Fellside in Around the World in 80 Books

Feb 24, 2016 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was amazing

Shelves: broken, fantasy-and-sci-fi, paranormal, r2016-in-2016, maybe

Where am I? How did I get here? Who's thinking these thoughts? What was before this?

This. Was. So. Good.

And this book really defies categorization, so far as genre is concerned. It's enough "science fiction" to put my mother (a confirmed sci-fi hater) off, but not enough to really feel to me like it belongs smack dab in the center of the sci-fi genre. There is a whodunit mystery, but this is not a mystery. There are "suspense/thriller" elements, and it is a page-turner, but it is not fast-p

Where am I? How did I get here? Who's thinking these thoughts? What was before this?

This. Was. So. Good.

And this book really defies categorization, so far as genre is concerned. It's enough "science fiction" to put my mother (a confirmed sci-fi hater) off, but not enough to really feel to me like it belongs smack dab in the center of the sci-fi genre. There is a whodunit mystery, but this is not a mystery. There are "suspense/thriller" elements, and it is a page-turner, but it is not fast-paced, and there's no espionage. There are ghosts, and a woman who can walk in the dream world, so it's paranormal, which makes it sci-fi/fantasy-ish. But mostly this book is about people making their ways in the world, their reaction to stress, their different ways of processing guilt, and their varied attempts to seek atonement. And, since this is set in a women's prison, this book is mostly about women, but there are men in the good guy camp and men in the bad guy camp, so it's not ONLY women.

I think the marketing for this book is doing it a disservice. Frankly, I felt like the marketing group had NO IDEA how to market this, and probably never bothered to read it. First of all, get that Girl with All the Gifts inset off the cover and let the gorgeous cover speak for itself. This book can stand on its own merits, and trying to pull in zombie fans is just going to lead to disappointment. Second of all, the blurb makes it sound like this takes place in some moldering old heap in the middle of nowhere that is haunted by centuries-old ghosts. That's not it at all. Fellside is a modern prison, painted in cheery colors, and run by a for-profit organization. Everyone else in Fellside is just a normal person, it's only Jess who can sort of pierce that membrane of here and elsewhere.

The plot is a slow boil, sprawling across dozens of characters, punctuated regularly by extreme violence, and slowly building up to a surprisingly poignant ending. We open after the first bang has already happened: Jess, a former heroin junkie, has already been tried and convicted of murder by intentionally setting a fire that killed a young boy. Jess has some shit to deal with. I think she deals with it admirably, and a lot better than I - a non-drug addict - could ever manage. Jess is damaged and broken, but she is also brave, selfless and good. She is an outcast in the prison (no one likes a child murderer) but she ultimately becomes an inspiration for all of the inmates.

Plus, the writing is just awesome, it is real, and surprising, and philosophical, and mystical, and funny, including gems such as:

She woke shivering in the warm hospital room, chilled by her own slick sweat. A breath was caught halfway up her throat like a solid thing, and she had to spit it out piecemeal, in quick, shallow gasps.

and

Surely you couldn't become a murderer without knowing it. Maybe you could forget the act because of trauma or madness, but you couldn't forget the intent. If it had ever been there, it would still be inside you, in your head or your heart, and a thorough search of the premises would find it.

and

Nothing goes on forever. If it did, there wouldn't be anything else, would there?

and

"Holy fuck," Corcoran said, leaning back against the wall. "I am going home and drinking a whole bottle of Bacardi. Someone can pour the Coke into me after I pass out."

****

ETA: I just browsed through other reviews on GR, and I see A LOT of people saying how disappointed they were in this book after their lovefest with TGWATG, and I'm left thinking (a) all the more reason to get TGWATG off the cover of this book, it will only draw in the wrong readers, and (b) I had the exact opposite reaction. I was SUPER excited to read TGWATG, because hey! zombies + Mike Carey = Nadine's catnip! And I ended up feeling a little let down by that book. With this book, I went in with moderate expectations, and I was blown away by how much I LOVED it! ...more

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May 21, 2019 Sarah rated it really liked it

3.75. A little predictable with a terrible ending.

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Jan 13, 2016 Martha rated it really liked it

4+ stars, really. Once I got over the fact this wasn't a sequel to Girl With All the Gifts, I was drawn into the story. It was pretty fantastic. Ignore the comparisons to Orange is the New Black. This book is much better. ...more

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Jun 01, 2017 Chantal rated it it was amazing

Fellside is another terrifying, yet gripping story by M.R. Carey, the author of The Girl With All The Gifts.

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Feb 24, 2016 Sam rated it it was ok

Shelves: 1-contemp-literary, 8-fantasy-scifi, read-2016

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Mar 28, 2016 Oana marked it as to-read

Shelves: fiction

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Apr 05, 2016 Tiffany marked it as to-read

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Apr 13, 2016 Tracyene marked it as to-read

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May 15, 2016 Jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: england, speculative-fiction, horror

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Jun 20, 2016 Tammy AZ rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-horror

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Jul 16, 2016 Katy marked it as to-read

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Aug 05, 2016 Andy Plonka marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Nov 01, 2016 Devin marked it as to-read

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Nov 08, 2016 Anna marked it as to-read

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Feb 26, 2017 Keeley marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2016-book-winners

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May 21, 2017 Deedee marked it as to-read

Shelves: cover-blue, fantasy, author-initials, science-fiction, title-has-1-word, year-2016, npr-best-of-2016, published-in-04april, cover-blue-70-percent, f2

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Jul 15, 2018 Kay rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, fiction, haunted-strange-macabre, mystery-suspense-crime, available-mcpl

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Jun 15, 2020 Tuck marked it as to-read

Shelves: horror-awards

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