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moonbites's review
5.0
4.5 ⭐️
So, I don't think I gave this book as much love as I should have. The reviews for this are so skewed that I figured I better at least write something about why I liked it.
I picked this up on a whim because Neil Gaiman blurbed this and thus I was immediately intrigued. Then I saw a blurb describing it as Snowpiercer on LSD, and after reading it I can say that's not too far off the mark.
It's a weird book, one that is bound to be polarizing. It's slow going, yet I was never bored. It's such a strange world and the characters are so hilarious that I couldn't help but keep turning the page. Also, let it be said this is the first full length novel I finished with my eyeballs in almost a year. I am a die hard audiobook listener and find reading with my eyes tiresome, but I devoured this book in a matter of days. That's a huge personal feat, that I feel really says something about this book.
The writing was super easy to get into, the dialogue between the characters was so funny and was a great contrast to the bizarre and sometimes terrifying backdrop. Quantick keeps you engaged and wondering what the hell is going on. The only reason this isn't a perfect five stars is because things wrapped up a little too quickly at the end and that felt a bit cheap. But, the journey is what really made this book a delight for me.
Granted usually the reverse is true and the ending makes or break a book for me, but this book was just something special to me. It compelled me and I came to really love this quirky cast of characters.
So, I don't think I gave this book as much love as I should have. The reviews for this are so skewed that I figured I better at least write something about why I liked it.
I picked this up on a whim because Neil Gaiman blurbed this and thus I was immediately intrigued. Then I saw a blurb describing it as Snowpiercer on LSD, and after reading it I can say that's not too far off the mark.
It's a weird book, one that is bound to be polarizing. It's slow going, yet I was never bored. It's such a strange world and the characters are so hilarious that I couldn't help but keep turning the page. Also, let it be said this is the first full length novel I finished with my eyeballs in almost a year. I am a die hard audiobook listener and find reading with my eyes tiresome, but I devoured this book in a matter of days. That's a huge personal feat, that I feel really says something about this book.
The writing was super easy to get into, the dialogue between the characters was so funny and was a great contrast to the bizarre and sometimes terrifying backdrop. Quantick keeps you engaged and wondering what the hell is going on. The only reason this isn't a perfect five stars is because things wrapped up a little too quickly at the end and that felt a bit cheap. But, the journey is what really made this book a delight for me.
Granted usually the reverse is true and the ending makes or break a book for me, but this book was just something special to me. It compelled me and I came to really love this quirky cast of characters.
decafdirtychai's review
1.0
I mean, I finished it.
If you like surrealism without much intellect behind it, give it a try.
I'm left with a lot of questions that I don't think were meant to be prompted. I understand a story isn't obligated to explain everything (esp surreal stories), but I do wonder, Why do these people need to take breaks to sleep and eat after walking through two train cars? Why are the line breaks so frequent and non-intuitive? Why is there no suspense or fear in a book that markets itself as scary? How can a story have such an intriguing premise and so spectacularly under-deliver? How can I learn so much about a character without feeling connected to or worried about them at all? Why isn't there anything interesting in the prose at all? And why did Neil Gaiman give it such a good review?
In short, the book aimed to do very little -- scare, disgust, intrigue; things a toddler eating lunch can do -- and it failed to achieve any of that.
If you like surrealism without much intellect behind it, give it a try.
I'm left with a lot of questions that I don't think were meant to be prompted. I understand a story isn't obligated to explain everything (esp surreal stories), but I do wonder, Why do these people need to take breaks to sleep and eat after walking through two train cars? Why are the line breaks so frequent and non-intuitive? Why is there no suspense or fear in a book that markets itself as scary? How can a story have such an intriguing premise and so spectacularly under-deliver? How can I learn so much about a character without feeling connected to or worried about them at all? Why isn't there anything interesting in the prose at all? And why did Neil Gaiman give it such a good review?
In short, the book aimed to do very little -- scare, disgust, intrigue; things a toddler eating lunch can do -- and it failed to achieve any of that.
miawolf's review
3.0
I kept waiting for the horror bits to happen. Part of it reminded me of the movie Cube.
zjswetlik's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
volkiano's review
dark
mysterious
medium-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
2.0
traysharps's review
dark
mysterious
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
1.75
Disappointed in this one. Not the best writing at all, limited vocabulary, weird with the “……” where there aren’t actual time gaps. Characters were interesting to a certain point but very flimsy and I found that I didn’t actually care who they were or how they got on the train. What should have been an interesting concept was just kind of wasted here in my opinion.
unluckycat13's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The author is an anti-woke TERF which certainly doesn't do any favors to feelings on the book-- Though that fortunately only shines through in the weird, rigid gender stuff.
Overall the book itself suffers from being written as if it were a quirky TV drama. The events and characterization were often so bizarre and fanfiction level that I was just amazed to be reading this in a published novel.
I Initially found the dialogue a little charming but as the book goes on the dialogue goes on for pages of needles quips. If the author could describe something, he prefers to have the characters talk about it at length instead. Maybe a hold over from his script writing?
The mystery itself had a predictable and poor ending. The promise of being a horror novel fades away quickly as it becomes increasingly clear that the author wasn't sure which genre he would like to write in. Normally I'm a mixed genre fan, but the result is a myriad of over used tropes tied to poorly written characters from a guy who clearly just doesn't take any of the genres he was writing in seriously.
Overall the book itself suffers from being written as if it were a quirky TV drama. The events and characterization were often so bizarre and fanfiction level that I was just amazed to be reading this in a published novel.
I Initially found the dialogue a little charming but as the book goes on the dialogue goes on for pages of needles quips. If the author could describe something, he prefers to have the characters talk about it at length instead. Maybe a hold over from his script writing?
The mystery itself had a predictable and poor ending. The promise of being a horror novel fades away quickly as it becomes increasingly clear that the author wasn't sure which genre he would like to write in. Normally I'm a mixed genre fan, but the result is a myriad of over used tropes tied to poorly written characters from a guy who clearly just doesn't take any of the genres he was writing in seriously.
ileenium's review
5.0
I hope I never end up on the Night Train, terrifying and seemingly endlessly going on in a world that makes no sense, populated with stuff and people making even less sense. But what an amazing, scary and utterly wonderful ride. The first part is pure terror and the second is filled with the best dialogue between characters I have ever read, funny and realistic. The story itself is the weirdest and most insane road to a conclusion I have ever been on.
The absurdity, the short and terse dialogue, the horror, the humor, all so well done. The characters are so convincing, so human and at the same time so terrifyingly unreal. I really loved Poppy. That skiing piece of metal with Teddy tucked away under her arm is one of the best characters ever. And Banks' introduction to the story was even scarier to read than some of the worst from Stephen King.
I really enjoyed Quanticks All My Colours, and I equally enjoyed this one. I'm really looking forward to reading more from him!
The absurdity, the short and terse dialogue, the horror, the humor, all so well done. The characters are so convincing, so human and at the same time so terrifyingly unreal. I really loved Poppy. That skiing piece of metal with Teddy tucked away under her arm is one of the best characters ever. And Banks' introduction to the story was even scarier to read than some of the worst from Stephen King.
I really enjoyed Quanticks All My Colours, and I equally enjoyed this one. I'm really looking forward to reading more from him!