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kateb_uk's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book, it is hilarious in a silly kind of way and pokes fun at the idea of the apocalypse.
laden_bookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this. Loved it. Humorous, sharp and clever - unabashedly picking apart the idea of free will, destiny, religion and divine intervention with fantastic action and dialogue. One of my favorites:
"The bullet, having thoroughly enjoyed this hole-punching business, proceeded to punch holes in the windows of four nearby cars, finally coming to rest on page 328 of a dog-eared copy of Gravity's Rainbow, which is 186 pages further than anyone else had ever gotten."
It begins with a reporter who's spent her professional career following Apocalypse cults and reporting on them for a Christian publication and spirals into the actual mechanics of the impending Apocalypse and how she's managed to trip into it. There's a spectacular Antichrist, Angels of dubious allegiance and intelligence, plenty of Twilight allusions and frankly, it was one of the funniest breakneck reads I've had in ages. I loved it so much I plowed through it all in the same day.
"The bullet, having thoroughly enjoyed this hole-punching business, proceeded to punch holes in the windows of four nearby cars, finally coming to rest on page 328 of a dog-eared copy of Gravity's Rainbow, which is 186 pages further than anyone else had ever gotten."
It begins with a reporter who's spent her professional career following Apocalypse cults and reporting on them for a Christian publication and spirals into the actual mechanics of the impending Apocalypse and how she's managed to trip into it. There's a spectacular Antichrist, Angels of dubious allegiance and intelligence, plenty of Twilight allusions and frankly, it was one of the funniest breakneck reads I've had in ages. I loved it so much I plowed through it all in the same day.
thehappybooker's review against another edition
3.0
Rambles a bit, and I tire of overly-farcical elements (even in a farce), overall it's a fun read.
sersi's review against another edition
2.0
Like a lot of the books I read, I found this via Kindle sample. Obviously, I liked the Kindle sample—it was, at the very least, mildly amusing. Alas, the full book never really managed to move beyond that and as I've often found with the whole lolz-it’s the religious apocalypse/alien invasion/zombie apocalypse/etc. genre (outside of Hitchhiker’s and select others), this usually leads to swiftly diminishing returns. Mercury Falls wasn't bad, it just failed to make me emotionally invested in the characters, plot, or even world. It also didn't really make me laugh. And while the problems with this might not be super evident in a short, 20-ish page Kindle sample, over the course of 300+ pages, it gets boring and then torturous and then you’re trying to power your way through the last 15% while watching Netflix just so you can say you finished.
So, yeah, Mercury Falls really wasn't my thing, although your mileage may vary. Humor is weird.
So, yeah, Mercury Falls really wasn't my thing, although your mileage may vary. Humor is weird.
shan198025's review against another edition
1.0
This is a DNF at 29%. I waited until Mercury finally made his entrance and the Antichrist was introduced. After that I just couldn't do it anymore. Reading the reviews this book is supposed to be so funny and about the apocalypse. The apocalypse stuff must come later in the book cause I didn't see anything about it. The funny stuff also never showed up. I think there were parts that were supposed to be funny but I didn't find it so. Also a lot of Harry Potter bashing, now I personally have read/seen all the books/movies and guess what? I really really liked them. So that also didn't strike me as funny.
cheeriospank's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun a whit filled book but definitely not without fault.
Down Sides:
I know the author was inspired by Douglas Adams but the book didn't feel inspired as much as completely the same as DA.
Another was too many pointless hits on Harry Potter. I like Harry Potter, yes, but even if it was hitting at a book series I dislike, like Twilight, I would have still felt it was just as a cheap shot. Come up with you own type of fake, crazy loved pop culture literature and it would have seemed more like what I think he was going for.
The flushing of plots between two-three characters chatting was often too much. It seemed like the author ran out of ways to tell the story so need a dialogue to literally spell it out for the reader.
The end of the book was a little trite.
Good Points:
Though the author has no original writing style Douglas Adams was hilarious, thus this book is often witty.
Christine is fabulous! I can only hope if I was in her shoes I would be half is great as she is with what she has been dealt. Chrispix…awesome.
The part with the cases was neat and a fun way to think of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I felt sorry for the girl who was ready to turn her life around and actually try to be happy and then she gets killed (again) by a pillar of fire.
All in all it was an entertaining book but nothing spectacular.
Down Sides:
I know the author was inspired by Douglas Adams but the book didn't feel inspired as much as completely the same as DA.
Another was too many pointless hits on Harry Potter. I like Harry Potter, yes, but even if it was hitting at a book series I dislike, like Twilight, I would have still felt it was just as a cheap shot. Come up with you own type of fake, crazy loved pop culture literature and it would have seemed more like what I think he was going for.
The flushing of plots between two-three characters chatting was often too much. It seemed like the author ran out of ways to tell the story so need a dialogue to literally spell it out for the reader.
The end of the book was a little trite.
Good Points:
Though the author has no original writing style Douglas Adams was hilarious, thus this book is often witty.
Christine is fabulous! I can only hope if I was in her shoes I would be half is great as she is with what she has been dealt. Chrispix…awesome.
The part with the cases was neat and a fun way to think of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I felt sorry for the girl who was ready to turn her life around and actually try to be happy and then she gets killed (again) by a pillar of fire.
All in all it was an entertaining book but nothing spectacular.
theonionboy's review against another edition
3.0
I have read several of this author's books (Starship Grifters, The Chicolini Incident, Mercury Begins, Mercury Swings, Disenchanted, Schrodinger's Gat, 'Into the Dark And Two Other Stories') and enjoyed them all very much. It was finally time to go back and read the book that started it all. I found myself disappointed with this one. It started off slow and bogged down in a story line that I did not enjoy. It took a long time to get going, and did not have as much of the author's signature humor as I was hoping for. That said, I realize that this was his first book, and he was finding his voice (or footing, or whatever you prefer to call it.) It seems just like the first few episodes of a TV series that you enjoy: in retrospect they aren't as good as the rest of the episodes because the writers are figuring out what they are doing. It probably would not have shown so much to me if I hadn't already read so many of his later works.
It is not that I am recommending that you avoid this book. Just the opposite; if you are interested, I encourage you to read this one, with the advice that you bear with it because it will get better. I am on book 2 in the series now, and it is a big improvement over this one. But book 2 completely depends on reading this first to be able to follow the story. I look forward to reading the entire series.
I also found it interesting that you can see the seeds of many of the ideas that became the book Schrodinger's Gat in this book. I would like to find out if the author intentionally wrote that book to further develop some of the concepts in this one.
It is not that I am recommending that you avoid this book. Just the opposite; if you are interested, I encourage you to read this one, with the advice that you bear with it because it will get better. I am on book 2 in the series now, and it is a big improvement over this one. But book 2 completely depends on reading this first to be able to follow the story. I look forward to reading the entire series.
I also found it interesting that you can see the seeds of many of the ideas that became the book Schrodinger's Gat in this book. I would like to find out if the author intentionally wrote that book to further develop some of the concepts in this one.
csdaley's review against another edition
2.0
II really wanted to like this book. I gave it way past my 100 page rule. It had some genuine funny moments but ultimately it just kept dragging on without feeling like it was getting anywhere. I picked it up and put it down a bunch of times before about 60% of the way through the book I just didn't care anymore. I am quite sure others will like this but it was time for me to move on.