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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
5+ out of 5.
Absolutely astounding, and worth every minute of the wait. Hall proves that he is, indeed, one of the great writers of his generation by pulling off an even more audacious interrogation of the power of language and writing than he achieved in his debut, THE RAW SHARK TEXTS. Thick with questions about religion and the fundamental structures of the universe, the book also manages to keep the story rooted in a single man's experience -- as outlandish as that can sometimes be (because, well, isn't that true for all of us?)
I will be thinking about this book for a long, long time. I wonder if I ought to read it again, and soon. I'm still utterly reeling from the sequence of rugs that get pulled out from under the reader in the last fifty or so pages. Breathtaking.
Absolutely astounding, and worth every minute of the wait. Hall proves that he is, indeed, one of the great writers of his generation by pulling off an even more audacious interrogation of the power of language and writing than he achieved in his debut, THE RAW SHARK TEXTS. Thick with questions about religion and the fundamental structures of the universe, the book also manages to keep the story rooted in a single man's experience -- as outlandish as that can sometimes be (because, well, isn't that true for all of us?)
I will be thinking about this book for a long, long time. I wonder if I ought to read it again, and soon. I'm still utterly reeling from the sequence of rugs that get pulled out from under the reader in the last fifty or so pages. Breathtaking.
I have conflicting feelings about Maxwell's Demon. I adored Raw Shark Texts, and perhaps this led to some overly high expectations (expectations which didn't take into account how much time had passed since Hall's first novel was released - certainly my tastes have changed a lot since then). I found the same engaging writing style in Hall's second novel, and for the first quarter or so of the book was pulled along by it, really enjoying the book.
When I got to the mid-point, however, I nearly gave up and abandoned the book entirely. I found the expository text in these sections quite hard going - I'm a very character-motivated reader, and for these sections it was difficult to get any human connection at all. The theoretical aspects of the text come at some expense for readability.
The pacing as a whole seemed slightly awry as well - I felt several times as if I had reached the conclusion, and then the narrative would twist again. This isn't in itself a negative point, but these quick changes weren't always satisfying.
As I passed the difficult middle section and got towards the end of the book, however, I was gripped again - there were lots of interesting ideas, but the characters and plot felt slightly more complete too.
I'm not sure I'll re-read this multiple times the way I have with The Raw Shark Texts, but it was definitely interesting (and at times, gripping).
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Canongate and Netgalley for the ARC.
When I got to the mid-point, however, I nearly gave up and abandoned the book entirely. I found the expository text in these sections quite hard going - I'm a very character-motivated reader, and for these sections it was difficult to get any human connection at all. The theoretical aspects of the text come at some expense for readability.
The pacing as a whole seemed slightly awry as well - I felt several times as if I had reached the conclusion, and then the narrative would twist again. This isn't in itself a negative point, but these quick changes weren't always satisfying.
As I passed the difficult middle section and got towards the end of the book, however, I was gripped again - there were lots of interesting ideas, but the characters and plot felt slightly more complete too.
I'm not sure I'll re-read this multiple times the way I have with The Raw Shark Texts, but it was definitely interesting (and at times, gripping).
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Thanks to Canongate and Netgalley for the ARC.
This book in 3 words: chaos, relationships, twists
Reminded me of: Definitely elements of Popco and The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas in the handling of the thermodynamics elements.
Thomas Quinn hasn’t got much going for him at the start of the novel. His relationships are strained, his career as an author is failing and the issues he’s facing are piling up like the big red bills on the dining room table. Upon the re-emergence in his life of his father’s ‘spiritual son’, a man who is at once a rival and someone he admires, Thomas’ life takes an unexpected turn.
And it’s the unexpected turns I really enjoyed about this novel. I can honestly say I didn’t see the ending, or indeed the middle, of the novel coming. The pace was at times breakneck and I wanted to turn the pages, to race to find out what was going on, admittedly sometimes at the detriment of some of the more intellectual parts of the novel. That said, I liked the intellectualism. This is a novel interspersed with moments of science, religion and philosophy, lending the narrative a sense of someone in a complete existential crisis trying to find meaning, by any means.
It’s three stars for me because, despite the pace and excitement of the plot, which I genuinely enjoyed, I didn’t feel much for the characters. I wanted to feel sympathy for the main character, I wanted to understand his motives on an emotional level, but I never felt a moment that touched my heart, rather than got the cogs whirring in my head.
If you like something fast-paced with the feel of a thriller but with an overarching driving concept (entropy, in this case), then you’ll enjoy this. And while the ending might feel unbelievable, the book itself tells us, if we’re really listening, that this is how it will turn out.
A note on the e-book: I only realised after I’d finished reading that some of the sections (which were largely unreadable in the e-reader version) were actually quite beautiful leaf motifs in the words. A shame, but not a factor in my review.
Reminded me of: Definitely elements of Popco and The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas in the handling of the thermodynamics elements.
Thomas Quinn hasn’t got much going for him at the start of the novel. His relationships are strained, his career as an author is failing and the issues he’s facing are piling up like the big red bills on the dining room table. Upon the re-emergence in his life of his father’s ‘spiritual son’, a man who is at once a rival and someone he admires, Thomas’ life takes an unexpected turn.
And it’s the unexpected turns I really enjoyed about this novel. I can honestly say I didn’t see the ending, or indeed the middle, of the novel coming. The pace was at times breakneck and I wanted to turn the pages, to race to find out what was going on, admittedly sometimes at the detriment of some of the more intellectual parts of the novel. That said, I liked the intellectualism. This is a novel interspersed with moments of science, religion and philosophy, lending the narrative a sense of someone in a complete existential crisis trying to find meaning, by any means.
It’s three stars for me because, despite the pace and excitement of the plot, which I genuinely enjoyed, I didn’t feel much for the characters. I wanted to feel sympathy for the main character, I wanted to understand his motives on an emotional level, but I never felt a moment that touched my heart, rather than got the cogs whirring in my head.
If you like something fast-paced with the feel of a thriller but with an overarching driving concept (entropy, in this case), then you’ll enjoy this. And while the ending might feel unbelievable, the book itself tells us, if we’re really listening, that this is how it will turn out.
A note on the e-book: I only realised after I’d finished reading that some of the sections (which were largely unreadable in the e-reader version) were actually quite beautiful leaf motifs in the words. A shame, but not a factor in my review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Press for the digital ARC of Maxwell’s Demon by Steven Hall.
Thomas Quinn is a writer, descending from a writer father, Stanley Quinn, recently deceased. Stanley’s assistant, Andrew Black, is a writing phenom who becomes famous for his book entitled Cupid’s Engine, which seems to break genre and trope. And then, Black seems to disappear. When Thomas receives a mysterious message on his voicemail from a father he believes to be dead, he falls face forward into the rabbit hole that twists, turns, and then circles back on itself. Who, exactly, is Andrew Black?
Maxwell's Demon is a thrilling story of physics and philosophy. Also of religion, of the art and engine of writing. But it is, somehow, not exactly about that at all at the same time. It is House of Leaves meets The Da Vinci Code meets Recursion. A mind-bending adventure that keeps you guessing, thinking, and reminding yourself to breathe.
Thomas Quinn is a writer, descending from a writer father, Stanley Quinn, recently deceased. Stanley’s assistant, Andrew Black, is a writing phenom who becomes famous for his book entitled Cupid’s Engine, which seems to break genre and trope. And then, Black seems to disappear. When Thomas receives a mysterious message on his voicemail from a father he believes to be dead, he falls face forward into the rabbit hole that twists, turns, and then circles back on itself. Who, exactly, is Andrew Black?
Maxwell's Demon is a thrilling story of physics and philosophy. Also of religion, of the art and engine of writing. But it is, somehow, not exactly about that at all at the same time. It is House of Leaves meets The Da Vinci Code meets Recursion. A mind-bending adventure that keeps you guessing, thinking, and reminding yourself to breathe.
‘Entropy is what drives time forwards, and only forwards. It’s the reason you can’t un-stir the milk from your coffee, the reason you can smash but can’t un-smash a glass vase, and the reason that if you did smash a glass vase then fixed it really well, somebody might say, ‘it looks as good as new.’ People get old and die over time, stuff gets broken over time. Entropy is the inevitable sliding of all things from an ordered state towards disorder and meaninglessness…’
Five years ago, Andrew Black wrote a best-selling mystery novel and then disappeared. Struggling novelist Thomas Quinn, seemingly stalked by a character from Black’s story, attempts to unfold the mystery of the elusive author.
Maxwell’s Demon is a bizarre blend of detective thriller, lesson on thermodynamics, philosophical journey and a biblical conspiracy. Personally, I quite enjoyed the biblical references and the central mystery, which felt like a cheeky nudge to a Dan Brown novel. I did feel however that in some places the explanations of the Maxwell’s Demon thought experiment and the second law of thermodynamics (though at first very interesting to me) did seem to drag on for just a few too many pages.
Fans of The Raw Shark Texts will enjoy this. Hall cleverly creates an unusual and creative narrative where you are not entirely sure what is real or who to trust. Similar to The Raw Shark Texts, I left this book thinking ‘What on earth did I just read?’ However, I enjoyed the journey regardless.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Canongate for granting me a copy of this book early!
The new release date for Maxwell's Demon is 4th February 2021
Five years ago, Andrew Black wrote a best-selling mystery novel and then disappeared. Struggling novelist Thomas Quinn, seemingly stalked by a character from Black’s story, attempts to unfold the mystery of the elusive author.
Maxwell’s Demon is a bizarre blend of detective thriller, lesson on thermodynamics, philosophical journey and a biblical conspiracy. Personally, I quite enjoyed the biblical references and the central mystery, which felt like a cheeky nudge to a Dan Brown novel. I did feel however that in some places the explanations of the Maxwell’s Demon thought experiment and the second law of thermodynamics (though at first very interesting to me) did seem to drag on for just a few too many pages.
Fans of The Raw Shark Texts will enjoy this. Hall cleverly creates an unusual and creative narrative where you are not entirely sure what is real or who to trust. Similar to The Raw Shark Texts, I left this book thinking ‘What on earth did I just read?’ However, I enjoyed the journey regardless.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Canongate for granting me a copy of this book early!
The new release date for Maxwell's Demon is 4th February 2021