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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I have no idea what story I just fell into, I picked it because I needed something different, and I got it ten-thousand-fold. It’s a cross between a suspense thriller, gothic horror, and science fiction story. Our players are Hector, an ex-military contractor gone the way of the bottle and a young girl, Natalie, escaping from somewhere that has kept her captive. Even though I was completely and absolutely alarmed by the number of INSECTS that the author wrote into the story, I had to stick with it to see what would happen. I am writing this down because I want to give fair warning about THE INSECTS!! If I had known, I would not have gone in. And now I can’t unhear the story. Great writing, fast story, ends on an okay note.
A great action packed story with well written characters. What was starting to seem like over-the-top gross out made sense at the end.
2.5 stars. If Stranger Things and Taken 2 had a baby this would be it. Girl escapes from facility, tough ex-military finds her and they develop bond through the book, and then formulaically kill every other bad guy (and girl) and save the day. I love Peter Clines, this is not his best, it felt very rushed and unlike his other books this one you knew what was going to happen and otherworld horror was thrown in as an afterthought.
A lot like Old Man Logan x Stranger Things and that doesn't bother me one lil bit :)
I'm not sure why the Author's Notes are speaking to me these days, but I really enjoyed Clines' description on how this book happened. Not only is this is good story, but I find it valuable to learn how the good story happened.
Cline is doing a yeoman's job of bringing "weird literature" into the mainstream spotlight. This book features a unique perspective on dealing with some eldritch horrors that doesn't require a deep dive into the works of Lovecraft to understand. With a few simple lines of dialogue, Clines' characters give the reader a full understanding of their neverending horrible battle. Then, they get right to the action.
While Hector and Natalie make a wonderful pair to anchor the story, I cast my vote for Clines to create an entire series around Quilt -- a.k.a. the Patchwork Man. There's a lot of potential to mine there.
Cline is doing a yeoman's job of bringing "weird literature" into the mainstream spotlight. This book features a unique perspective on dealing with some eldritch horrors that doesn't require a deep dive into the works of Lovecraft to understand. With a few simple lines of dialogue, Clines' characters give the reader a full understanding of their neverending horrible battle. Then, they get right to the action.
While Hector and Natalie make a wonderful pair to anchor the story, I cast my vote for Clines to create an entire series around Quilt -- a.k.a. the Patchwork Man. There's a lot of potential to mine there.
Hector is a gifted government operative who got out of the business and is now off the grid ready to drink himself to death. His former partner, Tim, guides Natalie, a pre-teen, to Hector telling her that Hector can help her and her friends that are part of "The Project." Hector is suspicious because Tim is dead.
What follows is not a ghost story but more of an action-packed Jack Reacher/Stranger Things type thriller pitting our protagonists against an atypical cosmic horror.
I loved it.
What follows is not a ghost story but more of an action-packed Jack Reacher/Stranger Things type thriller pitting our protagonists against an atypical cosmic horror.
I loved it.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I sat on this book for quite a while in 2022, which seems dumb in retrospect. I like Clines’s work quite a bit, and I found this book difficult to put down. I listened on morning walks and then followed up on my Kindle. This is an incredibly fast read, and I’m sure I would have finished faster if not for the distractions of the holiday season.
In short, I loved this book. It’s fast, and it reads like a movie. It seems almost written for the screen, an updated Bourne or Reacher novel.
Most of the book is a combination of grisly chase scenes stitched together with enough down time for some exposition. It’s all thrill and action with a bit of paranormal and horror thrown in for spice.
I loved both main characters. Hector’s quick thinking and Natalie’s matter-of-fact approach to questions and situations is fun and amusing. Their relationship builds quickly but subtly.
I’d like to know more about Tim and the other side of the Broken Room. Adding more details would have slowed the plot quite a bit, but the other side definitely leaves an opening for more stories. Maybe we’ll see a reference pop up in another future Clines novel. He does a nice job of tying his universe together with a few direct and a few subtle references to other universes. I wonder if Clines considers this a Threshold novel. It might be, and it might not, which is probably exactly how Clines wants it.
The Broken Room by Peter Clines is a weird and thrilling tale combining the sci-fi horror Clines’ readers have come to love and expect with a different sort of story. Hector, a spy, is sitting in a bar when he’s approached by a little girl who’s on the run with a fantastical story. The pair embark on a cross-country adventure with things getting progressively stranger at every turn. The Broken Room is reminiscent of King’s The Institute as well as Cline’s own Threshold Universe series and Paradox Bound. While I was left wanting to know more about some of the characters and elements of the world, overall I found the journey the two protagonists traveled to be highly compelling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So you think you're reading a thriller with a science fiction element, and around midnight you suddenly realize it's also a horror novel. And you then have to stay up until 2am finishing the book to ensure you won't have nightmares. Clines's latest novel is a nonstop page-turner with fantastic characters and an adrenaline-filled plot. Hector, a former government operative and total badass, is drinking in a bar one day when 12-year-old Natalie approaches him and asks for help, claiming that she has been sent by a man Hector owed a favor to - a man who happens to be dead. Things just get weirder from there, with plenty of violence and mayhem. I was completely invested in the story, hence my staying up way too late to reach the ending.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No