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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
3.5?
I LOVED I Am Pilgrim. It’s one of my go-to recommendations. This starts off in a very similar vein, and it’s good. But about 2/3 in, it takes a pretty major turn, genre-wise, into sci-fi/dystopia that isn’t completely out of the blue, but is still a bit strange, and I’m not entirely sure whether it works. But I still liked the book, and if Hayes writes another, I will read it happily.
I LOVED I Am Pilgrim. It’s one of my go-to recommendations. This starts off in a very similar vein, and it’s good. But about 2/3 in, it takes a pretty major turn, genre-wise, into sci-fi/dystopia that isn’t completely out of the blue, but is still a bit strange, and I’m not entirely sure whether it works. But I still liked the book, and if Hayes writes another, I will read it happily.
I Am Pilgrim is one of my all-time favourite books. I don’t read a lot of spy fiction but it’s a book I couldn’t put down and it’s one I’ve re-read, despite it being over 900 pages long. I’d been eagerly anticipating the release of The Year Of The Locust, waiting nine long years to get my hands on it. So, did it live up to my expectations?
Locust starts off exactly as I expected: American CIA spy out to save the world from a deadly terrorist threat. I raced through the first 200 pages (this book is noticeably shorter than Pilgrim at 660 pages) and was really enjoying it, even though it didn’t feel quite as strong a story as it’s predecessor. It was at this point that the plot started to feel a bit disjointed and sadly things only got worse from this point on.
I won’t give any spoilers but this is not your standard spy novel. It’s a genre-bending story which I’m not sure I would have finished if it had been written by another author. It has elements of sci-fi and speculative fiction which I wasn’t expecting and didn’t particularly enjoy within this novel. The story is written in the first person, narrated by our main character, and this just took all the tension out of the plot for me as we know he survives everything that’s thrown at him! The ending is very neatly tied up in a bow and it all just felt way too far-fetched.
I actually think there will be a lot of people out there who enjoy this book, especially if you’re more of a sci-fi lover. It’s a very readable book with Hayes signature short chapters so the length doesn’t feel too daunting. Whilst the story does shoot off on multiple tangents they are all addressed in the end and there’s some very clever bits of writing.
I’m not sure it’s a book I can fully recommend based on my own thoughts but I’ve tried to give a balanced review. I’ve heard Hayes is currently writing Pilgrim 2 and I’ll definitely read that one when it comes out - hopefully not in another nine years though!
Locust starts off exactly as I expected: American CIA spy out to save the world from a deadly terrorist threat. I raced through the first 200 pages (this book is noticeably shorter than Pilgrim at 660 pages) and was really enjoying it, even though it didn’t feel quite as strong a story as it’s predecessor. It was at this point that the plot started to feel a bit disjointed and sadly things only got worse from this point on.
I won’t give any spoilers but this is not your standard spy novel. It’s a genre-bending story which I’m not sure I would have finished if it had been written by another author. It has elements of sci-fi and speculative fiction which I wasn’t expecting and didn’t particularly enjoy within this novel. The story is written in the first person, narrated by our main character, and this just took all the tension out of the plot for me as we know he survives everything that’s thrown at him! The ending is very neatly tied up in a bow and it all just felt way too far-fetched.
I actually think there will be a lot of people out there who enjoy this book, especially if you’re more of a sci-fi lover. It’s a very readable book with Hayes signature short chapters so the length doesn’t feel too daunting. Whilst the story does shoot off on multiple tangents they are all addressed in the end and there’s some very clever bits of writing.
I’m not sure it’s a book I can fully recommend based on my own thoughts but I’ve tried to give a balanced review. I’ve heard Hayes is currently writing Pilgrim 2 and I’ll definitely read that one when it comes out - hopefully not in another nine years though!
Felt like the first 2/3rd were good, but the last third felt like from a different book.
Terry Hayes, acclaimed for his captivating debut "I Am Pilgrim," returns with "The Year of the Locust," initially presenting readers with a promising tale reminiscent of his previous work, though lacking its compelling allure. However, the narrative takes an unfortunate turn in its second half, veering into fantastical territory that ultimately undermines its credibility.
In the first half of the book, Hayes delivers an "I Am Pilgrim"-like narrative, albeit less captivating. We follow Kane, a seasoned CIA operative, as he navigates the murky world of international espionage in the volatile region where Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan converge. Despite its familiarity, this portion of the story maintains a decent level of intrigue, propelling the reader forward with its fast-paced action and atmospheric setting.
However, the narrative takes a disappointing detour in the second half, introducing elements of time travel and alien mutant genes that strain credulity to the breaking point. While authors often ask readers to suspend disbelief, Hayes fails to integrate these fantastical elements seamlessly into the narrative, resulting in a disjointed and unconvincing storyline. The once-promising plot descends into ridiculousness, robbing the novel of its earlier momentum and leaving readers feeling disconnected and disillusioned.
The transition from a potentially 3.5-4 star read in the first half to a generous 2 star rating for the second half is emblematic of the novel's overall disappointment. Where "I Am Pilgrim" earned a well-deserved 5 star rating, "The Year of the Locust" falls woefully short, failing to recapture the magic of its predecessor. Despite its initial promise, Hayes' latest offering ultimately proves to be a letdown, leaving readers wishing for the grounded realism and gripping storytelling that made "I Am Pilgrim" a standout success.
In the first half of the book, Hayes delivers an "I Am Pilgrim"-like narrative, albeit less captivating. We follow Kane, a seasoned CIA operative, as he navigates the murky world of international espionage in the volatile region where Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan converge. Despite its familiarity, this portion of the story maintains a decent level of intrigue, propelling the reader forward with its fast-paced action and atmospheric setting.
However, the narrative takes a disappointing detour in the second half, introducing elements of time travel and alien mutant genes that strain credulity to the breaking point. While authors often ask readers to suspend disbelief, Hayes fails to integrate these fantastical elements seamlessly into the narrative, resulting in a disjointed and unconvincing storyline. The once-promising plot descends into ridiculousness, robbing the novel of its earlier momentum and leaving readers feeling disconnected and disillusioned.
The transition from a potentially 3.5-4 star read in the first half to a generous 2 star rating for the second half is emblematic of the novel's overall disappointment. Where "I Am Pilgrim" earned a well-deserved 5 star rating, "The Year of the Locust" falls woefully short, failing to recapture the magic of its predecessor. Despite its initial promise, Hayes' latest offering ultimately proves to be a letdown, leaving readers wishing for the grounded realism and gripping storytelling that made "I Am Pilgrim" a standout success.
Terry Terry Terry. One of my all time favorite writers...
What happened bro!
You had me for the first 50% of the book and then you just spiraled off into a full on hallucination. I'm not sure if I would call it clever but it sure will stick out in my mind.
I do love Hayes writing style (hence the kind 3 ⭐) but this does not account for a 10 year wait ☹️
What happened bro!
You had me for the first 50% of the book and then you just spiraled off into a full on hallucination. I'm not sure if I would call it clever but it sure will stick out in my mind.
I do love Hayes writing style (hence the kind 3 ⭐) but this does not account for a 10 year wait ☹️
adventurous
medium-paced
Disclaimer: I thought I am Pilgrim was a bit silly in places, but I at least thought it was in the realm of possibility. The first three quarters of the book were pretty much more of the same...
...and then he hops into his experimental submarine and surfaces in the apocalypse. It was ridiculous. The book could very easily have finished at the point where he escapes from being clamped by the neck to a pole in fast moving water that doesn't knock his legs out from under him and being rescued by Laleh (who luckily is an Olympian swimmer by the sounds of it.)
Would I read a book about a man in an invisible time traveling submarine that finds himself in a post-apocalyptic hellscape fighting for his life against alien/human hybrids? Yeah, probably, if it was better written. But to blindside the reader with this poorly thought-out back to the future knock off was pretty bad. How does one reverse the flow of time? Simply climb back into your super-sub and go back the way you came. Of course!?
Honestly at that point if he had woken up to discover that he'd arrived in the Southern Sea 24 more years later, it would have at least made me laugh.
I feel it's easy to fixate on the point at which Terry Hayes lost his mind and write off the rest of the book as okay. It wasn't, it was only comparably good. Kane gets shot through the foot to slow him down if he tries to escape, and this would is left to fester for days before his escape into a very polluted sea. By rights he should have lost the foot. But instead he is back running 20miles within two months. His foot was in smithereens, he should have been lucky if he walked properly again.
Then there's the preminitions and visions of the future...it's one thing after another.
Also worth adding that I stopped listening to the audiobook about half way in and started reading the physical book, which I also already had (I wouldn't have gone out and bought it at this point) because the narration was so grating.
Would I read a book about a man in an invisible time traveling submarine that finds himself in a post-apocalyptic hellscape fighting for his life against alien/human hybrids? Yeah, probably, if it was better written. But to blindside the reader with this poorly thought-out back to the future knock off was pretty bad. How does one reverse the flow of time? Simply climb back into your super-sub and go back the way you came. Of course!?
Honestly at that point if he had woken up to discover that he'd arrived in the Southern Sea 24 more years later, it would have at least made me laugh.
I feel it's easy to fixate on the point at which Terry Hayes lost his mind and write off the rest of the book as okay. It wasn't, it was only comparably good. Kane gets shot through the foot to slow him down if he tries to escape, and this would is left to fester for days before his escape into a very polluted sea. By rights he should have lost the foot. But instead he is back running 20miles within two months. His foot was in smithereens, he should have been lucky if he walked properly again.
Then there's the preminitions and visions of the future...it's one thing after another.
Also worth adding that I stopped listening to the audiobook about half way in and started reading the physical book, which I also already had (I wouldn't have gone out and bought it at this point) because the narration was so grating.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I Am Pilgrim was a fabulous book. For the last 10 years I keep thinking about how good it was and was hanging out for the sequel The Year of the Locust. For the most part I enjoyed it until it changed about 3/4 of the way through when it became very far-fetched. I gave up at this point, but kept wondering how it ended. I ended up going back to it and finished it. If that section had been left out, it would have been another great read, even though lots of it you have to suspend belief. However, it makes for a reasonable thriller.
Nowhere near as good as Pilgrim
I waited 10+ years since I am pilgrim and was disappointed. Too many side bars, the submarine thing was crazy… I nearly stopped reading. I am Pilgrim was one of the best thrillers ever written and this one was just meh.
I waited 10+ years since I am pilgrim and was disappointed. Too many side bars, the submarine thing was crazy… I nearly stopped reading. I am Pilgrim was one of the best thrillers ever written and this one was just meh.
If, like Kane, you're a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA, then boundaries have no meaning. Your function is to go in, do whatever is required, and get out again - by whatever means necessary. You know when to run, when to hide - and when to shoot.
But some places don't play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane's experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet are such a place - a place where violence is the only way to survive.
Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West - but instead he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart...
I'm not sure that Terry Hayes wasn't secretly laughing at everyone when he wrote this book. It's pretty boring spy fare alternating with 5-star action sequences and the twist at the 70% mark defies serious description. I moved from boredom to tension to roll-on-the floor laughter at the coincidences and sheer make-believe. I've wasted hours of my life on this book which I thought would never end! It's the mix of genres that doesn't work, either would be fine on its own but I can't say any more without major spoilers.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
But some places don't play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane's experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet are such a place - a place where violence is the only way to survive.
Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West - but instead he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart...
I'm not sure that Terry Hayes wasn't secretly laughing at everyone when he wrote this book. It's pretty boring spy fare alternating with 5-star action sequences and the twist at the 70% mark defies serious description. I moved from boredom to tension to roll-on-the floor laughter at the coincidences and sheer make-believe. I've wasted hours of my life on this book which I thought would never end! It's the mix of genres that doesn't work, either would be fine on its own but I can't say any more without major spoilers.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy in return for an honest review.