Scan barcode
fionamclary's review
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Johnny Sims is truly a storyteller for the ages with a distinctive voice and clear passion for his themes. As a longtime Magnus Archives fan, it was delightful to experience that distinctive voice in a different format with new subject matter. Thirteen Storeys is terrifying and satisfying, as the best horror novels are. The wide range of characters we meet within its pages should give any reader someone to identify with. Chapter one comes out strong with my personal favorite, Violet, our office-job drone turned anticapitalist militant. The description toward the end of her chapter of her personal haunting had me equally spooked and hyped and in awe of this man's writing. It is clear just how committed Johnny is to making sure that we know that the real monster, the true horror of this world, has been capitalism this whole time. Johnny also makes prolific use of his penchant for sleep disorder horror, with multiple characters experiencing insomnia and other sleep disturbances that make you question whether the things they're experiencing are real, or just an exhausted hallucination...and which option is scarier.
My only complaint is that my copy is bursting with typos. I almost feel bad for the copy editor credited in the back because I'd hate to have my name on something where I don't seem to have done my job. There's multiple instances of missing words or words that shouldn't be there, incorrect or missing punctuation, wrong words, and even one instance where a character's entire name was different. I hope there's other editions out there that don't have this problem, but it was so egregious that it sometimes took me completely out of the story. Which is a real shame, since the story is a masterpiece.
My only complaint is that my copy is bursting with typos. I almost feel bad for the copy editor credited in the back because I'd hate to have my name on something where I don't seem to have done my job. There's multiple instances of missing words or words that shouldn't be there, incorrect or missing punctuation, wrong words, and even one instance where a character's entire name was different. I hope there's other editions out there that don't have this problem, but it was so egregious that it sometimes took me completely out of the story. Which is a real shame, since the story is a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Slavery, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Deadnaming, Genocide, Mental illness, Transphobia, Vomit, Death of parent, and Deportation
Homelessness, evictionmistrum_crowe's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Cannibalism
Minor: Deadnaming
sapphic_reader's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Police brutality, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Addiction, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
dogearedbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
klavin_lovell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I won't pretend that it wasn't The Magnus Archives that brought me here. I discovered the podcast this year and fell in love with it and as soon as I discovered Jonny had a novel I had to get a copy.
Now I wouldn't recommend reading the book expecting another Magnus Archives as that's not what it is. It is, however, fantastic.
It can become gruesome so I would recommend practicing caution but if you've listened to the more violent Magnus Archives episodes it should be bearable.
In my opinion the story is fascinating, an intelligent statement about morality and self preservation. The ideologies that may come with one's experiences and backgrounds. It can be a little difficult to follow with every chapter being a different narrative and keeping up with the large main cast can be tricky if you don't have the best memory, like myself.
However the cast is diverse and some characters are very memorable, Jonny has shown his skill with a wide range of characters and themes and I am definitely looking forward to his next project.
Now I wouldn't recommend reading the book expecting another Magnus Archives as that's not what it is. It is, however, fantastic.
It can become gruesome so I would recommend practicing caution but if you've listened to the more violent Magnus Archives episodes it should be bearable.
In my opinion the story is fascinating, an intelligent statement about morality and self preservation. The ideologies that may come with one's experiences and backgrounds. It can be a little difficult to follow with every chapter being a different narrative and keeping up with the large main cast can be tricky if you don't have the best memory, like myself.
However the cast is diverse and some characters are very memorable, Jonny has shown his skill with a wide range of characters and themes and I am definitely looking forward to his next project.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Death of parent
kamreadsandrecs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
But if there is one thing that truly makes this novel stand out, it’s the central theme. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is a statement that many people have encountered at one point or another - and it is, sadly, one that all too often turns out to be true. Except in very rare cases, anyone who gets even a scrap of power is likely to abuse that power: a tendency that escalates the more power someone is given. And since money is the easiest path to, and source of, power, it should come as no surprise that the wealthiest people are also the ones most prone to abusing their power. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk: just googling these names will lead to many stories showing how so much of their wealth is built on the abuse and exploitation of the less fortunate. And they are not the only ones who have done so: a quick peek through history will show that, all too often, the acquisition and maintenance of great wealth tends to come at the expense of those who are most vulnerable to exploitation.
Full review here:https://wp.me/p21txV-IY
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Bullying
More...