep, complex tale that will fill you with dread and keep you on the edge of your seat as you journey through it. Leave any expectations of standard sci-fi narrative development at the door, as this book will absolutely turn them on their head. If you want a fresh, well researched and well executed apocalyptic sci-fi story, you NEED to have this on your shelf.
The novel is split into three books, each taking place in a different era. It begins as a Western tale of crime, justice, love lost and a deal that puts Faust to shame. The next book takes place in the 1950's and is constructed as noir. The final book takes place in 2006 in a dystopian Los Angeles. These three very different genres constitute a masterfully crafted whole, as the characters navigate a drastically changing world. As the title suggests, changes and becomings are a huge thema within the book and the way the author set up the characters and the narrative itself as constantly in flux makes Liminal States something really special.
While it is an enjoyable and extremely interesting read on its own, there is a lot of depth to it for those wishing to dig further. The author used concepts from Deleuze and Guattari's "A Thousand Plateaus" in writing this, among other philosophical works. While none of this is needed to read the book whatsoever, those who are familiar with some of these concepts will possibly get a richer experience from it as things begin to click as the narrative unfolds. Either way, Liminal States will leave you with enough questions and food for thought to last quite a while. You will want to kick this one around with fellow readers to share the experience.
Also, as others have mentioned, an alternate reality game took place before the novel's release, giving little snippets of the universe Liminal States takes place in. Using music from Conelrad ([...]), artwork by Josh Hass (zombiemariachis.com) and video done by Dan Sollis (digitaldistortion.net), a series of video trailers and illustrations were created to accompany the book (you can see all the ARG related stuff at Liminalstates.com). The synergy and talent of this crew produced excellent supplementary material and matched the mood of Liminal States to a T. If descriptions of the book have caught your interest, I would highly recommend taking a look at what they have built for it, as these are great works of art on their own.
In conclusion, Liminal States is a genre-defying, creative and heavy-hitting novel that will haunt you long after you close it. Like the character Casper Cord, you will wander through its halls, peak through its doors and constantly wonder what is in store around the next corner as you begin to realize the scale and scope of the terrifying plot developing around you. The conclusion will leave you stunned. Don't miss out on this one!
The novel is split into three books, each taking place in a different era. It begins as a Western tale of crime, justice, love lost and a deal that puts Faust to shame. The next book takes place in the 1950's and is constructed as noir. The final book takes place in 2006 in a dystopian Los Angeles. These three very different genres constitute a masterfully crafted whole, as the characters navigate a drastically changing world. As the title suggests, changes and becomings are a huge thema within the book and the way the author set up the characters and the narrative itself as constantly in flux makes Liminal States something really special.
While it is an enjoyable and extremely interesting read on its own, there is a lot of depth to it for those wishing to dig further. The author used concepts from Deleuze and Guattari's "A Thousand Plateaus" in writing this, among other philosophical works. While none of this is needed to read the book whatsoever, those who are familiar with some of these concepts will possibly get a richer experience from it as things begin to click as the narrative unfolds. Either way, Liminal States will leave you with enough questions and food for thought to last quite a while. You will want to kick this one around with fellow readers to share the experience.
Also, as others have mentioned, an alternate reality game took place before the novel's release, giving little snippets of the universe Liminal States takes place in. Using music from Conelrad ([...]), artwork by Josh Hass (zombiemariachis.com) and video done by Dan Sollis (digitaldistortion.net), a series of video trailers and illustrations were created to accompany the book (you can see all the ARG related stuff at Liminalstates.com). The synergy and talent of this crew produced excellent supplementary material and matched the mood of Liminal States to a T. If descriptions of the book have caught your interest, I would highly recommend taking a look at what they have built for it, as these are great works of art on their own.
In conclusion, Liminal States is a genre-defying, creative and heavy-hitting novel that will haunt you long after you close it. Like the character Casper Cord, you will wander through its halls, peak through its doors and constantly wonder what is in store around the next corner as you begin to realize the scale and scope of the terrifying plot developing around you. The conclusion will leave you stunned. Don't miss out on this one!
March 23, 2012
I've read a good bit of scifi in my day, but rarely any so exciting and satisfying. It starts with a simple premise: a dying man in the desert makes a Faustian bargain. However, the repercussions are massive beyond guessing. The plot races forward, becoming ever more expansive and ambitious as the book goes on. There was a point when I was concerned that the author had over-reached in this regard, which I'll get to shortly.
The story is divided into three acts, each taking place in different time periods. It starts out in New Mexico with a western flavor, then into a hard-boiled 1950s murder mystery, and finally into the present. The circumstances had become so complicated by the final act that the story lost a bit of momentum when it stopped to get us caught up. The first two parts were very focused, and I was concerned that the intensity was going to be lost. For a very short while it was, but it quickly picked up momentum and was back in fine form for the (totally crazy and awesome) finale.
I would highly recommend this book for fans of science fiction and alternate histories.
The story is divided into three acts, each taking place in different time periods. It starts out in New Mexico with a western flavor, then into a hard-boiled 1950s murder mystery, and finally into the present. The circumstances had become so complicated by the final act that the story lost a bit of momentum when it stopped to get us caught up. The first two parts were very focused, and I was concerned that the intensity was going to be lost. For a very short while it was, but it quickly picked up momentum and was back in fine form for the (totally crazy and awesome) finale.
I would highly recommend this book for fans of science fiction and alternate histories.
October 20, 2023
Penulis fiksi ilmiah seringkali mencoba menciptakan dunia yang konsisten dengan prinsip-prinsip ilmiah yang diketahui atau membayangkan teknologi baru yang mungkin muncul di masa mendatang. Namun, walaupun fiksi ilmiah bersandar pada ilmu pengetahuan, tetapi tetap memberi ruang untuk kreasi imajinatif & spekulasi.
Begitulah novel ini membahas hal tersebut juga. Cerita ini berpusat di sekitar penemuan teknologi yang memungkinkan perpindahan kesadaran manusia antar-dimensi atau keadaan "Liminal States" yang berbatasan di antara kehidupan & kematian.
Seorang peneliti bernama David yang menemukan teknologi ini. Dia mencoba untuk menguasainya. Namun ternyata, itu tak semudah yang dipikirkannya ketika munculnya berbagai tekanan dari pemerintah hingga organisasi rahasia 😱
Selama perjalanan David, aku dihadapkan pada pertanyaan filosofis tentang identitas, kehidupan, dan kematian, serta implikasi etis dari teknologi ini.
🤔 Apa arti sejati dari identitas? Apakah realitas bersifat relatif atau mutlak? Apakah ada kebebasan mutlak atau kita terikat oleh nasib? Bagaimana konsep waktu mempengaruhi eksistensi? Apa batasan-batasan moral dan etika? Apakah ada esensi atau tujuan eksistensial manusia?
Aku suka banget ketika novel ini memainkan unsur ketegangan & misteri seiring dengan eksplorasi ide-ide filosofis yang mendalam 😌
Sebagai karya fiksi ilmiah yang kompleks, ku akui "Liminal States" menawarkan pengalaman membaca yang menggugah pikiran & mengundang refleksi tentang esensi manusia, teknologi, dan juga realitas.
Novel ini rekomended untuk kamu yang suka fiksi spekulatif, penggemar konsep multidimensional, mencari karakter yang kompleks & suka tantangan filosofis ❤️
Begitulah novel ini membahas hal tersebut juga. Cerita ini berpusat di sekitar penemuan teknologi yang memungkinkan perpindahan kesadaran manusia antar-dimensi atau keadaan "Liminal States" yang berbatasan di antara kehidupan & kematian.
Seorang peneliti bernama David yang menemukan teknologi ini. Dia mencoba untuk menguasainya. Namun ternyata, itu tak semudah yang dipikirkannya ketika munculnya berbagai tekanan dari pemerintah hingga organisasi rahasia 😱
Selama perjalanan David, aku dihadapkan pada pertanyaan filosofis tentang identitas, kehidupan, dan kematian, serta implikasi etis dari teknologi ini.
🤔 Apa arti sejati dari identitas? Apakah realitas bersifat relatif atau mutlak? Apakah ada kebebasan mutlak atau kita terikat oleh nasib? Bagaimana konsep waktu mempengaruhi eksistensi? Apa batasan-batasan moral dan etika? Apakah ada esensi atau tujuan eksistensial manusia?
Aku suka banget ketika novel ini memainkan unsur ketegangan & misteri seiring dengan eksplorasi ide-ide filosofis yang mendalam 😌
Sebagai karya fiksi ilmiah yang kompleks, ku akui "Liminal States" menawarkan pengalaman membaca yang menggugah pikiran & mengundang refleksi tentang esensi manusia, teknologi, dan juga realitas.
Novel ini rekomended untuk kamu yang suka fiksi spekulatif, penggemar konsep multidimensional, mencari karakter yang kompleks & suka tantangan filosofis ❤️
December 8, 2012
Zack Parsons will (should, must) be remembered as our modern reply to Arthur C. Clarke. This book assuredly will become a timeless sci-fi classic. Almost like three books in one, this novel dances across genres with an ease and cohesiveness I have never before witnessed. The first book is a high-falutin' Wild West meets hallucinogenic science fiction novel. I struggled to follow along with each new set of Warrens and Gideons, but was intrigued by the mysterious powers of the Pool and what they were experiencing during their time in it.
The second book fast-forwards to the 1950s and maintains a criminal seedy noir feeling that permeates each sentence. Parsons must have paid close attention if and when he read Raymond Chandler, because his style is as catchy, dark and fulfilling. The mystery picks up speed and things begin to fall into place a bit more, filling in some of the gaps for the reader.
The third and final book moves into modern day. An excellent allegory about our modern capitalist society, our obsession with profit over understanding, our lack of community, our need to know how to provide for ourselves are common themes in this section. The mystery unfolds with greater anxiety at this point, until the rush of the final pages.
I cannot describe what this book is about in a few sentences - it is an impossible task. The language oscillates between violence unparalleled to anything I ever witnessed - the descriptions of violence in this novel are intense and caused physical reactions in me that no other book has caused. The romance, the drama, it is all so extreme and intense that I shuddered with every turning page. I highly recommend this book to ANYBODY. I know this review does it no justice, but it is not possible to do so. Simply read it, change your world view, and quietly digest it for decades to come.
I eagerly anticipate revisiting this novel in the near future.
The second book fast-forwards to the 1950s and maintains a criminal seedy noir feeling that permeates each sentence. Parsons must have paid close attention if and when he read Raymond Chandler, because his style is as catchy, dark and fulfilling. The mystery picks up speed and things begin to fall into place a bit more, filling in some of the gaps for the reader.
The third and final book moves into modern day. An excellent allegory about our modern capitalist society, our obsession with profit over understanding, our lack of community, our need to know how to provide for ourselves are common themes in this section. The mystery unfolds with greater anxiety at this point, until the rush of the final pages.
I cannot describe what this book is about in a few sentences - it is an impossible task. The language oscillates between violence unparalleled to anything I ever witnessed - the descriptions of violence in this novel are intense and caused physical reactions in me that no other book has caused. The romance, the drama, it is all so extreme and intense that I shuddered with every turning page. I highly recommend this book to ANYBODY. I know this review does it no justice, but it is not possible to do so. Simply read it, change your world view, and quietly digest it for decades to come.
I eagerly anticipate revisiting this novel in the near future.
October 1, 2018
I tried so very hard with this, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I’d settle down to read, and the “time left to finish” would be 3 hours. My mind would wander, I would just stare at the page, I would go back to see if I had missed something. When I’d get up, the “time left to finish” would be 3 hours 45 minutes.
There just wasn’t anything I felt invested in. There wasn’t anything I felt I could possibly become invested in. Heck, there wasn’t anything I even wanted to read. When I finally called it quits, it felt as though a burden had been lifted.
There just wasn’t anything I felt invested in. There wasn’t anything I felt I could possibly become invested in. Heck, there wasn’t anything I even wanted to read. When I finally called it quits, it felt as though a burden had been lifted.
April 7, 2012
Liminal States is a book bursting at the seams with genre ideas; so much so that, while this admittedly accounts for a lot of its originality and power, it also damns it to a story lacking emotional resonance.
The novel's unique structure is surely its biggest selling point: its three parts are in turn Western/horror, noir thriller, and SF dystopia. While the events in all three parts interlock successfully, they lack an emotional continuity; that is to say, the emotional investment made by the reader in one part of the book do not carry over into the next. What remains are three very different stories, taking place in three eras of the same strange, original world, but very little emotional depth to tie them together.
It's too bad, because in the first third, Liminal States comes very close to pathos and resonance. There's a moment where the rivalry between Gideon Long and Warren Groves kicks into high gear that promises a tense, psychotic conflict to color the rest of the story. But instead of using this conflict to anchor the rest of whole story arc, the author seems more concerned about pushing his world building into yet more unexpected directions.
Some of these directions work well. The SF dystopian setting was interesting, if perhaps burdened by too many complications like the spore infections. But some of the genre-melding is excessive: the alternate history bits, for instance, bring absolutely nothing to the story; nor is there any justification for setting the final part in 2006, instead of placing it into the near-future. Everything about this book would have worked without bringing in alternate history elements that weaken verisimilitude.
The noir setting in Part 2 was the most interesting, but also the most flawed and representative of Parsons' attempt at genre pyrotechnics. When it was used mostly for flavor, it worked well; but most of the times, it bogged down an otherwise interesting tale of secret societies and duplicity with clichés that were meant to ape the thriller genre, rather than leverage its strengths and successful tropes.
Ultimately, that's what takes away from Liminal States' potential for greatness: the characters and their very interesting predicament are forgotten in the chaos and the noise of the blending of genres, and we learn very little of what drives them. Their conflict is lost, and moreso unresolved, by the time the story ends. What remains is an impressive tour de force of genre blending and world building, but the whole impressive construct, well written though it is, lacks emotional depth and resonance.
The novel's unique structure is surely its biggest selling point: its three parts are in turn Western/horror, noir thriller, and SF dystopia. While the events in all three parts interlock successfully, they lack an emotional continuity; that is to say, the emotional investment made by the reader in one part of the book do not carry over into the next. What remains are three very different stories, taking place in three eras of the same strange, original world, but very little emotional depth to tie them together.
It's too bad, because in the first third, Liminal States comes very close to pathos and resonance. There's a moment where the rivalry between Gideon Long and Warren Groves kicks into high gear that promises a tense, psychotic conflict to color the rest of the story. But instead of using this conflict to anchor the rest of whole story arc, the author seems more concerned about pushing his world building into yet more unexpected directions.
Some of these directions work well. The SF dystopian setting was interesting, if perhaps burdened by too many complications like the spore infections. But some of the genre-melding is excessive: the alternate history bits, for instance, bring absolutely nothing to the story; nor is there any justification for setting the final part in 2006, instead of placing it into the near-future. Everything about this book would have worked without bringing in alternate history elements that weaken verisimilitude.
The noir setting in Part 2 was the most interesting, but also the most flawed and representative of Parsons' attempt at genre pyrotechnics. When it was used mostly for flavor, it worked well; but most of the times, it bogged down an otherwise interesting tale of secret societies and duplicity with clichés that were meant to ape the thriller genre, rather than leverage its strengths and successful tropes.
Ultimately, that's what takes away from Liminal States' potential for greatness: the characters and their very interesting predicament are forgotten in the chaos and the noise of the blending of genres, and we learn very little of what drives them. Their conflict is lost, and moreso unresolved, by the time the story ends. What remains is an impressive tour de force of genre blending and world building, but the whole impressive construct, well written though it is, lacks emotional depth and resonance.
June 15, 2013
A long meandering story. There are three stories that were poorly spliced together to create this novel. The book reads like the author had the start of three different stories but could not write suitable conclusions to any of them, then the diseased muse stepped in and helped him to tie together the stories in the a manner that would even make Rube Goldberg cringe. The first story showed some promise--but it became apparent that the story could not be ended in a reasonable manner and instead morphs into the section section, and finally the third. The last part of the book is a poor clone a Burroughs novel--which is probably what people find the most attractive about the book--I was not fooled, I know real Burroughs and have little patience for a poor lookalike.
July 17, 2012
Probably the best book I'll read this summer. Parsons can write. I mean, he can really, really write. The prose is consistently clever and careful. And while I imagine a fair number of readers may be put off by what they take to be the gimmicky nature of the novel's structure, a pastiche of dime Western, pulp noir, and horror, I also find the conceit not only skillfully handled but very affecting, even gripping. Outsize in its imaginative ambitions, Parsons's novel actually delivers what it promises. Definitely a keeper.
April 2, 2012
Very strange, very good. Three genres in one book- western, hard boiled, cyber thriller.
May 11, 2012
An alternative American history told through American genre fiction. I respect this book more than I liked it. Recommended for SF fans who like their stories' plots and scales to spiral ever upward.
October 25, 2019
Western > Existential horror > Noir > Cosmic horror > dystopia > apocalyptic horror
There's a LOT going on here. It's good, but dang it's hard to follow in places
There's a LOT going on here. It's good, but dang it's hard to follow in places
April 23, 2012
SUMMARY: A brutal story told through three different genres that centers around the discovery of a strange pool that can revive and duplicate any creatures that fall into it. Brilliantly realized, the novel still suffers a little from some flaws common to first-time fiction.
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Parsons has written a couple nonfiction books, but this is his first fiction novel. The tale mostly concerns two men -- Warren Groves, a wild west officer with murder in his bones, and Gideon Long, a man made cruelly desperate by his wealthy father's emotional abuse. After a train robbery/childbirth gone wrong, the two men cross paths and end up discovering a sort of Fountain of Youth that has the power to revive them every time they die, and which also begins regularly producing duplicates of their past selves. As time passes, these duplicates begin to cause problems, and the true nature of the magical pool is revealed to be far more sinister than it seems.
Although I am not a big fan of Westerns, I was immediately drawn into the tale by Parsons' slick, minutely-detailed prose. His depiction of the big train robbery, for instance, enthralled me in a way few books have in recent years. Furthermore, Parsons' construction of this alternate world is so rich and fully-realized that it is truly impressive. Astounding even. The story is unique, and although the elements of it are often times bewilderingly complex, Parsons' sumptuous prose keeps the story from feeling like a chore.
Parsons does succumb to a flaw common to first-time writers of fiction: overwriting. As far as flaws go, this is the kind you WANT to have, especially if your writing is as accomplished as Parsons'. Still, the book has multiple moments where Parsons' prose seems to coil into itself, admiring its own beauty, and although the writing is, indeed, beautiful, its self-indulgent tone often detracts from the story itself. This is especially true of the very beginning of the book (which was written with such exaggerated poeticism that I shut the book and nearly did not open it again).
This leads to a second problem: there is no tension to the tale. It is masterfully told, brilliantly constructed, and vividly imagined, but there is a lack of humanity to the story. Parsons attempts to use Groves' and Long's rivalry to give juice to the character-driven aspects of the tale, but these two men are not particularly sympathetic or relatable, and their rivalry fades in import as the tale gains scope. In light of the vast richness of the story, this isn't a terribly big problem, although it does render meaningless several key elements of the book. For instance, a character named Milo makes a critical but baffling decision at the climax of the novel, irrevocably altering the shape of the story for every character. Although it is clear he made the decision for deeply emotional reasons, even the most careful of readers would have difficulty accepting or comprehending those reasons. At what should be the tensest moment of the story, there is mostly just confusion.
Parsons touches on concepts of humanity, individuality, family, love, memory, history, and power, but his tale sprawls so much that what lessons he hopes to illuminate get lost in the noise. Once again, if he'd had the talents of a more ruthless editor, he could've cut the clutter and delivered one of the greatest sci-fi novels I've ever read. Instead, there are lovingly crafted passages that seem to have little bearing on the book (transcripts of phone calls home, overlong descriptions of people navigating hidden passageways, and at least two of the most graphic and brutal scenes of cannibalism I've ever read, both of them nauseating me so much I had to stop reading for awhile). As a Lit major, of course, I can see what Parson's is trying to do, the morals or symbols he's trying to convey, but at the same time, I can also see that they're only secondary to the main thrust of his story, and therefore they slow the book down.
The second portion of the book -- written in the form of a hard-boiled detective thriller -- is the only part of the tale written from the first person point of view (that of Casper Cord, a sort of private eye). Casper's story is meant to tie together the first and third portions of the book, and although it does that in a solid way, Parsons' decision to let Cord tell the tale was distracting as well. I will reiterate: I loved Parsons' prose and admired his ability to shift and bend genres, but he dropped the ball here. Cord tries to talk like your typically noirish detective, referring to people as "palookas" and fist-fighting as "chin music," but in the next breath Casper will describe in over-lush detail a "conflagration" or "spiracle" or "ossuary" as opposed to simply saying saying "fire" or "hole" or "bone orchard."
I know I am spending far more time on the negatives than a four-star review might warrant, but that's because I was so impressed and blown away by the rest of the book that these minor complaints stood out in greater and greater detail as the pages turned. If you don't have a weak stomach, if you like complex sci-fi, and if you are a patient reader with a love of great prose over great characters, then I highly recommend this tale. I will definitely be buying Parsons' next book, and I'm hoping that a little practice and experience will have sanded away these rough spots and left Parsons' with the makings of my next favorite writer.
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Parsons has written a couple nonfiction books, but this is his first fiction novel. The tale mostly concerns two men -- Warren Groves, a wild west officer with murder in his bones, and Gideon Long, a man made cruelly desperate by his wealthy father's emotional abuse. After a train robbery/childbirth gone wrong, the two men cross paths and end up discovering a sort of Fountain of Youth that has the power to revive them every time they die, and which also begins regularly producing duplicates of their past selves. As time passes, these duplicates begin to cause problems, and the true nature of the magical pool is revealed to be far more sinister than it seems.
Although I am not a big fan of Westerns, I was immediately drawn into the tale by Parsons' slick, minutely-detailed prose. His depiction of the big train robbery, for instance, enthralled me in a way few books have in recent years. Furthermore, Parsons' construction of this alternate world is so rich and fully-realized that it is truly impressive. Astounding even. The story is unique, and although the elements of it are often times bewilderingly complex, Parsons' sumptuous prose keeps the story from feeling like a chore.
Parsons does succumb to a flaw common to first-time writers of fiction: overwriting. As far as flaws go, this is the kind you WANT to have, especially if your writing is as accomplished as Parsons'. Still, the book has multiple moments where Parsons' prose seems to coil into itself, admiring its own beauty, and although the writing is, indeed, beautiful, its self-indulgent tone often detracts from the story itself. This is especially true of the very beginning of the book (which was written with such exaggerated poeticism that I shut the book and nearly did not open it again).
This leads to a second problem: there is no tension to the tale. It is masterfully told, brilliantly constructed, and vividly imagined, but there is a lack of humanity to the story. Parsons attempts to use Groves' and Long's rivalry to give juice to the character-driven aspects of the tale, but these two men are not particularly sympathetic or relatable, and their rivalry fades in import as the tale gains scope. In light of the vast richness of the story, this isn't a terribly big problem, although it does render meaningless several key elements of the book. For instance, a character named Milo makes a critical but baffling decision at the climax of the novel, irrevocably altering the shape of the story for every character. Although it is clear he made the decision for deeply emotional reasons, even the most careful of readers would have difficulty accepting or comprehending those reasons. At what should be the tensest moment of the story, there is mostly just confusion.
Parsons touches on concepts of humanity, individuality, family, love, memory, history, and power, but his tale sprawls so much that what lessons he hopes to illuminate get lost in the noise. Once again, if he'd had the talents of a more ruthless editor, he could've cut the clutter and delivered one of the greatest sci-fi novels I've ever read. Instead, there are lovingly crafted passages that seem to have little bearing on the book (transcripts of phone calls home, overlong descriptions of people navigating hidden passageways, and at least two of the most graphic and brutal scenes of cannibalism I've ever read, both of them nauseating me so much I had to stop reading for awhile). As a Lit major, of course, I can see what Parson's is trying to do, the morals or symbols he's trying to convey, but at the same time, I can also see that they're only secondary to the main thrust of his story, and therefore they slow the book down.
The second portion of the book -- written in the form of a hard-boiled detective thriller -- is the only part of the tale written from the first person point of view (that of Casper Cord, a sort of private eye). Casper's story is meant to tie together the first and third portions of the book, and although it does that in a solid way, Parsons' decision to let Cord tell the tale was distracting as well. I will reiterate: I loved Parsons' prose and admired his ability to shift and bend genres, but he dropped the ball here. Cord tries to talk like your typically noirish detective, referring to people as "palookas" and fist-fighting as "chin music," but in the next breath Casper will describe in over-lush detail a "conflagration" or "spiracle" or "ossuary" as opposed to simply saying saying "fire" or "hole" or "bone orchard."
I know I am spending far more time on the negatives than a four-star review might warrant, but that's because I was so impressed and blown away by the rest of the book that these minor complaints stood out in greater and greater detail as the pages turned. If you don't have a weak stomach, if you like complex sci-fi, and if you are a patient reader with a love of great prose over great characters, then I highly recommend this tale. I will definitely be buying Parsons' next book, and I'm hoping that a little practice and experience will have sanded away these rough spots and left Parsons' with the makings of my next favorite writer.
July 15, 2017
The book starts as a fairly sleepy western, and then builds to a fully fledged multi-generational scifi. And horror. Reminiscent of Stephen King in how the mundane interfaces with the fantastic.
December 25, 2019
Sci-Fi gets the Cloud Atlas treatment.
March 12, 2015
Originally posted on my blog, SpecFic Junkie.
What is the worst thing you can do to a grief-stricken windower who has a death wish? Grant him eternal life. The only problem is, when you mess with forces you don't truly understand, you almost always get unintended consequences.
Liminal States starts off as your basic love triangle (or should I say love angle? two men and a woman, but the men aren't interested in each other, at least in a romantic way...) but quickly becomes far more interesting. Warren's wife, who is Gideon's secret lover, dies. Gideon blames her death on Warren, and so forces him into the "Pool" Gideon found earlier when (sheriff)Warren nearly killed him due to being part of a terrible, fatality-ridden train robbery. Originally, Gideon was going to kill him, but Warren was so miserable with his wife's death, Gideon (rightly) thought that eternal life granted by the Pool would be a much worse punishment.
While that premise might sound kind of convoluted, the writing itself makes it seem pretty straight-forward. The pacing is slow, but it's exactly as slow as it needs to be. The story feels like it builds gradually, at the rate it should. Considering how intricate some of the stories get, this is definitely necessary.
The writing also works in the same way. It's not overly intricate, although there are some $5 words tossed here and there. Complex sentences are used when complex sentences will benefit the story, not for their own sake. I found myself noticing repeatedly how Zack Parsons was able to utilize short, choppy sentences to really convey the tone he needed for a section. Unfortunately, there were a few typos in the eBook I got. However, for the most part, they were not super distracting and are the type that are easy to miss.
What made me happiest about this book was the fact that it actually continually took a turn for the unexpected. It's been a while since I read a book where I literally did not see what was coming in the future. It also fulfilled my insatiable need for fiction with transience (I mean, the thing is named Liminal States), justifying the amoral or ambiguously moral, alternate thoughts about identity formation and death, and just some plain old weirdness.
As Liminal States does this, though, it's not shoving it super hard in your face. There are really no (or very few) moments where it sits down and goes, "Hello reader. I'm trying to tell you something, but I don't trust that you're smart enough to figure it out on your own. So let me spell it out for you in ways that insult your intelligence."
One thing to keep in mind if you pick this up, is that it starts in the 19th century and spends quite a bit of time in the 1950s. As such, it is full of period appropriate -isms. Primarily, this is racism, but there's definitely some sexism and homophobia in there as well. However, unlike with a lot of authors, I didn't feel like the author himself was espousing these beliefs, even though the middle section, set in 1951, is entirely written in the first person. Usually, I get annoyed at books written in the first person, however, in this case, it felt entirely appropriate for the story at hand.
Which leads me to my final thoughts. One thing I really liked about this book was how genre-bending it is. It's be easy to call it... science fantasy, maybe. Or straight up science fiction. Or new weird. It's definitely alt history, in some ways. But really, what it is, is a book that is able to borrow from a lot of speculative fiction tropes and assumptions without relying on them heavily enough for it to be easily typed.
Oh no, wait, one more thought: there were a few scenes that actually grossed me out. This makes me so happy. (It's uncommon, okay?)
What is the worst thing you can do to a grief-stricken windower who has a death wish? Grant him eternal life. The only problem is, when you mess with forces you don't truly understand, you almost always get unintended consequences.
Liminal States starts off as your basic love triangle (or should I say love angle? two men and a woman, but the men aren't interested in each other, at least in a romantic way...) but quickly becomes far more interesting. Warren's wife, who is Gideon's secret lover, dies. Gideon blames her death on Warren, and so forces him into the "Pool" Gideon found earlier when (sheriff)Warren nearly killed him due to being part of a terrible, fatality-ridden train robbery. Originally, Gideon was going to kill him, but Warren was so miserable with his wife's death, Gideon (rightly) thought that eternal life granted by the Pool would be a much worse punishment.
While that premise might sound kind of convoluted, the writing itself makes it seem pretty straight-forward. The pacing is slow, but it's exactly as slow as it needs to be. The story feels like it builds gradually, at the rate it should. Considering how intricate some of the stories get, this is definitely necessary.
The writing also works in the same way. It's not overly intricate, although there are some $5 words tossed here and there. Complex sentences are used when complex sentences will benefit the story, not for their own sake. I found myself noticing repeatedly how Zack Parsons was able to utilize short, choppy sentences to really convey the tone he needed for a section. Unfortunately, there were a few typos in the eBook I got. However, for the most part, they were not super distracting and are the type that are easy to miss.
What made me happiest about this book was the fact that it actually continually took a turn for the unexpected. It's been a while since I read a book where I literally did not see what was coming in the future. It also fulfilled my insatiable need for fiction with transience (I mean, the thing is named Liminal States), justifying the amoral or ambiguously moral, alternate thoughts about identity formation and death, and just some plain old weirdness.
As Liminal States does this, though, it's not shoving it super hard in your face. There are really no (or very few) moments where it sits down and goes, "Hello reader. I'm trying to tell you something, but I don't trust that you're smart enough to figure it out on your own. So let me spell it out for you in ways that insult your intelligence."
One thing to keep in mind if you pick this up, is that it starts in the 19th century and spends quite a bit of time in the 1950s. As such, it is full of period appropriate -isms. Primarily, this is racism, but there's definitely some sexism and homophobia in there as well. However, unlike with a lot of authors, I didn't feel like the author himself was espousing these beliefs, even though the middle section, set in 1951, is entirely written in the first person. Usually, I get annoyed at books written in the first person, however, in this case, it felt entirely appropriate for the story at hand.
Which leads me to my final thoughts. One thing I really liked about this book was how genre-bending it is. It's be easy to call it... science fantasy, maybe. Or straight up science fiction. Or new weird. It's definitely alt history, in some ways. But really, what it is, is a book that is able to borrow from a lot of speculative fiction tropes and assumptions without relying on them heavily enough for it to be easily typed.
Oh no, wait, one more thought: there were a few scenes that actually grossed me out. This makes me so happy. (It's uncommon, okay?)
January 29, 2014
This book is seriously good, but it's hard to explain why without spoilers. This is because the book is (loosely) split into three novellas, set in the 1870s, the 1950s and the 2000s - with a few short scenes in between - and discussing the last two rather gives away the mystery on which the first one rests.
I'll therefore say a bit about this first part, and then issue a warning, and you may want to look away from the rest of the review.
First, the book opens with a couple of pages which are very hard to understand, the narrative of a - what? - a "thing" of some sort but a "thing" that identifies with two men, and that seems to be giving a warning. This section was slightly offputting, my advice would be not to worry too much about it, it will make sense eventually.
So, then the story itself opens. We are in the Old West, the parched lands of New Mexico in the 1870s in the company town of Spark. We meet a sheriff. We meet the pampered son of the factory owner. And we meet the woman they both want. After a little backstory showing where each of these three came from, and why they are like they are, the rivalry spills over into robbery, revenge and a great deal of killing. It's basically a Western, but a Western with a fantastic, eerie secret at its heart, a secret that is explored through the rest of the book. The secret can give life, but those who are saved by it are changed for ever, and irreversibly so.
In the second part (look away now if you want to avoid those spoilers!) Parsons begins to explore the consequences of this. Two men dies, were reborn, and continue to be reborn: what does this mean for them, and for society around them? How can all those duplicates live? Told as a classic, hardboiled detective story, this second part documents an investigation by a tough PI. There are sleazy dives. There is an alluring woman. There are thugs, who beat up our hero at the behest of mysterious bosses. And yet everything is still conditioned, still determined, by the strange power discovered in that New Mexico cave sixty years before. It is starting to change the world - there are clear differences in history, especially a longer war with Japan, fought with even greater brutality than the actual one.
The third part of the book feels more like straight SF, with the grim consequences of that earlier discovery even plainer to see. the world is now plague ridden, and strange things are emerging from the Pool. Something has now gone very wrong, and the warning from the creature at the start of the book seems about to come true.
This book is a magnificent achievement, using the conventions of three different genres to weave together a vivid and compelling story, with overtones of both Lovecraftian horror and classic tragedy - as well as being a believable, parallel history influenced by that festering secret.
When you reach the end, you will understand that chilling warning. Abandon your spire. It is coming.
I'll therefore say a bit about this first part, and then issue a warning, and you may want to look away from the rest of the review.
First, the book opens with a couple of pages which are very hard to understand, the narrative of a - what? - a "thing" of some sort but a "thing" that identifies with two men, and that seems to be giving a warning. This section was slightly offputting, my advice would be not to worry too much about it, it will make sense eventually.
So, then the story itself opens. We are in the Old West, the parched lands of New Mexico in the 1870s in the company town of Spark. We meet a sheriff. We meet the pampered son of the factory owner. And we meet the woman they both want. After a little backstory showing where each of these three came from, and why they are like they are, the rivalry spills over into robbery, revenge and a great deal of killing. It's basically a Western, but a Western with a fantastic, eerie secret at its heart, a secret that is explored through the rest of the book. The secret can give life, but those who are saved by it are changed for ever, and irreversibly so.
In the second part (look away now if you want to avoid those spoilers!) Parsons begins to explore the consequences of this. Two men dies, were reborn, and continue to be reborn: what does this mean for them, and for society around them? How can all those duplicates live? Told as a classic, hardboiled detective story, this second part documents an investigation by a tough PI. There are sleazy dives. There is an alluring woman. There are thugs, who beat up our hero at the behest of mysterious bosses. And yet everything is still conditioned, still determined, by the strange power discovered in that New Mexico cave sixty years before. It is starting to change the world - there are clear differences in history, especially a longer war with Japan, fought with even greater brutality than the actual one.
The third part of the book feels more like straight SF, with the grim consequences of that earlier discovery even plainer to see. the world is now plague ridden, and strange things are emerging from the Pool. Something has now gone very wrong, and the warning from the creature at the start of the book seems about to come true.
This book is a magnificent achievement, using the conventions of three different genres to weave together a vivid and compelling story, with overtones of both Lovecraftian horror and classic tragedy - as well as being a believable, parallel history influenced by that festering secret.
When you reach the end, you will understand that chilling warning. Abandon your spire. It is coming.
December 14, 2017
This book is alive with story. Liminal States spans and masters multiple genres—horror, SF, the western and detective novel. The less you know about the plot going in, the better. This is a good one to walk into blind. Trust me, it’s a ride. In an era when so many writers, even guys who work (to whatever degree) in genre, tend to short change or altogether ignore plot in favor of character and style, Parsons gives readers that rare thing: the hat-trick. Compelling characters, stylistic mastery, and a cerebral, forward-driving rollercoaster of a story.
The book begins as a western—one with a convincing sense of authenticity, a prose-style borrowed from All the Pretty Horses/The Crossing-era Cormac McCarthy, and dialogue straight out of Deadwood. It soon takes a turn into horror. Dark cosmic horror, the best kind. Part two is a first-person detective narrative set in 1950s L. A., bearing the influence of James Ellroy. The final part is full-on dystopian SF horror.
Parsons is a talented novelist. His stylistic range is wide, even astonishing at times. His influences are varied and ecstatic—but Liminal States is a true original. I intend to read everything he publishes. Can’t recommend this one highly enough. Get a copy and don’t read the plot synopsis.
The book begins as a western—one with a convincing sense of authenticity, a prose-style borrowed from All the Pretty Horses/The Crossing-era Cormac McCarthy, and dialogue straight out of Deadwood. It soon takes a turn into horror. Dark cosmic horror, the best kind. Part two is a first-person detective narrative set in 1950s L. A., bearing the influence of James Ellroy. The final part is full-on dystopian SF horror.
Parsons is a talented novelist. His stylistic range is wide, even astonishing at times. His influences are varied and ecstatic—but Liminal States is a true original. I intend to read everything he publishes. Can’t recommend this one highly enough. Get a copy and don’t read the plot synopsis.
May 25, 2016
3.5/5 stars, really.
It's a quite good story with some excellent descriptions and characters a reader can very much get attached to. It's also a very long story...told even longer. The mass of my complaint against the book is that it could use a little leaning out. This is particularly true of the first section (the western-themed one). The prose was also uneven, with certain parts seeming extremely extremely well executed and others falling fairly flat. Uneven prose is a problem all writers have, though, so I won't focus on it.
That being said, it really is a very solid book. The 2nd and 3rd parts, in particular. The alternate timeline is handled extremely well. The shape of the piece is excellent. The characters are solid and interesting, the plot fairly dynamic...not necessarily full of surprises, but well-told enough where it doesn't at all need to be.
It did occur to me at several places over the course of the book that it seemed like it would be a more enjoyable reading experience in small episodes as opposed to one large novel. I probably would've liked it better if I hadn't tried to tackle it all at once. It also occurred to me that it would probably do well to have someone else reading it at the same time, to talk to about various theories and possibilities. I think I may have just shown up late to what was, earlier, a very fun party.
A very good book. The genre-hopping/time-hopping was a well-done experiment, though I'd been hoping for even more genre-*blending.* A tremendous amount of work has gone into it and I certainly think it's worth looking at. Particularly if you have a reading partner or reading group to read it with. Had I access to such a group, I think my rating would've jumped a star.
It's a quite good story with some excellent descriptions and characters a reader can very much get attached to. It's also a very long story...told even longer. The mass of my complaint against the book is that it could use a little leaning out. This is particularly true of the first section (the western-themed one). The prose was also uneven, with certain parts seeming extremely extremely well executed and others falling fairly flat. Uneven prose is a problem all writers have, though, so I won't focus on it.
That being said, it really is a very solid book. The 2nd and 3rd parts, in particular. The alternate timeline is handled extremely well. The shape of the piece is excellent. The characters are solid and interesting, the plot fairly dynamic...not necessarily full of surprises, but well-told enough where it doesn't at all need to be.
It did occur to me at several places over the course of the book that it seemed like it would be a more enjoyable reading experience in small episodes as opposed to one large novel. I probably would've liked it better if I hadn't tried to tackle it all at once. It also occurred to me that it would probably do well to have someone else reading it at the same time, to talk to about various theories and possibilities. I think I may have just shown up late to what was, earlier, a very fun party.
A very good book. The genre-hopping/time-hopping was a well-done experiment, though I'd been hoping for even more genre-*blending.* A tremendous amount of work has gone into it and I certainly think it's worth looking at. Particularly if you have a reading partner or reading group to read it with. Had I access to such a group, I think my rating would've jumped a star.
September 7, 2013
It would be a lot better if it weren't trying to do two things at once: be a novel about an alien pool that will bring the end of the world, and a genre-shifting prose experiment. The latter is something authors should try at least once, but not necessarily publish. He does it well, but there's only so far you can go in a prison cell. I wish, for the purpose of my reading enjoyment, he'd just stuck with the former.
The first third is a cowboy story and it is (as I've already mentioned in updates) awful. Everybody talks in this weird 'period authentic' way that's incredibly stilted, and often funny when it really should't be. Furthermore, the feud between Gideon and Warren doesn't actually matter beyond that third. At the end of it, all the clones get together and say "we cool" and then the fact that they've got this huge blood fued that Warren swore to carry for all eternity is ignored for the whole rest of the book. The entire first third should've been a chapter, for all the relevance is has to the plot and characters. The three who go into the pool could've been family who loved each other deeply or complete strangers for all it matters.
If you've slogged your way through that, you get to the noir third, which is pretty good. It's not Raymond Chandler but it's fun, interesting and creative enough to stand above the rest of the crowd. It's also (OH MY GOD) relevant to the overarching plot.
The final third is amazing, mind-blowing, Parsons in top form. The creatures are great, the alien landscapes compelling and horrifying, the characters driven by real pathos, all that good stuff. You just have to fight through the rest of the novel to get there.
The first third is a cowboy story and it is (as I've already mentioned in updates) awful. Everybody talks in this weird 'period authentic' way that's incredibly stilted, and often funny when it really should't be. Furthermore, the feud between Gideon and Warren doesn't actually matter beyond that third. At the end of it, all the clones get together and say "we cool" and then the fact that they've got this huge blood fued that Warren swore to carry for all eternity is ignored for the whole rest of the book. The entire first third should've been a chapter, for all the relevance is has to the plot and characters. The three who go into the pool could've been family who loved each other deeply or complete strangers for all it matters.
If you've slogged your way through that, you get to the noir third, which is pretty good. It's not Raymond Chandler but it's fun, interesting and creative enough to stand above the rest of the crowd. It's also (OH MY GOD) relevant to the overarching plot.
The final third is amazing, mind-blowing, Parsons in top form. The creatures are great, the alien landscapes compelling and horrifying, the characters driven by real pathos, all that good stuff. You just have to fight through the rest of the novel to get there.
December 12, 2012
I've been a fan of Zack Parsons for many years and thoroughly enjoyed his previous works as well as his contributions to a certain website. I was excited to read his first novel and was not disappointed in the least.
What started off in an old world setting moved to a western in a manner reminiscent of Ken Follett. Then the western played like Louis L'Amour for a few chapters before bringing in a supernatural element.
The next section changed styles completely. Zack adapted to a detective noir mood without missing a beat. As the story unfolds with a thread of alien or supernatural horror, I was reminded of Crichton.
When the story jumped again to a contemporary, yet alternate reality I began to think of "Timeline" merged with "Sphere" with a splash of "Andromeda" to spice things up. As the novel progressed and finally ended, I found that the cohesive work is a masterful blending of many sub-genres of science and historical fiction into a truly original story that also plays as poignant social commentary.
If Mr. Parsons intends to work his way into the list of sci-fi greats, he is well on his way with this offering. I cannot wait to see his next creation.
What started off in an old world setting moved to a western in a manner reminiscent of Ken Follett. Then the western played like Louis L'Amour for a few chapters before bringing in a supernatural element.
The next section changed styles completely. Zack adapted to a detective noir mood without missing a beat. As the story unfolds with a thread of alien or supernatural horror, I was reminded of Crichton.
When the story jumped again to a contemporary, yet alternate reality I began to think of "Timeline" merged with "Sphere" with a splash of "Andromeda" to spice things up. As the novel progressed and finally ended, I found that the cohesive work is a masterful blending of many sub-genres of science and historical fiction into a truly original story that also plays as poignant social commentary.
If Mr. Parsons intends to work his way into the list of sci-fi greats, he is well on his way with this offering. I cannot wait to see his next creation.
June 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this book...it has three discrete stories in it, and I actually don't like the first two genres very much (western and noir, followed by a sci fi wrapup), but the overarching plot makes them both really enjoyable.
My only dissatisfaction comes from the fact that a lot of the head-scratching weirdnesses introduced throughout the first half of the book appear not to be solved, or if they are, are done so very subtly.
Spoilery:
Once we get into the second of the three parts, the "original" characters stop appearing. I realize this is intentional, as the duplicates have all agreed to forgo their identities once they "die," but some reference to a given character having been the Original Gideon or the Original Warren might have been cool. And I managed to completely miss how there were, for no apparent reason, two women running around in the 1950's who looked exactly like one another, and also exactly like a woman who had died almost 80 years earlier. If that question had been answered it went right over my head.
My only dissatisfaction comes from the fact that a lot of the head-scratching weirdnesses introduced throughout the first half of the book appear not to be solved, or if they are, are done so very subtly.
Spoilery:
Once we get into the second of the three parts, the "original" characters stop appearing. I realize this is intentional, as the duplicates have all agreed to forgo their identities once they "die," but some reference to a given character having been the Original Gideon or the Original Warren might have been cool. And I managed to completely miss how there were, for no apparent reason, two women running around in the 1950's who looked exactly like one another, and also exactly like a woman who had died almost 80 years earlier. If that question had been answered it went right over my head.
September 22, 2015
This book was absolutely fascinating. The basic premise itself isn't altogether unique, but I think the overall arc and world is. I enjoyed Parsons' descriptive and, at times, almost scientific writing style. I rated this book five stars not because it is a masterpiece, but rather because it is ambitious, unique, and fresh enough that I want more people to read it. It is a book that genuinely and successfully blends Western, Noir, Sci-Fi, and Weird to great effect. The plot itself isn't too difficult to follow, but keeping track of each character's history, lineage, and relationships with one another can be downright confusing at times. What it lacks in precision, it makes up for in ambition and I was willing to forgive most of Parson's missteps as the story as a whole was an epic journey through time, space, and genre. In my opinion, it's certainly a book worth reading if you are intrigued by genre bending and oddities aplenty.
July 12, 2012
Very interesting concept that evokes Stephen King's The Gunslinger series. And that may be its weakness too; because to be as epic in scope as this book attempts to be, it needs to feel deeper than it ultimately is.
By the end of the book, it didn't feel as though I 'got' whatever it was that the author was trying to convey. Still not a bad story and worth a read.
By the end of the book, it didn't feel as though I 'got' whatever it was that the author was trying to convey. Still not a bad story and worth a read.
March 9, 2013
I can't express how much I loved this book. It effortlessly slips three eras (the wild west, film noir and a slightly-future era) into one story while having a heavy mix of Lovecraftian horror thrown in. The book manages to build a solid thread of depression that leaves you empty yet satisfied.
The only true praise I can offer is that this is the best Lovecraft book I've read that's been written in the last fifty years.
The only true praise I can offer is that this is the best Lovecraft book I've read that's been written in the last fifty years.
September 2, 2014
Wow.
This book is a mind-bending, morbid sci-fi tale about the folly of immortality that is not for the faint of heart. There were some parts later in the novel that started to wind down, but there was always something to draw you back into the mystery.
I randomly saw this and picked it up at a bookstore, knowing nothing about it, and I'm glad I did. I agree with many of the other reviewers; it's much more interesting if you have no idea what you're getting into.
This book is a mind-bending, morbid sci-fi tale about the folly of immortality that is not for the faint of heart. There were some parts later in the novel that started to wind down, but there was always something to draw you back into the mystery.
I randomly saw this and picked it up at a bookstore, knowing nothing about it, and I'm glad I did. I agree with many of the other reviewers; it's much more interesting if you have no idea what you're getting into.
April 23, 2012
What a great book! Sci-fi, western, detective noir...a novel that spans years of american history and was an impressively enjoyable read! The multi-media projects that go along with it add to the images painted in the book and make the story visceral for readers. It was suggested to me by a friend and I am glad he urged me to read it.
June 1, 2012
Sublime. Mind bending sci-fi of the Lovecraftian tradition is masterfully thread across an alternate history of America that we witness through a multi-genre lens. Engrossing in its emotional depth, and awe-inspiring in its complexity, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a reminder as to the infinite powers and possibilities of fiction.
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