Tim Lebbon

This book is the perfect exemplar of mindless entertainment, as it is is dependent on the reader stuffing their brain away in their sock drawer while reading it, lest they see the illogic and inanity that pervades throughout.

From the opening scene -- where we are supposed to believe that The Discovery Channel production studio would allow the cavers' fallen camera to continue live-streaming the video of the cavers being ripped to shreds instead of cutting away; to the family leaving the show more safety AND EASILY MAINTAINED SILENCE of their home, to venture out on the road to a different family home which they have no reason to believe offers more safety; to innumerable explosive auto collisions due to drivers checking their phones; to the 1950's-science-fiction-film lunacy of the military attempting the use of surface to air missiles and nuclear weapons against these cat-size creatures; to the obliviousness of the creatures with their "keen hearing" to detect the noise of the collective footsteps of a group of 6 people hiking through a field; to the creatures' slamming into helicopters, cars, and buildings, when they have echo-location abilities like bats -- we are bombarded with just plain silliness.

About 1/3 of the way through, I relented, and stuck my brain in my sock drawer, so I might finish the book. It wasn't until the last 50 pages or so (out of 385), that any real drama piqued my interest. That was when a fanatical Christian vicar arrives with his flock , The Hushed, who have all ripped their tongues out, to make themselves worthy in the eyes of god. This part, where the theme modulated from Man vs Nature, to Man vs Man, was pretty creepy, and could have probably formed the basis of a whole novel itself. As it is, this section merely served to raise my rating to 2 stars.

The ending, which many complain of being too abrupt and unfinished, I found satisfactory, the last line being, "For now, all is silence."
To which, I can only respond, "Amen." show less

I’ve always been a fan of last person(s) left in the world stories, but most tend to focus on the sad, haunting melancholy of it all, infused by madness and grim finality.

Tim’s latest novella doesn’t entirely stray from that and the concept is vaguely reminiscent of Aldiss’ slightly bleaker Greybeard, but whilst the horror touches it on occasion, he mainly chooses to infuse his tale with a beautiful layer of hope and reflection. This is the story of Rose—the last of us all. But, show more this is not the story of how it all ends.

A truly beautiful novella and ranks amongst his very best, possibly even his finest. Frankly I don’t know how he ever raises the bar after each book, but somehow he does it and continues to amaze and wonder with his creativity. This is no exception.

I don’t gush often over a book, but this one of the year’s very finest releases that I stayed up late to finish and is a destined classic which I encourage others to read show less

Okay. Here's the deal: You get to go back in time to fix the worst, awfulest thing you've ever experienced. You have to go through some rancid goo to get there, and it will stick to you. But you get to change something that's shredding your insides every day of your life.

Do you do it? Who could resist, right?

After reading this book, I'd say you'd hesitate a good long while before answering. Change comes only at a price. Prices have a way of changing, even though you think you know what they show more are. Ever bid on something at an auction? Do you honestly think for an instant about the commission, the taxes, the shipping, the added insurance, that winning the auction will entail?

No you don't, and don't lie, it's not nice.

Max the forty-year-old falls in love with Gabrielle the nineteen-year-old. (Ewww, right?) She loves him right back, passionately and completely. Right up until she screws another man and Max walks in on it.

Oh, poor duped oldster. Sniff boo hoo, at least you got some nineteen-year-old...uhhh, well. So what do you do? Run away, go home, leave your job in New Orleans to go back to (grim, unpleasantly stuffy) Boston.

Four months before Katrina. Which kills Gabrielle.

And back comes Max to bury the woman he loves, the woman he'd do anything at all to save, to rescue, to ask "why?" of (and the answer is never, ever one you want to hear, why do people insist on asking it?). He meets Ray, a old man with a proposition: Follow this map of moments, this guided tour of New Orleans's magical history, and you'll land up at a Moment where you can save Gabrielle's life! She'll be alive! Isn't that what you want, Max?

Oh, be careful what you ask for lest the answer be yes...for getting what we ask for isn't always (ever, in my actual experience) for the (personal) best. Max gets a chance to see the hidden magic that sustains New Orleans, and he gets to put right some very basic wrongs, and the price he pays is breathtakingly high.

And I will bet you large sums of money that he'd do it all again. He's that kind of a guy. It's the reason I liked spending my rainy, gloomy Friday with him, and I'll bet you would too. show less

This was a really rough book. The concepts are theoretically neat, but the execution was off. About half of the story was world-building and buildup which ended up falling flat.

It was also really hard to sympathize with any of the characters, considering that they were breaking the law, putting themselves in danger, and defiling the Zones---for no reason other than being adrenaline junkies. Jenn was the only character I could remotely extend grace to, as she was raised in the running cult. show more

Repetition does not make a character deeper or more relatable, yes, Dylan's wife left him, I got it the first five or six times it was said. This book involved a lot of telling, and very little showing. show less