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A review by lukeadamswrites
Bazaar by Miles Joyner
2.0
Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy of this book directly from the author and this is my own opinion.
Second disclaimer: This one is not strictly speculative fiction but I received the ARC pre The Speculative Review and I'm making good on my promise.
I don't like giving negative reviews, especially when the author has reached out to me directly, but I like to think people would prefer that I review honestly rather than yank their chain. Thrillers, by definition, are supposed to be thrilling. Every page needs to be packed with action or suspense that propels the plot forward, building to a crescendo of tension that blows your socks off.
I didn't feel that in Bazaar by Myles Joyner. What I felt instead was confused. The story centers primarily around a dark web assassins’ market called the Bazaar where people bid on politicians and other notable figures to be killed. There was room in Bazaar to develop a nuanced look at the turbulent politics that we see today, but there's not much of that here.
Joyner seems to know DC well. Bazaar is packed full of references to places that I can only believe must be real, and in many ways this does add to the flavour of the novel. The dialogue is very confusing and I found myself rereading sections to try and figure out who was saying what.
When the action hits, it feels like a movie, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Action in novels needs to be backed up by internal thoughts and feelings. That’s where a novel excels over other forms of media.
I really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately I didn't. What it needed was more time and development.
Second disclaimer: This one is not strictly speculative fiction but I received the ARC pre The Speculative Review and I'm making good on my promise.
I don't like giving negative reviews, especially when the author has reached out to me directly, but I like to think people would prefer that I review honestly rather than yank their chain. Thrillers, by definition, are supposed to be thrilling. Every page needs to be packed with action or suspense that propels the plot forward, building to a crescendo of tension that blows your socks off.
I didn't feel that in Bazaar by Myles Joyner. What I felt instead was confused. The story centers primarily around a dark web assassins’ market called the Bazaar where people bid on politicians and other notable figures to be killed. There was room in Bazaar to develop a nuanced look at the turbulent politics that we see today, but there's not much of that here.
Joyner seems to know DC well. Bazaar is packed full of references to places that I can only believe must be real, and in many ways this does add to the flavour of the novel. The dialogue is very confusing and I found myself rereading sections to try and figure out who was saying what.
When the action hits, it feels like a movie, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Action in novels needs to be backed up by internal thoughts and feelings. That’s where a novel excels over other forms of media.
I really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately I didn't. What it needed was more time and development.