This is not usually my kind of book. I enjoy Science Fiction but it’s not something I would go out of my way to watch or read. I kept hearing about this book on BlueSky and have had several friends who have read this and really enjoyed it. With the quote on the cover from Josh Malerman, “Janz has written another absolute gem of the genre”, I decided I wanted to throw my name in for a review copy. It took a little while, but I was approved right before the release date of September 16 which means I actually didn’t start reading this one until it was already out. Big big thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the copy I received.
One sign of a good book is when I can’t wait to talk about it. Yes, this book I was given for a review but as I got into it I couldn’t wait to get started on this review. I would have absolutely reviewed this if I didn’t receive an ARC copy. Unable to wait to get thoughts to paper, I decided I would write this as I read. Hopefully it won’t get to lengthy, this is a new way of doing a review for me.
This book sent me into panic attacks, but in a good way. This was surprisingly the 3rd book I read recently that feel like it was based on COVID times with a hint of dystopia. I think because of all these stories back to back and my own sensitivity to COVID memories, I found the scariest part of this book was the Humans. As the abductions happen society begins to shelter in place. Tethering to loved ones when they have to go out is felt similar to our mask mandates, and of course there are 2 sides to every scenario.
I was having trauma flashbacks to going to the grocery store and having the mask and anti vaxx protesters outside just like the protestors claiming tethering was the governments way of controlling people. The way this worldwide even brought out the worst of peoples’ behaviors was triggering to say the least. The character study in this book really connected my own life experiences with what our characters were going through which made for an uneasy read.
The book is divided into 5 parts, but it really felt like it was halved. Our main character John has lost his son and his wife early on and he is trying to be the best father he can for his daughter while also trying to figure out what is going on. Slowly friends and neighbors slip into madness while others live in constant panic and fear. Shockingly internet and cable still work so the news is spreading all kinds of theories, misinformation, and terror. Sounds familiar to anyone???
The second half is the Enlightenment. Our characters start to understand what is going on and finding ways to fight back. I will not give details because I want you to read this and learn along the way as intended. I will say this was less terrifying, but still did a great job of setting the feeling of impending doom and dread.
Writing this as I read was a great idea. Even more so that i got busy after I finished and I sat for a few days before finishing this. Initial rating when i finished and logged on Goodreads I put it as 4 shots. I really liked it and the ending was satisfying but I really wanted more. However, the more time I had to think about this book the more and more I liked it. Today at the time of publishing this review I have updated my rating to 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃. This has been a crazy year for me with so many near perfect reads. I will definitely be buying a copy of this when I have book money. I only wish I would have pre-ordered this because there was a short story sent out with the pre-orders called “Stretch-Neck: a Veil Story” That I wish I had now. This was my first read from Jonathan Janz but will not be my last.
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