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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
There are hundreds of novels (probably more) that speculate about what happens after death, but I doubt that few authors have the gumption to reimagine eschatology the way Marcus Sakey has in Afterlife. In this fantastical thriller, protagonists Will Brody and Claire McCoy have to chase a mass murder across the boundary between life and death. For these two, an FBI badge doesn’t expire after they die...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Once again I'm reviewing a book that I would describe as "not my usual genre" but maybe I should just admit that I don't have a usual genre. I’ll read any book that catches and keeps my interest. This is a thriller with supernatural elements. It was so well written, I totally bought into Sakey's version of the afterlife and how it interacts with the living world. I cared about what happened to the main characters, Will & Claire. A page turner.
it seemed good and kept me turning pages, but the ending was trite and ruined it for me.
I have enjoyed Marcus Sakey's books for a long time. Afterlife was unlike anything else I have ever read by him. I have always loved the way his main characters are normal people you might know in extraordinary circumstances. They are not perfect or unrelatable. They are flawed, interesting, and compelling. People you could see yourself hanging out with in real life. What made Afterlife different for me were the Clive Barker-like twists and turns. This has elements of sci-fi and fantasy for readers who don't normally read those genres. That fit me to a T. Of course I love the immersion in Chicago. Most readers enjoy seeing what they know in a story. With this book, I love that Marcus clearly pushed his comfort zone and boundaries out so far he almost obliterated them. I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!
Two Federal Agents find themselves chasing a serial killer into the afterlife.
Well, it's clear that Sakey is a Stephen King fan. His protagonists are linked when they both find the same water-swollen copy of King's "The Gunslinger". The afterlife in which they find themselves is very similar to that of Mr. King's "The Langoliers", complete with "eaters" (King's eat the past world, Sakey's eat energy.) And this novel also has a similar ending to Stephen King's brilliant "The Stand." I honestly don't mean that Mr. Sakey has deliberately imitated Stephen King. It merely feels pretty clear that King is a big influence and it shows up in his work.
This is a story with three sometimes-overlapping sections. The first deals with our world, where Federal Agents (and lovers) Claire and Will are investigating a serial killer. The second is the afterlife, a greyed-out nearly isolated version of the Chicago that they are from and where they both end up (not gonna say Spoiler because the book is CALLED "Afterlife", after all.) The third aspect involves some inhabitants of the afterlife, long-lived (lived? They're dead. Whatever.) former humans who, through their evilness, have learned to straddle the worlds and influence people who are still alive.
That last bit is what I hated the most. I simply cannot abide stories where a person's depravity is explained away as "the devil made me do it" or "the voices said I had to" or "my dog Peanut told me to." No. Some people are just plain evil. And giving them an "out" – especially, as is the case with this story, when they are *real people* who murdered other *real people* -- is disingenuous. It makes my blood boil.
So. The story. It was just sort of… there. I didn't hate it, but it didn't give me any reason to like it a whole lot, either. It was just fine. The concept was fine, but as mentioned above it felt derivative. The writing was fine but not compelling, so I never felt that I had to hurry up and get to the next chapter so I could find out what happens. The characters all felt a little cardboard: the protagonists were much too 'good' for their own good, and the ancient baddies had no humanity so we couldn't connect with them at all, yet were not scary enough to hold up as the ultimate evil they were supposed to portray. I actually found their sections (and the writing style used there) to be pretty boring. *shrugs*
Well, it's clear that Sakey is a Stephen King fan. His protagonists are linked when they both find the same water-swollen copy of King's "The Gunslinger". The afterlife in which they find themselves is very similar to that of Mr. King's "The Langoliers", complete with "eaters" (King's eat the past world, Sakey's eat energy.) And this novel also has a similar ending to Stephen King's brilliant "The Stand." I honestly don't mean that Mr. Sakey has deliberately imitated Stephen King. It merely feels pretty clear that King is a big influence and it shows up in his work.
This is a story with three sometimes-overlapping sections. The first deals with our world, where Federal Agents (and lovers) Claire and Will are investigating a serial killer. The second is the afterlife, a greyed-out nearly isolated version of the Chicago that they are from and where they both end up (not gonna say Spoiler because the book is CALLED "Afterlife", after all.) The third aspect involves some inhabitants of the afterlife, long-lived (lived? They're dead. Whatever.) former humans who, through their evilness, have learned to straddle the worlds and influence people who are still alive.
That last bit is what I hated the most. I simply cannot abide stories where a person's depravity is explained away as "the devil made me do it" or "the voices said I had to" or "my dog Peanut told me to." No. Some people are just plain evil. And giving them an "out" – especially, as is the case with this story, when they are *real people* who murdered other *real people* -- is disingenuous. It makes my blood boil.
So. The story. It was just sort of… there. I didn't hate it, but it didn't give me any reason to like it a whole lot, either. It was just fine. The concept was fine, but as mentioned above it felt derivative. The writing was fine but not compelling, so I never felt that I had to hurry up and get to the next chapter so I could find out what happens. The characters all felt a little cardboard: the protagonists were much too 'good' for their own good, and the ancient baddies had no humanity so we couldn't connect with them at all, yet were not scary enough to hold up as the ultimate evil they were supposed to portray. I actually found their sections (and the writing style used there) to be pretty boring. *shrugs*
This was an okay read. It started out really strong and had me completely captivated, then it kind of lost me. I found the characters and plot compelling and interesting until about halfway through the book... then I wasn't really in love with the way their storyline started to go. I know that this book is being turned into a movie, and I can actually see myself enjoying it in this format more. There is a lot of opportunity for great effects and tons of action scenes that would play out well on the big screen.
A big thank you to Little Bird Publicity and the publisher for providing me with a review copy.
A big thank you to Little Bird Publicity and the publisher for providing me with a review copy.
3.5*, really. (Really dislike limitations of numerically quantified reviews...) Fun, quick read. Easy to see how it'll be adapted for screen (it's a very visual book, and Sakey does a great job of giving us just enough to visualize everything). At the same time, it didn't feel quite as deep as it could have been. The relationship between Will and Claire felt both artificial and real, not fully developed or realized. Overall, it's fun and a good time.
Hmmm... I liked it but there was a lot going on! Kind of like a more violent version of What Dreams May Come. Might work better as a movie for me, just easier to follow.
Wow, great imagination
Great story, and amazing how it all hangs together to actually make sense. Really liked this - a great effort!
Great story, and amazing how it all hangs together to actually make sense. Really liked this - a great effort!