Night Film by Marisha Pessl 📚 BOOK REVIEW

Marisha Pessl

I read a papberback edition of Night Film.

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller.

Publisher: Cornerstone – Windmill Books

Originally published: July 16th, 2013

Pages: 624 (paperback)

Audiobook length: 23 hrs and 9 mins

Synopsis by the publisher:

On a damp October night, beautiful young Ashley Cordova is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Though her death is ruled a suicide, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. As he probes the strange circumstances surrounding Ashley’s life and death, McGrath comes face-to-face with the legacy of her father: the legendary, reclusive, cult-horror-film director Stanislas Cordova – a man who hasn’t been seen in public for more than 30 years. 

For McGrath, another death connected to this seemingly cursed family dynasty seems more than just a coincidence. Though much has been written about Cordova’s dark and unsettling films, very little is known about the man himself. 

Driven by revenge, curiosity, and a need for the truth, McGrath, with the aid of two strangers, is drawn deeper and deeper into Cordova’s eerie, hypnotic world. 

The last time he got close to exposing the director, McGrath lost his marriage and his career. This time he might lose even more. 

My thoughts:

I’ve had Night Film on my shelf for a few years, and although I’ve always found the premise very interesting, I’ve been slightly intimidated by the size of the book. But from time to time I ask my son to pick out my next read for me and he finds great pleasure in picking out the chunkiest books on my shelves, so this time it was Night Film’s turn. It’s a good way for me to get a randomly selected book to read, as well as it is a way for me to finally get to the books that I keep putting off because of their size.

As I said, I’ve found the premise of Night Film interesting ever since it came out. It sounded very dark and mysterious, so definitely something up my alley. I’ve heard mixed reviews of Night Film over the years, but most of the reviews were on the more positive note, at least from reviewers who tend to like the same books as I do. So I wouldn’t say that I had super high expectations for this book, but I had a feeling that would like it before I even picked it up.

Night Film hooked me from the beginning. It has a very dark and mysterious atmosphere to it that I really liked, and I also really enjoyed the way the layout of the novel, specifically the added websites and files. It made it feel like I was a part of the investigation to find out what happened to Ashley.
The story has a really good pace, so even though it is a long book, I never got bored. I was constantly at the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next. The story also took quite a few twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting and that is always a big plus with a mystery novel like this one.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story as well, and the ones that I found to be most interesting was probably the most mysterious characters; Ashley and Stanislaus Cordova.
Reading this book made me wish that Mr. Cordova was a real person so that I could’ve watched his movies afterward. There was just so much history and mystery around these two characters, and even though I quite enjoyed getting to know Scott McGrath and his “team”, I was more interested in getting to know the Cordova’s and their story.
It also felt like McGrath and his “team” lacked a little bit of character development, and they ended up coming out a little bit flat for my taste.

Let’s talk about the ending (without spoiling you). Even though I didn’t predict the exact way that this story would progress and end, I had a gut feeling as to what kind of ending Night Film would have (if that makes sense), and on some levels I was right. When I turned the last page of the story I had conflicted feelings about it, and I still do. In one way I feel like the ending was perfect to the whole Cordova mystery of it all, but in another way I feel like it left me slightly unsatisfied.
Even so, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to the horror lovers out there. It’s dark, eerie, and very atmospheric. When it comes to the ending I think it comes down to personal preference if you’ll like it or not. I’m somewhere in between.
The book felt a bit unnecessary long as well, even though I got through it pretty quickly. I still feel like it could’ve been condensed just a little bit.
But overall it was a very interesting and enjoyable read!

Would love to know your opinion on the book if you’ve read it💛

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The Need to Escape

This is a strange time to be living in. I know I say that a lot these days, and I’m definitely not the only one. And it is a strange time. We are going through something that we’ve never experienced before and that means we are in uncharted waters.

We had no idea exactly how we would react to something like this, and now we’re in the middle of it. I think most of us are trying our very best to do our part to keep people safe and healthy, and trying to stay sane at the same time. The latter can be harder than it sounds at times, and we all have different ways of coping with living through this pandemic.

As strange as I find this time, I also find it incredibly scary as well. I’m lucky and extremely grateful for living in a country where our leaders take the pandemic very seriously and try their best to keep us safe. I know many are not that lucky.
But even though we’re lucky to be here, this virus can take a hold on anyone. We’ve all heard about the healthy and young who gets infected and doesn’t make it through. Those stories stick with you, and they make you think about the risk and possibility of getting sick as well.

So, how do I cope? It varies from day to day, but one thing I’ve found is that I turn to books even more now than usual. It’s my way of escaping the reality that scares me. And let’s face it, we all need some escapism from all of this just to stay somewhat sane.

I’m so grateful for books and stories. For the written words that transport me into other worlds, universes, and lives, whenever I find this one a bit too frightening. And I’m extra grateful for them during this time.
Without the books that whisk me away, I believe I would’ve completely lost it.

So, don’t feel bad about not being super productive or creative all the time at the moment. Allow yourself to just escape through books, games, music, baking, dancing, or whatever gives you a break from all that is going on outside of your doors. We are only human, and now is the time to take care of each other, and our selves.

We will get through this, eventually💛

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi📚 BOOK REVIEW

John Scalzi

I read a paperback edition of Old Man’s War.

Genre: Science fiction

Publisher: Pan MacMillan/TOR

Originally published: December, 2005

Pages: 320 (paperback)

Audiobook length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Synopsis by the publisher:

The universe is a dangerous place in John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, the first in The Old Man’s War series.

At seventy-five years old, John Perry is after a fresh start – so, naturally, he joins the army. Earth’s military machine can transform elderly recruits, restoring their lost youth. But in return, its Colonial Defence Force demands two years of hazardous service in space. This is how Perry finds himself in a new body, crafted from his original DNA. A genetically enhanced and upgraded new body, ready for battle.

But upgrades alone won’t keep Perry safe. He’ll be fighting for his life on the front line as he defends humanity’s colonies from hostile aliens. He’ll pay the price for his choices, and he’ll discover the universe is even more dangerous than he imagined.

My thoughts:

This was such a fun read! I love it when science fiction novels feel effortless to read. When the gap between the reality we live in now and the futuristic setting doesn’t feel like an overwhelming mental leap and needs hundreds of pages of world-building for anything to make sense.
Old Man’s War is a fast and brilliant read without taking away the depth and cleverness.

We get to be inside the head of John Perry when he decides to join the war at the age of 75, leaving everyone and everything he knows behind. With his new body, he’s able to do things he either hadn’t been able to do for years or never been able to at all. But Perry is in no way immortal, and we get to follow him into wars against alien creatures where he questions their missions and their outcome.

I loved Perry as a character and it was an absolute joy to be on his side at the beginning of what could potentially be quite a long and challenging adventure.
I also really enjoyed the original and clever dialogues.
It’s a story with a perfect balance of humor, action, and a tiny bit of romance.

I would highly recommend Old Man’s War if you enjoy science fiction. It’s a fast-paced and brilliant read that can be read as a stand-alone if you want to, but might get you hooked on the universe. You have been warned!

I picked this up while browsing in a bookstore in Oslo, having never heard of this book before, but I had enjoyed some of Scalzi’s other books. I had no idea that picking this one book up would get me hooked on a new series that even has a couple of other series that exists in the same universe. Scalzi, I guess you and I are in this for the long haul!
I can’t wait to get my hands on The Ghost Brigades and find out what happens next!

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April 2020 📚 Wrap Up