This novel comes off as fun and intelligent- the characters are rich, the setting futuristic, and the story is engaging .

3.5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com today.


Kierk walked away from his PhD in neuroscience, because he had disproven his mentor’s theories on consciousness. Now he is living in his car in southern California, unsure of what to do next. When he is offered a prestigious position in a post-doc program at NYU, he leaves behind his car and homelessness and heads east.

Vowing to do better this time and behave like an adult, Kierk does his best, but his mind goes wild sometimes, treading between reality and insanity. He knows he suffers from some form of mental impairment, but he is determined to finally solve the mysteries of human consciousness. When a fellow scholar is mysteriously killed, he gets distracted. It doesn’t help that the beautiful former model Carmen, also a Crick scholar, becomes obsessed with solving the crime.

This book was riveting and confusing and difficult and brilliant all in one package. For the layman, the neuroscience terms and language had me reaching for my dictionary time and again. The sometimes lengthy ramblings left me confused. Because this book travels between dream states and reality, it can be challenging to remember what’s going on. I kept the thread and stayed the course, because I wanted to know how Kierk and the other scholars would end up, but in the end, I was just as confused as when I began.

Definitely a good tale, but not the easiest read, nor the most understandable.

The Revelations by Erik Hoel is a book that's a bit out of my comfort zone, but I was excited to try out. Based on the description, it sounded ambitious and genre-bending, so my interest was piqued. However, I ended up DNFing the book after about 100 pages because I just could not get into the writing. I think maybe at a different time, I would have gone further or even finished this book, but in my current frame of mind, I found the main character tough to read in addition to the subject matter.
However, I think that the writing was good and had a good flow and pace about it. I gave this book a 4 star rating despite the fact that I didn't finish it, because I truly believe the book itself is not at fault and do not want to discourage others from reading it. However, I also wanted to be honest about my experience of reading it, which was a bit difficult for me (at least right now).

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.
Always been a fan of thriller. And this book delivers without disappointing. Dive into this amazing book for an exciting story.

Not an easy read but an interesting and well written story.
It's very complex and you must love science to fully appreciate it.
I liked the style of writing even if the story is a bit confusing at time.
Interesting characters and plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book had a lot going on. Ultimately, that was its downfall. The main character was interesting as was the subject. I know not a thing about neuroscience but was fascinated. It felt at times like two separate novels that were slap-dashed quickly into one with minimal finesse. I think that this will be a love it or hate it book. If nothing else, this is wholly unique and unlike any book I have previously read.

I struggled with this one, I think mostly due to the difficulty and meta-ness of the subject matter - consciousness. What does it mean to be conscious? It's a question that the characters wrestle with throughout the novel, prestigious post-doc scholars at NYU's school of neuroscience.

Our main character, Kierk, is an explosive genius, clearly suffering from untreated bipolar disorder and determined to write a new theory of consciousness but self destructs wherever he lands, burning bridges and ripping up relationships along the way. When one of his fellow scholars mysteriously dies, he and another student take it upon themself to research it, looking for answers in what they deem a larger than life conspiracy.

Part love story, part academia, and part an inside look into a mind that's both unraveling and genius, The Revelations is a stunning debut that strives to answer some of the most difficult questions of both the scientific and philosophy communities.

This was a challenging and ultimately frustrating read, with glimpses of brilliance bogged down with trying to cram just too much into one book.

The neuroscience and the theories of consciousness, the melding of science and literature and the freestyle riffs that Kierk has through the novel are exhausting but inspiring, if a little too pleased with their own cleverness most of the time.

The idea of very bright scholars being corrupted and damaged by their own brilliance is a very romantic cliche, and a lot of the characters are really ciphers for a singular point of view.

I had particular issues with the way the novel portrayed women, from the unbelievable wet-dream perfection of Carmen to the frustrated older woman scientist without a man that is unflatteringly portrayed in Karen,

Playing with greek mythology, the vague and shady threats of official and non-official groups, deliberately shocking accounts of animal experiments are all interesting aspects that could have been explored more or less to craft a single story.

Instead we have a murder mystery that remains unsolved, government and other threats that simply recede, and a hokey saccharine ending that is the biggest cop out of them all.

Fine fragments of writing, but ultimately unsatisfying as a whole.

dnf

My story with this book is complicated. I've had it for a long while, have been re-downloading the arc constantly, and at first, I had plans on reading this. Then, after I stopped requesting books by white cis male authors after having too many issues with what I read, I began to dread the day I'd be picking this up.
Keep in mind that I'm a firm believer in that your mindset plays a big part in how you like a book.

Yesterday I had a migraine day and might have been a little bit high on pain meds as I decided this is the day, and I picked it up. I didn't last long, but can't tell you how far I got because I was not in the mood to bother with such tiny details.

Our protagonist is pretentious. A white guy, who dropped out of his phd sort of directly before graduation which alone shows how privileged he is, because that shit costs money. He supposedly is very intelligent, but all we see is a guy who sleeps in his car and drinks himself in a stupor every single day. His most urgent concerns are where to park his car for the night. But he is so intelligent and talented! Believe it!
Sure, I know how mental illness can mess with you. But I am not sure the author does.
From the writing and the depiction of the characters alone I know we won't become friends, and instead of suffering through this one, I decided to quit.

I am sorry but that's how it is.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

Unfortunately, I found this a difficult read. There were two occasions that I found really upsetting so I didn't read 1 on. I haven't given up on a book in a long time, until now.

Monday, Kierk wakes up. Once a rising star in neuroscience, Kierk Suren is now homeless, broken by his all-consuming quest to find a scientific theory of consciousness. But when he’s offered a spot in a prestigious postdoctoral program, he decides to rejoin society and vows not to self-destruct again. Instead of focusing on his work, however, Kierk becomes obsessed with another project—investigating the sudden and suspicious death of a colleague.

This book is very complex and is not as straight forward as you first think. The author brings a number of topics to this book such as neuroscience and what makes us be us. Even though I am a nurse and understand the science parts, I found myself lost at times, the book did not flow very well and it was hard to keep up. The book is very well-written and a great deal of attention was given by the author.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book hooked me right away with the complex-sounding plot, covering topics I'm finding myself drawn to. But in the end, I came out of the novel with an unsatisfied feeling. This might've been caused by the writing style, which seems to shift throghout the book, and also the characters seemed kind of flat (except, of course, our protagonist). Also, I couldn't care less for the romance. And a big minus are the animal testing facilities. I know they are probably nothing out of the ordinary, but any notions of violence against animals or animal testing always makes me want to throw the book. I enjoyed the murder mystery and everything science-y in this book though, but overall I would not recommend it as an easy read--it's quite challenging and my concentration these days is all over the place. Exhibit A: this clearly very confusing review.

This book did not work for me. It felt like two different novels in one. There's the novel that delves into consciousness and questions of neuroscience, and then there's the murder mystery novel. These two felt so disconnected from each other and never ended up coming together in the end that I was left feeling disappointed, and like my reading journey with this story was wasted.

The characters never really felt fleshed out or fully developed, especially the female characters and the shift in narrative voice comes off rather abrupt and jarring causing a lot of confusion in the story. This all leads up to an ending that hasn't earned it's payoff, which could leave many readers feeling dissatisfied.

This is a little bit like a bull in a china shop of a novel; it is obnoxious and in your face. It doesn't slow down for you, just expects you to keep up. A must read.

Thank you NetGalley and The Overlook Press for an advance e-copy of Erik Hoel's debut novel The Revelations. Hoel, a neuroscientist, has incorporated his passion into an intense story of Kierk, who we meet as a homeless, neuro-genius down on his luck. When Kierk returns to his world of neuroscience, having been previously selected to be a member of post-doc team, he revives his quest on the study of human consciousness. But when a team member mysteriously dies and the team combats backlash over animal testing, Kierk and teammate Carmen have more to discover than just their studies.
The Revelations is deep with scientific detail, sprinkled with a dash of Greek Mythology and a main character who is brash and brazen you either love or hate. The quest for answers to human consciousness and pursuit of a possible killer is wrapped up neatly with a look at human and animal relationships and how they relate to science.

What I liked: the characters - there was insight into all of their heads, even if we didn't get resolutions to a lot of their stories. I love books where you're left hanging a bit, and get glimpses into the side characters' lives, and we very much got that. I liked the setup, science going wrong is something that's very realistic to me, so pairing that with a murder mystery and a bit of romance was very appealing.

What I didn't love: Carmen felt very much like a woman written by a man, and as a woman, that was off putting. While I like stories where you're left hanging, there still needs to be some sort of conclusion (even if it's just hinted at), and I don't feel like that was present in this book. The blackout seemed ripe for a big bang ending and it seemed like everything just sort of petered out at the end instead.

The science/theory of consciousness felt over my head, and I found my eyes glazing over at parts because I almost didn't care - but that said, I'm not a science-y person, and can imagine that for someone more interested in hard science this might be more interesting.

I do think this book will work for a certain type of reader, but unfortunately, I am not that person.

THE REVELATIONS by Erik Hoel is a smart and witty debut novel! The main character Kierk, a consciousness scholar, begins a new program in New York and then one of his fellow scholars dies suddenly. He begins to investigate while also dealing with a budding relationship and the quest to solve his scientific pursuits. A lot of the writing is technical in the neuroscience field and went right over my head but I loved the blend of murder mystery and surrealist elements. It was always a question in this book of what is reality. I liked the unique chapter structure as each chapter is a day in the week which parallels Kierk’s constant journal writing. Overall this is a terrific work of contemporary library fiction and I’d definitely be interested to read more from this author!
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Thank you The Overlook Press and Abrams Books via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

Though I applaud the author for bringing interesting questions of neuroscience to the fore, the narrative style and implausible scenarios detract from the themes being explored. The narrative voice shifts rather jarringly at times, and characters are rather two dimensional. Hoel obviously has a lot to say about his topic, but perhaps a novel isn't the best vehicle.

There are so many things to like about this book, right up until the end.
I love the imagery, from mixing senses like smells and colors, to the tangents the borderline insane main character has in his head.
The characters have life, they're believable, they have life outside of the immediate story, good for them.
The last scene just take away from something though. Maybe that's the point, that life doesn't always have a happy ending. For me it was more of a distraction though.
**I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just could not get into this despite the premise and pretty cover. I have been reading such thought provoking nonfiction and fiction, this was a miss for me. Not believable, although maybe that was the point. A no for me. Just ok.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/6/21