Michael Marshall Smith

This book gripped me from the very beginning, despite the fact that the pacing is quite slow. This is not a fast-paced, thrill-a-minute kind of story. It takes its time, more of a controlled burn, slow build psychological type of horror as you (and the characters) imagine a million terrible things that could happen as events progress.

I will say, the humour surprised me. There were genuine laugh-out-loud moments, small observations or bits of banter that struck me as hilarious just as the tension was ratcheting up. The break was welcome, and added to my enjoyment of the story.

I liked Nolan a lot, and I'd love to read more books with him as the central character. He's funny, self-deprecating, smart, and genuinely likeable. The other characters were well developed as well; I warmed up to Ken even though I hadn't expected to, and I liked Molly and Pierre quite a bit as well.

I'm keeping fingers crossed that this will be turned into a movie. It would make a spectacular blockbuster!… (more)

This is a very strange book, not only because of the absolutely weird setting but also because of the story telling. I think I have never read a book in which the narrator was actively holding back information and telling me things that turned out not to be true. This made the book seem a little "alive" and made the mystery very interesting.
I wasn't really into the book at first, even though I really liked the writing style, but when the story started heating up I was hooked and read through to the end in one go.… (more)

I noticed this book in the '12 Days of Kindle' sale that Amazon were having for the 2018 winter hols and it made me think of a friend named Hannah who spends most of her work days in a rather mundane looking cupboard (yes, actually in a cupboard), and the title of this book instantly made me think of her. And so, with me being hooked on the title, and also suitably impressed by the cover art, i had a quick look at the reviews and they seemed rather positive as well - and at £1.49 one can't really go wrong. And so, with all four check boxes (cover, title, reviews and price) ticked, i went ahead and bought the book.

Of course, i had to go and tell Hannah about my fiendishly brilliant book purchase, while she was at work, sat in her cupboard. I know, i'm bad, but it put a smile and a giggle on Hannah's face.

So, you're probably wondering, when's he gonna get onto talking about the actual story and doing an actual review? Like, was it any good? Was it worth £1.49? Did it come up to the standard of the cover and the title? Was Hannah's existence, really, 'unfeasibly mundane'?

The answer to all the above, is yes. More than yes, actually.

It was brilliant, it was worth more than £1.49, it surpassed its cover and certainly matched its title, as while Hannah starts out with quite a feasibly mundane existence, of which she wasn't too impressed although she did enjoy some of it, it soon begins to spiral rapidly into complete unfeasibility of mundaneness when Hannah's parents split up and she goes to stay with her granddad for a couple of weeks and the devil himself turns up at granddad's house with an accident imp in tow because... well, you'll just have to read it and find out for yourself.

I know what you're thining. You're thinking it all sounds incredibly silly, 'the devil himself and an accident imp'? But it isn't at all silly, there's a real underlying serious side to this book. It's about the stories of our lives, who gets to write them, who we're in them with and who we write them with - which would be incredibly dull and tedious if you just wrote a philosophy PHD thesis on the topic. But Michael manages to make the points he wants to make while packaging it all up in an a story that is quite giggle-icious.

I would also add that i think it's very suitable for both adults (especially parents) and teens alike and, IMHO, speaks incredibly well to each about the other - something for us all to learn.

So yes, at the end of the tale, i can honestly say that it's a really wonderful book that i'm very glad to have discovered (thank you Hannah and your cupboard ), with a nice easy flowing style that just lets you fall inside the book and enjoy a story about the stories of our lives.… (more)

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger is a fantastic thriller.

This book wasn't for me - I will say that up front. I was really bored even though I wanted to love this book. Normally thrillers get me hooked, but this one fell flat. I've been stressed lately, so it's probably a lot more of a me factor than a book factor. Keep that in mind as you're reading this review.

The writing itself is great. I think Michael Rutger has quite the talent! The book has a fun story going on and keeps you on your toes.

For me, the story just bored me. I couldn't get into it even though it was reading in my brain like a fun Indiana Jones-like adventure. Throw in a bucket full of horror, and you've got this book. It's honestly so great, but my brain just couldn't get into it. It's creepy and thrilling in all the best ways. I think maybe this book didn't sit as well with me because it felt like a movie. It felt like it was trying to be cinematic but my brain wasn't seeing the movie. It's an odd feeling. I wasn't scared but I could tell it was horror.

I felt like it didn't move fast though, which is what I expect of a thriller. I may also have been bored because I felt like nothing was happening until the end of the book. It's a lot of talk.

I think most readers will love this. It is super good due to the writing style and creative ideas. All the fantastical and horrifying elements are there to make for a great book.

One out of five stars.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.… (more)