I was recently looking for something original to read, something along the lines of Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, American Gods, et cetera: clever, original, darkly comic, well-written and tightly plotted. Something creepy, but not a mindless gorefest. Something with supernatural elements, but with relatable characters who aren’t vampires or werewolves (I’m a little vampire-d and werewolf-ed out).
I often find my next read by looking at the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” section on Amazon, and that’s where I found Peter Clines’ 14 (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.99). Here’s the brief description, from Amazon:
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Chosen by Audible.com as the best sci-fi novel of 2012!
Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches. There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.
Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.
At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.
Or the end of everything…
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I’d never heard of Cline before but his other novels, featuring zombies and alternative superhero plots (the Ex-Heroes series), are bestselling.
But 14 doesn’t have zombies or superheroes. Many reviews of 14 cited similarities to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and LOST, and while I absolutely hated LOST (I just couldn’t forgive the writers for that horribly disappointing ending, it made me feel like all my time spent watching up to that point was wasted) I am a Joss Whedon devotee so I decided to give 14 a try.
The reviews that compared 14 to Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods turned out to be right on target, meaning that 14 is one of those stories that starts out in very familiar territory — in this case, a creepy old brownstone apartment building with supernatural goings-on —, then unexpectedly veers off in totally different and surprising directions. It’s also a story that has one big reveal about halfway through, and then another, even bigger reveal closer to the end. I can’t say anything about either one of those reveals without spoiling the book, unfortunately.
What I can say is this: 14 is sort of like three books in one. It starts out in creepy, Stephen King -esque supernatural thriller territory, then becomes a kind of Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child supernatural adventure yarn, then finally morphs into pure apocalyptic sci-fi, but always with touches of dark humor (like Cabin in the Woods). Some of those who didn’t like the book cited these changes in direction and tone as their reasons for panning it, but to me it’s one of the book’s major strengths and shows some real skill on the author’s part.
Granted, in the final act things get pretty outlandish. By then you’re either invested enough in the characters to go with it, or you’re not. For me it was a surprising, yet somehow fitting end.
I give Peter Clines’ 14 a rating of 5/5 stars, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys supernatural or sci-fi thrillers that are a bit off the beaten path.