Arden L. Eby

Well written but...

Reviewed: 07-10-18

Very well written and suspenseful. The only thing negative I would have to say about it is…

Semi-Spoiler:

I generally prefer horror stories with positive outcomes. This reminds me a little bit of Stephen King’s “Pet Cemetery” and “Tommyknocker” phase.

Nevertheless, there has to be the occasional negative outcome just keep us on our toes so I did not object strongly.

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5 people found this helpful

A horror, comedy, police procedural

Reviewed: 06-23-18

This was one strange book... It had elements of horror, comedy, and police procedural. I think the bad-guys were supposed to be horrifying but were so ridiculous they were comedic. It had a good start and an acceptable finish, but the long middle was gobbledygook that went on and on. The best part of the middle section was the reveal about who the bad guys really were, but this was way too short compared to the descriptions of their interpersonal issues and fight scenes, which were OK in small doses, but went on and on in a repetitive way. I did finish the book though, so it held my attention that long, but I would give it an average rating at best.

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Best King in a long time.

Reviewed: 06-10-18

I initially thought, for about the first third, that it was just too detailed and relentlessly depressing, and perhaps it was, to be worth it but then the story turned a dramatic corner and we were back to the King of the “Salem’s Lot” and “It” era. That is, it was horrific, yet riveting, hopeful and fun at the same time.

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1 person found this helpful

Started slowly, But improved.

Reviewed: 03-28-18

I am happy that I stuck with this book because at first it seemed rather too pedestrian. About a quarter of the way in though, the twists and turns started to appear and it got much more interesting.

I can’t see why the narrator got so many positive reviews though. To me, the narrator specialized in caricatures that seemed more suited to a comedy. He also had a hard applying the correct British accent to the correct social class. Clearly, he understood the difference, but would occasionally drift in and out of the various accents. For example, he had a young British Lord drifting in and out of a south London Working-class accent. This narrator should stick to comedy in my opinion and the story would have been better served by someone more serious.

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Great final 1/3 leading up to the climax

Reviewed: 11-11-17

I enjoyed this book at the beginning, but especially the final 1/3. It seemed slightly tedious in the middle, but it definitely more than made up for that! as some of the seemingly mundane elements came together!

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Fabulous metaphor – fantastic story

Reviewed: 10-06-17

Since I read 14 several years ago I have been excited for Peter Clines to give a repeat performance. I tried reading the “EX“ series but found them to be a step down from 14. The Fold was a good book, but not quite as good as the slow burn and likable characters of 14. I was prepared to be disappointed in the first chapters of “Paradox Bound,“ because it gave the impression of being an overly blunt metaphor, and possibly a right wing one at that. But, getting farther into it, I realized that it was a traditionalist metaphor that was neither right nor left. I was also initially concerned with the snippy tone of character Harry//Harriet but realized with the character developed that she was intentionally resisting her feelings, for very understandable reasons. All in all, I thought this book was a close second behind 14. It was absolutely worth my time.

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2 people found this helpful

Too many narratives

Reviewed: 09-24-17

It had a lot of potential, but every chapter is from a different perspective, and is read by a different voice actor. Most of these were effective, but some sounded ridiculous. I would have enjoyed it much more if it focused more often on the central character. Only he and his nemesis were really interesting .

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Required reading in our time

Reviewed: 08-29-17

The psychological atmosphere described herein is frighteningly familiar in the age of Trump. The whole idea of a "Disease in the public mind," which perceptive observers noted at the time of the civil war, seems to have infected us again.

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2 people found this helpful

Amazing story!

Reviewed: 05-13-17

Fascinating recounting of life in North Korea and a harrowing escape. Reads like a novel but apparently all true. Worth your time.

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Formulaic but a great performance

Reviewed: 04-13-17

The story was basically Rosemary's Baby+The Ring+Frequency, but the narrator was the best I've ever heard for the horror genre!

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1 person found this helpful