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ssmart213's review against another edition
4.0
Well worth the few sleepless nights. I am not usually one for a scare but I just could not ignore the beauty that is in this book. The most visually interesting book I have seen in a long time. Caught up in my own paranoia I was luckily able to finish this fantastic book.
skimkaye's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The fact that I want 10 copies of this to cut up and tack to my walls with various colors if twine is a testament to how well it's written and how effective it as at doing what it set out to do. I couldnt stop and I still dont want to stop but I didnt havefun either. I think I'm in a death cult now. Dont read this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Alcohol, and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Gore
Most of the trigger warnings are about things that are not detailed, but are things that move the story along or are background themes.luceds's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gcramer3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I think this is worth cracking open if only for the reading experience alone. I've never read a book like it before, and I really enjoyed all of the multi-media elements. The path that this book takes you on mirrors and complements the story it tells perfectly - as the characters are exploring and losing themselves in the labyrinth of the Navidson house, the book takes the reader through footnotes referencing footnotes referencing appendices, giving them the same sense of disorientation. Pages worth of lists of irrelevant names and empty appendices fill the reader with the frustration of finding a dead end, and the densely academic and sometimes inscrutable writing evokes the heavy darkness in the maze. I actually had to go and buy sticky tabs so I would stop losing my place after chasing down footnotes, and it felt directly parallel to the characters putting up neon markers to retrace their steps. It was also surprisingly funny at times - a lot of people dislike the Johnny Truant interjections, but to me they added a bizarre comic relief. There was also a point where I followed the footnotes straight into a dead end and just had to laugh. The plot is where it loses me a little though, mostly because it's so intentionally perplexing and layered. The base Navidson plot is straightforward, but the Zampano and Johnny Truant elements add a confusing twist, and it doesn't seem like there's a consensus on what's actually happening in the book as a whole. The Navidson Record and the cited material is canonically fictional, supposedly made up by Zampano, but did Zampano even exist? Is it all Johnny creating an intricate fiction while spiraling into madness like his mother? Or is Zampano somehow Johnny's father? (There's some evidence to support it, even though it doesn't make much sense) Trying to grasp onto reality in this book is intentionally difficult, mirroring the theme of madness present throughout. It was a great reading experience, though I'm not sure I walked away with anything substantial beside the experience itself.
ellawright9's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
agentgumidragon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
elizabethbunston's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
dicitur's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Stars to live by. Stars to steer by. Stars to die by.
thaell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
markcastaneda's review against another edition
5.0
i could dedicate an entire dissertation to trying to understand this and still miss some incredible nuance.
unsettling ("uncanny" I suppose) and experimental beyond belief. deeply moving in a very untraditional way.
if anything i would call this a multimedia art piece rather than a book (sounds pretentious but you read it and tell me i'm wrong i dare you).
phenomenal
unsettling ("uncanny" I suppose) and experimental beyond belief. deeply moving in a very untraditional way.
if anything i would call this a multimedia art piece rather than a book (sounds pretentious but you read it and tell me i'm wrong i dare you).
phenomenal