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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In a world where everyone is either an a-hole, an idiot, a sanctimonious, self-centered person, or, most usually, a combination of the three, there are "monsters" who are also all three. There's also the tired wokeness, worse than the decades of only cisgender he-men, where everyone is not and where the author is too illiterate to know about the singular, non-binary pronoun of ze. This is a pathetic mess with nothing to say. It doesn't get one-star, because he can string sentences pretty well to say nothing of interest.
I wish I'd remember to check my database and seen that I'd read the first book of his and thought it was terrible. Sadly, I didn't see that until entering my notes on this one.
I wish I'd remember to check my database and seen that I'd read the first book of his and thought it was terrible. Sadly, I didn't see that until entering my notes on this one.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I really loved this book and am excited to see where this series goes. What I admire so much with Turnbull's work--and this was present in The Lesson, his novel, too--is his ability to write in multiple diverse perspectives, to create engrossing novels that do not follow a solo hero on some journey of transformation, but look at stories as collectives, as action as collective, as identity as a collection. Only through community is change possible and while this is not a novel directly dealing with climate change, to me this structure makes it a clifi novel as it looks at social change from a systems perspective.
Reading the blurb on this book, I was intrigued enough to give it a try. I started it, and it didn’t take me long to be a little confused. The writing was very different than I’ve read before, not that that is a bad thing. It is very lyrical and descriptive, and the author has a unique voice. I continued reading, and I did become less confused as the book went on and more used to the writing. At times, this book has an eerie tone to it, which I did love. However, I never really connected to the characters or come to really care about what happens to them as it seemed I never quite understood what was going on exactly. Just a little bit more connections to the characters and understanding them would have helped. That’s too bad because I think I would have loved this book with a little more explanation especially since the representation in the book is great, and maybe a little bit more diving into the fantasy aspects. This isn’t for me because while it’s sort of urban fantasy, it’s more about social injustice. This would be good for others, though.
About three-quarters of the way through, I realized this book wouldn’t answer all the questions it set up. It’s not a series but a saga (as the publisher rightfully calls it). There aren’t several books with different plot lines but multiple books you have to read to grasp one huge story. As a result it sometimes feels like there are too many characters, but I suspect that the “extraneous” ones play bigger parts as the story unfolds. I enjoyed the clever, ambitious structure, the universal scope, and vivid action. I admired how Turnbull would quietly set things up that had major payoffs maybe a hundred pages later. I hope I can get ahold of the next book while I still remember the details of this one.
Some aspects of this book I really enjoyed and latched onto (the complex characters and their lives/motivations and different relationships--and I think Calvin's perspective is particularly fascinating) but due to the narrative style the plot was hard to grasp for longer than I'd like and I almost dnf--things picked up and kept me invested enough to finish but the ending felt less than satisfying even as the end to the first in a saga.
What I initially picked the book up for was its take on werewolves and while the lore/worldbuilding there was a little sparse, what I did see I thoroughly enjoyed--
That said, if ---VAGUE SPOILERS FOR END BELOW---
What I initially picked the book up for was its take on werewolves and while the lore/worldbuilding there was a little sparse, what I did see I thoroughly enjoyed--
That said, if ---VAGUE SPOILERS FOR END BELOW---
Spoiler
If Laina and Ridley are agreeing to what I think they are at the end and there is more focus on that particular monster in the next book, my opinions may shift.
(2.5/5 rounded up because it's a cool concept, but mediocre execution) This book hits all the talking points of the zeitgeist. After a police shooting which leaves Laina's brother, Lincoln, dead, people learn that monsters are real. In the wake of this revelation, people either don't care, or use it as an excuse to scapegoat and attack those who were already marginalized. Conspiracy theories abound online, and people "who were normally on the site only once or twice a week were present all day," sending each other down deeper rabbit holes of speculation. With their growing extremism, it's easy to recruit them into doing terrible things. It's all extremely timely.
Unfortunately, I felt that this novel tried to do too much, with a multiverse side plot inserted in halfway through the novel that didn't add much to the story. The mysterious "I" narrator was also frustrating until it was finally revealed far too late – but once again, not really contributing much to the plot. I could have done entirely without it. It read like two books mushed together in a disjointed way, and that really detracted from the experience.
Unfortunately, I felt that this novel tried to do too much, with a multiverse side plot inserted in halfway through the novel that didn't add much to the story. The mysterious "I" narrator was also frustrating until it was finally revealed far too late – but once again, not really contributing much to the plot. I could have done entirely without it. It read like two books mushed together in a disjointed way, and that really detracted from the experience.
** This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review **
First and foremost, this is a book you have to pay attention to. Yes, it’s a casual read, but the subtext is almost its own character in this one. No Gods, No Monsters is the kind of book that almost demands a re-read upon reaching the final page. It’s just that powerful.
Most blurbs and reviews say that this books opens with Laina discovering the news that her brother, Lincoln, has been shot and killed by Boston police, but that’s not really where the book starts. No Gods, No Monsters starts with the introduction of two characters: Calvin and Tanya. As the story progresses, we discover that one of them could possibly be very very important.
Next comes the beginning of Laina’s lament and the big reveal that monsters are real and some of them are ready to go public.
I don’t really want to say much more about the characters or the plot of the book because I think it would steal a piece of the magic from potential readers. What I will say is that No Gods, No Monsters really pushes the boundaries of the classification, or lack thereof, of inclusion and acceptance. Never would I have ever thought it possible to braid together a tale of life, love, the constant struggle and non-Newtonian physics. Yeah, you didn’t read that wrong.
Seeing each section unfold with the inter-meshing of characters and situations is what really sells this story. Mr. Turnbull leverages science fiction and fantasy to show the rawest of “human” emotions in an incredibly deft way, and it doesn’t take long to be fully sucked in.
My single complaint is that it’s now over: I reached the end and that’s it. I do hope Mr. Turnbull revisits these characters and situations because what is not said, and what is not resolved, presents an incredible craving for this reader.
No Gods, No Monsters hits shelves in September 2021, and I guarantee it is going to make some waves. It would not surprise me in the slightest to see it on any number of book of the year lists. Do not sleep on this one.
First and foremost, this is a book you have to pay attention to. Yes, it’s a casual read, but the subtext is almost its own character in this one. No Gods, No Monsters is the kind of book that almost demands a re-read upon reaching the final page. It’s just that powerful.
Most blurbs and reviews say that this books opens with Laina discovering the news that her brother, Lincoln, has been shot and killed by Boston police, but that’s not really where the book starts. No Gods, No Monsters starts with the introduction of two characters: Calvin and Tanya. As the story progresses, we discover that one of them could possibly be very very important.
Next comes the beginning of Laina’s lament and the big reveal that monsters are real and some of them are ready to go public.
I don’t really want to say much more about the characters or the plot of the book because I think it would steal a piece of the magic from potential readers. What I will say is that No Gods, No Monsters really pushes the boundaries of the classification, or lack thereof, of inclusion and acceptance. Never would I have ever thought it possible to braid together a tale of life, love, the constant struggle and non-Newtonian physics. Yeah, you didn’t read that wrong.
Seeing each section unfold with the inter-meshing of characters and situations is what really sells this story. Mr. Turnbull leverages science fiction and fantasy to show the rawest of “human” emotions in an incredibly deft way, and it doesn’t take long to be fully sucked in.
My single complaint is that it’s now over: I reached the end and that’s it. I do hope Mr. Turnbull revisits these characters and situations because what is not said, and what is not resolved, presents an incredible craving for this reader.
No Gods, No Monsters hits shelves in September 2021, and I guarantee it is going to make some waves. It would not surprise me in the slightest to see it on any number of book of the year lists. Do not sleep on this one.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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