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tasharobinson's review against another edition
2.0
The first short story in this linked-story anthology is a nasty, mesmerizing little vignette about a law that gives the family members of crime victims five minutes alone with the perpetrator, a room full of torture tools and murder weapons, and apparently no limits. It's a story about a father trying to figure out how much vengeance he wants to, or is actually capable of, exacting on the man who raped and killed his daughter. It's violent, stomach-churning, and creatively sadistic.
So when I read the rest of the book, I was looking for more stories as surprising and hard-hitting as this one. Mostly, I got the sadism without the sense of moral searching or inventive situations. The book's full arc tracks the rise of a cultish religious organization that takes over America and becomes a bottomlessly evil fascist regime. Most of the stories are either about people resisting the regime (and dying horribly, or getting dragged off to fates worse than death) or getting ground up by it, either by being civilians running afoul of the latest monstrously evil law (many detailing with arbitrary executions) or by being part of the regime and called upon to commit atrocities. There are recurring characters throughout these stories, but almost none of them have any distinguishing marks from each other, or any sense of characterization; they all become a frustrating blur of names and messy, grotesque deaths. The author seems much more invested in describing the ghastly ways people die, or fight to not die and fail, or try to go about their business and then realize they're going to die, than he seems invested in making them real characters. It feels telling that he ends the book the second a significant blow is made against the regime. There's no catharsis in this book, no sense of difficult victories after a long, dark night of the soul. It just feels like reading a long, loving description of torture.
So when I read the rest of the book, I was looking for more stories as surprising and hard-hitting as this one. Mostly, I got the sadism without the sense of moral searching or inventive situations. The book's full arc tracks the rise of a cultish religious organization that takes over America and becomes a bottomlessly evil fascist regime. Most of the stories are either about people resisting the regime (and dying horribly, or getting dragged off to fates worse than death) or getting ground up by it, either by being civilians running afoul of the latest monstrously evil law (many detailing with arbitrary executions) or by being part of the regime and called upon to commit atrocities. There are recurring characters throughout these stories, but almost none of them have any distinguishing marks from each other, or any sense of characterization; they all become a frustrating blur of names and messy, grotesque deaths. The author seems much more invested in describing the ghastly ways people die, or fight to not die and fail, or try to go about their business and then realize they're going to die, than he seems invested in making them real characters. It feels telling that he ends the book the second a significant blow is made against the regime. There's no catharsis in this book, no sense of difficult victories after a long, dark night of the soul. It just feels like reading a long, loving description of torture.
ninjabunneh's review against another edition
4.0
25 Perfect Days had me hooked from the first chapter. The book spans 40 years, divided up into 25 chapter stories. Essentially, it chronicles the fall of the US which becomes a totalitarian country. Scary? Yes. Each chapter stands on it's own but the characters are tied together wonderfully. Each story brings in a character from a past chapter, sometimes years later from the first encounter. 25 Perfect Days is a story about how easy it is to lose ones humanity. It is also a story of how, no matter what, some will always struggle to save humanity. I can definitely see where the author gets his King influence and some of the more horrific parts were right up there in Kingville. Wonderful read, highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
ctorretta's review against another edition
4.0
This starts and I was just sitting there thinking, WHAT?!!
It’s intense from the get go. Enjoyable, is that the right word for reading about death and mayhem? But to the point, as a fan of the horror genre, this is right up there! I love a good dystopian and this one was definitely dystopian but also had a bit of horror so subtle in ways that you wouldn’t even know it until you get into the more gruesome parts.
The beginning chapter really sets the stage. Each chapter is it’s own world and although this could be considered short stories all set together, I’m thinking it’s just one book without a central character. The upside is that I was really surprised and quite impressed at Mark’s way of creating this world and these characters. However, there is never a feeling of love for any one character. A bit of this is almost disjointed BUT once I got my awareness of the character in the chapter, it would all clash together. If it weren’t for that moment of trying to put the details together I think this would be perfect.
And don’t get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The way Mark writes this is genius. It pulled me in even though there isn’t a central character but a line of characters that are related or know each other.
A little Clive Barkerish in his descriptions, Mark is brilliant at writing and I am very curious about his other books! Can’t wait to read more.
It’s intense from the get go. Enjoyable, is that the right word for reading about death and mayhem? But to the point, as a fan of the horror genre, this is right up there! I love a good dystopian and this one was definitely dystopian but also had a bit of horror so subtle in ways that you wouldn’t even know it until you get into the more gruesome parts.
The beginning chapter really sets the stage. Each chapter is it’s own world and although this could be considered short stories all set together, I’m thinking it’s just one book without a central character. The upside is that I was really surprised and quite impressed at Mark’s way of creating this world and these characters. However, there is never a feeling of love for any one character. A bit of this is almost disjointed BUT once I got my awareness of the character in the chapter, it would all clash together. If it weren’t for that moment of trying to put the details together I think this would be perfect.
And don’t get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The way Mark writes this is genius. It pulled me in even though there isn’t a central character but a line of characters that are related or know each other.
A little Clive Barkerish in his descriptions, Mark is brilliant at writing and I am very curious about his other books! Can’t wait to read more.
shellygreninger's review against another edition
4.0
I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This is a collection of 25 short stories that span the years 2036-2076. Each story is told from a different persons perspective, but all in the same dystopian world.
I think that the world Mr. Tullius created for this set of stories was quite imaginative. In the year 2036 the world, or at least the United States has undergone a drastic transformation where personal freedom is no longer present. As the years pass by it just gets worse. It seems to start out as a religious dictatorship where an organization called The Way, under the leadership of a man who calls himself The Preacher, runs the country and controls what government is left.
The book starts out with a story called "Five Minutes Alone" that is strange and disturbing, but will hook you in even though it doesn't really give much of a clue what the rest of the book will be like. What you do know, right off, is that things are very different in this world that is just 23 years from now. Each chapter is a different day that tells a consecutive story that spans 40 years. Each story is told by a different person, in a different place, but they all intersect at some point. An 11 year old boy whose father tells the story in the first chapter is a hired killer in a later chapter whose actions cause severe consequences for the female population.
What is clear throughout is that The Way has corrupted everything, but doesn't seem to follow any type of organized religion. It's basically The Way or no way at all. They persecute anyone who doesn't follow them. They have taken control of the government and because of the overpopulation they have put into practice laws that control how much you can weigh, who can drive, who is allowed to have children, etc... They have even given the DMV the authority to set up a lottery system to determine who is allowed to renew a drivers license. If you aren't chosen to renew the consequences are quite disturbing.
There are definitely some disturbing things in this book. Bad things happen to so many people throughout the course of the 40 years. We see kids grow into adults, some good and some bad. Some try to make a difference and some actually do, but others do what they have to do to survive. We see some pretty gruesome things, mass murder, torture and all manner of horrific things. We also see people helping others, people who just want to live and be happy
While all the stories aren't as good as some, they are all written in a way that will keep you reading right to the end. I think I read this book in about 3 hours. Mr. Tullius is quite a talented writer and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up more of his work. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Dystopian read. I can guarantee you haven't read anything quite like it.
I think that the world Mr. Tullius created for this set of stories was quite imaginative. In the year 2036 the world, or at least the United States has undergone a drastic transformation where personal freedom is no longer present. As the years pass by it just gets worse. It seems to start out as a religious dictatorship where an organization called The Way, under the leadership of a man who calls himself The Preacher, runs the country and controls what government is left.
The book starts out with a story called "Five Minutes Alone" that is strange and disturbing, but will hook you in even though it doesn't really give much of a clue what the rest of the book will be like. What you do know, right off, is that things are very different in this world that is just 23 years from now. Each chapter is a different day that tells a consecutive story that spans 40 years. Each story is told by a different person, in a different place, but they all intersect at some point. An 11 year old boy whose father tells the story in the first chapter is a hired killer in a later chapter whose actions cause severe consequences for the female population.
What is clear throughout is that The Way has corrupted everything, but doesn't seem to follow any type of organized religion. It's basically The Way or no way at all. They persecute anyone who doesn't follow them. They have taken control of the government and because of the overpopulation they have put into practice laws that control how much you can weigh, who can drive, who is allowed to have children, etc... They have even given the DMV the authority to set up a lottery system to determine who is allowed to renew a drivers license. If you aren't chosen to renew the consequences are quite disturbing.
There are definitely some disturbing things in this book. Bad things happen to so many people throughout the course of the 40 years. We see kids grow into adults, some good and some bad. Some try to make a difference and some actually do, but others do what they have to do to survive. We see some pretty gruesome things, mass murder, torture and all manner of horrific things. We also see people helping others, people who just want to live and be happy
While all the stories aren't as good as some, they are all written in a way that will keep you reading right to the end. I think I read this book in about 3 hours. Mr. Tullius is quite a talented writer and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up more of his work. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Dystopian read. I can guarantee you haven't read anything quite like it.
wulfwyn's review against another edition
4.0
More stories from 25 Perfect Days. All are told from different POV's. I found them to be interesting quick reads.
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