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Pre-order Run HERE
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Recursion
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Pines
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Eerie
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Run
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Serial Killers Uncut
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of Wayward
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s Interview with Blake Crouch (2011)
Read Fantasy Book Critic's Wayward Pines trilogy Interview with Blake Crouch
OFFICIAL BLURB: Five days ago, the epidemic of rage began.
This tense thriller leans more into horror than any other of Blake Crouch's books I've read. The book is chapterless, which adds an extra layer of intensity because there's never a good time to pause. The family is under constant pressure and the lack of natural breaks in the narrative made me feel like I was running along with them, unable to look away.
One aspect of the story I loved is although there are some shiver-inducing scenes of extreme violence and brutality, it's juxtaposed with the love of a family that will do anything for each other. Desperate situations will bring forth elements of perspective and wisdom that you never knew existed. Seeing this family evolve in such a desolate situation had me emotionally invested in the characters' fates.
Environmental hazards played a major role in this story of survival, but I feel like Crouch spent far too much time describing in detail what every field, mountain, and forest looked like. It was immersive, but I feel some character development was sacrificed to keep up with its relentless pacing.
Overall, Run is a gripping thriller with quite a few heart-pounding moments. There was a lot left unexplained, which is fine to a certain extent, but some scenarios were resolved with a bit of hand-waving and oh-so-perfect timing. Some of these resolutions were detrimental to the immersion of the story, but it didn't take long to pull me right back in again.
Run was originally published in 2011, but now is the first time it is available for purchase within the U.S. It's perfect for devouring on the beach or by the pool in one sitting.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS (MIHIR): Not only was I fascinated by RUN’s blurb, but previously I had read Serial Uncut which was a collaborative effort between Blake Crouch and Joe Konrath. I very much liked the book’s mix of horror and thriller genres and I was wondering how the book would measure up against such a tantalizing blurb.
Because the book focuses deeply on the Colclough family, specifically the story of a father striving to do right by his progeny, RUN is immediately comparable to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. However, there’s a crucial difference: the world featured in The Road is a post-apocalyptic one, whereas in RUN, the world teeters on the verge of collapse. RUN is also less dark than the Pulitzer Prize winner, although it has its moments of sheer horror.
Blake Crouch’s prose admirably fuels this high-strung tale as he showcases a slightly dysfunctional family: Jack, the father struggling to save his family; Dee, the estranged wife who has to choose between her feelings for her paramour and her family; and Naomi and Cole, the children who are shockingly thrust into a world where they have no control and no way to adapt... Mr. Crouch efficiently showcases the struggle faced by both parents as they try to explain the situation to themselves and their kids, with emotional family moments brilliantly juxtaposed by harrowing action scenes that will have readers turning the pages to see what happens next.
There are very few drawbacks with the book. A few readers might get frustrated at the absence of a concrete explanation for what is happening, but like in real life, many things occur which have only theories instead of rational explanations. Lastly, the climax is a bit fantastical and detaches a bit of credibility from the tale. Fortunately, the ending is not too over-the-top to ruin the overall effect.
CONCLUSION: Blake Crouch’s RUN is a simple, & magical tale about survival, the bonds of family, and the endurance of the human spirit. RUN exceeded my expectations and is a book I enjoyed re-reading. In short, the author is rapidly moving up my reading list and seems hell-bent on proving David Morrell’s words true: “Blake Crouch is the most exciting new thriller writer I've read in years.”
A pirate queen discovers the only gold around is in the bars of her cage.
A temple courtesan's heart dances for the archer she was tasked to destroy.
A librarian dabbles in larceny to save the world from an ancient plague.
As the Conclave of Peace dawns in the mysterious Tree Cities of the East to decide the future of the realm, deaf swordswomen and exiled snakelings, spoilt heroes and lovesick princes, immortal assassins and their apprentices will find no sun to light their path.
For the Son of Darkness rises, boiling over with a wrath that all the oracles in the world cannot hope to stop. After all, seeing the future is one thing, changing it is quite another…UNLESS IT IS THROUGH A HEIST.
Buy The Sky on Fire
OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Twice-nominated Astounding Award finalist JENN LYONS lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, her cats and a nearly infinite number of opinions on anything from Sumerian mythology to the correct way to make a martini. After spending thirty years working as a graphic artist, art director, and video game producer (in that order), Lyons now spends her days writing fantasy. She traces her geek roots back to playing first edition Dungeons & Dragons in grade school—a passion she’s continued as an adult—as well as pursuing whatever craft or skill she’s obsessed with this week: pyrography, beadwork, stenography, furniture upholstery, etc. Her five book epic fantasy series, A Chorus of Dragons, begins with The Ruin of Kings.