Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Thirteen Storeys

I like the way the horror was constructed, and there wasn't a single individual story I didn't like. My favorite was Cari's. The ending was a bit on the nose with the theming during the villain monologue but it doesn't take away from anything imo. I also really liked the epilogue. The only thing I actively don't like was the fact that Jonny Sims made three characters who all had relatively similar parts to play ALL have names that started with "D". It was so confusing.

Content Warnings

plumwildflowers's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

ambers's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm a big fan of this author's brand of horror, so while I admit the slow pace and the whole "the real horror is capitalism" underpinning

(with a deeply cathartic finale in regards to our rich bitch landlord)

may not work for everyone, I LOVED this book. I should also add I listened to the audiobook version, which really added a lot to it. For example - a trans character who is, I believe, voiced by a trans actor!

Each chapter is both self contained and connected to the main plot/the other chapters, which is a lot of fun to engage with. The characters are all unique and well-written, although I did have my favorites. I actually kept some notes on my phone while I listened too, which helped a lot for recall. This book also made me talk out loud to myself, multiple times - sometimes because something horrified me, and sometimes, as strange as it sounds, because something delighted me (maybe I'm easy to win over, but I was THRILLED to have a character mention his binder, and I distinctly recall reacting out loud to that one).

I do see some comments saying there were parts that were difficult to get through, and while I see where they're coming from, I don't personally agree. I loved the slow burn to the ending, and I found it suitably creepy throughout. I would definitely recommend this to horror fans, especially if they enjoy blatant leftie theory in their horror (I certainly do).

Content Warnings

doubledevour's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

ilucam's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It's hard to talk about this book without talking about The Magnus Archives, given that Sims was writing both at the same time, and the writing style, themes, and tone of the novel reflect those found in the podcast. To me, Thirteen Storeys feels like a long, slow burning narrative that would actually feel at home as a recurring plot point in TMA, and perhaps that's how it started.
I enjoyed the central conceit of this novel, and watching each character unravel while piecing together the events in the timeline kept me engaged and listening long into the night. With that said, there were some (not many) parts that felt too long, or meandering, or overly descriptive, that could have used some tightening up.
As other reviewers have said, the moral expressed in the last chapter isn't subtle, and the final monologues both in-world and to the readers really don't leave much room for interpretation. I suspect this is deliberate, given Sims's experience with audiences (mis)reading his work each week for five years, but it did slightly ruin the enjoyment that comes from filling in those gaps myself.

The mix of characters here feels very natural and representative of who might live in such a building. The subtle and not-so-subtle nods to race, gender, orientation, and backgrounds really help develop compassion for most of them. It feels like Sims, when creating these characters seriously asked himself, "why couldn't this person be X?" which is great.

The voice cast on the audiobook was pretty solid, but some actors felt inexperienced, and maybe could have used some more direction to help lines fall more naturally.

Thirteen Storeys is a solid bit of story-telling, with some proper WTF spooky moments.

Content Warnings