Cover Image: Hourglass

Hourglass

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Member Reviews

I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't think it was right to review a book that I didn't finish.

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This book is the kind of inventive, quirky modern fantasy I'm always on the lookout for. Like China Mieville's work, it won't be to everyone's taste, but if it is you're in for a treat.

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A mix of regular people, dark magic, and friendships from behind the grave make Hourglass a fun and compelling read for any who enjoy scif-fi fantasy adventures.

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Very well developed characters and an extremely engaging story. Well thought out and very suspenseful story line that keeps the reader guessing until the final twist! This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!

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I’ve rated this book 6.3/10 (3 stars) according to Bookroast’s CAWPILE system (see details below). I’ve received an eARC through Netgalley for an honest review.

TL/DR: I found this book well-written and relatively enjoyable. The plot was quite slow-paced and the soft worldbuilding left me confused at times, but I still wanted to finish it. I recommend it to people looking for an urban fantasy with an unusual setting and good characters, who don’t mind taking their time to read. The book works as a stand-alone, but there is room for continuation. I probably won't be reading the next volume if there ever is one, however.

Characters 7/10
In my opinion, character building is one of the strong points of this book. You can tell that a lot of time was spent in creating complex main characters with detailed backstories, and I felt interested in knowing what would happen to them. The “villains”, however, were very flat and mainly reduced to “mean people motivated by greed”. I personally prefer it when characters aren’t black and white, all good or all evil, as it is more realistic. Since Clyde and Kev go through a moral debate of fighting other people, it seemed that the author wanted to make them obviously mean so it was “easily justifiable” to kill them. But overall the characters were interesting and unique.

Atmosphere 7/10
The book does a good job in situating the reader, even in settings that are completely unfamiliar like the military facility and the “afterlife” (the Null). In the latter, I sometimes felt a little confused because of some lack of logic (see below) but I could still picture in my head where the characters were, as bizarre as the place (rightfully) was.

Writing style 8/10
I overall enjoyed the writing style, with a good balance between description and dialogue. The descriptions were well-written and while the writing was easy to read, it didn’t feel simplistic. The dialogues were interesting and I enjoyed the interactions between the characters. A few parts felt like they went for too long, especially at the beginning, when a lot of detail is given about comic books, which was okay for someone familiar with it, but it will likely mean nothing to readers who aren’t. The scene where Clyde talks to the comic book store owner, for example, was especially long and did not add anything to the story besides character building, which to me felt like it would have been done in sufficient detail without the need to dive so deeply into comics.

Plot 6/10
I enjoyed very much that we have two parallel plots (one of Clyde and Kev, another of Konstantin), which makes the book more dynamic and gives the reader an outsider and insider look into the world created by James from the beginning. Konstantin’s plot is very unique and makes up for the fact that Clyde and Kev’s is more common (characters that lived “normal” lives until something extraordinary happened and they had to learn/be trained into a new reality). The pace felt pretty slow for me, as I’ll mention below, but the plot was logical and well-rounded. I've enjoyed the little plot twist in the epilogue, and although the book works as a stand-alone, it leaves room for continuation.

Intrigue 5/10
The way the book slowly introduces the characters’ backstories and motivations made me curious enough to keep reading. I was especially intrigued to find out what Konstantin’s personal mission was. However, most of the book feels like a long set up to the action that only really begins at around 80%. Although I wanted to know how the story ended, I oftentimes didn't feel like picking up the book again, and would certainly have taken even longer to read if I wasn't driven by writing this review.

Logic 5/10
While I understand that in soft worldbuilding the point is not to detail everything, as it can be very overwhelming to the reader, quite a few things were left unexplained in regards to how the “afterlife” (the Null) works, as well as some of the powers available in “this life”. Some structure is loosely given (such as the houses the govern the Null), and a few things are explained at later stages in the book (for example, people with special abilities called Sparks, which is something I wondered about at the beginning), but oftentimes it felt like any otherworldly thing was possible because there was no clear logic behind the kinds of creatures/ powers/ landscapes that appear in the story. Another weak point for me was how Clyde and Kev could become so badass with only 3 weeks of training, and why Hourglass would send noobs on such an important and risky mission instead of more senior teams like they certainly would have available.

Enjoyment 6/10
The story was unlike anything I had read before, which is what drew me to the book. As I mentioned before, the book is well-written and I could connect with the characters, which kept me going. The fact that the plot moved very slowly for me and the confusion I often felt in regards to worldbuilding kept this book from being unputdownable for me. There wasn’t enough hook between chapters to make me want to immediately read the next one, so it was a slow read. If the series continue, I probably won't be reading the next volume. I recommend this book to readers looking for an urban fantasy book with an unusual setting and who enjoy taking their time reading.

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I feel bad for rating this book so low. I personally wasn’t able to connect with it. I don’t know if I expected more adventure from this than the thriller aspect or if I unintentionally expected more of a comedy-adventure or if I didn’t like it in comparison due to the two previous God-tier books I read before it (Cemetery Boys and Gunmetal Gods).

I have several critiques for the book: the first being that it was too long. I had no interest in Clyde, Kev or the organization they wind up training with. The second is the “nerd” culture. As a fangirl of comic books, superheroes, manga and anime, the use of it in the story felt flat and forced. A lot of it read like someone who believed this is what the fandom should sound/act and not how it naturally is. The third is the use of “Hoodoo”. I felt that the author used the term in order to include more spiritual/magical aspects apart from the Christian/Islamic he borrows from/mentions which made it feel like he might be appropriating the term.

I enjoyed the lore of the story. I like that our perceived notions of death (ie their being, heaven, hell, nothing or purgatory) being challenged. I loved that our souls are either eaten or soldiers. And the questions about life after “death death”. It was fun to read as the characters had these thoughts and struggled to think of answers.

Konstantin carried the story. He was the most interesting character with grey morals and I loved it. I wish that the story mainly focused on him instead of Clyde. Konstantin and Clyde are foils in a lot of ways, but where Clyde whines about it; Konstantin evaluates, calculates, and waits to see if he can use the situations to his advantage. For example, both Clyde and Konstantin hate militaries for using men “to fight faceless wars” or “fighting a rich man’s war”. Clyde whines and bemoans the loss of his family to these wars and only takes training seriously to protect his mom. Konstantin accepts his lack of choice and monitors/gathers intel on the people around him and who is in charge so he can use it to his advantage later.

In conclusion if you like military thrillers full of action and learning combat, I recommend this book. If you are looking for a comedy adventure, this is not the book.

I received an eARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

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I received this book through Net Galley.

Clyde just wants to be a comic book artist. His best friend is very supportive...and dead.

That's just in the first chapter. It gets more interesting from there.

I really enjoyed the book. The first few chapters were a little dense with comicbook talk and it took a bit to get in.

There is a LOT of exposition and creative word choice. It tends to get in the way of the story moving forward, but not enough I couldn't enjoy the book.

Definitely recommended. Will be looking forward to more from this author.

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I had never read this author before, but I will definitely be keeping an eye on him. In this book, two best friends are roomies, but one of them is a ghost. They are keeping it on the down low because how could this be. However, it isn’t long before people who know about such things take notice and things will never be the same. This is an excellently written book filled with interesting characters. The author does something I personally don’t like, but I know others do: write so much description. I am more of a non-stop action, and I felt that the book would have been five-star if it would be been cut down a little. Besides that, I quite enjoyed this very unique book and look forward to the next. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

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This book with opens with a bang! A Russian monk is released from prison so that he can lead an expedition into the underworld. So cool. Konstantin is a great and noble character and when he is around all is right with the world. Unfortunately he isn't around all the time. Clyde and Kev are slacker buddies who end up becoming soldiers. This transformation takes a lot of time and training. Personally I'm not much interested in soldiers or weapons. There are lots of people who like military sci-fi and I imagine that they will love this book. Just not fully in my wheelhouse, though I may have to follow the series to keep my eye on the monk.

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Clyde, a comic writer who is trying to make it into the comics business, joins forces with his ghost friend Kiev to bring down a powerful enemy.
Hourglass brings a breath of fresh air to the fantasy genre and manages to keep its readers stuck to it until the very end.

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A suspenseful and witty novel of life and death.

Hourglass is Daniel James’ second novel, published in 2020. It’s a mix between fantasy and thriller with friendly ghosts and demonic monsters all wrapped up with an iconic friendship between the living and the dead.

Set in Brooklyn and New Mexico, it follows two best friends that can’t even be separated by death as they try to navigate the crazy world they’ve been unwillingly drawn into. It’s entertaining and original and well worth the read!

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Summary
Clyde Williams and Kev Carpenter are just two normal guys trying to make a living in Brooklyn, New York. Clyde is an aspiring comic book artist, hoping to get into the big leagues. Kev recently dropped out of university after only a year’s study. Kev was also murdered two months ago. Having his recently deceased best friend show up in their apartment is just as shocking as it ought to be, but Clyde makes it work. Until a suspicious agent from a mysterious organisation called Hourglass follows them home that is. They’re given two options; join Hourglass and train their newfound abilities, or else spend the rest of life under scrutiny. For Kev, detached and depressed, it’s an easy decision. For Clyde, not so much. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also an ex-KGB necromantic monk on the hunt for the afterlife.

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Commentary
Hourglass is easily the best sci-fi novel I’ve read since the infamous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Praise
- The character development is fantastic throughout this novel. Nerdy Clyde who hates all things military admits that not all soldiers are idiots. Kev, although still very much dead, finds a new lease of life and a purpose. They’re forced to grow up due to this new horrifying world that they’re now apart of. The thoughts, feelings and actions of each character changes by the end of the story in an incredibly realistic manner.
- Despite being dead, Kev has a great sense of humour, and despite the tragedy surrounding him, so does Clyde. There are numerous oneliners throughout this novel that contribute to an entertaining and engaging read.
- The biggest selling point of this book for me is it’s brand new ideas. It’s a completely original story with a fresh plot and interesting characters. It’s been compared to numerous sci-fi tv shows and novels, but it truly does stand out from the crowd.

Critique
- Some of the sci-fi/fantasy descriptions can be hard to understand. A few of these paragraphs I had to reread to try and visualize just what crazy magical ability these characters had. It may be frustrating for some readers to slow down in the middle of action-packed chapters to do this.
- The good guys live in Brooklyn, so of course, that’s exactly where the bad guys must attack. As Kev himself said, “Well, isn’t that some serendipitous shit?” It is entirely too predictable and unrealistic to have the final showdown right in the middle of their homeland. On the other hand, however, locating it elsewhere would have led to a whole truckful of other problems, so it’s understandable.
- As previously mentioned, the stereotypical comic nerd turns macho man by the end of his intense professional super secret agent training… that takes only three weeks to complete? Personally, I think that’s far too short a time to teach a pacifist how to fight, especially since he’s then capable of taking down life-long soldiers.

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Recommendations
Overall, I’d give Daniel James’s Hourglass a four out of five. It’s an intriguing story of life and death, friendship, and morality.

I’d recommend it for absolutely everyone. Science fiction and fantasy are usually both genres that you either love or hate, but not in this case. As unrealistic as ghosts and monsters and the afterlife are, it all seems completely commonplace in this novel.

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