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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
(Review flagged for spoilers just to be safe.)
The best kind of billionaire is a dead one.
Like others, I picked up this book because I am a fan of the Magnus Archives and was excited to explore Jonathan Sim's other works. You can definitely see those Magnus influences in this story: distinct horror vignettes that all culminate into a larger conspiracy of sorts, architecture as a conduit for the paranormal, names dropped casually in conversation that end up being very important later on... Listening to the Magnus Archives and being aware of these tendencies gives you an edge when approaching this book.
Reading some of the other reviews, I have to agree with the sentiment that the moral message gets pretty heavy handed by the climatic chapter. Paired with the epilogue, it's... a lot. From any other writer I would attribute it to a fear of their point not being clear and maybe take my review down to a three, but I am willing to overlook this for the sake of the good horror everywhere else.
(Also, I'm reading this in 2025 as an American and evil, corrupt billionaires are sort of par for the course right now. So maybe I'm being forgiving of this because I need some cathartic release or something.)
Overall, I really enjoy each of the chapters and the horror imagery that gets played with in this book. In Jonny Sims style, there's a little bit of something for everyone, be it spooky imaginary friends, haunted paintings, omnipotent AI, and some good old fashioned shadowy ghosts.
The best kind of billionaire is a dead one.
Like others, I picked up this book because I am a fan of the Magnus Archives and was excited to explore Jonathan Sim's other works. You can definitely see those Magnus influences in this story: distinct horror vignettes that all culminate into a larger conspiracy of sorts, architecture as a conduit for the paranormal, names dropped casually in conversation that end up being very important later on... Listening to the Magnus Archives and being aware of these tendencies gives you an edge when approaching this book.
Reading some of the other reviews, I have to agree with the sentiment that the moral message gets pretty heavy handed by the climatic chapter. Paired with the epilogue, it's... a lot. From any other writer I would attribute it to a fear of their point not being clear and maybe take my review down to a three, but I am willing to overlook this for the sake of the good horror everywhere else.
(Also, I'm reading this in 2025 as an American and evil, corrupt billionaires are sort of par for the course right now. So maybe I'm being forgiving of this because I need some cathartic release or something.)
Overall, I really enjoy each of the chapters and the horror imagery that gets played with in this book. In Jonny Sims style, there's a little bit of something for everyone, be it spooky imaginary friends, haunted paintings, omnipotent AI, and some good old fashioned shadowy ghosts.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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:
Yes
2.5 I really enjoyed like the first 2/3 of this, the buildup and suspense was really good and I liked the creeping capitalist horror of the building, but the climax was kind of a let down for me. It felt too blunt and obvious and one-dimensional, and i really wanted a much more nuanced critique of capitalism/wealth which I didn't think it delivered. Especially with having so many complex characters who were on different sides of the wealth gap, it felt like the story betrayed their complexity but all giving them kind of the same outcome in the end. A good read but a disappointing ending
4 stars
Love Jonathan Sims, don’t love short stories
Love Jonathan Sims, don’t love short stories