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lanidon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall I think this is a fantastic creepy-but-not-scary horror book. It's made up of, as the name implies, thirteen interconnecting stories that take place in this strange apartment building with a tangible caste divide between rich and poor.
I can't help but compare it to The Magnus Archives because it's the same guy (and even uses the same music on audio) and I do think it could've been a fairly good mini season of the show. I do think this book is significantly less scary than your average TMA and the payoff is more "bookish reward" style than the show's escalating frights.
I definitely recommend reading this but I do not recommend the audiobook. I think they couldn't decide whether to commit to making it full audio drama or not so it just comes across as sloppy to me. Some of the chapters are incredibly well performed, don't get me wrong. I think it really falls apart in the last chapter where it suddenly switches between numerous perspectives and voices. It's genuinely hard to pay attention to the story at points and I wish Jonathan had read the entire thing. It's the only chapter in book that has individual actors perform their dialogue together, but it clearly wasn't recorded like an audio drama so it's incredibly disjointed and stilted. They very clearly aren't talking to each other and I found it took me out of the whole thing
TLDR: Book good, audiobook bad. Read it but don't expect to be too scared
I can't help but compare it to The Magnus Archives because it's the same guy (and even uses the same music on audio) and I do think it could've been a fairly good mini season of the show. I do think this book is significantly less scary than your average TMA and the payoff is more "bookish reward" style than the show's escalating frights.
I definitely recommend reading this but I do not recommend the audiobook. I think they couldn't decide whether to commit to making it full audio drama or not so it just comes across as sloppy to me. Some of the chapters are incredibly well performed, don't get me wrong. I think it really falls apart in the last chapter where it suddenly switches between numerous perspectives and voices. It's genuinely hard to pay attention to the story at points and I wish Jonathan had read the entire thing. It's the only chapter in book that has individual actors perform their dialogue together, but it clearly wasn't recorded like an audio drama so it's incredibly disjointed and stilted. They very clearly aren't talking to each other and I found it took me out of the whole thing
TLDR: Book good, audiobook bad. Read it but don't expect to be too scared
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Gore, and Violence
negotiumperambulans's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Terminal illness
kamreadsandrecs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
But if there is one thing that truly makes this novel stand out, it’s the central theme. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is a statement that many people have encountered at one point or another - and it is, sadly, one that all too often turns out to be true. Except in very rare cases, anyone who gets even a scrap of power is likely to abuse that power: a tendency that escalates the more power someone is given. And since money is the easiest path to, and source of, power, it should come as no surprise that the wealthiest people are also the ones most prone to abusing their power. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk: just googling these names will lead to many stories showing how so much of their wealth is built on the abuse and exploitation of the less fortunate. And they are not the only ones who have done so: a quick peek through history will show that, all too often, the acquisition and maintenance of great wealth tends to come at the expense of those who are most vulnerable to exploitation.
Full review here:https://wp.me/p21txV-IY
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
ladymab's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A warning: There is "take, eat, this is my flesh (literally)" level cannibalism at the very end (so, character is alive, gives flesh willingly, "cool motive still cannibalism" etc etc).
A comfort: the children are fine in the end -- as knowing that a kid can be in danger while reading is a distraction, so don't worry there, both kids make it out okay.
Oh, you could DEFINTELY get the Jonny Sims vibes all over this book and I loved it. Each of the individual narratives was normal until it wasn't, and just the subtle creeping dread through the course of them until it just sat and lurked over the shoulder of each narrator. In some cases quite literally. You could feel the influence of TMA on it, of course, hard not to with the set up, but it definitely stands out in its own right and I'm extremely excited to see more from him.
He does an effortless job of just adding in casual references to queer/trans characters that it feels natural and easy. There are a whole host of backgrounds for each narrator, and each of them had that sort of impactful payoff at the conclusion -- tying in not only the pieces that had been bound to them, but from their own backgrounds and histories as well.
The final chapter I think only wasn't as impactful because of the need to change narrators constantly. I get the need to do it, and how it all panned out, and I'm really interested to see how the audio book might do it if they rely just on the voices that have told the story to that point (since it's a full cast production) or if they'll need to pause to name the narrator. It is something that would do very well in a non text format specifically because it had to rely on letting you know who was who without feeling like it was slipping from one narrator to another instead of having a focus character etc. Visually played against it for pacing, would work in any other format though.
So saying, I am incredibly excited to listen to the audiobook version of this when I get the chance.
A comfort: the children are fine in the end -- as knowing that a kid can be in danger while reading is a distraction, so don't worry there, both kids make it out okay.
Oh, you could DEFINTELY get the Jonny Sims vibes all over this book and I loved it. Each of the individual narratives was normal until it wasn't, and just the subtle creeping dread through the course of them until it just sat and lurked over the shoulder of each narrator. In some cases quite literally. You could feel the influence of TMA on it, of course, hard not to with the set up, but it definitely stands out in its own right and I'm extremely excited to see more from him.
He does an effortless job of just adding in casual references to queer/trans characters that it feels natural and easy. There are a whole host of backgrounds for each narrator, and each of them had that sort of impactful payoff at the conclusion -- tying in not only the pieces that had been bound to them, but from their own backgrounds and histories as well.
The final chapter I think only wasn't as impactful because of the need to change narrators constantly. I get the need to do it, and how it all panned out, and I'm really interested to see how the audio book might do it if they rely just on the voices that have told the story to that point (since it's a full cast production) or if they'll need to pause to name the narrator. It is something that would do very well in a non text format specifically because it had to rely on letting you know who was who without feeling like it was slipping from one narrator to another instead of having a focus character etc. Visually played against it for pacing, would work in any other format though.
So saying, I am incredibly excited to listen to the audiobook version of this when I get the chance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism
btrz7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have been looking forward to this book since it was announced. I am a big fan of The Magnus Archives podcast and I really wanted to see what its writer would produce in book form.
I have to say I was not disappointed.
The story is about a strange murder of the billionaire, Tobias Fell, owner of a building named Banyan Court. Its appeal is that it's a luxurious development in a poor area of London, but the other side of coin is that due to city rules a percentage of flats need to be made affordable to lower income tenants. With this, behind the luxury front apartments, there is a number of smaller apartments in the building for those not part of an elite - segregated, of course, from the wealthy tenants. With a diverse set of characters, each one with a different background and living very different lives from each other, we get a haunting story for each of the characters present at the dinner party where Tobias Fell eventually died. Some are tenants of the building, in both the rich and the poor areas, some have other connections to it. It is through their stories that we find out about Mr. Fell's and the building's dark history, and what led to his ultimate demise.
Besides being a collection of terrific individual horror stories, in which Jonathan Sims does what he knows best - create a vivid painting of a character, with their life and unique voice, and then slowly unravel it into pure nightmare fuel - this book also manages to be a blunt critique to the capitalism society we live in, and how we don't always seem to want to acknowledge its consequences, which can be far more terrifying than any horror story.
I have to say I was not disappointed.
The story is about a strange murder of the billionaire, Tobias Fell, owner of a building named Banyan Court. Its appeal is that it's a luxurious development in a poor area of London, but the other side of coin is that due to city rules a percentage of flats need to be made affordable to lower income tenants. With this, behind the luxury front apartments, there is a number of smaller apartments in the building for those not part of an elite - segregated, of course, from the wealthy tenants. With a diverse set of characters, each one with a different background and living very different lives from each other, we get a haunting story for each of the characters present at the dinner party where Tobias Fell eventually died. Some are tenants of the building, in both the rich and the poor areas, some have other connections to it. It is through their stories that we find out about Mr. Fell's and the building's dark history, and what led to his ultimate demise.
Besides being a collection of terrific individual horror stories, in which Jonathan Sims does what he knows best - create a vivid painting of a character, with their life and unique voice, and then slowly unravel it into pure nightmare fuel - this book also manages to be a blunt critique to the capitalism society we live in, and how we don't always seem to want to acknowledge its consequences, which can be far more terrifying than any horror story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Cannibalism, Death, and Gore
Minor: Deadnaming
lesbophone's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Drug abuse
Minor: Deadnaming
yavin_iv's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism, Genocide, Medical content, Chronic illness, and Xenophobia
ianders's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Thirteen Storeys is sort of a novel that is actually a short stories collection: we follow 13 characters all linked by one appartment building, and each experiencing weird and traumatic phenomenons.
This format means that there isn't a lot of space for individual character arcs and growth. Yet, Sims expertly weaved a web of different and colorful characters all with their peculiar voice and personality. I thought each was distinctive and interesting in their own way, although some characters definitely made more of an impact than others. I liked the diversity of the cast.
Loyal to himself, Sims tackles hauntings and ghosts through themes of anti-capitalism, classism and human misery at the hands of those who hold power. His style and commentary are very efficient as his stances are loud and clear without being simply preachy or over simplistic: there exist obvious villainy, but no easy solution when the foundations themselves of a system are rotten.
Basically, I thought the book to be extremely validating and relatable in its observations, if bittersweet. The ending was viciously as cathartic as the prologue promised, although perhaps I would have prefered not knowing how it all ended from the start (information freely given in the premise itself, and mthus not a spoiler).
The pacing of the main story is a slow creep towards a great unravelling. The pacing of each individual character's story vary, but this is no action-oriented horror frenzy. A lot of emphasis is put on the claustrophobic atmosphere and the slow exploration of a building that is sick in its core.
I read this on audiobook (because my physical copy has yet to arrive) and I really recommand it. The audiobook is read by a full cast including the author himself with his lovely deep and dramatic voice that a lot will recognize from the podcast The Magnus Archives, which last season is currently airing and which Jonny Sims wrote.
If you are a fan of TMA, Thirteen Storeys is reminiscent of it in the best ways, although perhaps less brutal in its execution.
Somehow, the book also reminded me of episodes from something like the Twilight Zone, if that is something that appeals to you.
This format means that there isn't a lot of space for individual character arcs and growth. Yet, Sims expertly weaved a web of different and colorful characters all with their peculiar voice and personality. I thought each was distinctive and interesting in their own way, although some characters definitely made more of an impact than others. I liked the diversity of the cast.
Loyal to himself, Sims tackles hauntings and ghosts through themes of anti-capitalism, classism and human misery at the hands of those who hold power. His style and commentary are very efficient as his stances are loud and clear without being simply preachy or over simplistic: there exist obvious villainy, but no easy solution when the foundations themselves of a system are rotten.
Basically, I thought the book to be extremely validating and relatable in its observations, if bittersweet. The ending was viciously as cathartic as the prologue promised, although perhaps I would have prefered not knowing how it all ended from the start (information freely given in the premise itself, and mthus not a spoiler).
The pacing of the main story is a slow creep towards a great unravelling. The pacing of each individual character's story vary, but this is no action-oriented horror frenzy. A lot of emphasis is put on the claustrophobic atmosphere and the slow exploration of a building that is sick in its core.
I read this on audiobook (because my physical copy has yet to arrive) and I really recommand it. The audiobook is read by a full cast including the author himself with his lovely deep and dramatic voice that a lot will recognize from the podcast The Magnus Archives, which last season is currently airing and which Jonny Sims wrote.
If you are a fan of TMA, Thirteen Storeys is reminiscent of it in the best ways, although perhaps less brutal in its execution.
Somehow, the book also reminded me of episodes from something like the Twilight Zone, if that is something that appeals to you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Police brutality, Cannibalism, and Confinement
Minor: Transphobia, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, and Death
karinh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement and Gore
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Deadnaming, Terminal illness, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
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