Status Updates From The Gatepost

Kind of maddening to have the protagonist describe her situation as anti-climactic when the whole purpose of the plot leading to that point has kind of fizzled out, and why would a geologist suddenly grasp the hidden truth of quantum mechanics? So clumsy compared to the immaculate buildup

Killing the romance with the uncertainty about the future but "glad he's not dead" thing. Also, pretty focused on the means to an end.

Cool bank-heist gimmick there, but for your lookout's health to be your last thought after resolving the big showdown with a police presence is a little absurd.

I very much disagree that she had no choice but to watch. This ending better be pretty good.

Everybody is awfully restrained for such a wild story. Also pretty gullible considering all the covert activities and accusations of naivete being thrown around. Also, when your villain closely resembles a bond villain and uses a line that is quoted in two bond movies by the villain(s), you probably shouldn't draw attention to it by having him deny the resemblance in dialogue.

Okay, so veering from prohibitive distrust to blind loyalty (without working out the somewhat obvious reason for his visit) is a little stupid, but it does serve the plot in an essential way. If nothing else, the pacing here is relentless and propulsive. Which reminds me, I really need a new word to describe good, intense pacing.

The end of chapter 31 is good enough on its own for a Black Mirror episode. I really hope this author ends up being prolific--the world is missing out if he doesn't.

It's a tried and true formula to bridge from the mystery-building part of the narrative to the climactic conclusion and Big Reveal, but I have always disliked these segments where two characters clearly on the same side of a conflict are talking past each other to increase the stakes. The conversations leading to the reveal get repetitive, too, which is slightly unforgivable in such a short book.