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trevert 's review for:
Paradox Bound
by Peter Clines
I have gradually become a big fan of Peter Clines over the years. I read a couple of his early "Superheroes vs Zombies" books back during the huge zombie boom in books/movies/TV/everything, and I thought they were entertaining but forgettable. Then he went and wrote The Fold and 14, both of which I loved. 14 in particular is one of my favorite weird-horror novels, being a sort of modern, hip and funny update on "House on the Borderland". So I was really looking forward to this one.
In short - Our hero encounters a mystery woman in an antique car at varying points in his life, until eventually he joins her in a time travel adventure spanning the history of the United States where they search for the American Dream (an actual reality-warping object/spell created by the Founding Fathers which enabled immigrants to realize their hopes in the new country). It's been stolen and is lost somewhere in history. They are relentlessly pursued by the Faceless Men, nightmarish bureaucrats out of a dystopian Pink Floyd video.
It's all a lot of fun. There are pop culture references aplenty, but the book doesn't hang from them entirely like other retro novels of late. Still, if you're geekily inclined at all, you're sure to enjoy bits such as time travelers arguing about whether they can use the "transparent aluminum" defense in regard to altering history. It's loaded with twisty-turny timey-wimey stuff and some of the fun of the narrative comes in parsing the nonlinear nature of events.
I enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as 14 but it was definitely on par with The Fold. My sole criticisms are that the main character is a bit of a void - He's essentially the same wisecracking, quipping guy as starred in both prior books. Also, I felt the middle bit sagged a little. The gradual unveiling of the scope of the adventure was great, then the adventure itself feels a bit random and padded, but then it ties all up into a really excellent ending and all is well.
Recommended. Extra-recommended for anyone who enjoyed Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
In short - Our hero encounters a mystery woman in an antique car at varying points in his life, until eventually he joins her in a time travel adventure spanning the history of the United States where they search for the American Dream (an actual reality-warping object/spell created by the Founding Fathers which enabled immigrants to realize their hopes in the new country). It's been stolen and is lost somewhere in history. They are relentlessly pursued by the Faceless Men, nightmarish bureaucrats out of a dystopian Pink Floyd video.
It's all a lot of fun. There are pop culture references aplenty, but the book doesn't hang from them entirely like other retro novels of late. Still, if you're geekily inclined at all, you're sure to enjoy bits such as time travelers arguing about whether they can use the "transparent aluminum" defense in regard to altering history. It's loaded with twisty-turny timey-wimey stuff and some of the fun of the narrative comes in parsing the nonlinear nature of events.
I enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as 14 but it was definitely on par with The Fold. My sole criticisms are that the main character is a bit of a void - He's essentially the same wisecracking, quipping guy as starred in both prior books. Also, I felt the middle bit sagged a little. The gradual unveiling of the scope of the adventure was great, then the adventure itself feels a bit random and padded, but then it ties all up into a really excellent ending and all is well.
Recommended. Extra-recommended for anyone who enjoyed Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.