All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Matsai

From Goodreads:
You know the future that people in the 1950s imagined we'd have? Well, it happened. In Tom Barren's 2016, humanity thrives in a techno-utopian paradise of flying cars, moving sidewalks, and moon bases, where avocados never go bad and punk rock never existed . . . because it wasn't necessary.

Except Tom just can't seem to find his place in this dazzling, idealistic world, and that's before his life gets turned upside down. Utterly blindsided by an accident of fate, Tom makes a rash decision that drastically changes not only his own life but the very fabric of the universe itself. In a time-travel mishap, Tom finds himself stranded in our 2016, what we think of as the real world. For Tom, our normal reality seems like a dystopian wasteland.

But when he discovers wonderfully unexpected versions of his family, his career, and—maybe, just maybe—his soul mate, Tom has a decision to make. Does he fix the flow of history, bringing his utopian universe back into existence, or does he try to forge a new life in our messy, unpredictable reality? Tom’s search for the answer takes him across countries, continents, and timelines in a quest to figure out, finally, who he really is and what his future—our future—is supposed to be.

This book reminded me a bit of Doctor Who meets Back to the Future, with a lot of The Jetsons thrown in there as well. Time travel and dystopia/utopia are two very interesting subjects to me, and I really found the concept of this book to be intriguing. An added benefit, it takes place in Toronto, and is done in a way that it's actually Toronto, and not "fictional Toronto". A lot of people have compared this book to Blake Crouch's spectacular novel Dark Matter, which I can see to an extent, but this one is more comedic, whereas Dark Matter was more intense and gritty.

This is the first book of Elan Matsai, who is a screenwriter. He wrote the screenplay for one of my favourite movies, The F-Word, so I was excited to see what his novel-writing skills were like. The writing style is very slick and easy to follow. It's a very engaging book stylistically speaking. The opening sentence draws you in almost instantaneously. Oddly enough, this reminded me of The Jetsons, as I mentioned. While it was an interesting concept, and the writing style was really strong, this book did fall flat in some areas for me, which detracted some from it.

I enjoyed the first half of this book a lot more than the second half. I didn't really feel the stakes in this book. I think that was partly because I didn't connect to the main character Tom/John or any of the other characters in either reality. Most of the supporting characters are very flimsy and just there to fulfill the plot and the overall conflict. If the plot hadn't jumped around as much as it did, focused a bit more on the characters, and clearly defined both iterations of Tom/John Barren, I would have liked this book more than I did. 

All in all, this is a good, not great book. It's easy to read, and Elan Matsai has a great writing style. It's an enjoyable enough book, but the stakes were not there for me, and I didn't really care much for the main protagonist as much as I should have. The first half of All Our Wrong Todays was the stronger half by far. It plays well with the idea of present and future and how small things can change everything. I'm going to give All Our Wrong Todays a 3.5/5 - The concept is great, and I really enjoy the idea of time travel and the toying of utopia and dystopia, and this gives some good perspective, despite falling flat in some important areas.

No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill

From Goodreads: 
When Stephanie moves to the notoriously cheap Perry Bar neighborhood of Birmingham, she's just happy to find an affordable room for rent that's large enough not to deserve her previous room's nickname, "the cell." The eccentric -- albeit slightly overly-friendly -- landlord seems nice and welcoming enough, the ceilings are high, and all of the other tenants are also girls. Things aren't great, but they're stable. Or at least that's what she tells herself when she impulsively hands over enough money to cover the first month's rent and decides to give it a go.

But soon after she becomes uneasy about her rash decision. She hears things in the night. Feels them. Things...or people...who aren't there in the light. Who couldn't be there, because after-all, her door is locked every night, and the key is still in place in the morning. Concern soon turns to terror when the voices she hears and presence she feels each night become hostile. It's clear that something very bad has happened in this house. And something even worse is happening now. Stephanie has to find a way out, before whatever's going on in the house finds her first.

Before I start my review, I just want to say one thing: the landlord in this book reminded me so much of the character "Mr. Razor" that showed up in a recent episode of Doctor Who (an alias of an integral character), down to the accent and everything:

This is my second Adam Nevill book, my first one being The Ritual, which I reviewed in September of 2016, and thought it was pretty good overall. One thing that he's really good at is avoiding the slow burn that some horror/thriller novels tend to adopt. Right off the bat, you know, you just know that shit is gonna go down, and something really bad is going to happen. While The Ritual was a tiny bit slow burn, this one hits the ground running and right away, things are looking fishy, and not everything is as it seems. 

This book clocks in at just under 630 pages. It doesn't feel like it's that long. The chapters are not overly long, and tension keeps building and building before reaching a breaking point before the first denouement of the novel. There is a slight breather about halfway through, but it's only for a very teeny tiny portion before diving in for more. There's no real false sense of security that happens in this book unlike in The Ritual. The main character Stephanie got a lot of mental (and physical) shouting from me. "JUST LEAVE! FORGET ABOUT THE MONEY AND GET OUT OF THERE!" was most of the frustration that she got from me.  But there wouldn't be a story if she had up and left after her first night at the house. Knacker, the landlord, and his cousin Fergal make me want to take a shower for seven hours to cleanse myself of the ickiness. In addition, the house is one of the creepiest novel locations I've read in 2017. You could not pay me enough to even walk past it. At first, this book seems to be going in a criminal horror direction, but that itself is a smokescreen, and, of course, there are larger things at play at the house.

Going off that, the thing that Nevill does exceptionally well here, as he did in The Ritual is examine the occult. I'm assuming that's a major theme in all of his work. It works for the story he is telling here, and it really gives the characters development. It propels both character and plot forward, and it's done in such a way that it does not feel out of place. By the end of this book, you want to take a shower for two hours to cleanse yourself. 

No One Gets Out Alive is another success from Adam Nevill. It's unique, chilling, suspenseful and, most importantly, scary. It makes you uncomfortable and suspicious. It's a nail-biter, and you simultaneously are willing the characters to get out and hoping that they survive. It only comes up for air once or twice, but continuously becomes more ominous and thrilling as it comes to the conclusion. I'm giving No One Gets Out Alive 4/5 - Nevill has done it again and created a novel that stayed with me after I finished it. 

The Signal Flame by Andrew Krivak

From Goodreads:
In a small town in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains Hannah and her son Bo mourn the loss of the family patriarch, Jozef Vinich. They were three generations under one roof. Three generations, but only one branch of a scraggy tree; they are a war-haunted family in a war-torn century. Having survived the trenches of World War I as an Austro-Hungarian conscript, Vinich journeyed to America and built a life for his family. His daughter married the Hungarian-born Bexhet Konar, who enlisted to fight with the Americans in the Second World War but brought disgrace on the family when he was imprisoned for desertion. He returned home to Pennsylvania a hollow man, only to be killed in a hunting accident on the family’s land. Finally, in 1971, Hannah’s prodigal younger son, Sam, was reported MIA in Vietnam.

And so there is only Bo, a quiet man full of conviction, a proud work ethic, and a firstborn’s sense of duty. He is left to grieve but also to hope for reunion, to create a new life, to embrace the land and work its soil through the seasons. The Signal Flame is a stirring novel about generations of men and women and the events that define them, brothers who take different paths, the old European values yielding to new world ways, and the convalescence of memory and war.

This book is the one that put me in a reading slump for two and a half weeks, but it is also the one that dragged me out of it. (Reading slumps are awful.) 

I think I would have enjoyed this book a bit more if I had read Krivak's first novel The Sojourn before reading this one, as it tells the story of Jozef, the family patriarch, in fuller detail. It would have filled in a few gaps, which I had to read in between the lines to figure out whilst reading this novel. Regardless of that, I did enjoy this novel quite a bit. It's a quiet, almost understated book. It doesn't make boastful claims, and it has very little fanfare or pomp. The quietness that this book adopts works well for the story it is telling. 

Although I didn't get all of the stakes that were involved in this book, it was very easy to fall into rhythm with this book. While it would have been nice to have read the first book before this one, it's not super necessary in order to get what is going on in this one. This is a very calming, soothing book, even when tragic, horrible things are happening to the characters. I did a few double takes and had to go back to re-read some passages to make sure I really was reading what I was reading and I wasn't imagining it. Because it is so understated, it does cause some, "Wait, what?" moments, at least for me. 

This book said a lot about grief that I connected with and agreed with on one level or another. Since this is primarily a novel about how to move on after tragedy and the loss of loved ones, there was quite a bit of grief-talk involved. But not in a pretentious way. It was done simply and with very little pomp and circumstance. It is what it is. Which is what Krivak says in few words. The novel doesn't make a little or big deal out of grief. It's a part of life that becomes part of us. The writing style is excellent, and it was an easy-to-follow narrative.

I felt at ease while reading this book. I connected and related to virtually every character, which is rare. This book is about character, tone, and atmosphere rather than about plot. It was a slow-moving book, but I still continued reading (once my slump had been cured) because I wanted to see how the characters evolved and developed, and to see how the story would resolve for each of the main characters. In addition to the theme of grief, themes of family, war, and peace all make appearances in this novel. It's an almost private novel, and we, the readers, are sneaking in on these peoples' lives.

This is quite a novel. The one that dragged me out of a reading slump that went on for nearly three weeks. It's quiet and understated, tender and solemn. It is the reading equivalent of curling up in bed, warmed by blankets. It's calming and truthful. I'd fully believe that these events really did happen with these characters. The Signal Flame is an incredible novel, written by an outstanding writer, who created an atmospheric, character-driven novel, filled with messages of home, family, and grief. I'm definitely giving The Signal Flame 5/5, and highly recommend it. 

The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs

From Goodreads:
Hamilton was a bastard son, raised on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. He went to America to pursue his education. Along the way he became one of the American Revolution’s most dashing—and unlikely—heroes. Adored by Washington, hated by Jefferson, Hamilton was a lightning rod: the most controversial leader of the American Revolution.

She was the well-to-do daughter of one of New York’s most exalted families—feisty, adventurous, and loyal to a fault. When she met Alexander, she fell head over heels. She pursued him despite his illegitimacy, and loved him despite his infidelity. In 1816, she shamed Congress into supporting his seven orphaned children. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton started New York’s first orphanage. The only “founding mother” to truly embrace public service, she raised 160 children in addition to her own.

Show of hands, how many of you readers have heard of, listened to the soundtrack of, or even seen the musical Hamilton created by Lin-Manuel Miranda? Me too. I had a Hamilton frenzy going on for a solid ten months or so. I would slip in references, quote the show, and look up facts about the cast of historical characters. It doesn't help that Revolutionary-era America is my favourite era in American history. Eliza Hamilton is life goals. My love for this musical and its story was non-stop. (hey, I made a Hamilton pun!) So imagine my delight when I found this at the bookstore last fall, about the lives of Alexander and Eliza's marriage. I always get a few books for Christmas, and this was one of them. I only just read it now. 

Elizabeth Cobbs started this book before the success of the musical, but it was probably being edited as the musical was reaching its peak popularity, so as a result there are many references and sort-of in jokes to the musical, including many lines, such as the most popular and oft-quoted one:

Yep, that's the one.

I want to stress something though. This is not the same as the musical. While the musical is more about his politics and the Revolution, the book is more about their courtship and marriage. This is straight-up a love story between Alexander and Eliza. It was interesting to see their early lives from each of their perspectives, which added to the contrast that they had in terms of background - "How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman" (heh, get it?) get together with a wealthy daughter of a war hero? The first half of the book follows them from their early lives up until their wedding in 1781, all the way through the Revolution, the second half follows them through the sex scandal with Hamilton and Maria Reynolds until the duel and Alexander's death in 1804.

The parts involving the Revolution, especially once Alexander and Eliza had met were very glossed over, and only referenced in background, which I get for the sake of the love story that Cobbs is trying to set up. Very few characters from the musical that were pivotal to the Hamiltons show up beyond a brief cameo every now and again, including Angelica Schuyler Church, Eliza's older sister and confidante, who was so important, both historically and in the musical. Aaron Burr, one of Hamilton's nemeses only gets a few mentions, and then becomes uber-important in the concluding chapters, when they have their duel in 1804. Moments that would have been so exciting to read about, such as a hugely pregnant Eliza having to hide in a closet to evade British redcoats, are given a brief mention, and the affair itself between Alexander and Maria Reynolds - and the fallout from that - is given at most 50-75 pages of treatment. While short in treatment, Cobbs adds details that were absent from the musical in the affair sections among other scenes. 

What I enjoyed most about the book was Cobbs' dedication to the history, and as she says in the author's note, tried to be as accurate to history within the limits of fiction. While bigger historical and personal moments were glossed over for the sake of the love story between the two leads, the moments of history were done with as accuracy. Her writing style and prose, for the most part, is excellent and adds to the story at hand, but there are a few moments here and there that are just too blatantly foreshadowing or ironic. This only happens a few times. The characterization is fine. I felt like I connected most with the only fictional character the most. Alexander and Eliza are given more character development in the musical, but that is not to say they do not get character development here. I really liked how in the epilogue, Cobbs shows in detail what Eliza did to tell her husband's story. 

The Hamilton Affair is a fine novel on its own as a historical fiction. It works a lot better if you know the history behind it, as without background information and knowledge, at least from the musical, you'll be confused about some sequence of events in parts, or won't get certain references. Cobbs does historical fiction really well for the most part, blending history and fiction well. While certain parts were glossed over, and it would have been nice to see some pivotal characters from the musical that were integral in the lives of the real Alexander Hamilton such as Jefferson, John Laurens, more of Lafayette and Mulligan, and especially Aaron Burr, sir (sorry, that's it for puns), the central story was done really well, and besides the duel and a few other moments, these characters don't really affect Alexander and Eliza's marriage, so I can see why she opted to sideline them. In this book, however, we do get to see people that were only very briefly mentioned in the play such as Angelica's husband John Church, and some of the other political friends and rivals. Once I separated it from the musical, it was a charming read with a good interpretation of the romance between Alexander and Eliza Hamilton, less focal on the politcal aspects of the Hamiltons' lives. What she does really well is humanize Alexander and Eliza, not dissimilar to Lin-Manuel Miranda; these people aren't perfect, they made mistakes and messed up from time to time, some bigger messes than others, but this book shows how they loved each other and always came back to each other even in times of trial and tribulation, which I think was probably one of Cobbs' main goals. It's got good writing, it's a relatively quick read, and she weaves Alexander and Eliza's stories together really well, and shows how much they loved each other. I'm going to give The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs a 3.5/5. It was good, but not a perfect novel, but I liked it just fine, and if you're into Hamilton, romances, and/or historical fiction you will probably like this book.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

From Goodreads:
Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”
 
Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

This is my second Joe Hill novel. My first one, of course, being his most recent, The Fireman, which, as you recall, I absolutely adore. This one is no different. I didn't know much about this book going into it. All I knew from the get-go was that there was a Christmas theme, kidnapped children and a creepy old man. That was it. Initially I thought that Christmasland was like a camp of some sort. But Joe Hill, in his Joe Hill way, made it be so much more than that. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Like I mentioned in my review for The Fireman, one of my favourite books ever, The worlds and characters and events he creates are so unique and original. Charles Manx is like a creepier, evil-er version of Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (I am not unconvinced that Wonka was in fact a man of evil intent), and if I ever see a Rolls-Royce Wraith from 1938, I am going to run like Manx himself is chasing after me, that is how good of a character creator Joe Hill is. Every single character brings something original and unique to the table and Hill manipulates the readers' emotion into feeling sympathy for the characters or feeling terror for the characters, sometimes both with the case of the character of Bing, who is so twisted and messed up, you can't help but feel sympathy for him, but also heave a sigh of relief when he gets what's coming for him. The characters are ragged, sweet, funny, twisted, pure evil, the list goes on and on. No two characters are the same.And by god, does he know how to write a good villain. Manx made my blood chill.  If I was ever in a battle against the forces of Christmas-using-evil, I would hella have Vic McQueen and Maggie as my backup crew. These ladies are so realistic and badass and cool. They've been through the ringer and came out stronger. What Joe Hill does so great is not make his characters all black-and-white. His characters are a mosaic of greyness for the most part, making for a realistic cast of characters. 

Hill's writing style as always is incredible. Like The Fireman, he builds up the tension slowly and carefully, until you're up until 1am to see how it ends, because oh god, it's so intense and exciting and thrilling by the end and you need to know what happens next. He doesn't create a false sense of security. No, instead he throws the false sense of security out the window. There's always an uneasy feeling threading its way through the narrative, waiting for the other shoe to drop. There are many references to his Dad Stephen King's works snuck in there (my personal favourite is the reference to Pennywise the Clown from It) as well as many other pop culture references; the character of Lou is a walking pop culture reference which makes it all the more human and real. It took me so long to realize that the title of the book is a play on the silent movie Nosferatu which features vampires and is hugely influential on horror creators, so the title works. 

All in all, this book is nothing short of incredible. Joe Hill has very quickly become one of my favourite writers This book was the perfect blend, with excellent characters, a unique plot, and the perfect amount of humour and thrills. It's thrilling, it's witty, it's exciting, and it's oddly enough very sad in moments. I'm giving NOS4A2 a 5/5. I absolutely enjoyed this book and can't wait to read others by Joe Hill. 

The Motion of Puppets by Keith Donohue

From Goodreads:
In the Old City of Québec, Kay Harper falls in love with a puppet in the window of the Quatre Mains, a toy shop that is never open. She is spending her summer working as an acrobat with the cirque while her husband, Theo, is translating a biography of the pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Late one night, Kay fears someone is following her home. Surprised to see that the lights of the toy shop are on and the door is open, she takes shelter inside.

The next morning Theo wakes up to discover his wife is missing. Under police suspicion and frantic at her disappearance, he obsessively searches the streets of the Old City. Meanwhile, Kay has been transformed into a puppet, and is now a prisoner of the back room of the Quatre Mains, trapped with an odd assemblage of puppets from all over the world who can only come alive between the hours of midnight and dawn. The only way she can return to the human world is if Theo can find her and recognize her in her new form. So begins a dual odyssey: of a husband determined to find his wife, and of a woman trapped in a magical world where her life is not her own.

It's Ancient Greek mythology time! 

Orpheus and Eurydice lived in Ancient Greece, fell in love and were happy. Until Eurydice died, that is. Motivated by grief and love for his wife, Orpheus stormed the Underworld and demanded that Hades give him his wife back. Moved by Orpheus' talents with the lyre and his dedication to Eurydice, Hades and Persephone said they would return Eurydice to the land of the living where she could live out the rest of her days with Orpheus, but only on the condition that on their journey from the Underworld he does not look back to see if she is still there until they reach the world above; if he does turn back to see Eurydice, she will return to the land of the dead and Orpheus will not get another chance. Of course, because those Greeks loved their tragedies, Orpheus forgets to stay true to his promise and Eurydice vanishes forever.

(I knew those three years of classical education would come in handy sometime.) 

Keith Donohue's novel The Motion of Puppets is a loose, modernised take on the Ancient Greek classic, which also has hints of Homer's Odyssey. Filled with many personal journeys in addition to physical journeys, this novel is more so a love story and tragedy than it is horror. Don't get me wrong, though. There is still a lot of chills and thrills to be found in this book until the very horrifying climax at the novel's conclusion, which reminds me why puppets are not to be trifled with. They're up there with garden gnomes as being the creepiest inanimate household objects. (I think it's the eyes).  

To make a long story short, I loved this book from the very beginning. This is not Keith Donohue's first time writing. His prose is lush and descriptive, informative without dumping mounds of information right away. We learn with the characters what is going on. I thought it was creative to split up the focus between the husband and wife characters, creating dramatic irony whenever it cut back to Theo not knowing where Kay is or what has happened to her, the audience knowing the horrifying truth long before Theo does. I love me some good dramatic irony, and this is done so well. 

This book was super creepy when it needed to be. When Kay is turned into a puppet at the beginning, the conclusion, and other scenes along the way that I will not delve into at risk of spoilers, it is told in such a matter-of-fact way that it just makes it all the more creepier and chilling. It definitely added to the magical realism of the novel. Something that added to this is the fact that all of the characters were relateable and likeable, which added to the stakes. I wanted Theo to find Kay, I wanted Kay to escape. The book's overall quality would have been greatly reduced had the stakes not been there for the characters; if the characters were unlikeable, the book would not have been as exciting or believable. I really believed the love between Kay and Theo, the suffering and breakdown of Theo, the different struggles of the other trapped souls that Kay meets in the toy shop. Characterization is key in a novel like this and Donohue created well-rounded, believeable and enjoyable characters that added to the novel as a whole.

The Motion of Puppets is such a unique book, one that I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did. It was atmospheric, well-written and had great characters. At its core, this book is a love story, an odyssey for the main characters. It is, oddly enough, a sad book, filled with magical realism, fantasy, and a bit of the macabre, one that can be, and is, chilling, horrifying and creepy. I tore through this book in less than 24 hours and enjoyed it immensely. I'm going to give The Motion of Puppets 5/5; it is an incredibly unique and original book that I enjoyed beginning to end. I will be looking out for more by Keith Donohue. 

Dog Stars by Peter Heller

From Goodreads:
Hig somehow survived the flu pandemic that killed everyone he knows. Now his wife is gone, his friends are dead, and he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, Jasper, and a mercurial, gun-toting misanthrope named Bangley.
 
But when a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail, only to find something that is both better and worse than anything he could ever hope for.

One of these days, I'm going to write a dystopian novel in which the dog is just a companion and not a catalyst for some bigger event that happens after their inevitable death. Is that a spoiler? I don't think so, because it's a given that the dog always dies in dystopian/zombie/end of the world type books and movies. 

This book has been compared to Cormac McCarthy's marvellous book The Road (which remains to be one of my absolute all time favourite books). I can see why there would be a comparison; ambiguous world, unknown source of apocalypse. Same type of unpunctuated dialogue and strange writing choices and patterns. I found it easier to get into with The Road than with this book. I found I really had to pay attention with Dog Stars to see what was going on. Most of the time the odd syntaxes and sentence structures worked, almost creating a stream-of-consciousness effect. Almost. But every once in a while it didn't work and ultimately felt contrived. 

That being said, there were some very well-written parts and moments that I really identified. Peter Heller does a good job of world-building and setting the scene. I could totally buy the scenarios that were going on and could see them happening in real life. I would say that this is no where near as gritty as The Road. About half-way through the novel, when he follows the random transmission from years ago, the narrative switches gears drastically, and suddenly it's as if I'm reading a completely different book compared to the one I was reading previous to this new plot point. It lost me a little bit there, but redeems itself near the end slightly. It could have worked better if written in flashforward form, or have the previous half be told in flashbacks or something. I don't know.

The character development for the most part was fine. We don't really see how Hig and Bangley become allies, especially if Bangley has a "shoot first, ask questions never" sort of mentality. The new characters that show up halfway through are partially developed, but we don't really know what makes them tick. To be fair though, we don't know what makes ANY of the characters tick except for maybe Hig, Bangley and Jasper. Slightly.

Don't get me wrong. This book is in no means bad. It's just okay. The first half is by far the stronger half. I liked this book just fine. The best parts of the book are with the dog, Jasper, and the poetry that Hig recites is also interesting. It would have been cool to see more of the epidemic that wiped out pretty much the entire population. I'm going to give Dog Stars a 3/5. It is a fairly strong fictional debut and had some great scenes scattered throughout an otherwise just okay narrative with slightly clunky writing style.