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subobscura's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Blood, Violence, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
evelphysicist's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A tense and intriguing read. I really enjoyed the style of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Violence, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Slavery, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, and Medical trauma
Minor: Child death, Alcoholism, Grief, and Colonisation
artmajorese's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
If you enjoyed the Magnus Archives, you'll probably enjoy this. Jonathan Sims stays true to his brand of spookiness. He also sticks with his characteristic tendency to build slowly on a narrative through small episodic arcs.
While I enjoyed it, it didn't quite hit 5 stars for me. It felt both too fast and too slow. By the time I got familiar with a narrator, it changed to a different narrator in a different chapter. By the last chapter, when all the threads were tied together, I had forgotten which character was which. Things happened fast for each narrator, but the build of all information together was too slow for my taste, so that when we hit the big reveal it felt rushed rather than foreshadowed and earned.
While I enjoyed it, it didn't quite hit 5 stars for me. It felt both too fast and too slow. By the time I got familiar with a narrator, it changed to a different narrator in a different chapter. By the last chapter, when all the threads were tied together, I had forgotten which character was which. Things happened fast for each narrator, but the build of all information together was too slow for my taste, so that when we hit the big reveal it felt rushed rather than foreshadowed and earned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Trafficking, Classism, Colonisation, Police brutality, Medical trauma, War, Genocide, and Xenophobia
songofthewolfy's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Excellent debut novel by Jonathan Sims! I loved The Magnus Archives, and thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I did feel that the end went a little fast for how much of a build-up there was to the climax. But I found it very enjoyable, and can't wait for more from him!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Classism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, and Cannibalism
Sims uses the listed content warnings to deliver a scathing critique of society. However, he does not shy away from depictions of mental illness, gore, and trauma. Please use discretion.hyraeth's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
If this isn't your first time reading Jonny's work, having each chapter dedicated to a character's POV might sound familiar - a bit like the statements in The Magnus Archives.
The structure worked well for me, with the prolog giving a hint of mystery and each subsequent chapter showing a different puzzle piece. The more you read the more you can start seeing the bigger picture.
Each character has their story and their issues intertwined with a horror 'trope', which kept the book interesting throughout as it wasn't 400 pages of the same thing over and over again.
Something to keep in mind if your memory sucks as much as mine and you're not reading everything in one go: there are a lot of characters, and even though they are mentioned in multiple chapters, sometimes I struggled to remember who exactly they were.
The structure worked well for me, with the prolog giving a hint of mystery and each subsequent chapter showing a different puzzle piece. The more you read the more you can start seeing the bigger picture.
Each character has their story and their issues intertwined with a horror 'trope', which kept the book interesting throughout as it wasn't 400 pages of the same thing over and over again.
Something to keep in mind if your memory sucks as much as mine and you're not reading everything in one go: there are a lot of characters, and even though they are mentioned in multiple chapters, sometimes I struggled to remember who exactly they were.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Cannibalism and Vomit
plumwildflowers's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Colonisation, Drug use, and Police brutality
Minor: Transphobia
dogearedbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Addiction, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, and Grief
ambers's review against another edition
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).
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
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Gore, Violence, Cannibalism, and Classism
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: War, Deadnaming, Addiction, and Transphobia
doubledevour's review
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
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Death, Classism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Cannibalism, Body horror, Vomit, and Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Colonisation
Minor: Police brutality and Transphobia
ilucam's review
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.
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
Graphic: Murder, Cannibalism, and Violence
Minor: Transphobia