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A review by katetownsend
The Flicker Men by Ted Kosmatka
3.0
Review originally seen at Looking Glass Reads.
The Flicker Men delves into some hardcore science. Quantum physics isn’t anything to sneeze at, and the double-slit experiment is very central to the plot. But it never felt confusing to me, and I never got bogged down trying to decipher the science behind the story. Everything you need to know is relayed by the author, and done so fairly well. The story never stops to dump all the info on the reader. Instead, everything is relayed in conversation between Eric and his fellow scientists, many of whom are not physicists themselves, and on an as-needed basis. (And as I edit this review I realize that, technically, that can be considered infodumping, in a sense. However, it didn’t feel like that at the time.)
Now for the characters.
Eric Argus. Our narrator. Our protagonist. I loved Eric in all his flawed wonderfulness. He had some very real issues in depression and drinking, had a lot of childhood trauma he’d never worked through. Eric was a fantastic character to experience the story through, and I rooted for him all the way. I love an unreliable narrator, and I feel like this strayed into that territory at times. Even Eric questions his own mental state. I liked even better how he changed through the course of the story, perhaps not completely overcoming his vices and downfalls, but making the effort both consciously and, at times, unconsciously to do so.Some of the other characters. Well…
The scientists were loveable, filled with personality and quirks. (Note the lack of the phrase character development.) Yeah, I was disappointed here. A lot of the characters weren’t fully drawn out. One in particular I hated. By the end of the story I almost felt like she was a caricature pulled directly off of tvtropes.
So, yes. The Flicker Men does have its flaws. It’s not perfect. While Eric’s flashbacks were very interesting, I feel like they didn’t completely pay off in the end. I’m not sure what it was that I was waiting to happen, but I was waiting for something, and it never came. Some of the characters and a bit two dimensional. One or two were downright aggravating.
But you know what? I still liked this story. It was still a good read. Nothing made me want to throw the book across the room, and never pick it up again. I read it in only a couple of sittings, and want to reread it.
At the end of the day, yeah. I absolutely recommend this book. If you like thrillers give The Flicker Men a try, but be prepared for some real science. If you like science-fiction, go for it!
The Flicker Men delves into some hardcore science. Quantum physics isn’t anything to sneeze at, and the double-slit experiment is very central to the plot. But it never felt confusing to me, and I never got bogged down trying to decipher the science behind the story. Everything you need to know is relayed by the author, and done so fairly well. The story never stops to dump all the info on the reader. Instead, everything is relayed in conversation between Eric and his fellow scientists, many of whom are not physicists themselves, and on an as-needed basis. (And as I edit this review I realize that, technically, that can be considered infodumping, in a sense. However, it didn’t feel like that at the time.)
Now for the characters.
Eric Argus. Our narrator. Our protagonist. I loved Eric in all his flawed wonderfulness. He had some very real issues in depression and drinking, had a lot of childhood trauma he’d never worked through. Eric was a fantastic character to experience the story through, and I rooted for him all the way. I love an unreliable narrator, and I feel like this strayed into that territory at times. Even Eric questions his own mental state. I liked even better how he changed through the course of the story, perhaps not completely overcoming his vices and downfalls, but making the effort both consciously and, at times, unconsciously to do so.Some of the other characters. Well…
The scientists were loveable, filled with personality and quirks. (Note the lack of the phrase character development.) Yeah, I was disappointed here. A lot of the characters weren’t fully drawn out. One in particular I hated. By the end of the story I almost felt like she was a caricature pulled directly off of tvtropes.
So, yes. The Flicker Men does have its flaws. It’s not perfect. While Eric’s flashbacks were very interesting, I feel like they didn’t completely pay off in the end. I’m not sure what it was that I was waiting to happen, but I was waiting for something, and it never came. Some of the characters and a bit two dimensional. One or two were downright aggravating.
But you know what? I still liked this story. It was still a good read. Nothing made me want to throw the book across the room, and never pick it up again. I read it in only a couple of sittings, and want to reread it.
At the end of the day, yeah. I absolutely recommend this book. If you like thrillers give The Flicker Men a try, but be prepared for some real science. If you like science-fiction, go for it!