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The Levels
The explosive debut novel from the brilliant Sean Cregan - THE LEVELS is a dark, urban gothic thriller guaranteed to appeal fans of Child, Coben, Billingham and Kernick.
On the outskirts of Newport, on the US East Coast, lies an abandoned, feral housing project: the Levels. Inhabited by Newport's forgotten homeless population, the Levels are run as a personal fiefdom by the all-powerful Sorrow. As THE LEVELS opens, ex-CIA agent Nate Turner, who is in the Levels to find out who has just tried to kill him, meets a 14-year-old girl Ghost. Ghost is a Fury, one of Sorrow's trained, drug-addicted assassins looking for a way back to her normal life. Also in the Levels is Kate, a suspended cop, who has been told that she has only days to live after being attacked, and infected, by the Beast, a serial killer working the streets. The Beast is out for revenge on Kate's new employer, who he believes created the infection that's killing him, an infection that has also been released into the Levels. Now Ghost is trying to escape Sorrow, Kate is looking for the Beast and Turner is looking for answers. One thing's for sure, some people aren't going to survive the fallout...
On the outskirts of Newport, on the US East Coast, lies an abandoned, feral housing project: the Levels. Inhabited by Newport's forgotten homeless population, the Levels are run as a personal fiefdom by the all-powerful Sorrow. As THE LEVELS opens, ex-CIA agent Nate Turner, who is in the Levels to find out who has just tried to kill him, meets a 14-year-old girl Ghost. Ghost is a Fury, one of Sorrow's trained, drug-addicted assassins looking for a way back to her normal life. Also in the Levels is Kate, a suspended cop, who has been told that she has only days to live after being attacked, and infected, by the Beast, a serial killer working the streets. The Beast is out for revenge on Kate's new employer, who he believes created the infection that's killing him, an infection that has also been released into the Levels. Now Ghost is trying to escape Sorrow, Kate is looking for the Beast and Turner is looking for answers. One thing's for sure, some people aren't going to survive the fallout...
346 pages, Hardcover
First published January 7, 2009
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Sean Cregan
13 books11 followersSean makes things up for a living, and consequently is the youngest of 14 children fathered by Scotland's first astronaut and a mute Albanian salsa dancer. As well as his Nobel Prize in chemistry, he has the distinction of being the only man ever to simultaneously hold the world heavyweight boxing title and the post of UN under-secretary to Nepal. He is the inventor of squirty cream and has been married eight times.
See? That's how he does it. In reality, Sean is the pen name of John Rickards, whose works and (confusingly) author page you can find here on Amazon too. As Sean he writes no-cyber cyberpunk noiry urban thrillers and offbeat short fiction in a variety of genres. As John he writes poker-facedly serious crime.
See? That's how he does it. In reality, Sean is the pen name of John Rickards, whose works and (confusingly) author page you can find here on Amazon too. As Sean he writes no-cyber cyberpunk noiry urban thrillers and offbeat short fiction in a variety of genres. As John he writes poker-facedly serious crime.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 10, 2011
A cracking, grimy, grungy crime novel that rolls along at a fair pace and manages to carve up the genre as viciously as the serial killer which roams the city in which it is set.
Reminding me heavily of Jack O'Connell's work (in particular Word Made Flesh and Wireless) but a little more action-packed, The Levels hits the ground running and doesn't really stop until the final page. Cregan wraps almost every chapter with a cliffhanger and although after a while it did feel at times a little contrived (creating a cliffhanger just for the sake of it) in the end it keeps everything moving along nicely.
On the same note I did feel the contrivance on a couple of other occasions, namely the framing of the Beast as a serial killer and the threat of a bombing at the end, but it speaks to Cregan's skill that they didn't bother me as much as they could have done and I was left entirely satisfied at the end of the book.
I look forward to reading more from him!
Reminding me heavily of Jack O'Connell's work (in particular Word Made Flesh and Wireless) but a little more action-packed, The Levels hits the ground running and doesn't really stop until the final page. Cregan wraps almost every chapter with a cliffhanger and although after a while it did feel at times a little contrived (creating a cliffhanger just for the sake of it) in the end it keeps everything moving along nicely.
On the same note I did feel the contrivance on a couple of other occasions, namely the framing of the Beast as a serial killer and the threat of a bombing at the end, but it speaks to Cregan's skill that they didn't bother me as much as they could have done and I was left entirely satisfied at the end of the book.
I look forward to reading more from him!
March 25, 2016
Finally, a book I can get excited about!
It's been a dry few months where almost every book I've read has disappointed me but this was enthralling! I was cynical about the Blade Runner comparison at the start of the book but it's totally fitting. This was right up my street!
Dark, action packed, complex, intimate as well as epic in scope with beautifully developed characters. Man, was it violent! Loved every blood soaked page, especially Ghost, who's clearly the coolest character! I can see this getting made into a film in the very near future!
Ultra cool cyber punk yarn that leaves you breathless!
It's been a dry few months where almost every book I've read has disappointed me but this was enthralling! I was cynical about the Blade Runner comparison at the start of the book but it's totally fitting. This was right up my street!
Dark, action packed, complex, intimate as well as epic in scope with beautifully developed characters. Man, was it violent! Loved every blood soaked page, especially Ghost, who's clearly the coolest character! I can see this getting made into a film in the very near future!
Ultra cool cyber punk yarn that leaves you breathless!
December 13, 2021
Not my cup of tea. The Ending was written as if it was a cartoon or a bad "B" action movie!
October 1, 2023
It started off with an unique plot. Halfway through, it became predictable.
April 8, 2012
3 and 1/2 stars. The story was dark and moody and the main characters{Turner,Kate and Ghost} fit perfectly into the story. They were interesting and likeable for different reasons. This is a dark story so it is expected and understood that there is violence. My disappointment though is in the crescendo of violence at the end because this is what a lot of writers fall back on(in books and movies}. Instead of focusing on the story they want to make the story bigger by ending with this huge crescendo of violence at the end. Because of this I gave it a lesser rating than I otherwise would have. Ive read the other reviews on this book and the synopsis for the story and I'm surprised that there was no mention of this being part allegory. The name of the story setting is the Levels. Some of the characters in the Levels are: Ghost, The Beast, Sorrows and the Furies. That is what made this story so intriguing and readable for me. Half allegory half mystery equals a whole lot of fun read...
June 1, 2013
I really like the way Cregan blends detective/crime stories with bizarre tales of not-quite-our-worlds which are just - if you squint, and believe - possible. Just. Improbable, yes, but not impossible. His high-octane action approach is very Hollywood, and just like Hollywood it gets bogged down in silly action sequences where plot and character might be better served with a little thought, but on the whole I can't say that bothered me too much. A good fun silly read, with some interesting ideas simmering along in the background and a handful of nicely unlikeable characters driving the story. Good fun.
Want to Read
May 19, 2012If you are running a book group and considering selecting this novel, you may find it useful to know that after giving it two shots at the vote over on Discuss It Book Group's Google Groups site, we have removed `The Levels` from our reading list.
If our members would like us to reconsider, please let Maria or Susan know over on our group General Chat Thread, or email us at:
discussitbookgroup@hotmail.co.uk
If you have read this novel and think our group should reconsider it, please post your rating and let us know what you think about it.
If our members would like us to reconsider, please let Maria or Susan know over on our group General Chat Thread, or email us at:
discussitbookgroup@hotmail.co.uk
If you have read this novel and think our group should reconsider it, please post your rating and let us know what you think about it.
March 20, 2013
I disagree with some of the comments about the author falling back on violence, the characters involved are meant to be killing machines for one of the main characters. Addicted and skilled in the use of glass, a combat drug.
Other than that all I can say is this is a good first novel, its not going to tax you but it is an enjoyable read.
Other than that all I can say is this is a good first novel, its not going to tax you but it is an enjoyable read.
October 28, 2012
The characters and plot are interesting, albeit with excessive violence. The dystopian world that Cregan created begs to be made into a trilogy or series... it has lots of potential to be further developed and explored. Unfortunately, it seems to end as the story ends...
June 25, 2010
Completely over the top. Very dark, very violent.
February 27, 2011
Really enjoyed this thriller. Most of the thrillers I read are enjoyable to a point, but many authors have a bit of a formula they tend to stick to. The Levels made an interesting change.
January 4, 2016
I have to thank a customer for recommending this one to me as I probably would never have known about it, reminded me in parts of Jonathan Maberry's Patient Zero.
Well worth a read.
Well worth a read.
January 22, 2025
3.5 stars. A good pulp novel. Nothing extraordinary, but entertaining.
December 20, 2015
I threw this book in the garbage. I got half way through it. I've never considered throwing out a book. How can this book get positive reviews? It's practically unreadable.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews