Reviews

The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes

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teallb's review against another edition

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medium-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

5.0

bookishwendy's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow. I'm slamming back some amazing debut novels this year, and here comes another one! You've been warned.

And now for something completely different.

How to even describe Imaginary Corpse? It's an immensely creative, bittersweet sugar rush of a fantasy-noir novel: Who Framed Roger Rabbit meets Paranoia Agent with a touch of creepy-cute Coraline atmosphere.

Tippy the triceratops is an appropriately noir-cynical detective with a likewise appropriate tragic backstory. He keeps his darker, damper side at bay by self-medicating with rootbeer floats and spins in the dryer, and likes to stay busy solving mysteries in the Stillreal--the place where imaginary Friends go when no longer needed.

Things take a Paranoia Agent-like turn when a mysterious bat-swinging entity starts murdering--permanently--the normally unkillable (and mostly adorable) Friends. And like Paranoia Agent (Please tell me I'm not the only one who's seen it) things are more than they seem. The "cute stuffed animal" and "nightmare slugger" have more emotional heft than what my description above may suggest. While the physics of the Stillreal are some of the most inventive I've come across in a long while, the story throughout retains a swift pace and just the right amount of Weird to stay accessible.

I heartily recommend The Imaginary Corpse to any reader seeking something delightfully different.

*note*: I received an advanced review copy of this book.

brokenrecord's review against another edition

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4.0

The worldbuilding in this was just an utter delight — a fantasy world where ideas/imaginary friends/etc. go when the real world no longer has use for them, where the protagonist is a stuffed triceratops named Tippy who's also detective. The actual main mystery plot didn't quite live up to the premise for me (it's not terrible or anything, it just felt a little more standard), but the worldbuilding and characters were so fun that being less into the mystery wasn't a huge detraction for me. And the end got me emotionally more than I expected, with what happened to

Spoiler

Spideyhand, and Tippy realizing he needed/wanted a partner working with him

. I have no idea if a sequel is planned, but I'd happily read more in this world.

authorbaileyday's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

nmhowald's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

titusfortner's review against another edition

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3.0

Yeah, I mostly bounced off of this one, to the extent that I considered not finishing it. This is the second book I've read this year that was very child-like without actually targeting YA. In this case I don't feel like it worked well enough.