A review by becka6131
The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson

3.0

I don't know.... this is an uneven horror/sci-fi/social commentary novel. There were some really interesting ideas in here and some creepy moments that are going to stay with me, but it had major pacing problems - the first half really dragged - and the characters spent half their time monologuing at each other! I'm just not sure that groups of people trying to escape an apocalyptic octopus monster microchip situation turning teens into crazed killers would be sitting around having all these extended conversations about class conflict! The last half of the novel did really pick up, largely because of the focus on the creature device itself, which had a pleasing design based around dopamine levels and an interface that was clearly influenced by Cronenberg. But I was kind of tired of the relentless grimness by the end.