Another Classic

Took a little while to get into but then I loved it.
A word for Peter Kenny I feel is also worth mentioning. He's done most of Claires books and he's an absolute joy to listen to.

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Another excellent high-concept modern fantasy

I finished this one today, and while it would be more logical to wait until I've absorbed this book a bit over the next few days, I feel the need to get something down.

First of all - the familiar. This is another high-concept fantasy set squarely in the modern world. As usual, the globe is suitably trotted. Our hero visits (among other places) Greenland, Belarus, the USA, Nigeria and London. And he is a bit of a hero, as well. He's Charlie, the Harbinger of Death, originally from Birmingham and working for an office in Milton Keynes and.... he goes before. If that concept sounds a bit Terry Pratchett, it is, but that's pretty much where the comparison ends.

Some of the satirical elements evident particularly in the Sudden Appearance of Hope are here too - the book is very funny in places and horrifying in others. The main torture scene towards the end of the book is so sustained and well drawn that it's quite shocking. Elsewhere, however, the usual thriller elements are largely absent, replaced by an episodic but fascinatingly melancholic meditation on (it seems to me): Mortality, humanity, and the human spirit. It's also a book that could only have written during this turbulent last year. Brexit is mentioned and while Trump isn't, the system that elected him is. The death of reason is an important theme, particularly within the context of the irrational destruction of the earth in the name of big business.

Much is left unsaid and unexplained in the book, and I'm still dissecting what it all means, so for now I'm giving it a "cautious" four stars, since the ride is, as always, magnificent, even if the end result might not be quite as profound as Claire / Catherine wants it to be. But then again it might be. Five starts go to the great Peter Kenny, who delivers what must be the performance of his career. The man is a virtuoso, plain and simple.

Claire has yet to come up with another "concept" as clever and mind-bending as that in he First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, but this new book is definitely a more mature and confident piece of writing.

So, er, anyway, I liked it. I'm just not quite sure how much yet.

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11 people found this helpful

strange, Excellent. depressing, captivating.

An incredibly bleak look at humanity, Excellent look in the mirror.

I didn't get it until the end. Would you like to witness the end of a world?

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More about life than death

Claire writes excellently. Building a worlds so close to our own it hard to see the separation.
Peter reads wonderfully.

Really enjoyed this book. Even though it about death it really about life. About honoring life. But also the complexity of life because of people's different views points.

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indescribable

I couldn't describe this book if I tried. listen to it. it's weird. it's good.

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It just sort of stops

Really liked the characters and the idea all the way through. The story just ends though with no explanation or resolution which I found frustrating.

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The narrator made this. Brilliant.

This is a brilliant novel made even better by the excellent narrator. I would highly recommend to anyone and especially to those that enjoyed Harry August.

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Disturbing

A strong but disturbing view of life seen through the eyes of the Harbinger of Death. The interpretation by Peter Kenny is outstanding, with voices and cadence finely judged. There are times when a strong stomach is needed and a broad mind is recommended.
I found the author's constant trick of not allowing Charlie to finish any statement infuriating. I realise that it was by way of showing how disturbed Charlie was becoming, but the repetition of the trick is infuriating.

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My favourite Claire North novel.

This book clearly isn't for everyone and that is as it should be, Nonetheless, I'm inspired to leap to it's defence, because many of the negative reviews imply it is structurally flawed which just isn't the case.

The narrative isn't a single thread that you follow from beginning, through middle to end. It is a weave. When the central character isn't the protagonist then the story line has to emerge from events and asides. Charlie isn't a typical Claire North character in that he is passive and gets swept along by events. he has strong empathy and integrity and is easy to like. As a result of his interactions with his clients and his employer his character develops and his hidden resources are revealed to him and us.Charlie is a nice, ordinary guy with a strange job, who is buffeted by supernatural forces. He works his way through his tribulations without access to superpowers.

Most Claire North novels are about extraordinary people interacting with our normal world. This flips that approach right around and I say it works very well.

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Detached and Angry

Which is fair enough I guess, but for a book it means I did not connect and thus could not engage. Compare this to 84k for the same level of angry but much more love and attachment to wondrous people. As always much to think about and talk about. Such a great pair - North and Kenny.

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