taylorhohulin's review against another edition
5.0
This series is insane and I love it. Creepy, exciting, and darkly funny. And things just keep ramping up.
sierranorgan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
metaphorosis's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
reviews.metaphorosis.com
Robert Brockway's The Empty Ones has character, at least. It hits you over the head with character, pokes it in your eyes, drags it through your brain, and pulls it out your ears, hoping that you'll wipe away the blood and come back for more.
The plot is interesting enough - there are several kinds of dark, part-human (or ex-human) creatures, and they cause havoc - though apparently only selectively. The book shifts among several viewpoints and timeframes of characters trying to fight the creatures.
The book is a sequel, and Brockway does a fair job of setting out the backstory without getting in the way. The concept unfolds gradually as well, with some tantalizing hints left toward the end, just begging you to be interested in the sequel. In terms of plot, I might well have been.
Unfortunately, character is were the book begins to come apart. One of the lead characters is a lowlife punk who likes to drink and fight and fuck. There's not really much more to him than that, with the result that he comes across not as a character, but as a parody. It's deliberately over the top, but Brockway misjudged the balance, and simply took it too far to be interesting. Rather than invest in real character building, he put his effort into shock value - lots of violence and shit and blood. That might have worked in a shorter piece, but in a novel, it lost its flavor quickly. Overall, the book is intriguing, but too affected to take seriously.
reviews.metaphorosis.com
Robert Brockway's The Empty Ones has character, at least. It hits you over the head with character, pokes it in your eyes, drags it through your brain, and pulls it out your ears, hoping that you'll wipe away the blood and come back for more.
The plot is interesting enough - there are several kinds of dark, part-human (or ex-human) creatures, and they cause havoc - though apparently only selectively. The book shifts among several viewpoints and timeframes of characters trying to fight the creatures.
The book is a sequel, and Brockway does a fair job of setting out the backstory without getting in the way. The concept unfolds gradually as well, with some tantalizing hints left toward the end, just begging you to be interested in the sequel. In terms of plot, I might well have been.
Unfortunately, character is were the book begins to come apart. One of the lead characters is a lowlife punk who likes to drink and fight and fuck. There's not really much more to him than that, with the result that he comes across not as a character, but as a parody. It's deliberately over the top, but Brockway misjudged the balance, and simply took it too far to be interesting. Rather than invest in real character building, he put his effort into shock value - lots of violence and shit and blood. That might have worked in a shorter piece, but in a novel, it lost its flavor quickly. Overall, the book is intriguing, but too affected to take seriously.
carrionkid's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this better than the first one, honestly. More cosmic abominations and fucked up body horror. Fun and punchy and better at working with multiple narrators. Excited for the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
md0's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook of the unnoticeables not that long ago, looking for something to read since I had nothing left in queue and it was a nice surprise. Original, funny in parts, nice action sequences and the voices of the characters were unique enough to make you care (of course when it comes to audio books the voice actors play a big part too). So I didn't know exactly where the book would go after part one but I definitely wanted to read or listen the second part. When it finally came out I found two things, first is that the second book is not that different from the first one, the whole "history repeats itself" thing makes the books history be much alike the one on the first. Second, I didn't care one bit. It had the same fresh feeling the first had and was very enjoyable. The Change of setting was good and had some answers to some of the questions that the first book made. A very enjoyable fast paced book.
In regards to the Audio book itself, I need to give props to Scott Merriman, I just feel like buying the guy a drink and then joining him in a epic bar fight, really brought the character to life.
definitely will get the third Audio when it comes out!.
In regards to the Audio book itself, I need to give props to Scott Merriman, I just feel like buying the guy a drink and then joining him in a epic bar fight, really brought the character to life.
definitely will get the third Audio when it comes out!.
deadwolfbones's review against another edition
2.0
It's probably not a great idea to jump into a series with the second book, so maybe I'm not being entirely fair to The Empty Ones, but I didn't like this book very much. Its punk sensibility feels like it's wearing air quotes the entire time, and the mythology behind the plot machinations never coheres into anything really interesting. I spent most of the time wondering why I should care. Brockway writes well enough, and I'd consider reading something different from him, but I don't feel any real desire to go back and read the first book.
unsquare's review against another edition
5.0
The horrifying imagery in the Vicious Circuit trilogy by Robert Brockway is second-to-none. He has a way with surrealist gonzo skull-fuckery that I love without reservation.
It helps that these books are hilarious and populated with lovable assholes. I also always enjoy stories about hidden worlds that exist under the surface of the real world. Case in point – the main villain in the books so far is a hollowed-out monstrous version of Mario Lopez who no longer understands humanity.
I also loved the first book when I read it a few years go, and this volume keeps up the stream of obscenity and gruesomeness to excellent effect.
It helps that these books are hilarious and populated with lovable assholes. I also always enjoy stories about hidden worlds that exist under the surface of the real world. Case in point – the main villain in the books so far is a hollowed-out monstrous version of Mario Lopez who no longer understands humanity.
I also loved the first book when I read it a few years go, and this volume keeps up the stream of obscenity and gruesomeness to excellent effect.
amothersmusings1's review against another edition
Won in the Goodreads Giveaways - not read, passed to another reader.