Friday, July 5, 2013

14 by Peter Clines

I recently finished reading an interesting book along the sci-fi/ fantasy genre, called 14. It was written by Peter Clines and published by Permuted Press. It is not a publisher or author that I had heard of before, but I would like to get to know them better after reading 14.

To set up this review, I will give a brief synopsis of the plot. It centers around a seemingly average guy Nate that hasn't quite figured out what he wants to do for the rest of his life. His life changes when he is turned onto a nice rent controlled brownstone in Los Angeles. From there he begins to notice strange details about his new home and bands together with his fellow tenants to discover the truth. However, the truth is so much bigger than what they could have possibly thought.

Now given this premise, it is easy to see how this plotline could go in a plethora of different directions. However, the direction Clines takes is both familiar and startlingly new. He drops hints of classic science fiction names/subject matter and uses them to create a tapestry effect that is more than the sum of its parts. The overall development of the novel was seamless and effortless to read. It is what I would call a classic page turner. At no individual point, did I have to rage at the irrationality of the decision making of the characters, because they did their best with the knowledge. It does change perspective in order to give the reader a clearer picture of events, but is not jarring and it is clear who is the focus.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 14 and have already started recommending it to everyone within earshot.