Reviews

Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen

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dietah's review

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funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

agnesreadsbooksuk's review

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

the_coycaterpillar_reads's review

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5.0

Thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour. All thoughts are my own.

You know when you receive an email about an ORENDA Books blog tour you just know you have to get on by any means necessary because it’s always going to be all kind of awesome. Yes, Little Siberia is another kick Ass Thriller from Orenda and you aren’t going to want to miss this one! Orenda Books just know what’s going to blow your socks off, they love a twisty, dark tale and this is no exception. Buckle up because the whiplash coming your way is off the charts.

Tuomainen is a brand spanking new author for me. He has an almost evil genius about him that can uncannily spin a multi-faceted web horror, mystery and absolute comedy genius. He has brought his A game and it is a disturbing cocktail of melancholy and darkness. I’d bet my last pound that Tuomainen is one of the very few authors that can highlight the importance of certain themes whilst pushing its limits with a mix of close to the bone humour and at times hilarious characterisations. He spins a web of surreal visualisations and doesn’t back down on the reality of the human condition.

Little Siberia, and the main character is a little bit like all of us. He’s relatable. He’s a pastor, Joel is the name. Life’s been a bit unkind to him. He’s struggling with a fact that even his wife doesn’t know. She brings him good news that now definitely means his wife is unfaithful. Life couldn’t have fucked him any harder if it tried. There are criminal goings on, well what would you expect when a super rare type of meteorite falls from the sky? It’s worth around €1 million. His wife ends up somehow becoming embroiled in it. It’s certainly a sense of humour test to put it mildly.

The authors voice comes through so vividly in his writing. The comedy that is injected into the seriousness has a nervous kind of laughter being pulled from the reader. He has bended and moulded the Thriller genre and reshaped it into a bigger beast – Disaster Comedy if you like. The reader was kept engaged with a hope of what was to come next, he did what and the shock of the dark and twisty nature of the read. If the author ever held a masterclass for writing Thrillers I’d so be there.

So back to this meteorite. It’s fallen from the sky and the biggest minds in science in London want their hands on it for analysis. Prior to its transportation Joel is on night-time guard duty in the museum. Shits about to get fucked up. Two assailants break into the museum to steal this big rock. Due to either brains or shit for brains Joel decides to high-tail it and follow them. They lead him to a remote cottage. One of the assailants blows himself to the fucking moon. Think feet still in boots but the rest of him missing type of blown up! One vital mistake – they stole a grenade instead of the meteorite. Okay granted it was the same size, but this is exactly what I’m talking about in regard to the risqué type of comedy the author injects.

The world building is quite frankly claustrophobic. From page one it sucks you in, it leaves you gasping. The fallout from a meteorite falling from the sky and hitting a small village leaves long lasting implications. If given the opportunity wouldn’t you want to try and sneak a bit of that pie? €1 million and technically it doesn’t really belong to anyone, what makes the government think they have any rights to it? Just take it, no-one will care in a week or two and you will gain more riches than your life has ever known. It’s the eternal moral compass- money can turn anyone. This book has it all – infidelity, risqué humour, flaws of morality and habitual action.

I need to read more and more and more. Essentially the brilliance that is this author in his skill about masking the true story in this novel and that is about Joel losing his faith during traumatic events. He knows he will lose everything if he confesses to his wife he was diagnosed sterile after his tour in Afghanistan. He focuses on his guard duties of the meteorite. He has no faith in god anymore the only faith he has is in his wife. She is the bedrock. What happens when his wife destroys that faith. What then does Joel have left to believe in?

I cannot recommend this book enough. A clever, witty tale with black shadows at every turn. Can the human condition ever be anything different are all we all destined to suffer from greed and loathing?

mpr2000's review

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5.0

This is not the first book I’ve read from Antti Tuomainen, so I suppose I am a little biased with my reviews… I love how he writes, his dark humour and original stories. Of course this time was not different; with real characters and meteorite problems this will be the story you’ll remember all the year around.
Before discussing about Little Siberia, let me talk a little about what makes Antti Tuomainen books so special; they are all slow paced but with a rear clock that you know you can’t stop and that makes the story like an avalanche. The characters felt real, of course with a lot of problems and with a dark fate that they haven’t ask but will have to change if they want to continue living! Of course there’s the dark humour in all Antti’s books, the situation is always complex and quite ironic at the same time; and let’s admit it, I love it!
Now, let’s talk about Little Siberia; you have to understand that the story is based in a small village where everyone knows everything; EVERYTHING. So, when our main character, Joel, discovers that her wife is pregnant but he knows that he cannot have children his world will start crumpling around him. Who is the father then? Does everyone know his wife had been unfaithful? But this is not the most important thing, there’s been a meteorite fall near the village, it would seem silly, but the value of the strange metal inside it’s so high that it seems that everyone is ready to steal it. Joel will take the job so seriously that he will have not a doubt to risk his life to keep the meteorite safe!
Joel is a nice man, but doesn’t know how to confront his wife about the pregnancy so he decides to use all his effort to keep the meteorite safe; it’s the only thing he can control and he knows how to keep it safe; on the other side, he really loves his wife but knows that once he will speak up everything will change. And he is not yet ready… I really don’t want to talk more about the story, simply, follow my advice and read the book, you will not regret it!

vela_the_great's review

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

thebooktrail88's review

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5.0

Visit the locations in the novel

There are some writers who have that innate skill of mixing comedy, horror and that close to the knuckle, tongue in cheek characterization and yet still manages to bring the unexpected. There have been books about Finnish beaches, flamingos, mushrooms and..well now we have a UFO in the sky above a small Finnish village….

Could I love Antti Tuomainen any more? What writer not only reshapes genres and expectations but smashes them and remoulds them himself? This is one funny and dark twisty read and I loved it!

This is one of those books where it’s so hard to say much as you don’t want to spoil anything or give anything away. What I can say, is that the writing is as sharp and spot on as usual, the turn of phrase witty and smart.

This read like a film in the vein of Fargo. Minimal setting – and what we did see was fictional – but it’s so real, so vivid, and so claustrophobic that you feel sucked in from the start. From the moment that white light appears in the sky, I was transfixed.

What would happen if a meteorite fell to earth? What would your reaction be? Who would be interested in getting a piece of it? Who would be interested in trying to get some publicity for their find? Could the village make money from this remarkable event? Some want to captilize on the event and others don’t. It’s put in a museum under the protection of a priest. Sounds crazy right? Oh but that’s just the start of a wonderful ride through the Fargo Finnish landscape.

That landscape is dark, compelling and claustrophobic. The cover illustrates the book well – but what there is to see is a village in the middle of nowhere, with only a few characters, thoughts in their heads providing the only path ahead for the reader. It’s a deadly dark and dangerously good reading experience!

Ah the joy of this novel still makes me feel the goosebumps now! What a fine and very funny novel that was. As for the ending! – haha hear that slap? That was me slapping Antti on the back and high-fiving him. Deliciously dark this one but what a treat! A Finnish treat of dark, black comedy wrapped up in fantasy and folklore. It also raises some very interesting questions – what does drive a person to keep a secret or want to reveal it? How much are we interested in ourselves and don’t see how things can affect others? Most of all, when one event begins, how can we be sure it’s not going to snowball?

Mr Toumainen – I need more of your quirky unique reads. They defy expectation, genre and are out of this world.