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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I initially read this years ago and have vague memories of enjoying it. After re-reading it, though, I can't for the life of me remember why. Maybe changing tastes and all, but...
This book, at best, is a disappointment. A major part of the problem is that the narrator is not only unreliable, but intensely dislikeable and not in a 'love to hate' kind of way. He is a pretentious creep at best, particularly when it comes to his interactions with Casey. The rest of the issue comes from an underdeveloped plot and no real payoff in the end. The story stumbles along, swinging heavy-handed metaphors at the reader as it does, and just falls flat, with the last page in particular leaving a very bad taste.
I kept reading because I hoped it would get better. In reality I'd have been better off DNFing this.
This book, at best, is a disappointment. A major part of the problem is that the narrator is not only unreliable, but intensely dislikeable and not in a 'love to hate' kind of way. He is a pretentious creep at best, particularly when it comes to his interactions with Casey. The rest of the issue comes from an underdeveloped plot and no real payoff in the end. The story stumbles along, swinging heavy-handed metaphors at the reader as it does, and just falls flat, with the last page in particular leaving a very bad taste.
I kept reading because I hoped it would get better. In reality I'd have been better off DNFing this.
Thought it was a fantastic debut from Alex Bell. Not the usual kind of book I would read but brilliant nonetheless.
Waking up with no idea who you are is a standard literary device. And that’s the problem that Gabriel Anteus has in The Ninth Circle. Faced with having no idea who he is and the worry of forgetting everything he’s learned since waking up he starts writing it down. The story comprises of a series of diary entries from 8th August to 1st January as Gabriel tries to figure out who he was and tries to build a life again.
Due to the format we get a selected so edited personal retelling of the events that happen to Gabriel but Alex Bell’s skill is melting these diary entries with narrative storytelling and the voice and Gabriel so you get absorbed into the story and Gabriel as a storyteller. You also get the feeling that the ending might not be a good one as this could just be a found diary rather than a story where everything turns out all right in the end.
The revelations of what Gabriel finds out are the whole crux of the story so letting go any snippets might spoil it but I do have to give you some idea of what’s going on. So what can I tell you?
It’s set in Budapest and sometime around the present. At least enough present to have have a computer and internet access. Budapest plays a strong part and the city is beautifully described. Gabriel has lots of books on Demons and Angels and it seems that some of this knowledge is more practical than theoretical.
Bell does a great job of building the story through the recounting of the thoughts and actions of Gabriel. He’s a very honest narrator and says it like it is. Nothing feels hidden or emitted just for the sake of securing the story. She does a job of keeping things moving and giving us just enough to keep moving and wanting to know more.
There are some quirks however, I was a little disappointed with one of the threads about Gabriel’s identity. I think I wanted it to be more mundane. But it does explain a lot about his present situation.The other thing is that the diary format does take some of the awesome nature away from the closing scenes.
Saying that I found The Ninth Circle, compelling, descriptive, thoughtful and fully packed. Alex Bell’s debut makes her an author that I’m eager to read more of.
Due to the format we get a selected so edited personal retelling of the events that happen to Gabriel but Alex Bell’s skill is melting these diary entries with narrative storytelling and the voice and Gabriel so you get absorbed into the story and Gabriel as a storyteller. You also get the feeling that the ending might not be a good one as this could just be a found diary rather than a story where everything turns out all right in the end.
The revelations of what Gabriel finds out are the whole crux of the story so letting go any snippets might spoil it but I do have to give you some idea of what’s going on. So what can I tell you?
It’s set in Budapest and sometime around the present. At least enough present to have have a computer and internet access. Budapest plays a strong part and the city is beautifully described. Gabriel has lots of books on Demons and Angels and it seems that some of this knowledge is more practical than theoretical.
Bell does a great job of building the story through the recounting of the thoughts and actions of Gabriel. He’s a very honest narrator and says it like it is. Nothing feels hidden or emitted just for the sake of securing the story. She does a job of keeping things moving and giving us just enough to keep moving and wanting to know more.
There are some quirks however, I was a little disappointed with one of the threads about Gabriel’s identity. I think I wanted it to be more mundane. But it does explain a lot about his present situation.The other thing is that the diary format does take some of the awesome nature away from the closing scenes.
Saying that I found The Ninth Circle, compelling, descriptive, thoughtful and fully packed. Alex Bell’s debut makes her an author that I’m eager to read more of.
Absolutely fantastic debut novel by Alex Bell, couldn't put it down. Read it!!!
Gabriel herää oudosta asunnosta verilammikosta muistinsa menettäneenä. Keittiön pöydällä on laatikollinen käteistä, eikä Gabrielilla ole mitään muistikuvaa siitä, mitä on tapahtunut.
Muistamattomuus vainoaa miestä, mutta niin vainoaa muutama muukin asia, kuten kummalliset näyt ja menneisyydestä tulevat kryptiset viestit. Gabrielin menneisyydessä on jotain synkkää ja mahdollisesti vaarallistakin, mutta Gabriel ei vain kykene muistamaan mitä.
Siitä alkaa vahvasti teologissävytteinen muistinmenetystrilleri, jossa riittää fantastisia elementtejä. Gabrielin päiväkirjamerkintöjen muotoon kirjoitettu kirja tykittää lopulta melkoisia maailmanlopun tunnelmia.
The Ninth Circle on nuoren, vuonna 1986 syntyneen kirjailijan esikoisteos. Se näkyy, paikoitellen. Tarinan käänteet ovat välillä vähän liiankin uskomattomia ja tyylikin välillä ehkä astetta huvittavampia kuin oli tarkoitus. Useammankin kerran oli lukiessa sellainen fiilis, että tästä saisi hyvän elokuvan. Päähenkilö Gabrielille niin tärkeä Budapestkin esiintyy kirjassa hyvin pinnallisesti, kauniina kuvina ja monumentaalisina tapahtumapaikkoina.
Esikoiseksi silti kelpo suoritus, kyllä tämä sivujakäännättävää ja mukaansatempaavaa viihdettä oli vaikka paikoin vähän hölmöltä tuntuikin. Sen verran lupaava teos siis, että kirjailija menee seurantaan ja toinen kirja Jasmyn hankintaan.
Bell on itse tavattoman ihastunut kirjansa kansikuvaan, eikä suotta. Suomalaisen Kustaa Saksin taiteilema kansi on todella tyylikäs. (24.5.2009)
Muistamattomuus vainoaa miestä, mutta niin vainoaa muutama muukin asia, kuten kummalliset näyt ja menneisyydestä tulevat kryptiset viestit. Gabrielin menneisyydessä on jotain synkkää ja mahdollisesti vaarallistakin, mutta Gabriel ei vain kykene muistamaan mitä.
Siitä alkaa vahvasti teologissävytteinen muistinmenetystrilleri, jossa riittää fantastisia elementtejä. Gabrielin päiväkirjamerkintöjen muotoon kirjoitettu kirja tykittää lopulta melkoisia maailmanlopun tunnelmia.
The Ninth Circle on nuoren, vuonna 1986 syntyneen kirjailijan esikoisteos. Se näkyy, paikoitellen. Tarinan käänteet ovat välillä vähän liiankin uskomattomia ja tyylikin välillä ehkä astetta huvittavampia kuin oli tarkoitus. Useammankin kerran oli lukiessa sellainen fiilis, että tästä saisi hyvän elokuvan. Päähenkilö Gabrielille niin tärkeä Budapestkin esiintyy kirjassa hyvin pinnallisesti, kauniina kuvina ja monumentaalisina tapahtumapaikkoina.
Esikoiseksi silti kelpo suoritus, kyllä tämä sivujakäännättävää ja mukaansatempaavaa viihdettä oli vaikka paikoin vähän hölmöltä tuntuikin. Sen verran lupaava teos siis, että kirjailija menee seurantaan ja toinen kirja Jasmyn hankintaan.
Bell on itse tavattoman ihastunut kirjansa kansikuvaan, eikä suotta. Suomalaisen Kustaa Saksin taiteilema kansi on todella tyylikäs. (24.5.2009)
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book started off so promising, aside from the sort of whole amnesia cliche. But with the way it's written - in journal format - the beginning of the book reads like watching a slow descent into madness, and it was really cool.
And then it was kind of about his loneliness and desperation to connect with other people, mingled with his feelings of fear and vulnerability because of his lost past.
But then things which were possibly bits of insanity started becoming literal, and it sort of descended from there and became a version of a story I've seen a bunch of times - i.e., without adding all that much more to it.
And, after awhile, Gabriel's musings became less interesting glimpses into a mind of loneliness and desperation, and more just mewling and whining as his self-loathing and inability to make a decision and stick with it got repeated over and over and over again.
And then there was the reveal of his forgotten life. Really?
By the end, I sort of just wanted it to be over.
So much potential... gone.
Also, I never really connected with Gabriel on an emotional level. You would think that you would, written in the way that it is, but I just never did. And it's not even that I disliked him, despite his impotence getting on my nerves, it's just... I dunno, he never seemed like a real person.
I suppose the ending is supposed to be sort of happy and hopeful, but considering that, but I'm not sure how I could feel hopeful when .
Meh.
And then it was kind of about his loneliness and desperation to connect with other people, mingled with his feelings of fear and vulnerability because of his lost past.
But then things which were possibly bits of insanity started becoming literal, and it sort of descended from there and became a version of a story I've seen a bunch of times - i.e.
Spoiler
the pending birth of a child which could either be the Second Coming or the Anti-Christ - they angels and demons aren't really sureAnd, after awhile, Gabriel's musings became less interesting glimpses into a mind of loneliness and desperation, and more just mewling and whining as his self-loathing and inability to make a decision and stick with it got repeated over and over and over again.
And then there was the reveal of his forgotten life.
Spoiler
Government trained assassin from childhood.By the end, I sort of just wanted it to be over.
So much potential... gone.
Also, I never really connected with Gabriel on an emotional level. You would think that you would, written in the way that it is, but I just never did. And it's not even that I disliked him, despite his impotence getting on my nerves, it's just... I dunno, he never seemed like a real person.
I suppose the ending is supposed to be sort of happy and hopeful, but considering that
Spoiler
Gabriel promised Casey he'd stay with her, no matter what, and then would've bailed as soon as he discovered the truth of his past - for her own good, of courseSpoiler
I don't trust Gabriel to follow throughMeh.
-twisted. makes you think you've figured it out, then changes everything. repeatedly.
"at times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." - albert schweitzer.
"this is not right. monsters should look like monsters; they should not be allowed to wander round among other people in such a flawless disguise."
"children were never really my thing, you know. all that screaming."
"they don't scream that often."
"no. i meant me. if i'm around them too long."
"i dont really miss THEM, i just miss the people i thought they were."
"at times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." - albert schweitzer.
"this is not right. monsters should look like monsters; they should not be allowed to wander round among other people in such a flawless disguise."
"children were never really my thing, you know. all that screaming."
"they don't scream that often."
"no. i meant me. if i'm around them too long."
"i dont really miss THEM, i just miss the people i thought they were."
This is definitely the worst book I've read in 2019 so far. It's a cross between Good Omens, the Bourne Identity, and End of Days - yes, the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. I don't know the gender of the author, but it was written like a 17 year old boy with a saviour complex who still thinks assassins are pretty rad. You'll think I'm kidding, but the main character literally contrasts himself to James Bond at one point, which just feels like lampshading. The premise was intriguing and made me take it off the shelf - a guy wakes up in his apartment with no idea who he is, with clues indicating he's a religious scholar. But then there are unimaginative "twists" and a helpless teenage girl that "needs his protection" (yuck), and a lot of loose ends that never get tied together at the end. Also an overuse of dream sequences in the place of exposition - very much a: "I'm dreaming of a figure with burning eyes. Oh look, it's Michael. Michael is an angel. Let me tell you all about Michael. I wonder if this will come up later... Oh hey, there's Lillith. Gee, I wonder if she'll turn up (in the background) of an action sequence in a minute." I understand why this ended up in the secondhand bookshop, where I found it.
The idea had promise. The execution took that promise and broke it slowly on a rack for the entire length of the book.
Picked it up at a book fair. I had just been to Budapest so was keen to read something set there and the blurb sounded interesting. Shouldn't have done that.
The description of the city was ok but the book should be confined to the ninth circle of hell because of the truly boring main character. The promise of the blurb is that he's possibly an angel. He ends up being as dumb as a brick and has two fights scenes which he gets so upset about you wish he had of lost. In fact I think he would have been better replaced by that brick I said he was less intelligent than. I won't tell you if he's actually an angel or not, or about what should essentially be the armageddon conflict at the end which really involves about 4-5 people not legions of demons and angels. What makes this book even worse is that the auxiliary characters are pretty damn boring too, especially considering what they're supposed to be.
Lastly, if I ever read the words, "he opened another bottle of expensive red wine" again. I'll poke my own eyeballs out. Continuously drinking expensive wine is not characterisation, that's laziness. Make them enjoy Chianti like Hannibal, or wine from a particular region but don't make me read a whole book where they keep drinking wine that is notable only for it's price.
Picked it up at a book fair. I had just been to Budapest so was keen to read something set there and the blurb sounded interesting. Shouldn't have done that.
The description of the city was ok but the book should be confined to the ninth circle of hell because of the truly boring main character. The promise of the blurb is that he's possibly an angel. He ends up being as dumb as a brick and has two fights scenes which he gets so upset about you wish he had of lost. In fact I think he would have been better replaced by that brick I said he was less intelligent than. I won't tell you if he's actually an angel or not, or about what should essentially be the armageddon conflict at the end which really involves about 4-5 people not legions of demons and angels. What makes this book even worse is that the auxiliary characters are pretty damn boring too, especially considering what they're supposed to be.
Lastly, if I ever read the words, "he opened another bottle of expensive red wine" again. I'll poke my own eyeballs out. Continuously drinking expensive wine is not characterisation, that's laziness. Make them enjoy Chianti like Hannibal, or wine from a particular region but don't make me read a whole book where they keep drinking wine that is notable only for it's price.