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unboxedjack's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
breauseph's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Every single thing that happens in the plot of this book is a convenient coincidence. Although I kmow that it follows the logic of video games and that is also true in video games - things come to you conveniently when you need them - a video game is interactive where a book is passive, and that makes an enormous difference. For as much of a normal guy as Ben is, the scenes where he miraculously gathers all his strength to pull himself out of death's way are absolutely unrealistic and for all intents and purposes he really should die within his first encounter. In the end, we aren't given a spectacularly good reason why he doesn't.
There is no character development in this book. For everything Ben goes through, he has the same motivations at the beginning and the end and is pretty much the exact same person throughout. Teresa is a shell of a character, only there to humanize Ben and tether him to reality but only possessing characteristics that are convenient for Ben's hike. Like oh, he needs to fight someone? Great, we're given a memory out of absolutely nowhere that Teresa taught him some sweet Jiu Jitsu moves once. Now by the power of love and Jiu Jitsu he can - with no formal training we know of beyond one session of sparring with his wife - overpower and kill an enemy he was helpless against *when he had MORE strength.*
The single thing I can give this book credit for is its one half of an ounce of a critique of action movie machismo in that when Ben commits an act of violence it's written as if it genuinely affects him on a personal level.
But don't believe the hype about the ending. It's unearned, there's no development that leads you to it, and it makes no difference whatsoever for any of the characters.
I have really disliked some books in the past but I straight-up would throw this in the trash if it wouldn't break my dumb little heart to put a book in a garbage can. I described it as "slow" primarily because even though the pages turn quickly enough, it was such a boring slog that I just didn't want to read it and kept putting it down. Don't waste your time. If you want something well-written that scratches the same itch, Kelly Link's Good Trouble will do you just fine.
There is no character development in this book. For everything Ben goes through, he has the same motivations at the beginning and the end and is pretty much the exact same person throughout. Teresa is a shell of a character, only there to humanize Ben and tether him to reality but only possessing characteristics that are convenient for Ben's hike. Like oh, he needs to fight someone? Great, we're given a memory out of absolutely nowhere that Teresa taught him some sweet Jiu Jitsu moves once. Now by the power of love and Jiu Jitsu he can - with no formal training we know of beyond one session of sparring with his wife - overpower and kill an enemy he was helpless against *when he had MORE strength.*
The single thing I can give this book credit for is its one half of an ounce of a critique of action movie machismo in that when Ben commits an act of violence it's written as if it genuinely affects him on a personal level.
But don't believe the hype about the ending. It's unearned, there's no development that leads you to it, and it makes no difference whatsoever for any of the characters.
I have really disliked some books in the past but I straight-up would throw this in the trash if it wouldn't break my dumb little heart to put a book in a garbage can. I described it as "slow" primarily because even though the pages turn quickly enough, it was such a boring slog that I just didn't want to read it and kept putting it down. Don't waste your time. If you want something well-written that scratches the same itch, Kelly Link's Good Trouble will do you just fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Do not read this book if you hate gore because boy is there ever a lot of it.jiobiee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
OVERALL: 8.3/10, or 4.2/5
A wonderful sci-fi fantasy adventure romp that moves at a breakneck pace, equal parts silly and scary. This is a plot book; funnily enough, this is a book that is more about the journey than it is the destination.
This is the closest I've ever seen a book come to feeling like a video game. Reading this book feels like you're going through multiple levels of the most deranged platformer you've ever seen, and I do mean that with love; it zooms through multiple points of the story like someone trying to speedrun their first playthrough. Watching Ben tackle each challenge using almost nothing but his own wit and ability is fascinating, and seeing how he deals with processing his traumas, old and new, feels as addictive as reality television. This book is a popcorn book.
The prose is easy to understand, and Ben is an easy character to understand; the real fun comes from trying to make your own assumptions about what Ben's journey on The Path represents; which makes the ending more satisfying, in my opinion. The ending is simple; a bigger twist followed by a much smaller, much more insidious and terrifying smaller one. The smaller one stuck with me;imagine carrying all that weight from this journey, never being able to tell another soul, and coming to the realization that a loved one just experienced nearly the same lifetime of turmoil, completely unnoticed- incredible gut-punch. I loved it.
It's not without it's issues, though; sometimes the pace feels misplaced. I felt thatwe were stuck at the construction site for too long, but then everything after that felt a little too fast, even considering its fast pace. And while sometimes the tone of the writing is genuinely funny and tongue-in-cheek, sometimes it drifts off a little too far into quirky-bitter-millenial-says-fuck territory. Never enough to impact the story as a whole, though.
I highly recommend. Go into this book with no expectations, no preconceived notions- and make sure you stay on The Path.
A wonderful sci-fi fantasy adventure romp that moves at a breakneck pace, equal parts silly and scary. This is a plot book; funnily enough, this is a book that is more about the journey than it is the destination.
This is the closest I've ever seen a book come to feeling like a video game. Reading this book feels like you're going through multiple levels of the most deranged platformer you've ever seen, and I do mean that with love; it zooms through multiple points of the story like someone trying to speedrun their first playthrough. Watching Ben tackle each challenge using almost nothing but his own wit and ability is fascinating, and seeing how he deals with processing his traumas, old and new, feels as addictive as reality television. This book is a popcorn book.
The prose is easy to understand, and Ben is an easy character to understand; the real fun comes from trying to make your own assumptions about what Ben's journey on The Path represents; which makes the ending more satisfying, in my opinion. The ending is simple; a bigger twist followed by a much smaller, much more insidious and terrifying smaller one. The smaller one stuck with me;
It's not without it's issues, though; sometimes the pace feels misplaced. I felt that
I highly recommend. Go into this book with no expectations, no preconceived notions- and make sure you stay on The Path.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, and Sexual content
keen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Slavery, Blood, and Cannibalism
Minor: Alcoholism
issymaae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death
wyabook234's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, and Cannibalism
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
rhiannatherad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I don't know what this was but I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cannibalism
minamouse's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book blew me away. I was expecting something a little kooky, and I was not disappointed!! Ever word in this novels feels right. There's almost no filler, I found it harder and harder to put down the farther in I got. It's an adult version of the Phantom Tollbooth and it pulls no punches. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants to laugh, cry, and get lost in the woods with some dude named Ben. 4.75 ⭐ out on 5, if only because the ending was a little shorter than I wanted it to be.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
inakar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
msawyer77's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death