Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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A Meh Sci-Fi Thriller That Disappoints

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

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The most I can say for this is it’s a fast read. Honestly, I can barely remember anything about the plot beyond me being mad I was continuing to read it because I knew I was close to being done and could just power through. The pull quotes on the back are from such big authors — Harlan Coben, Lee Child, Andy Weir, Justin Cronin — that I was expecting a pretty groundbreaking sci-fi thriller, but I wasn’t impressed. It moves quickly but maybe I’ve […]

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu

Lightning by Dean Koontz

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I opened my 2018 review for Dean Koontz’ Velocity with, “Dean Koontz is my man. He writes pop thrillers with interesting characters and a certain panache that I enjoy.” That same introduction applies for this review of Koontz and his 1980s sci-fi thriller called Lightning. From its opening moments, Lightning has an ominous tone.  Even the sunnier moments have shadows. Koontz makes it very clear that the characters in the book will face real darkness throughout their lives. It feels dangerous and even foolish for […]

“The totality of human endeavor is nothing when set against the stars.”

The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch

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I’ll come across book recommendations from a variety of sources. Lots of times I’ll have read about them on my own, or found my way to them via other authors that I already like. Sometimes somebody I know will recommend something that I will actually read. Occasionally I’ll wander around one of my local libraries in a familiar section and find something decent that way. Lately I’ve stumbled on a few through YouTubers or podcasters I like, and this was one of those. The Gone […]

Fascinating Premise, Frustrating Execution

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

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I’ll start with the setup: This book has a really fascinating premise. Humans have figured out cloning technology and its use is now fairly widespread. There has been unceasing civil unrest over the idea, and there are now certain rules that clones (or those looking to become clones) have to abide by, but human clones are now more or less ubiquitous. Basically when you die, a new you, at the peak of your physical form, is woken up and downloads all the memories of your […]

Great except for the bits where I wanted to put it in the freezer.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

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Why must Blake Crouch give me all this nightmare fuel? I’m serious, I don’t know why I thought I could get out of this book without my brain being swirled into funnels of terrorized adrenaline. There was little inkling of it in Dark Matter with SPOILERS all of those parallel worlds, and several of them being nuclear wastelands, but that was after the fact. Here, we get it up close and personal and in the moment. Seven times. What the fuck END SPOILERS. I swear, […]



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