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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Den här boken skaffade jag utan att veta något om den. Jag tog inte "God"-grejen bokstavligt (i sådana fall hade jag förmodligen undvikit!), och för mig signalerade framsidan "literary fiction". När jag såg "science fiction"-taggningarna blev jag visserligen inte besviken, men ändå lite förvånad.
Både framsidan och taggen har fel; Det här är en vanlig gammal hederlig kriminalroman. En kriminalroman som får plus för mänsklig huvudperson och några bra bihistorier, minus för "följa mördaren"-kapitel och onödigt blodiga mord. Jag räknar ut vem förövaren ungefär i vanlig tid. Stabilt och igenkänningsbart.
Ja, okej - det ramlar ner en jätte från rymden också... men det spelar faktiskt inte så stor roll. Vilket man ju kan se som både plus och minus.
För mig antar jag att det ändå hamnade på plussidan, för även om jag inte var överförtjust i boken kan jag inte riktigt ge den en vanlig trea. 3,5 (och jag gillar fortfarande omslaget).
Både framsidan och taggen har fel; Det här är en vanlig gammal hederlig kriminalroman. En kriminalroman som får plus för mänsklig huvudperson och några bra bihistorier, minus för "följa mördaren"-kapitel och onödigt blodiga mord. Jag räknar ut vem förövaren ungefär i vanlig tid. Stabilt och igenkänningsbart.
Ja, okej - det ramlar ner en jätte från rymden också... men det spelar faktiskt inte så stor roll. Vilket man ju kan se som både plus och minus.
För mig antar jag att det ändå hamnade på plussidan, för även om jag inte var överförtjust i boken kan jag inte riktigt ge den en vanlig trea. 3,5 (och jag gillar fortfarande omslaget).
This was great. My only complaint is that I guessed the killer with their first appearance (and enjoy being surprised so I typically try pretty hard to not let myself try to guess an ending), so the whole time I was just irritated with every character for not guessing what was going on. Thank you to University of Nebraska Press for the complimentary digital copy
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Kind of a paint by numbers murder mystery with a giant alien in the background. Kind of wished it was more in the foreground.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Godfall by Van Jensen and narrated by Scott Merriman is a glorious genre-busting mashup that is a non-stop pageturner from start to finish (or listen as I did to the fantastic audiobook)
There is so much to this book that I was left utterly bewildered by the end, but what cannot be denied, is the outstanding originality of the story and just how well written it is
Humanity is bracing for armageddon, a giant asteroid is hurtling toward the earth, complete obliteration is on the cards. Some people carry on as normal, some go in the other direction with extreme enthusiasm, but all is reassessed when a 3 mile tall giant drops to the ground in Little Springs, Nebraska. A tiny little one-horse town that is upended by the tourists (out-of towners), an elaborate, anonymous cult of Tiger mask wearing devotees, and a serial killer of the most brutal persuasion
The Sherriff, David Blunt, is not only dealing with a serial killer, but a community divided and how it is all connected to the giant
Scott Merriman is a great narrator, the perfect voice for this novel, from the humour, to the horror, to the cast of characters. Utterly brilliant
I was utterly gripped by this audiobook. At times horriffic, at all times compelling, I cannot recommend it enough
Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio the author Van Jensen and narrator Jonathan Keeble for this ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
There is so much to this book that I was left utterly bewildered by the end, but what cannot be denied, is the outstanding originality of the story and just how well written it is
Humanity is bracing for armageddon, a giant asteroid is hurtling toward the earth, complete obliteration is on the cards. Some people carry on as normal, some go in the other direction with extreme enthusiasm, but all is reassessed when a 3 mile tall giant drops to the ground in Little Springs, Nebraska. A tiny little one-horse town that is upended by the tourists (out-of towners), an elaborate, anonymous cult of Tiger mask wearing devotees, and a serial killer of the most brutal persuasion
The Sherriff, David Blunt, is not only dealing with a serial killer, but a community divided and how it is all connected to the giant
Scott Merriman is a great narrator, the perfect voice for this novel, from the humour, to the horror, to the cast of characters. Utterly brilliant
I was utterly gripped by this audiobook. At times horriffic, at all times compelling, I cannot recommend it enough
Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio the author Van Jensen and narrator Jonathan Keeble for this ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
Godfall is a well-written scifi novel centered around David, a small-town sherrif who sees life suddenly change when an "asteroid" heading to Earth ends up being a gigantic (miles-long) dead alien. Naturally, when the alien crashes into his town, so, too, does the curious world, with reporters and the government racing to investigate this new development. This leaves David with a job more complicated than ever, doing his best to protect the "insiders" of the town from the changing culture as "outsiders" rush in.
There’s a lot going on in this book — a lone wolf small town cop, a religious end-of-times cult, a drug ring, murders, and of course let's not forget the alien body — and I was relieved that Van Jensen more or less pulls it all together in the end. I really appreciated David as a main character. He was somehow wholesome and deeply rooted in his community, and yet also a loner searching for his — and the town's — place in the world. His strict adherence to the idea of insiders vs outsiders in his town seemed characteristic of small-town life, as did the inevitable blind spots that rise up as a result. There are quite a few characters in the novel, and I did at times get a bit lost inside of them. I appreciated how this book navigated trans representation and various community reactions to it.
While this is a scifi book, it's heavily grounded in our typical world. I consider it light on the scifi themes and heavy on the character development and murder mystery. It will be a great choice for fans of serial killer thrillers and police procedurals.
There’s a lot going on in this book — a lone wolf small town cop, a religious end-of-times cult, a drug ring, murders, and of course let's not forget the alien body — and I was relieved that Van Jensen more or less pulls it all together in the end. I really appreciated David as a main character. He was somehow wholesome and deeply rooted in his community, and yet also a loner searching for his — and the town's — place in the world. His strict adherence to the idea of insiders vs outsiders in his town seemed characteristic of small-town life, as did the inevitable blind spots that rise up as a result. There are quite a few characters in the novel, and I did at times get a bit lost inside of them. I appreciated how this book navigated trans representation and various community reactions to it.
While this is a scifi book, it's heavily grounded in our typical world. I consider it light on the scifi themes and heavy on the character development and murder mystery. It will be a great choice for fans of serial killer thrillers and police procedurals.
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have a lot of thoughts about this book – overall it was enjoyable and I liked it. Definitely more murder mystery vs sci-fi than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it.
The good:
- I liked David Blunt, the sheriff and MC of the story. He was accurately depicted as how you would expect a man brought up in a small farm town in a red state. Moral compass, small town manners, stubborn, drinker, and hints of racism and misogyny without being outright horrible.
- Charlotte was an interesting twist/character, I won’t spoil anything but I really enjoyed the angle she played in the book.
- The murder mystery was enjoyable. I was captivated and intrigued, and I liked the angle of the murder being obsessed with the alien/giant.
- The dialogue between the characters was really great – each person had their own mannerisms and voice and I enjoyed that.
The meh:
- It was a little confusing reading about the town itself. Is it a big city/town now? is it still a small town with an adjoining big town? Is one side of the town dubbed ‘old town’ and secluded from the rest? I don’t know, it was very confusing.
- If it was a big town, I find it highly doubtful they would not have reorganized the structural elements of the town. 2 police is not enough, and a volunteer fire department? Even tiny towns have a fire chief.
- The twist/ who the killer was. I was a little disappointed by how this panned out. It was a good story but I felt like it was set up early on and instead of a shocking twist, it was actually who I thought it was early on. It ties in really well with everything, I just was hoping for more of a shock factor – I kinda knew who it was already.
- The lack of sci-fi elements. There was a giant dead alien and a top secret government base and we didn’t really focus on that? what? tell me more!!
Truly I did enjoy this read, it was good! I just felt like things either weren’t wrapped up (the dogs barking/dementia thing??) OR there is going to be a sequel. Personally I would definitely read a sequel if it dove deeper into the alien and the government facility and the things they are hiding there. That would be very interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Godfall by Van Jensen was an intriguing look into a small town community whose world was impacted in more ways than one. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a murder mystery and who also like small town problems.
*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review*
The good:
- I liked David Blunt, the sheriff and MC of the story. He was accurately depicted as how you would expect a man brought up in a small farm town in a red state. Moral compass, small town manners, stubborn, drinker, and hints of racism and misogyny without being outright horrible.
- Charlotte was an interesting twist/character, I won’t spoil anything but I really enjoyed the angle she played in the book.
- The murder mystery was enjoyable. I was captivated and intrigued, and I liked the angle of the murder being obsessed with the alien/giant.
- The dialogue between the characters was really great – each person had their own mannerisms and voice and I enjoyed that.
The meh:
- It was a little confusing reading about the town itself. Is it a big city/town now? is it still a small town with an adjoining big town? Is one side of the town dubbed ‘old town’ and secluded from the rest? I don’t know, it was very confusing.
- If it was a big town, I find it highly doubtful they would not have reorganized the structural elements of the town. 2 police is not enough, and a volunteer fire department? Even tiny towns have a fire chief.
- The twist/ who the killer was. I was a little disappointed by how this panned out. It was a good story but I felt like it was set up early on and instead of a shocking twist, it was actually who I thought it was early on. It ties in really well with everything, I just was hoping for more of a shock factor – I kinda knew who it was already.
- The lack of sci-fi elements. There was a giant dead alien and a top secret government base and we didn’t really focus on that? what? tell me more!!
Truly I did enjoy this read, it was good! I just felt like things either weren’t wrapped up (the dogs barking/dementia thing??) OR there is going to be a sequel. Personally I would definitely read a sequel if it dove deeper into the alien and the government facility and the things they are hiding there. That would be very interesting.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Godfall by Van Jensen was an intriguing look into a small town community whose world was impacted in more ways than one. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a murder mystery and who also like small town problems.
*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review*