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rhianydd's review against another edition
4.0
Wild Alan, who as a child watched his family massacred by the Pyramid's enforcers the Arbitrators, is given an ultimatum - find a specific mushroom or his son suffers. To do this, Alan brings together a band of strange characters: Eyes, tortured by the Pyramiders; Spider, a tattoo artist and fighter; Churr, an ambitious traveller; and Bloody Nora, a Mapmaker. Together they travel through the Discard to the swamps around Dok.
I found the first few chapters of this book a struggle - none of the characters were particularly pleasant and Alan's stubbornness and insistence on making bad decisions were trying. However, I am glad I stuck with it because the world-building is marvellous. By the mid-point, I was thoroughly engrossed in this world of mushrooms and snail-eaters, even though I still didn't like the characters (except for Bloody Nora) and Alan's decisions still annoyed me.
I am certainly looking forward to learning more about this world in the next book, and recommend this book for anyone looking for something very different.
I found the first few chapters of this book a struggle - none of the characters were particularly pleasant and Alan's stubbornness and insistence on making bad decisions were trying. However, I am glad I stuck with it because the world-building is marvellous. By the mid-point, I was thoroughly engrossed in this world of mushrooms and snail-eaters, even though I still didn't like the characters (except for Bloody Nora) and Alan's decisions still annoyed me.
I am certainly looking forward to learning more about this world in the next book, and recommend this book for anyone looking for something very different.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
How to even explain this world. They themselves do not even know what kind of world they live in.
It's a world where there in the middle there is a big black pyramid. People live there. They eat, sleep, work. But their lives are better. They do not know what they do for a living, they just work. Outside is the Discards, broken buildings, broken people, weird beings and swamps. The life there is not good. They hate, or do not care about the Pyramidders. And they do not know what exactly they live in. Why does it look like this? What is this?
In this world we have wild Alan who left the Pyramid and lives in the Discard. He is not a nice hero. He cares about himself and the family he left behind. In the mean time he sleeps with everyone he can find and drinks and misses his old life. Life is not white or black. It's grey, and he will do anything to be with them again.
The story is about him trying to make a living and then about a certain quest he undertakes. I liked that part, we got to see more of the Discard and meet someone with questions or answers. There is more to come, so we will learn more eventually.
A freaky weird world. I would not want to live there, but it was interesting to read about. And what to even classify it as? Is this our world gone to hell in the future?
It's a world where there in the middle there is a big black pyramid. People live there. They eat, sleep, work. But their lives are better. They do not know what they do for a living, they just work. Outside is the Discards, broken buildings, broken people, weird beings and swamps. The life there is not good. They hate, or do not care about the Pyramidders. And they do not know what exactly they live in. Why does it look like this? What is this?
In this world we have wild Alan who left the Pyramid and lives in the Discard. He is not a nice hero. He cares about himself and the family he left behind. In the mean time he sleeps with everyone he can find and drinks and misses his old life. Life is not white or black. It's grey, and he will do anything to be with them again.
The story is about him trying to make a living and then about a certain quest he undertakes. I liked that part, we got to see more of the Discard and meet someone with questions or answers. There is more to come, so we will learn more eventually.
A freaky weird world. I would not want to live there, but it was interesting to read about. And what to even classify it as? Is this our world gone to hell in the future?
imogenkh11's review against another edition
Not enough character building at the start- dont understand world so don't know why the character wants what they want
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood
maxim_'s review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
2.0
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I'm generally a big fan of this type of strangeness and this type of worldbuilding, dropping the reader in and letting them figure it out as they go, but there was something about this that didn't feel quite lived in enough to make it work from the get-go. I didn't really care for (or about) most of the characters, though there were a couple who managed to stand out in the end. (I would read entire books about Bloody Nora.) The deeper into the world I got—and I mean that both in a literal and a metaphorical sense—the more interesting it got to me. This has a lot going for it, certainly enough for me to keep going in the series, but it's not all the way there yet.
charonlrdraws's review against another edition
5.0
And since this book has a lovable asshole as the main character how could I not love this book because of that fact because I do. Also this was a impulse buy and I was interested in the story as well but heck Wild Alan here pretty much stole my heart by Chapter 7 and I just wound up loving this book after that.
Only problem is I now have the annoying wait for book two which won't be out until next year.
A summery for Gleam:
The gargantuan Factory of Gleam is an ancient, hulking edifice of stone, metal and glass. This Black Pyramid is home to many who live and die in luxury inside its walls, for the outside-the Discard-is a decaying lawless zone.
The Pyramid is also home to Wild Alan, who watched his parents massacred by Arbitrators-the disciplinary force if the Pyramid-as a child. Unable to let go of the past, he has grown up angry, resentful and desperate for answers. But when a final act of defiance puts his family in danger, he has no choice but to retreat into Discard.
There he is given an ultimatum: bring the Arbitrators a mushroom with great powers, or see his son suffer...but in travelling through Gleam, he is about to uncover more than he bargained for.
Kind of wishing I'd read this book sooner actually, but hey better late then never I guess but yeah I need the sequel ASAP.
Only problem is I now have the annoying wait for book two which won't be out until next year.
A summery for Gleam:
The gargantuan Factory of Gleam is an ancient, hulking edifice of stone, metal and glass. This Black Pyramid is home to many who live and die in luxury inside its walls, for the outside-the Discard-is a decaying lawless zone.
The Pyramid is also home to Wild Alan, who watched his parents massacred by Arbitrators-the disciplinary force if the Pyramid-as a child. Unable to let go of the past, he has grown up angry, resentful and desperate for answers. But when a final act of defiance puts his family in danger, he has no choice but to retreat into Discard.
There he is given an ultimatum: bring the Arbitrators a mushroom with great powers, or see his son suffer...but in travelling through Gleam, he is about to uncover more than he bargained for.
Kind of wishing I'd read this book sooner actually, but hey better late then never I guess but yeah I need the sequel ASAP.
rachael_amber's review against another edition
4.0
'Gleam' by Tom Fletcher is the first instalment in a new series of fantasy books called 'The Factory Trilogy'. I was very excited to read this book as the synopsis sounded great and the cover is absolutely beautiful!
It took me a few chapters to really get into the book. I felt that everything happened a bit too quickly to begin with and then the pace became very slow for the next couple of chapters. However once I got into it this book was a really good read. I loved the plot and the characters. I found the main character, Alan, immediately dislikeable but as the story progressed and I found out more about him I grew to like him. All the central characters are very complex which makes for an interesting story. I especially liked Nora and I enjoyed reading about the Mapmakers.
Overall, I thought this was a brilliant start to what I'm sure will be a great trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading the next one :)
It took me a few chapters to really get into the book. I felt that everything happened a bit too quickly to begin with and then the pace became very slow for the next couple of chapters. However once I got into it this book was a really good read. I loved the plot and the characters. I found the main character, Alan, immediately dislikeable but as the story progressed and I found out more about him I grew to like him. All the central characters are very complex which makes for an interesting story. I especially liked Nora and I enjoyed reading about the Mapmakers.
Overall, I thought this was a brilliant start to what I'm sure will be a great trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading the next one :)
cindyc's review against another edition
4.0
This book turned out to be something completely different than what I expected. 'Gleam' is a fascinating story about a world with two extreme, opposing sides. The Discard is a place of chaos, survival, crime and violence, but a place where everyone makes their own choices. The Pyramid is a highly controlled structure, where people live a comfortable life, but aren't allowed to step out of line or ask questions. Tom made a richly described new world to get lost in and it's one you've never read before. He also made some interesting choices for his characters.
Alan is a husband and father, living in the Pyramid, who can't forget his past in the Discard. He sings songs about it in the Pyramid and he still has some connection with people living in the Discard. Of course this isn't tolerated by the Arbitrators, a sort of law enforcement of the Pyramid, and when punishing him doesn't seem to work, they start to punish his family. At this point Alan and his wife decide that it is better if Alan leaves and goes back to the Discard, to protect his family. If you thought after reading this that this is a story about a caring man fighting to get his family and his honour back, think again. Alan isn't at all a hero or a handsome, fierce knight on a quest. Once Alan survives the first few weeks in the Discard, he literally becomes Wild Alan, the nickname they had given him in the Pyramid. Screwing another woman every few days, addicted to mushrooms and alcohol and only just getting by thanks to his music. Alan is actually a pretty pathetic character for the first half of the book, but that's what makes him so interesting. It's realistic, very human and it's refreshing to read about a character that's flawed and not ultimately a hero or anti-hero. He's just a guy, trying to see his son and trying to survive. When he has to choose between running to save his live or help others to save theirs, he'll probably choose the former.
The other characters all have their own flaws and some strengths to add to the strange party that leaves to travel to Dok, where they will try to get hold of a special kind of mushrooms. At least, that's what Alan thinks. As it turns out, each one of them has its own agenda. Except for Spider maybe, who is quite a nice guy. A tattoo artist and part of Alan's band, he accompanies his friend and sticks with him through the entire journey. The third person in their band, Eyes, a guy tortured by the Pyramidders and now living life without eyelids and a bad case of the shudders, goes along with a whole other plan in mind. Churr, a transient, with a rather fierce personality comes along in the hopes she can overthrow the ruling Mushroom Queen, Daunt, and take her place. She also provides a Mapmaker, who are notorious in the Discard for their fighting skills and their lack of scruple.
The defining moment when I realised that Tom's writing was really pulling me in to the story was the bloodletting scene at the very beginning of the book. I'm not a big fan of needles. Needles being poked in the veins in my arm or hand make me squeamish. Seeing the blood flowing out of my body doesn't help either. My doctor told me to describe all the fish in his fish tank whenever I needed to come in for blood when I was a little girl, to distract me. I still do that. I've seen a plethora of fish in that office. When I read that bloodletting scene I was literally squirming in my seat. I could feel that needle, the blood leaving Alan's body. Brrrr.
The Discard is a highly complex and fascinating place where people live rather crudely. Alan discovers whole new parts of the Discard in his quest to find the mushrooms he can use to bribe the Arbitrators with. Some things Tom described really made me shudder, like the way he detailed a woman eating a raw slug, shell and all. Yuck. The swamp was another weird experience all on its own, I could almost smell the pungent stench of rotten things. Once they get to the Dok, another whole new world opens up. It seems the Discard is just full of new things to discover, certainly not all nice and fluffy, but all very interesting.
We only get a brief view of the Pyramid and this as well is full of mystery. Nobody really knows what they're working for or why they have to go to the bloodlettings, but they live a comfortable life and they don't know any better. Every aspect of their life is however strictly controlled and Alan, who has experienced a different kind of life, just can't adjust.
Alan was taken to the Pyramid after the Arbitrators slaughtered everyone in the little town he lived in, including his parents. For a huge part of the story we know only that this fuels Alan's hate for the Pyramid, but we don't know any details. Later on certain things are revealed that throw a whole new perspective on the story you've been reading so far. I always enjoy twists like that, shedding a new light on the story, making you think about what happened so far.
Not all of the mysteries of the Pyramid and the Discard are solved at the end of the book, there are still many things that I'm curious about and that make me eager to read the rest of the books in this series. Where did the Discard and the Pyramid come from? We know that the people living in the Discard now call the people who built everything 'The Builders' and there are strange things in de landscape that hint at a forgotten past. What is the bloodletting for and what is the purpose of the work the Pyramidders do every day? And most of all: what will happen after the events on the last pages of the book? Exciting!
In need of an original, imaginative, kind of weird story to lose yourself in to? Than ‘Gleam’ is something for you!
Alan is a husband and father, living in the Pyramid, who can't forget his past in the Discard. He sings songs about it in the Pyramid and he still has some connection with people living in the Discard. Of course this isn't tolerated by the Arbitrators, a sort of law enforcement of the Pyramid, and when punishing him doesn't seem to work, they start to punish his family. At this point Alan and his wife decide that it is better if Alan leaves and goes back to the Discard, to protect his family. If you thought after reading this that this is a story about a caring man fighting to get his family and his honour back, think again. Alan isn't at all a hero or a handsome, fierce knight on a quest. Once Alan survives the first few weeks in the Discard, he literally becomes Wild Alan, the nickname they had given him in the Pyramid. Screwing another woman every few days, addicted to mushrooms and alcohol and only just getting by thanks to his music. Alan is actually a pretty pathetic character for the first half of the book, but that's what makes him so interesting. It's realistic, very human and it's refreshing to read about a character that's flawed and not ultimately a hero or anti-hero. He's just a guy, trying to see his son and trying to survive. When he has to choose between running to save his live or help others to save theirs, he'll probably choose the former.
The other characters all have their own flaws and some strengths to add to the strange party that leaves to travel to Dok, where they will try to get hold of a special kind of mushrooms. At least, that's what Alan thinks. As it turns out, each one of them has its own agenda. Except for Spider maybe, who is quite a nice guy. A tattoo artist and part of Alan's band, he accompanies his friend and sticks with him through the entire journey. The third person in their band, Eyes, a guy tortured by the Pyramidders and now living life without eyelids and a bad case of the shudders, goes along with a whole other plan in mind. Churr, a transient, with a rather fierce personality comes along in the hopes she can overthrow the ruling Mushroom Queen, Daunt, and take her place. She also provides a Mapmaker, who are notorious in the Discard for their fighting skills and their lack of scruple.
The defining moment when I realised that Tom's writing was really pulling me in to the story was the bloodletting scene at the very beginning of the book. I'm not a big fan of needles. Needles being poked in the veins in my arm or hand make me squeamish. Seeing the blood flowing out of my body doesn't help either. My doctor told me to describe all the fish in his fish tank whenever I needed to come in for blood when I was a little girl, to distract me. I still do that. I've seen a plethora of fish in that office. When I read that bloodletting scene I was literally squirming in my seat. I could feel that needle, the blood leaving Alan's body. Brrrr.
The Discard is a highly complex and fascinating place where people live rather crudely. Alan discovers whole new parts of the Discard in his quest to find the mushrooms he can use to bribe the Arbitrators with. Some things Tom described really made me shudder, like the way he detailed a woman eating a raw slug, shell and all. Yuck. The swamp was another weird experience all on its own, I could almost smell the pungent stench of rotten things. Once they get to the Dok, another whole new world opens up. It seems the Discard is just full of new things to discover, certainly not all nice and fluffy, but all very interesting.
We only get a brief view of the Pyramid and this as well is full of mystery. Nobody really knows what they're working for or why they have to go to the bloodlettings, but they live a comfortable life and they don't know any better. Every aspect of their life is however strictly controlled and Alan, who has experienced a different kind of life, just can't adjust.
Alan was taken to the Pyramid after the Arbitrators slaughtered everyone in the little town he lived in, including his parents. For a huge part of the story we know only that this fuels Alan's hate for the Pyramid, but we don't know any details. Later on certain things are revealed that throw a whole new perspective on the story you've been reading so far. I always enjoy twists like that, shedding a new light on the story, making you think about what happened so far.
Not all of the mysteries of the Pyramid and the Discard are solved at the end of the book, there are still many things that I'm curious about and that make me eager to read the rest of the books in this series. Where did the Discard and the Pyramid come from? We know that the people living in the Discard now call the people who built everything 'The Builders' and there are strange things in de landscape that hint at a forgotten past. What is the bloodletting for and what is the purpose of the work the Pyramidders do every day? And most of all: what will happen after the events on the last pages of the book? Exciting!
In need of an original, imaginative, kind of weird story to lose yourself in to? Than ‘Gleam’ is something for you!
deadgoodbookreviews's review against another edition
3.0
Full review and more up on my blog: http://bit.ly/2ugBZK0
So, where to begin with this one? Well let’s discuss our main character ‘Wild Alan’ for a start. He’s your classic ‘love to hate’ hero who makes a series of poor choices throughout the book and rarely changes for the better. I’ve not seen Breaking Bad but from what I’ve gathered it’s that descent into immorality while still trying to be a tolerable (if not likeable) main character. Alan certainly manages to make a lot of poor choices in this book. What I think this book could have done better is to have made him a bit more likeable at the start of the book so the contrast was greater, or to have told his backstory through flashbacks so you get reminded of his potential to be a decent human being? Instead you’re left wondering why you should support this fairly unpleasant person and it just means you don’t follow his journey as attentively as you might otherwise.
There are other characters, however, that I was incredibly interested in. We have the mapmaker Bloody Nora (whose story is largely where the ‘magical’ elements to this story converge) who was badass and amazing, there’s Spider who is a tattoo artist and general awesome individual, there’s a whole band of unlikely heroes who are all far more interesting than Alan himself. Maybe if this had been a bit more like Six of Crows in that each character is explored and explained a bit more rather than focussing on one character I would have been more interested.
I can’t deny this is a cool setting. There’s the contrast between the sinister safety and cleanliness of the Pyramid and the danger (but freedom) of the Discard. The main thing that interested me about the Discard was it’s many forms. We had industrial elements alongside organic features, there’s the threat of the swamp below. It had something a little reminiscent of Beyond the Deepwoods which is one of my favourite Middle Grade Series. In fact, if Chris Riddell could have illustrated this book I would have been all for it.
My main problem with this book is not in the world building but with the storyline. Once I had worked out that I wasn’t really rooting for Alan in this scenario I stopped being concerned with what happened to him and, in a story where he is the main character you begin to lose interest entirely. But the story itself is a little odd. I think because Fletcher is trying to build up the mystery of what is happening in the pyramid and in Gleam as a whole for later books you’re just left floundering wondering why on earth anything operates the way it does. Is this the future? Is it an alternative universe? Why can some people wield magic but only in a very specific way? Who are the bad guys in a world where pretty much everyone has to be a terrible human being to survive?
I will say that the writing, not the storytelling but the writing itself, was lovely to read. It’s very evocative, the more disgusting parts actually made my skin crawl and the descriptions of the discard did make me feel like I was really there, so if you’re looking to experience a creepy new setting then maybe this will work for you?
It may be that a reread is necessary to fully appreciate what was going on in this book. It may be that the sequel Idle Hands which releases at the end of July will start to explain things that this book did not. It may be that I’m just not bright enough to grasp the genius of this story. Either way, this book just wasn’t for me.
My rating: 3/5 stars. (I’d give it 2 but I did enjoy the concept)
By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of Gleam from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
So, where to begin with this one? Well let’s discuss our main character ‘Wild Alan’ for a start. He’s your classic ‘love to hate’ hero who makes a series of poor choices throughout the book and rarely changes for the better. I’ve not seen Breaking Bad but from what I’ve gathered it’s that descent into immorality while still trying to be a tolerable (if not likeable) main character. Alan certainly manages to make a lot of poor choices in this book. What I think this book could have done better is to have made him a bit more likeable at the start of the book so the contrast was greater, or to have told his backstory through flashbacks so you get reminded of his potential to be a decent human being? Instead you’re left wondering why you should support this fairly unpleasant person and it just means you don’t follow his journey as attentively as you might otherwise.
There are other characters, however, that I was incredibly interested in. We have the mapmaker Bloody Nora (whose story is largely where the ‘magical’ elements to this story converge) who was badass and amazing, there’s Spider who is a tattoo artist and general awesome individual, there’s a whole band of unlikely heroes who are all far more interesting than Alan himself. Maybe if this had been a bit more like Six of Crows in that each character is explored and explained a bit more rather than focussing on one character I would have been more interested.
I can’t deny this is a cool setting. There’s the contrast between the sinister safety and cleanliness of the Pyramid and the danger (but freedom) of the Discard. The main thing that interested me about the Discard was it’s many forms. We had industrial elements alongside organic features, there’s the threat of the swamp below. It had something a little reminiscent of Beyond the Deepwoods which is one of my favourite Middle Grade Series. In fact, if Chris Riddell could have illustrated this book I would have been all for it.
My main problem with this book is not in the world building but with the storyline. Once I had worked out that I wasn’t really rooting for Alan in this scenario I stopped being concerned with what happened to him and, in a story where he is the main character you begin to lose interest entirely. But the story itself is a little odd. I think because Fletcher is trying to build up the mystery of what is happening in the pyramid and in Gleam as a whole for later books you’re just left floundering wondering why on earth anything operates the way it does. Is this the future? Is it an alternative universe? Why can some people wield magic but only in a very specific way? Who are the bad guys in a world where pretty much everyone has to be a terrible human being to survive?
I will say that the writing, not the storytelling but the writing itself, was lovely to read. It’s very evocative, the more disgusting parts actually made my skin crawl and the descriptions of the discard did make me feel like I was really there, so if you’re looking to experience a creepy new setting then maybe this will work for you?
It may be that a reread is necessary to fully appreciate what was going on in this book. It may be that the sequel Idle Hands which releases at the end of July will start to explain things that this book did not. It may be that I’m just not bright enough to grasp the genius of this story. Either way, this book just wasn’t for me.
My rating: 3/5 stars. (I’d give it 2 but I did enjoy the concept)
By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of Gleam from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
tregina's review
3.0
I'm generally a big fan of this type of strangeness and this type of worldbuilding, dropping the reader in and letting them figure it out as they go, but there was something about this that didn't feel quite lived in enough to make it work from the get-go. I didn't really care for (or about) most of the characters, though there were a couple who managed to stand out in the end. (I would read entire books about Bloody Nora.) The deeper into the world I got—and I mean that both in a literal and a metaphorical sense—the more interesting it got to me. This has a lot going for it, certainly enough for me to keep going in the series, but it's not all the way there yet.
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