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Black Mad Wheel
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From the author of the hit literary horror debut Bird Box (“Hitchcockian.” — USA Today ) comes a chilling novel about a group of musicians conscripted by the US government to track down the source of a strange and debilitating sound
The Danes—the band known as the “Darlings of Detroit”—are washed up and desperate for inspiration, eager to once
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Feb 11, 2017
karen
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
welcome-author,
from-publisher-or-author
josh malerman has become the go-to dude for sensory horror.
if they ever let monkeys* become book reviewers (why so UNFAIR, world?), this is how it would go:
Bird Box:
Black Mad Wheel:
his (awesome) debut novel, Bird Box, featured an ambiguous “something” that swept the globe; a presence that drove anyone who looked at it mad: homicidal, suicidal, utterly destroyed. it was wonderfully intense, as characters were threatened by a force they could neither name nor even visualize, spending their ...more
if they ever let monkeys* become book reviewers (why so UNFAIR, world?), this is how it would go:
Bird Box:
Black Mad Wheel:
his (awesome) debut novel, Bird Box, featured an ambiguous “something” that swept the globe; a presence that drove anyone who looked at it mad: homicidal, suicidal, utterly destroyed. it was wonderfully intense, as characters were threatened by a force they could neither name nor even visualize, spending their ...more
4.5/5 stars!
Black Mad Wheel is a story which defies categorization and instead focuses on delivering characters that you like and can believe in.
The Danes are a band consisting of ex-army men, (even if they were only in the army band), who are asked by the military to investigate a noise in the African desert. I know it sounds crazy, and maybe it is, but I found it be compelling dark fiction.
From Philip's point of view, (Philip being the band's keyboard player), the narrative switches betwee ...more
Black Mad Wheel is a story which defies categorization and instead focuses on delivering characters that you like and can believe in.
The Danes are a band consisting of ex-army men, (even if they were only in the army band), who are asked by the military to investigate a noise in the African desert. I know it sounds crazy, and maybe it is, but I found it be compelling dark fiction.
From Philip's point of view, (Philip being the band's keyboard player), the narrative switches betwee ...more
It isn’t Bird Box, but it is the bizarro horror/mystery fiction that I have come to expect from Malerman. I enjoyed the ride and in the end I was sort of left with more questions than answers. But this is usually the case with his books. It is kind of like the Shyamalan twist, but in each case of the Malerman twist it is just as bizarre as everything before it. Because of that it is not really shocking, nor does it provide any answers, it just twists you into even more WTF-ness.
The plot of this ...more
The plot of this ...more
Ugh. Review to come when I can deal with my crushing disappointment.
---------------
Finally reading this! I swore I wouldn't buy any more books. But I really wanted this one, so it doesn't count. Right?
-----------------------
New Josh Malerman book? Sign me the fuck up.
...more
So very, very disappointed. Bottom lip stuck wayyyy out.
Of course, my expectations were pretty high, considering how much I loved Malerman's first book, Bird Box. He proved himself in his creeptastic debut that he's a master of suspense, and creator of original ideas. I've basically been waiting for instalment #2 ever since finishing #1 having been totally disturbed (in a good way) by Gary and the dangerous creatures stalking the earth in his post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
I had a totally differe ...more
Of course, my expectations were pretty high, considering how much I loved Malerman's first book, Bird Box. He proved himself in his creeptastic debut that he's a master of suspense, and creator of original ideas. I've basically been waiting for instalment #2 ever since finishing #1 having been totally disturbed (in a good way) by Gary and the dangerous creatures stalking the earth in his post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
I had a totally differe ...more
3.5 Stars.
"The question is not what you found...but what found you?"
The mission: Locate source of evil, debilitating sound.
The payment: $100k each.
The question: Do you believe in ghosts?
The bottom line: Survival.
Former soldier, Private Philip Tonka wakes up in a military hospital after six months comatose, a broken painful mess of bones trying to piece together what happened to him and his struggling Detroit band/x-soldier buddies after a dangerous and mysterious mission to Africa.
He kn
...more
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
3.5 Stars
“This is a matter of national security. Not a love story.”
If you follow me and my (pretty much) daily ramblings, you might have noticed a couple of things. First, I’ve been gone for a bit. I thought I was taking a couple of days off to acquire a lethal dose of skin cancer via way of the local baseball fields, but ended up with nearly a week free of work thanks to a floating holiday that was given to us pee-ons in addition ...more
3.5 Stars
“This is a matter of national security. Not a love story.”
If you follow me and my (pretty much) daily ramblings, you might have noticed a couple of things. First, I’ve been gone for a bit. I thought I was taking a couple of days off to acquire a lethal dose of skin cancer via way of the local baseball fields, but ended up with nearly a week free of work thanks to a floating holiday that was given to us pee-ons in addition ...more
I really enjoyed Malerman's first novel Bird Box and picked up on the See no Evil, Hear no Evil vibe going on between both of these novels, looking even more toward the next which will have to be a Speak no Evil one or I'm going to give up on reviewing anything forever.
That being said, oh so melodramatically, I wanted to like this particular Hearing Evil novel much more than I did. All the setups in 1957 with a rock band getting propositioned by the US Government on a super secret project was de ...more
That being said, oh so melodramatically, I wanted to like this particular Hearing Evil novel much more than I did. All the setups in 1957 with a rock band getting propositioned by the US Government on a super secret project was de ...more
The second effort from the author of Bird Box. It's about a band of musicians that are also a band of solidiers. The premise is a bit thin but the creep factor isn't. I thought that the Bird Box was better but Malerman is an interesting writer and I'll be sure to read whatever he writes next.
...more
A rocket-fast story told with staccato-like prose, this bad boy whizzes by you equal parts thrilling, philosophical, mysterious, and frightening. There wasn’t a dull moment or a wasted word on these pages. While the end gallops up rapidly and lands on the allegorical side, I was wholly invested in the protagonist’s journey. The voice here is unique, as is the plot itself. This book is a winner, to be sure.
Black Mad Wheel's storyline involves sensory horror, military/war-related themes, the suspense of a top secret mission, paranormal activity, rock n roll, historical fiction, and the slow burn mystery of how the member of a rock band had every single bone in his body crunched like a soda can. All this and more is incorporated into a story that reads less like intentional fiction and more like someone recounting their dream from the night before. It's that weird. But it's good. It's about how hist
...more
I spent about a month between the pages of this book, not because I'm a particularly slow reader or because I had trouble getting through it, but because there's something about Josh's writing that calls for a bit of savoring. His sentence structure can be quirky—a one word paragraph followed by a hundred word sentence followed by a thought and maybe a little dialog. He recklessly bounces from head to head, chapter to chapter, past to present and back again. If you were to ask your eleventh grad
...more
What an imagination this author has. I cannot get enough of his books as they provide enough weirdness, horror and strangeness that I devour them in one sitting, if possible. This story revolves around a group of WWII veterans who are musicians in a band called "The Danes" who are asked by the government to investigate a mysterious sound in the African desert. This "sound" renders listeners sick and much worse and renders all weapons ineffective. Some readers take issue with the implausibility o
...more
May 23, 2017
Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
vampire-demons-and-ghosts-oh-my,
2017
Anyone who has read Bird Box knows that Josh Malerman is capable of reaching inside, grabbing your soul and freaking the hell out of it. Once I saw that he had a new book releasing, I knew that I needed to read it.
Black Mad Wheel played back and forth between two timelines in the protagonist’s life. This is a formula that has worked for Malerman before, I like it; this flow really allows the author to build the mystery, leaving the reader to wonder WTF is going on. Additionally, this format allo ...more
Black Mad Wheel played back and forth between two timelines in the protagonist’s life. This is a formula that has worked for Malerman before, I like it; this flow really allows the author to build the mystery, leaving the reader to wonder WTF is going on. Additionally, this format allo ...more
Strange and terrifying
Maybe it’s because people can’t see the end that they agree to begin.
It was sort of a gig. An opportunity to make some money and at the same time have the adventure of a lifetime.
The former soldiers of World War II and current band-mates wouldn’t be playing any music in the Namib Desert. In fact, they wouldn’t be making any noise. They will be listening for a particular sound. A sound they have never heard. A sound which makes people sick, which renders nuclear weapons use ...more
Maybe it’s because people can’t see the end that they agree to begin.
It was sort of a gig. An opportunity to make some money and at the same time have the adventure of a lifetime.
The former soldiers of World War II and current band-mates wouldn’t be playing any music in the Namib Desert. In fact, they wouldn’t be making any noise. They will be listening for a particular sound. A sound they have never heard. A sound which makes people sick, which renders nuclear weapons use ...more
"Hey, Phil. If you're gonna spew, spew into this."
-Garth Algar, Wayne's World
If it weren't for the vomit on the carpets, this probably would've been a 5-star read for me. I generally do not do horror and definitely don't do sci-fi. But I DO do Josh Malerman whose dark, underbelly of writing suits me just fine.
This addictive story made me initially feel pretty miserable. Physical pain, nausea, foreboding, the inability to move a muscle - all experienced by our protagonist - are not usually a draw ...more
-Garth Algar, Wayne's World
If it weren't for the vomit on the carpets, this probably would've been a 5-star read for me. I generally do not do horror and definitely don't do sci-fi. But I DO do Josh Malerman whose dark, underbelly of writing suits me just fine.
This addictive story made me initially feel pretty miserable. Physical pain, nausea, foreboding, the inability to move a muscle - all experienced by our protagonist - are not usually a draw ...more
Josh Malerman’s “Black Mad Wheel” has a touch of Stephen King’s creepiness, mixed in with some Blake Crouch “Dark Matter”, all tied up with a “Daisy Jones & The Six” cherry on top.
“The Danes” used to top the Detroit music charts. Now, they are desperately seeking inspiration, looking for another number one hit. When they are approached by the U.S military and receive a strange, yet profitable, offer, every one of them jumps at the chance. Soon all four members of The Danes are on a plane to a ...more
“The Danes” used to top the Detroit music charts. Now, they are desperately seeking inspiration, looking for another number one hit. When they are approached by the U.S military and receive a strange, yet profitable, offer, every one of them jumps at the chance. Soon all four members of The Danes are on a plane to a ...more
This one took a little while for me to get into, but after 75ish pages I was intrigued.
I think I need to create a new bookshelf for this one and call it "Aw-man-really". Because, though I liked the book well enough, I found myself saying "Aw man. Really?!" too many times out loud while listening to it during my commute.
I crushed on Malerman's BIRD BOX so hard core, and had such high hopes for this one. Did I set the book up to fail me? Perhaps. But... aw man... reaaaallly? ...more
I crushed on Malerman's BIRD BOX so hard core, and had such high hopes for this one. Did I set the book up to fail me? Perhaps. But... aw man... reaaaallly? ...more
Black Mad Wheel is a very particular type of book, a pastiche of strange and inexplicable things. I am often just fine with a book that leaves things unresolved or ambiguous, but if it does so I need a strong structure/plot/character to go on and this book is not that. It is more of a pastiche, more of a mood and an atmosphere, and so not the kind that I could really sink my teeth into.
As anyone who read Bird Box knows, Malerman is great at suspense and writing an extremely tense book. Black Ma ...more
As anyone who read Bird Box knows, Malerman is great at suspense and writing an extremely tense book. Black Ma ...more
Well it was something. I definitely had high hopes for this one because I loved Birdbox soooooo much. If you read the lower rated reviews here on Goodreads you'll get a repeat of the same things. Birdbox was so much better. Why did this one fall so flat. Lastly, I see where the author is going with this one. Birdbox is a 'See no Evil' and Black Mad Wheel is a 'Hear no Evil' so we have to assume his book that comes out in 2018 will be a continuation with 'Speak no Evil'. If this is the case I'll
...more
Josh Malerman’s first novel, Bird Box, is my all-time favourite horror novel. It’s the only book that has truly frightened me and I thought it was remarkably atmospheric and suspenseful. I quickly decided that I would be reading all of Josh Malerman’s future books. I was extremely excited when I heard his sophomore novel was coming out and I was intrigued by the premise, though I did notice a vague similarity to Bird Box. In his first novel, the sight of some unknown entity renders a person insa
...more
What to tell you about this one. I guess the same thing I said on Facebook the other day is appropriate enough: 300 pages of divine madness packed with the kind of twisted mind-fuckery that has become Josh Malerman’s stock in trade. He stormed onto the horror scene with the insanely popular breakout novel, Bird Box, and now he’s showing us with Black Mad Wheel that it was no fluke. He really is just that fucking good. Josh has climbed to the apex of my favorite authors list and it’s going to tak
...more
Have you ever heard a sound so strange, so sharp, so absurd, or nonsensical that you have gotten a severe headache? What about one that will literally shut down your body and make you vomit? That is the sound we're dealing with when it comes to Mad Black Wheel. One not of this earth, one that makes all weapons useless, one that can be used as a weapon.
In Mad Black Wheel, we are introduced to Philip Tonka, the pianist for The Danes. The Danes are a rock band made up of WWII veterans. They have on ...more
In Mad Black Wheel, we are introduced to Philip Tonka, the pianist for The Danes. The Danes are a rock band made up of WWII veterans. They have on ...more
Nov 01, 2016
Brandon Petry
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
00-own,
00-kindle,
00-audible,
speculative-fiction,
october-country,
00-2nd-k,
horns,
amnesia,
ww2,
shortlisted
Josh Malerman is a writer whose books I will probably always buy and read. Each new book that comes out goes in a new direction and he's got a real talent for unforgettable scenes. Some of the moments and images in Malerman's books will stay with you long after you've finished the book. I love that.
And he seems like a great guy whose love of the genre and passion for writing are only matched by his enthusiasm for giving the reader a great show. For those interested, I highly recommend checking ...more
And he seems like a great guy whose love of the genre and passion for writing are only matched by his enthusiasm for giving the reader a great show. For those interested, I highly recommend checking ...more
Mr. Malerman's follow up novel is a riveting page turner as suspenseful and satisfying as Bird Box.
...more
No. Just no. This book was such a disappointment to me after the thrill ride that was Bird Box.
The premise sounded fantastic - Members of a popular band are recruited by the US Army to determine the source and location of a sound located somewhere in the African desert which renders man and weapon useless. Before that can happen though, we're introduced to the somewhat contrived backstory of the men being sent to Africa.
The book takes places in the 50s. After having been overseas for WWII, the ...more
The premise sounded fantastic - Members of a popular band are recruited by the US Army to determine the source and location of a sound located somewhere in the African desert which renders man and weapon useless. Before that can happen though, we're introduced to the somewhat contrived backstory of the men being sent to Africa.
The book takes places in the 50s. After having been overseas for WWII, the ...more
Much like Bird Box, his first book, the author takes something one of our senses and weaponizes it. In Bird Box, it was seeing something that drives you mad. Here, in Black Mad Wheel, it's a sound. A sound that incapacitates and destroys, but does it destroy, or does it create?
A group of musicians are sent into the African desert to track down this sound, which they of course find. Shenanigans ensue.
I enjoyed the atmosphere, the feelings of dread and horror, and the shifting perceptions. The en ...more
A group of musicians are sent into the African desert to track down this sound, which they of course find. Shenanigans ensue.
I enjoyed the atmosphere, the feelings of dread and horror, and the shifting perceptions. The en ...more
I close the cover gently and lay it on the seat next to me. I turn to my husband and say, "I hated it".
No joke, those were the first words out of my mouth.
Bloody hell.
I gave it 2 stars, one because the idea was intriguing and the 2nd because... uh....
It just wasn't my cup of tea and I'm so annoyed at myself for not liking it. Ugh. ...more
No joke, those were the first words out of my mouth.
Bloody hell.
I gave it 2 stars, one because the idea was intriguing and the 2nd because... uh....
It just wasn't my cup of tea and I'm so annoyed at myself for not liking it. Ugh. ...more
I loved Bird Box it was one of my favourite books of 2015. I was so looking forward to this and it is a very different book but it does have the same creepy 'what's going to happen' feel of something unseen and unknown.
"Philosophy doesn't travel at the same speed technology does. It takes a man forty years to realise what it took his farther forty years to realise. And what's worse, he resists the truths his father's come to know, until he learns them himself. Meanwhile, technology doesn't wait ...more
"Philosophy doesn't travel at the same speed technology does. It takes a man forty years to realise what it took his farther forty years to realise. And what's worse, he resists the truths his father's come to know, until he learns them himself. Meanwhile, technology doesn't wait ...more
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“Maybe it’s because people can’t see the end that they agree to begin.”
—
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“Philosophy doesn’t travel at the same speed technology does. It takes a man forty years to realize what it took his father forty years to realize. And what’s worse, he resists the truths his father’s come to know, until he learns them himself. Meanwhile, technology doesn’t wait. All a man has to do is add another piece to his father’s technological puzzle and the machines, the weapons, the means, are stronger. In the end you have an army with the same philosophy of the cavemen, but with the weapons of ten billion artless minds.”
—
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