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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
When a knife salesman named Rey stumbles upon a man with numerous TVs in his garage, all tuned to static on analog signals, his world is turned upside down forever. Now, his thoughts are showing up on TV screens and showing him things he'd rather not see...
Even though my Review Request Guidlines get harsher by the week, I'm really a big softie so I was happy to take Kirk Jones up on an ARC of his latest. This shit is pretty fucked up. I mean that in the best possible way.
"Part horror, part nutso conspiracy thriller" would be the best way to describe Aetherchrist. Much like he mined the Philadephia Experiment for [b:Journey to Abortosphere|21936317|Journey to Abortosphere|Kirk Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397614344s/21936317.jpg|41238336], this time Kirk Jones takes on the ultimate question: Why did the government keep using analog towers long after cable was introduced?
Rey's kind of a loser, secretly lusting after his boss. When he starts seeing weird things in the analog static, shit quickly gets out of hand. The true scope of the book is reveal when Rey meets other people with the same ability. I'd say it's Kirk's most ambitious book to date and he did a great job weaving the various ideas together.
Bill's notebooks are used to do a little of the world building at the beginning of each chapter, which I liked. It sidestepped a lot of infodumping that way and gave hints of things to come. Once Rey met Aero, things really got going. The whole package reminded me of lost Twilight Zone episode that was too bizarre to air. Also, I couldn't get that Doctor Who episode where the video of the Weeping Angel is played on a loop out of my head while I was reading it.
Aetherchrist was one bizarre experience. Not for the faint of heart but ultimately an engaging read. Four out of five stars.
Even though my Review Request Guidlines get harsher by the week, I'm really a big softie so I was happy to take Kirk Jones up on an ARC of his latest. This shit is pretty fucked up. I mean that in the best possible way.
"Part horror, part nutso conspiracy thriller" would be the best way to describe Aetherchrist. Much like he mined the Philadephia Experiment for [b:Journey to Abortosphere|21936317|Journey to Abortosphere|Kirk Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397614344s/21936317.jpg|41238336], this time Kirk Jones takes on the ultimate question: Why did the government keep using analog towers long after cable was introduced?
Rey's kind of a loser, secretly lusting after his boss. When he starts seeing weird things in the analog static, shit quickly gets out of hand. The true scope of the book is reveal when Rey meets other people with the same ability. I'd say it's Kirk's most ambitious book to date and he did a great job weaving the various ideas together.
Bill's notebooks are used to do a little of the world building at the beginning of each chapter, which I liked. It sidestepped a lot of infodumping that way and gave hints of things to come. Once Rey met Aero, things really got going. The whole package reminded me of lost Twilight Zone episode that was too bizarre to air. Also, I couldn't get that Doctor Who episode where the video of the Weeping Angel is played on a loop out of my head while I was reading it.
Aetherchrist was one bizarre experience. Not for the faint of heart but ultimately an engaging read. Four out of five stars.
kailina's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
howlinglibraries's review
I don't usually like to DNF novellas since they're such quick reads, but I'm really not a fan of this writing or these characters, so I'm gonna go ahead and say this one isn't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Murder
Minor: Sexual violence and Gun violence
kittykult's review against another edition
5.0
Aetherchrist reminded me of a combination of my all-time favorite Stephen King story (“The Road Virus Heads North”) and The Music Scene by Anthony F. Schepperd.
Knife salesman Rey travels the country as part of his substance abuse treatment, a dull (ha) and pointless (haha) job now that you can buy anything on the internet these days.
When he stops in a small, backwoods town, he begins to see himself on television - at first doing normal things like walking around and sitting at a bar, and then seeing himself murdering people and ending up dead. Terrified, Rey tries to rationalize and avoid the transmissions, until he learns that some people have strong signals which can cast their thoughts and lives on screen - and some of them are dangerous.
The story is like a rocketship that propels you endlessly forward, taking no prisoners.
The ending, while powerful, was abrupt for me, but it didn’t dull my liking of this book. Definitely picking up some more Kirk Jones.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
Knife salesman Rey travels the country as part of his substance abuse treatment, a dull (ha) and pointless (haha) job now that you can buy anything on the internet these days.
When he stops in a small, backwoods town, he begins to see himself on television - at first doing normal things like walking around and sitting at a bar, and then seeing himself murdering people and ending up dead. Terrified, Rey tries to rationalize and avoid the transmissions, until he learns that some people have strong signals which can cast their thoughts and lives on screen - and some of them are dangerous.
The story is like a rocketship that propels you endlessly forward, taking no prisoners.
The ending, while powerful, was abrupt for me, but it didn’t dull my liking of this book. Definitely picking up some more Kirk Jones.
Note: I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.
rebecas16's review
dark
funny
mysterious
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
1.75
laughterhp's review against another edition
1.0
I have no idea what happened in this book. TG it was only 129 pages long. It was painful.
alexanderp's review
3.0
Review orginally posted here.
AETHERCHRIST begins in the desolate and impoverished back country of rural Vermont. We follow Reymond (also called Rey) as he attempts to sell cutlery in a one stoplight town. When broadcasts begin to forecast deaths of their residents, Rey is suddenly in the center of each homicide. Are there cameras? Are the locals trying to set him up? When more insanity, driven by analog begins to pick up, Rey starts to realize that maybe there is something out there in the aether that has it out for him.
Jones takes you for a dark and twisted ride as he explores not only the terrain of radio waves, but the interplay of paranoia. Rey’s gut reactions are fueled by it and it only becomes worse as things go on, especially when he realizes he can do certain “things” with broadcasts. And just when readers may have figured out where the story is going, it blasts downward to a new horrific level.
Both parts dark sci fi and straight up horror, Jones cannot resist, but throw in some truly bizzaro moments that will either make the reader take a step back, only dive back in with reckless abandon. Rey is a fun character to root for, even when he seems to be a slave to his impulses and drives, yet this begs the question, aren’t we all?
The setting of this story follows a theme, of desolate, forgotten places, much like analog itself. Its a relic and the homes Rey visits reflects this, but with almost eldritch tendencies, the aether reaches in and corrupts.
This novella is not a “feel good” story by any stretch and it remains with you even after finishing. It is as if the cloud of paranoia refuses to dissipate. This is not a story for the faint at heart nor is it for the squeamish, but if you are willing to read a genre-blended story that takes risks, this is the exact ticket.
AETHERCHRIST begins in the desolate and impoverished back country of rural Vermont. We follow Reymond (also called Rey) as he attempts to sell cutlery in a one stoplight town. When broadcasts begin to forecast deaths of their residents, Rey is suddenly in the center of each homicide. Are there cameras? Are the locals trying to set him up? When more insanity, driven by analog begins to pick up, Rey starts to realize that maybe there is something out there in the aether that has it out for him.
Jones takes you for a dark and twisted ride as he explores not only the terrain of radio waves, but the interplay of paranoia. Rey’s gut reactions are fueled by it and it only becomes worse as things go on, especially when he realizes he can do certain “things” with broadcasts. And just when readers may have figured out where the story is going, it blasts downward to a new horrific level.
Both parts dark sci fi and straight up horror, Jones cannot resist, but throw in some truly bizzaro moments that will either make the reader take a step back, only dive back in with reckless abandon. Rey is a fun character to root for, even when he seems to be a slave to his impulses and drives, yet this begs the question, aren’t we all?
The setting of this story follows a theme, of desolate, forgotten places, much like analog itself. Its a relic and the homes Rey visits reflects this, but with almost eldritch tendencies, the aether reaches in and corrupts.
This novella is not a “feel good” story by any stretch and it remains with you even after finishing. It is as if the cloud of paranoia refuses to dissipate. This is not a story for the faint at heart nor is it for the squeamish, but if you are willing to read a genre-blended story that takes risks, this is the exact ticket.
lilyn_g's review
3.0
Well, this was different! I can’t say I entirely dug it, but it was a unique reading experience, and I appreciate it for that. I went in pretty much blind. I knew it was strange and that one of my team had appreciated it. (I also knew that she loved it so there was a decent chance I’d hate it because our tastes are so different! Sometimes we end up both loving the same thing, though, so it’s always a dice roll.)
Aetherchrist is a sci-fi weird fiction novella that has the potential to take readers on one hell of a mind-trip if you’re so inclined. The pacing is excellent. Kirk Jones does a good job keeping you wondering where things are going to head even as you’re not entirely sure what’s going on to begin with. Weird fiction, indeed.
Mikio Murikami did an amazing job with the cover for Aetherchrist. It’s bleak and depressing yet eye-catching and engaging all at once. It feels like something you’d see in a movie like The Ring.
“Imagine how much exist within the human mind that has yet to be discovered because the exceptions to the rule assume they are the rule.”
This quote snagged me more than anything else in the book. I love it when you’re just kind of lazily enjoying a weird story and the author comes out of nowhere with something that makes you stop, blink, and think.
I also love how writers can take a single “what if” and turn it into a whole twisted tale.
Overall, even though Aetherchrist didn’t work for me, I can see many people enjoying it. If you like weird fiction, it’s worth checking out.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
Aetherchrist is a sci-fi weird fiction novella that has the potential to take readers on one hell of a mind-trip if you’re so inclined. The pacing is excellent. Kirk Jones does a good job keeping you wondering where things are going to head even as you’re not entirely sure what’s going on to begin with. Weird fiction, indeed.
Mikio Murikami did an amazing job with the cover for Aetherchrist. It’s bleak and depressing yet eye-catching and engaging all at once. It feels like something you’d see in a movie like The Ring.
“Imagine how much exist within the human mind that has yet to be discovered because the exceptions to the rule assume they are the rule.”
This quote snagged me more than anything else in the book. I love it when you’re just kind of lazily enjoying a weird story and the author comes out of nowhere with something that makes you stop, blink, and think.
I also love how writers can take a single “what if” and turn it into a whole twisted tale.
Overall, even though Aetherchrist didn’t work for me, I can see many people enjoying it. If you like weird fiction, it’s worth checking out.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
aimiller's review
3.0
Right off the bat, I have to note that I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, and I'm grateful to the publisher for the opportunity to read this.
More like 2.5, though that's more because it wasn't wholly my thing? The world building was pretty cool, but confusing (which was probably intentional!) and there was a lot of violence that was pretty graphic and fairly brutal, but the story MOVED along at a click, and was definitely engaging. The ending came kind of out of the blue and tbh I was expecting a longer build to the conclusion, but that's probably a personal taste thing.
If fast-paced action is your thing, this is definitely up your alley!
More like 2.5, though that's more because it wasn't wholly my thing? The world building was pretty cool, but confusing (which was probably intentional!) and there was a lot of violence that was pretty graphic and fairly brutal, but the story MOVED along at a click, and was definitely engaging. The ending came kind of out of the blue and tbh I was expecting a longer build to the conclusion, but that's probably a personal taste thing.
If fast-paced action is your thing, this is definitely up your alley!