14 by Peter ClinesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Book Blurb: Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.
There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.
Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.
At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbour across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.
Or the end of everything...
Read as an audio book. Narrator was same performer who does the Bobiverse books by Dennis E Taylor.
Read for February 2021 book group.
Book blurb summarizes the basic plot so I won't rehash. I have rather mixed thoughts on this selection. I was engaged for about the first 2/3 of the book, and annoyed in the last 1/3. Annoyance factor came from one bad thing after another happening to our main characters and they just couldn't catch a break. A bit of a drawn out climatic conclusion where I seriously thought about skipping a bit. But I didn't. I thought about it though.
What I liked was the diversity of the characters (narrator was great with voices). The Lovecraftian homage was interesting (noting here - I really didn't care for the voice of the nasties, nor how the nasties "spoke". It was too, simple? childish?). There were some strong similarities with another classic SF book whose name and author eludes me at them moment...argh.
Overall...Hm. Just...hm.
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