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hirvimaki's review against another edition
5.0
Dungeons and Dragons. Hot goth girl. Time travel. A band of misfits. There was lots to love about this book. And I really enjoyed it. A fun read from beginning to end, this had enough nerdiness and 80's nostalgia to make me want to read more.
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
This was okay. I wasn't super excited about it, but it did have some interesting ideas, and I thought the story was decent. I think I wasn't more into it because it wasn't quite what I expected it to be. If anything, it's more coming-of-age with a bit of sci fi thrown into it, while I was expecting something much more sci fi heavy. Partially this is the fault of the overblown publicity-speak declaring this is some mash-up of Ready Player One and Stranger Things, when it bears no more than an *extremely* superficial resemblance to Stranger Things, in that it's about a group of young teens that takes place in the late 80s/early 90s. I do not see the connection to Ready Player One at all.
Another aspect that failed to grab me were the characters. I didn't dislike any of them, but I was lukewarm on all of them, particularly on Mia. I also found it hard to really reconcile with why Nick was willing to risk as much as he was for her sake. None of the other guys really came alive for me either. And the villain was just pretty stock to me.
Also, that twist. For a bunch of smart characters, they're about as dense as they come.
What I did appreciate about this novel, though, is that it poses some pretty hefty moral questions, such as the high costs to pay for the big decisions in life. I appreciated that it presented these in very gray terms as this could easily have turned into an oversimplified right versus wrong scenario, something I think YA fiction does too much of.
Another aspect that failed to grab me were the characters. I didn't dislike any of them, but I was lukewarm on all of them, particularly on Mia. I also found it hard to really reconcile with why Nick was willing to risk as much as he was for her sake. None of the other guys really came alive for me either. And the villain was just pretty stock to me.
Also, that twist. For a bunch of smart characters, they're about as dense as they come.
What I did appreciate about this novel, though, is that it poses some pretty hefty moral questions, such as the high costs to pay for the big decisions in life. I appreciated that it presented these in very gray terms as this could easily have turned into an oversimplified right versus wrong scenario, something I think YA fiction does too much of.
willrefuge's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 / 5 ✪
Reviewed on https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/
One Word Kill follows fifteen year-old Nick Hayes through his weekly chemotherapy, D&D sessions, and a slow but insistent descent into madness. You see, it begins with the diagnosis of cancer, but takes off when Nick notices a strange yet familiar man following him. This man, Demus, claims he’s in a race against time to save Mia—Nick’s friend (in the way that teenage girls are considered friends to nerdy, quiet teenage boys; so, maybe somewhat)—and needs Nick’s help. Nick agrees but only after an important piece of info. See, Demus claims to hail from the future, a future in which Nick lives, something that’s of a great concern to a boy diagnosed with a mostly terminal disease. Now, Lawrence may not describe this as Nick’s intro to a less than sane version of himself, but honestly that’s pretty much what it sounds like. Next thing it’ll go all Pincher Martin and dude’ll wake up to find that he died at the beginning.
Anywho~ so begins Impossible Times.
So, going in to this I didn’t remember a whole lot of the premise. I knew it was by Mark Lawrence (whom I’m familiar with), about time travel, and set somewhere in the 80’s. That’s about it. And I started reading.
The resultant was actually pretty good.
While I was initially disappointed that the chemo didn’t make Nick develop time-bending superpowers (Spoilers!: he doesn’t), and he didn’t use said powers to travel time fighting crime and teaching various generations of women to looove—I got over it. The actual story is… what? More realistic, I guess. I mean, it’s the 80’s. In London. Back to the Future has just come out. D&D’s a thing. And there’s time travel, apparently.
The story’s pretty solid. I mean, it’s… complete. But kind of a bare bones complete. A straightforward plot that doesn’t take the time at the outset to cover all its bases. So, it’s your classic back-in-time to save-the-future time travel adventure, but with some interesting twists at the end. There’re also more than a few details we’re left hanging on. Maybe the author’s holding these for Book II, but it seems more likely an err on his part.
The D&D sessions help set the tone of One Word Kill. The title, for instance. It’s based on some D&D thing. If you’re unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons, well, the book will help with that. Maybe watch some Critical Role to top it off. Nick and his friends Simon, Elton, John and Mia find that their adventures through the fantastical world of imagination and twenty-sided dice often parallels their real world dilemmas. Many sessions even provide insight into how to approach their physical lives. As D&D often does, I’m told.
There’s a fair amount of math and physics talk, which Lawrence gets through in generally broad terms (this being a book that he’d like people to read for like, fun) and gets mostly right. If you don’t like science or math or find it confusing—it’s cool. Just skip it. Mostly it all comes down to Nick trying to justify time travel as an actual thing. Not just science fiction. Despite this, there was never any explanation of how exactly (roughly) time travel worked. I mean, like if there was a machine or wormhole or something. I would’ve expected Nick to harp on this, but he didn’t mention it once. Maybe Lawrence forgot, or couldn’t think of anything.
Nick’s a pretty cool guy. For being a total nerd and teen genius, I mean. His narration skills are pretty good (yes, this is written in 1st PPOV), although he gets distracted by the normal teenage things like girls, alcohol, girls, and video games. Also cancer, but that’s natural (getting distracted by it, I mean).
I’m really trying not to spoil the plot, so forgive me if I’m being a little vague. Or maybe just get the book. I think it’s free for kindle unlimited. Or cheapish otherwise. Besides, it’s a great little adventure, yet fails to provide answers to all the questions it raises. It’s not bad by any means, but hopefully the plot will improve with the sequel. Which I eagerly await.
Limited Wish, Impossible Times II, comes out in just a couple weeks, on May 28, 2019.
Reviewed on https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/
One Word Kill follows fifteen year-old Nick Hayes through his weekly chemotherapy, D&D sessions, and a slow but insistent descent into madness. You see, it begins with the diagnosis of cancer, but takes off when Nick notices a strange yet familiar man following him. This man, Demus, claims he’s in a race against time to save Mia—Nick’s friend (in the way that teenage girls are considered friends to nerdy, quiet teenage boys; so, maybe somewhat)—and needs Nick’s help. Nick agrees but only after an important piece of info. See, Demus claims to hail from the future, a future in which Nick lives, something that’s of a great concern to a boy diagnosed with a mostly terminal disease. Now, Lawrence may not describe this as Nick’s intro to a less than sane version of himself, but honestly that’s pretty much what it sounds like. Next thing it’ll go all Pincher Martin and dude’ll wake up to find that he died at the beginning.
Anywho~ so begins Impossible Times.
So, going in to this I didn’t remember a whole lot of the premise. I knew it was by Mark Lawrence (whom I’m familiar with), about time travel, and set somewhere in the 80’s. That’s about it. And I started reading.
The resultant was actually pretty good.
While I was initially disappointed that the chemo didn’t make Nick develop time-bending superpowers (Spoilers!: he doesn’t), and he didn’t use said powers to travel time fighting crime and teaching various generations of women to looove—I got over it. The actual story is… what? More realistic, I guess. I mean, it’s the 80’s. In London. Back to the Future has just come out. D&D’s a thing. And there’s time travel, apparently.
The story’s pretty solid. I mean, it’s… complete. But kind of a bare bones complete. A straightforward plot that doesn’t take the time at the outset to cover all its bases. So, it’s your classic back-in-time to save-the-future time travel adventure, but with some interesting twists at the end. There’re also more than a few details we’re left hanging on. Maybe the author’s holding these for Book II, but it seems more likely an err on his part.
The D&D sessions help set the tone of One Word Kill. The title, for instance. It’s based on some D&D thing. If you’re unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons, well, the book will help with that. Maybe watch some Critical Role to top it off. Nick and his friends Simon, Elton, John and Mia find that their adventures through the fantastical world of imagination and twenty-sided dice often parallels their real world dilemmas. Many sessions even provide insight into how to approach their physical lives. As D&D often does, I’m told.
There’s a fair amount of math and physics talk, which Lawrence gets through in generally broad terms (this being a book that he’d like people to read for like, fun) and gets mostly right. If you don’t like science or math or find it confusing—it’s cool. Just skip it. Mostly it all comes down to Nick trying to justify time travel as an actual thing. Not just science fiction. Despite this, there was never any explanation of how exactly (roughly) time travel worked. I mean, like if there was a machine or wormhole or something. I would’ve expected Nick to harp on this, but he didn’t mention it once. Maybe Lawrence forgot, or couldn’t think of anything.
Nick’s a pretty cool guy. For being a total nerd and teen genius, I mean. His narration skills are pretty good (yes, this is written in 1st PPOV), although he gets distracted by the normal teenage things like girls, alcohol, girls, and video games. Also cancer, but that’s natural (getting distracted by it, I mean).
I’m really trying not to spoil the plot, so forgive me if I’m being a little vague. Or maybe just get the book. I think it’s free for kindle unlimited. Or cheapish otherwise. Besides, it’s a great little adventure, yet fails to provide answers to all the questions it raises. It’s not bad by any means, but hopefully the plot will improve with the sequel. Which I eagerly await.
Limited Wish, Impossible Times II, comes out in just a couple weeks, on May 28, 2019.
damesies's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
loki2's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A. Fast-paced, light-hearted adventure story about a group if teens who get involved in time travel in the '90s. I didn't think I would love this as much as I did, but Mark Lawrence does an excellent job of putting so much in under 200 pages. This book is nostalgic while also providing emotional touch points and adventure that everyone can enjoy.
lynguy1's review against another edition
4.0
I won the kindle e-book version in a Goodreads Giveaway. This book is the first in a series by Mark Lawrence and my first by this author.
This well-written story is gripping, captivating, touching and insightful with a side order of the futuristic. It starts in January 1986 in London with Nick Hayes and his mother talking with a doctor. Nick finds out that he has a form of cancer.
With this bit of information, the story unfolds with a little something for most readers. It encompasses dealing with chemotherapy and its side affects, playing Dungeons & Dragons, learning to dance, racism, first kisses, friendship, quantum mechanics, family, murder, bullying, drugs, gangs, a mysterious stranger, time travel and so much more.
The characters had depth with a good mix of somewhat geeky personalities. While some may quibble over some of the time travel aspects, I did not let this deter my enjoyment of the book. There is some foul language in the book that I could have done without, but it probably won't bother others and there were a few editing errors. This book is well worth reading and there are two more books in the series.
This well-written story is gripping, captivating, touching and insightful with a side order of the futuristic. It starts in January 1986 in London with Nick Hayes and his mother talking with a doctor. Nick finds out that he has a form of cancer.
With this bit of information, the story unfolds with a little something for most readers. It encompasses dealing with chemotherapy and its side affects, playing Dungeons & Dragons, learning to dance, racism, first kisses, friendship, quantum mechanics, family, murder, bullying, drugs, gangs, a mysterious stranger, time travel and so much more.
The characters had depth with a good mix of somewhat geeky personalities. While some may quibble over some of the time travel aspects, I did not let this deter my enjoyment of the book. There is some foul language in the book that I could have done without, but it probably won't bother others and there were a few editing errors. This book is well worth reading and there are two more books in the series.
dromwald's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this new book by Mark Lawrence. Nostalgic in much the same way the Ready Player One was but perhaps less emphasis on the nostalgia and more emphasis on story and characters. I imagine this is YA but I enjoyed it nonetheless even though I was 21 when this story was set and the main characters are all around 15 or so - still made me smile bringing back the memories it did. I look forward to the next book in the series.