Reviews

This Plague of Souls by Mike McCormack

jdurkan91's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

- 'It would be a lot clearer to me if I knew who I was talking to. A name would be a help.’ -

I’ve wrestled with this because going by the blurb I should have liked this, but I didn’t. Too much on the mysterious, the this is what I think happened but you can’t be sure. The ra, cyberterrorism, domestic disputes, but no resolutions. Not that every book needs one, but this left a bit too much to the imagination. Nealon and the man proved far too cryptic for me.

As a positive i’m from the area this book is based so it was cool to see it come to life. I should read Solar Bones as I’ve put it off for far too long.

mppilk's review

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This may be a short book but it is not a quick read. The writing alone deserves the reader’s very best attention. Sentence construct is clever and the general writing wonderfully descriptive. For the first half of the book it was heading for a full 5 stars. Nealon returns to his home in the West of Ireland from prison, with the rather dubious fame as the longest remand prisoner on record. However his home is empty, no heat, no light and most importantly no wife or son only a persistent caller that appears to almost be watching him. 
Unfortunately after that it just lost me. I have no idea what the rest of this was about and there was just too much left unanswered at the end. 
A disappointing follow up to the wonderful Solar Bones.

Thanks to NetGalley.co.uk and the publishers for this ARC

rebeccatcm's review against another edition

4.0

NO SPOILERS:

I gave This Plague of Souls 4/5 for the writing and only the writing. The plot, story and characters held little interest for me but McCormack’s skill with words had me re-reading passages in awe. He writes with such understanding of being human, such observation of emotions. The scenes where Nealon stands in his empty house, makes coffee, looks out of the window…all these had me captivated. Tis brilliant stuff.

So if you like a thrillerish book and enjoy skilled, crafted writing, then you are in for a treat.

 

theano_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

benababy85's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved the first half of the book and I really wanted to know about Nealon but for me the second half of th book let it down. I did not enjoy it 

josh_keane's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lives up to Solar Bones and echoes/alludes to his earlier work. "Notes From a Coma" is a good touchstone, if you enjoyed that you will enjoy this. It will keep you guessing until the end and never shows its hand entirely, almost certainly a book that will be rewarding to return to. 

malachyconlan's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

annemariewhelehan's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? No

3.0

The first half of this book intrigued me. I loved the viewpoint of the character. Reminded me of John Boynes Water where the character explores the demons of the past and what they do now with their future. Whilst not necessarily the most lovable of characters, I did want to learn more about Nealon. I was interested in knowing the details of his case, but somehow we got titbits and not the full story. The second half of the book introduced a second character, and to what purpose I do not know, perhaps to tell Nealon’s story? But it was done in such a way that I didn’t know if we were to believe the story or not. Was Nealon really such a mastermind? Overall, like the character’s viewpoint, but would’ve liked a different story and a bit more clarity so I could understand what was going on. The blurb classifies it as a metaphysical thriller, a genre for me to avoid going forward. So if that’s your thing, you’ll probably enjoy it.

reads_eats_explores's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Our protagonist Nealon returns, after a lengthy period in prison on remand, to the remote West of Ireland farmhouse where he grew up with his father (his mother died at the time of his birth) and where he later lived with his wife of three years Olwyn and young child Cuan. The house is cold and uninhabited, but barely through the door, and he receives calls from an unknown person who seems to know a lot about Nealon, saying he knows there's information they can share.

In the first chapter, Country Feedback, we get the bones of Nealon’s life, his time with his father, and his marriage, including how he abducted Olwyn from a Dublin crackhouse! All the while, these anonymous calls continue.

We move on to No Traffic and a Dry Road, where Nealon spends time reflecting on Cuan, on the deterioration in his marriage when he was in prison, and on his time in prison where National Geographic became his link to the world. All on the backdrop of an unspecified but rapidly evolving national security alert with Ireland plunging into an almost lockdown state.

In the third instalment of This Plague of Souls takes place in Dublin as Nealon and his persistent caller meet. This man tells Nealon what he has pieced together of his life, which helpfully fills some gaps in the story Nealon has so far spun while also proposing his view on Nealon’s involvement in a large scale and, in all honesty far fetched insurance fraud, which seemingly was globally philanthropically motivated.

It's hard to say more without spoilers, but suffice to say this was my first McCormack book, and it won't be my last!

This Plague of Souls is beautifully written and highly compelling. It is a truly fascinating short metaphysical thriller with a timely feel of society in 2023 with growing security threats (actual and perceived) and how both state and society react to them. Global actions have local consequences whether we always realise it or not.

My only complaint? I didn't want the story to end, and at under 200 pages, there was certainly scope for more. 4.5⭐

Thank you to the publisher for both a NetGalley ARC and for sending me a physical proof copy.