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A review by dbgk32
BZRK: Apocalypse by Michael Grant
3.0
I received an ARC from Netgalley for this review.
THE PLOT:
In the third installment of the BZRK series, things get weird(er). Everyone goes a little crazy and tries his/her hand at ending the world. This book is, in essence, a race to that end...the end. The question is, who will be the one to actually bring on his own twisted version of the apocalypse. Meanwhile, of course, New York's BZRK cell, or at least the rag tag mod squad of what's left of the group will do what little they can to save us all. As in the other novels, though, the good guys represent the proverbial David to the many-headed Goliath they face, only with a little less sanity and a busted slingshot. Grant has again made the climb a tough one for Sadie, Noah and the gang. As an added benefit, those around them (maybe even they themselves) are not on their side. After all, when brain-rewiring is an everyday occurrence, how can you even trust yourself? I want to say so much more, but doing so would be saying too much. The twists in this book are far too good for me to spoil.
THE GOOD:
Speaking of the good, Grant's twisted mind has flooded this book with plenty of it. You're likely going to shout out loud as the shockers drop in this one. That is if your mind doesn't melt first from trying to figure it all out. And I got to tell you. While the twists were at once shocking and upsetting, in the end, they all felt right...necessary. Grant may stretch the limit of disbelief, but he does so in this book in just the way it needed to be done.
As would be expected, this book is a definite thrill ride. It is tough to catch your breath as the novel doesn't slow down for a minute. Grant seamlessly transitions from POV to POV to keep us readers on our toes and to weave a very intricate tail within the blur of chaos.
All of his characters in this book shine with what made us feel for them in the first two books. Some grow, some don't, but all of them suffer (a lot) and what would BZRK be without that suffering.
Finally, the shock value, not of the plot, but of the imagery in this book is masterful. From the very beginning, Grant paints gruesome insanity in vivid pictures that you'll be both repulsed by and attracted to. I couldn't help but get a little giddy at how the next character may die (and plenty die). I know this sounds crazy, as if I have gone the route of the literary sociopath, but I'd be willing to bet that was Grant's goal from the beginning of the series.
THE BAD:
It wasn't all good. Note the 3 stars. It took me nearly 100 pages to reconcile the different POV story lines. There was a lot going on without much clear connection for a very long time in this book (more than 1/4th the book). I know Grant is a fan of complexity, but I think he went overboard here. If I hadn't been so invested in the series, I could have seen myself quitting on this before it all started to coalesce. Yes, it all worked out in the end, but where he started to unwind his plot leading to the climax in Reloaded, he seems to have nearly completely lost control of to start Apocalypse. It gets better, of course, but it may take some stamina to get to that point as a reader.
I was also disappointed in the resolution of the series. Again, the whole of BZRK had me wrapped around it’s finger and I was completely invested in the characters, so when Grant spent so little time in wrapping up my time with them, I got a little pissed off. This is not to say the resolution of the novel wasn’t great and terrible and wonderfully BZRK. Instead it was the final chapter, “12 years later” that left me unfulfilled. Finishing a series like this is always tough on me as a reader (and presumably on the writer as well), but this one left me without much closure, or at least satisfying closure.
OVERALL RECOMMENDATION:
If you have been reading BZRK, you are bound to love about this book what you have loved about the others. It is true to the tone. You may, however, as I did, feel a little disappointed in both beginning and finishing the novel. If you haven’t been reading the series, GO GET THE FIRST ONE AND START…RIGHT NOW.
THE PLOT:
In the third installment of the BZRK series, things get weird(er). Everyone goes a little crazy and tries his/her hand at ending the world. This book is, in essence, a race to that end...the end. The question is, who will be the one to actually bring on his own twisted version of the apocalypse. Meanwhile, of course, New York's BZRK cell, or at least the rag tag mod squad of what's left of the group will do what little they can to save us all. As in the other novels, though, the good guys represent the proverbial David to the many-headed Goliath they face, only with a little less sanity and a busted slingshot. Grant has again made the climb a tough one for Sadie, Noah and the gang. As an added benefit, those around them (maybe even they themselves) are not on their side. After all, when brain-rewiring is an everyday occurrence, how can you even trust yourself? I want to say so much more, but doing so would be saying too much. The twists in this book are far too good for me to spoil.
THE GOOD:
Speaking of the good, Grant's twisted mind has flooded this book with plenty of it. You're likely going to shout out loud as the shockers drop in this one. That is if your mind doesn't melt first from trying to figure it all out. And I got to tell you. While the twists were at once shocking and upsetting, in the end, they all felt right...necessary. Grant may stretch the limit of disbelief, but he does so in this book in just the way it needed to be done.
As would be expected, this book is a definite thrill ride. It is tough to catch your breath as the novel doesn't slow down for a minute. Grant seamlessly transitions from POV to POV to keep us readers on our toes and to weave a very intricate tail within the blur of chaos.
All of his characters in this book shine with what made us feel for them in the first two books. Some grow, some don't, but all of them suffer (a lot) and what would BZRK be without that suffering.
Finally, the shock value, not of the plot, but of the imagery in this book is masterful. From the very beginning, Grant paints gruesome insanity in vivid pictures that you'll be both repulsed by and attracted to. I couldn't help but get a little giddy at how the next character may die (and plenty die). I know this sounds crazy, as if I have gone the route of the literary sociopath, but I'd be willing to bet that was Grant's goal from the beginning of the series.
THE BAD:
It wasn't all good. Note the 3 stars. It took me nearly 100 pages to reconcile the different POV story lines. There was a lot going on without much clear connection for a very long time in this book (more than 1/4th the book). I know Grant is a fan of complexity, but I think he went overboard here. If I hadn't been so invested in the series, I could have seen myself quitting on this before it all started to coalesce. Yes, it all worked out in the end, but where he started to unwind his plot leading to the climax in Reloaded, he seems to have nearly completely lost control of to start Apocalypse. It gets better, of course, but it may take some stamina to get to that point as a reader.
I was also disappointed in the resolution of the series. Again, the whole of BZRK had me wrapped around it’s finger and I was completely invested in the characters, so when Grant spent so little time in wrapping up my time with them, I got a little pissed off. This is not to say the resolution of the novel wasn’t great and terrible and wonderfully BZRK. Instead it was the final chapter, “12 years later” that left me unfulfilled. Finishing a series like this is always tough on me as a reader (and presumably on the writer as well), but this one left me without much closure, or at least satisfying closure.
OVERALL RECOMMENDATION:
If you have been reading BZRK, you are bound to love about this book what you have loved about the others. It is true to the tone. You may, however, as I did, feel a little disappointed in both beginning and finishing the novel. If you haven’t been reading the series, GO GET THE FIRST ONE AND START…RIGHT NOW.