"What We Kill" By Howard Odentz *Review*

Man oh man. I was super excited about this one. I was introduced to Odentz’s writing back in March when I received his short story, “Snow”, through Netgalley.

More recently, I was going through some of the authors I really like. I realized I never looked into anything else Odentz had written, and I really reeeeaaally liked “Snow”. It's one of those stories that stick with you, and makes you smile from time to time. The writing style is smooth, and the story is fun and upbeat (well, as upbeat as a horror story can be. Ha). These are two traits that Odentz’s most recent novel, “What We Kill”, has as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much, and it all boils down to one major issue. Repetitiveness.

The beginning of this book was great. Four kids wake up in the middle of the woods: one covered in blood, another missing his glass eye, another not wearing any pants, and the last has been branded on his arm. They don’t remember anything from the night before, and soon after they wake up they hear sirens in the distance. What in the hell happened last night? And good lord, why is everyone so nauseous? Either they all got really, really wasted, which we’re told isn’t likely, because they’re not those types of kids and Marcy (the only girl in the group) would never drink because of the meds she’s taking, oooooor….they were abducted by aliens?

Seriously though, it was a great start, and you’re right there with the kids trying to figure out what the heck is going on. The author does a mostly great job of introducing us to not only the characters and plot, but the town as well. We get a feel for it rather quickly. We’re riding right along, and I’m thinking to myself with a smile on my face, “OK, this has gotta be a 4 or 5 star read.”

*sigh* and this is why we always wait to delve deeper into the book before rating it. About 150 pages in I was ready to drop the book to 2 stars.

Rather than unraveling what really happened the night before, we’re given hardly anything at all to satiate us, and information we already know is rehashed again and again. We’re told more than once Marcy takes meds that make it highly unlikely that she would drink or do drugs. We’re reminded again and again that our character used to be fat (I could have forgiven this one, because it does shape who the character used to be and still is, but it wasn’t the only thing we kept being told again and again). We are reminded numerous times that the main character woke up branded, that Myers is missing his glass eye, and that Anders is a jock and it’s weird that he hangs out with a group that’s a bit loserish (I do like the breakout from stereotypes, but I didn’t need to continuously be told that he was “different” from the norm). We’re told in as many ways as I think are possible that Myers’s mom likes to cuss and yell, that Anders’s mom is a slut, that our main character’s mom is pretty much crazy and doesn’t care in the least about her son. Oh, and Marcy is beautiful. Did I mention that Marcy is beautiful? No, like I thought she was just pretty, but she’s really reeeeeaaally beautiful. Especially when the light hits her hair just right…

I could actually go on about what we’re told time and again. None of these things have ANYTHING to do with the mystery THAT WE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT!!! OK, the Marcy being pretty one I can forgive as well. Still, all of things got old so fast. My memory’s not perfect, but it’s good enough that I didn’t need all these things reiterated to me again and again and again…and again….

I understand that all of this information is supposed to help us as readers feel like we really know the characters, but did it really need to be stated 20 times that Marcy has a thing for Anders and that EVERYONE knows about? I personally don’t think so. We really didn’t need to be “told” a lot of these things even once. Odentz, you’re a good enough writer that you showed us all of these things, I promise. Most of your readers aren’t dumb enough to miss the hints here and there. Most…and that most is who you’re really shooting to please.

Moving on to the end when everything FINALLY comes together, it comes together fast and hard like a guillotine of epic proportions, and I’m enthralled yet again. A lot of the mystery we’ve probably already figured out, but some of it makes you go “huhwhaaaaa?”

The end was superb, my friends. It left a little smile on my face, and I instantly wanted to tell someone about it.

While there were times I had thought I wasn’t going to be able to finish the book, because it got so boring there in the middle, I am so happy I did. There’s so much to like about this book. It’s about more than just the mystery. It’s about what the town’s going through. It’s about what the kids are going through. You really get to know them. If the story hadn’t dragged so much you could really start to care about all of them.

I liked two-thirds of this book. I liked two-thirds of this book A LOT, but it wasn’t enough to pay back for the wasted time spent on the middle. I am taking into account that I read the unedited proof of the book, and hoping against all hopes that there will be more edited out than just the typos. This book could seriously be cut down at least 50 pages, and be so much better. I’d even dare to say 100 pages of fluff could be cut out. Seriously, there’s that much extra right now.

In terms of writing style it was a joy to read. Another fun read, that makes me curious about other things this author has written. I will be on the lookout for more, because gah, the ending and premise of this one were golden. Please, please write more, and edit the crap out of all this extra fluff!

Oh, solid 3 out of 5 star rating. Which means, yes, it’s probably worth a read.

**I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

"Wool (Silo #1)" by Hugh Howey *Review*

Why? Why did I not get around to reading this book sooner? It’s been sitting on my shelf for a few years now, brimming with goodness, begging to be read, and I’ve simply ignored it. *Slaps my wrist* bad Ash, bad.

What’s more? I had a friend who’s been telling me for probably over six months that it’s a must read. Still…I procrastinated, and now I’m angry at myself for not discovering its wonders sooner.

I’m going to blame the title, and the fact that it has such a meager description on the back. The book’s description barely gives you a taste for what the thing is about, and it even sounds like it could be a cheesy YA. As for the title, I’m pretty sure I know why it was titled such, but I’m still not super happy with it.

Now I implore you, my friends, please do not make the same mistake I did. You MUST read this book. If you read no other book this year, this is the one to read. I was telling people to read it before I was even done with it. Seriously, I walked up to strangers reading random books on the street, ripped that book right out of their hands, threw it away, and screamed, “Why are you reading that smut?! When you should be reading ‘Wool’! Go now!! Read!!!” and they would run away, searching for the nearest place to purchase and read this amazing book I had just informed them of. Then I would melt into the shadows...

So anyway, yeah, you should read the book, and now I shall tell you a bit about it. Just in case you still doubt me…

“Wool” by Hugh Howey is the story of a city entirely below ground. Every person here seems to serve a function in order to best serve the place where they live, the Silo. It is huge, with over a hundred floors, every floor serving a purpose. There are multiple floors for Farming (also where the dead are buried), Police “stations”, there’s a few floors just for Tech, Mechanical, Hospitals, and so on. For every death, a new life is allowed to be granted. Every couple who wants to conceive must first win the lottery, and then they have a year to conceive before the gift of life is granted to another couple.

In order for this city to maintain its perfect balance, certain precautions are taken. In a way, the city has a certain feeling like the good ol’ Soviet Union. One wrong word against the world we live in, and you could be taken away.

The outside world is poison. The fear of outside is so complete that even the mere mention of “outside” in the wrong context can get you sent to clean. Meaning, they send you outside to clean the cameras that view the outside world, and you shortly thereafter die from the toxins that seep into your suit.

The way this world unfolds, and the buildup of the story is done superbly. I will warn you that this is NOT a feel good story, and not everyone makes it out alive. I’m still angry about the fates of one or two characters actually…OK, maybe three.

One of the few things that make this story less than five stars is the fact that it gets so depressing. It’s still an amazing read, but I wish there had been a little give, something to distract from all of the terrible things that happen in this book. There’s no real comic relief, and it’s so intense. Yes, intense is probably the best way to describe this book. From start to finish. Seriously, just read the first sentence:

The children were playing while Holston climbed to his death; he could hear them squealing as only happy children do.

Whaaaaaat? That got me right into the moment, and an author that puts a semicolon in the first sentence? That takes some guts, and you know he means business.

This is one of few books I’ve read that leads you on a bit of a mystery that doesn’t feel like

-step one: introduce main character

-step two: introduce world

-step three: introduce mystery

-step four: introduce villain

…

The writing is so smooth you’re sucked into the story entirely. It doesn’t feel like you’re reading about someone else’s life. You’re there experiencing everything with them.

I actually had feelings of claustrophobia while reading this book. It probably doesn’t help that I do most of my reading in a basement, but when reading in a windowless room, about an underground world, you really do start to feel the walls around you.

While I guessed a lot of the big mysteries before they were truly revealed in the story, I was OK with that because it was written so dang well.

The story isn’t perfect. The plot seems rather simple so far. The character’s actions aren’t always entirely believable. As far as science fiction goes, it’s merely brushed over. But, and here’s a big BUT, I consistently wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters, I truly cared about the characters (that’s a big thing for me), the setting is interesting, the world is well thought out, the writing style is for the most part spot on, and it’s just generally worth a good read.

The book was originally written in sections, definitely something to take into account. The first section of “Wool” started as a self-published novella, and it garnered so many readers’ requests for more that the author obliged. Thank you, Mr. Howey, for listening to your readers.

Make sure that when you buy this book (notice I say “when” not “if”), you buy the one that’s over 500 pages, and not just one of the novellas that are included in the book. As an added note, if you buy the ebook, I’m pretty sure all of the proceeds go to the author, because while publishing houses came to him to buy the rights to the book, he refused to sell the ebook rights.

In the end the book garnered an almost perfect score of 4.5 stars from me. *commence wild bouts of clapping and cheers*

Alright, that’s it, I’m done reviewing the book, and I’m done telling you how much you NEED this book in your life. Now go on and read it.