One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
Just when you thought, this genius couldn't surprise you anymore [ after that YA-fantasy done so right, with the Book of Ancestor that ended last month, with Holy Sister topping things off on a delirious high!] in a move that departs from his earlier works, Mark Lawrence [ Book# 10, hats off to you sir. You remain my highest read author, only after Stephen King in terms of the total number of books read!] gives us One Word Kill, an absolutely wonderful nostalgia trip to the 80's complete with D&D board games and nerd-gangs with disco nights and a sweet soaring romance that doesn't actually irk.
For all the right reasons, this one has been compared to Stranger Things, the Netflix blockbuster [ that was one of my favorite watches as well] But all that notwithstanding, this is Mark Lawrence guys, I kept thinking to myself as I tore through the story. Waiting to see if he would stick the landing with this departure of sorts, from his usual "grim-dark" fantasy stories. And hell yes! I loved this book to bits. It is an easy one to get to; the premise being fairly straight forward and a narrative that runs straight through [ barring those seemingly impossible paradoxes that are, in a way, explained away by Mark ] to a satisfying ending that ties up the narratives presented in book-I.
So we follow the story through the eyes of fifteen year old Nick - a mathematical genius, who gets that from his Dad, something of a genius in his academic circles - and also recently diagnosed with a rare cancer, that might not see him last more than a month or so. Nick takes the news of his impending death from the Big C calmly enough and with his limited number of days ahead, vows to live his 'life' fuller. That meant, ganging up with his nerd-gang every Saturday to shut themselves out from the rest of the world, to be immersed in hours of playing D&D! But strange things keep happening to Nick. Like a sense of deja-vu, where Nick realizes that by some freak of nature, he is reliving a past week. Some of the real life events mirror the twisty turns of his D&D game. And to top it all off, Nick realizes that he has got a stalker, who may or may not be a friend.
The stranger convinces Nick that Mia, a new addition to their D&D circle, [Who in addition to the strange fact that she is a girl interested in D&D is also rapidly becoming the "cool" one who's got the boys intrigued and impressed ] needs to be saved from a massive disaster about to befall her. And the only person who can save her is Nick. Despite how ridiculous everything sounds, Nick is forced to believe the stranger because of the stuff he apparently knows and which turns out to be true enough to convince Nick that there might an element of truth in what this stranger is claiming. It's a race against time as Nick and his friends troop out - to pull off a top secret heist mission that could turn dangerous with lives at stake.
You can see the parallels to Strange Things of course. And bringing in time-travel along with concepts of quantum mechanics can literally throws things into a crazy spin. But trust Mark to guide us through the storm. In fact, without getting too technical, Mark wades into certain "untouchable" territories of physics and time-travel touching out alternate time lines and multi-verses and he does a truly bang-up job of explaining it, weaving this into the clever narrative, without every losing the chutzpah of a super smooth narrative at breakneck pacing. There's something adorable about kids [ Also reminded me of Stephen King's favorite novel called IT] and the magic of 80's that is so deftly brought out by Mark in this short racy novella that tugs at your heart strings. I grew up in the 80's and 90's and give this guy full credit for indulging in the nostalgia factor but also, focusing on building up a wonderfully warm narrative headlined by a set of absolutely endearing kids and also ratcheting up the tension with the introduction of a crazed out bully psycho, out for Mia.
Nick is undoubtedly the star-act of the group. The first person narrative pitches us straight into his mad genius head, uncomplicated and perfectly logical about everything. He carries the story on his able shoulders, big C or not. There's something comforting in his approach to life, where he rationally weights the consequences of his action. Not particularly brave, Nick nevertheless sticks up for his friends. Against bullies, against anything unfair and by that count, stands up against life itself. His hesitant teenage feelings that blossoms out for Mia, the new girl in the group are naturally brought out without seeming awkward in Mark's deft prose. There are bitter truths about life, that Nick learns along the way [ One of the gems that I usually look out for in Mark's books are these axioms of life presented in his unflinching and yet beautiful prose!]
The others in the D&D group are Elton, the story-teller who sets up the D&D game rules and set up. An upright boy who again would risk everything for his friends or family. There's Simon, a socially reticent boy who sometimes gets his pent-up emotions run away or get the better of him. Totally adorable and so relatable. Then there's the cool and handsome John, who ideally doesn't belong in this group and maybe socially adept in a lot ways than the nerdy bunch but he's got his heart in his right place and is definitely one of those "want-to-do-right-by-my-friends" bunch. Mia, the new girl is total badass and the absolute opposite of what someone like Nick should fall for, but there's one whole chapter of interaction between these two where they discuss the consequences of time-travel and it sort of blew my mind. Mia, despite her troubled background, sticks through thick and thin for her gang and is one of the first to accept Nick's "condition".
Despite being a YA story, there are shockingly pallid moments in the story that are heavy and unflinching. The hospital scenes are grim and laced with pain and self realization. But I thought it set the tone for what comes later - an absolutely no-holds barred screaming inferno of a story that will knock the socks off you, keeping you invested page after page in the future of fifteen-year old Nick Hayes and his best friends. I totally loved this installment with it's cheerful vibes and zany plot, characters you absolutely will adore, all of which packs an emotional wallop! I cannot wait to get started on book-II, The Last Wish out now. Do yourself a favor, get this one. You will not be disappointed for sure.
For all the right reasons, this one has been compared to Stranger Things, the Netflix blockbuster [ that was one of my favorite watches as well] But all that notwithstanding, this is Mark Lawrence guys, I kept thinking to myself as I tore through the story. Waiting to see if he would stick the landing with this departure of sorts, from his usual "grim-dark" fantasy stories. And hell yes! I loved this book to bits. It is an easy one to get to; the premise being fairly straight forward and a narrative that runs straight through [ barring those seemingly impossible paradoxes that are, in a way, explained away by Mark ] to a satisfying ending that ties up the narratives presented in book-I.
So we follow the story through the eyes of fifteen year old Nick - a mathematical genius, who gets that from his Dad, something of a genius in his academic circles - and also recently diagnosed with a rare cancer, that might not see him last more than a month or so. Nick takes the news of his impending death from the Big C calmly enough and with his limited number of days ahead, vows to live his 'life' fuller. That meant, ganging up with his nerd-gang every Saturday to shut themselves out from the rest of the world, to be immersed in hours of playing D&D! But strange things keep happening to Nick. Like a sense of deja-vu, where Nick realizes that by some freak of nature, he is reliving a past week. Some of the real life events mirror the twisty turns of his D&D game. And to top it all off, Nick realizes that he has got a stalker, who may or may not be a friend.
The stranger convinces Nick that Mia, a new addition to their D&D circle, [Who in addition to the strange fact that she is a girl interested in D&D is also rapidly becoming the "cool" one who's got the boys intrigued and impressed ] needs to be saved from a massive disaster about to befall her. And the only person who can save her is Nick. Despite how ridiculous everything sounds, Nick is forced to believe the stranger because of the stuff he apparently knows and which turns out to be true enough to convince Nick that there might an element of truth in what this stranger is claiming. It's a race against time as Nick and his friends troop out - to pull off a top secret heist mission that could turn dangerous with lives at stake.
You can see the parallels to Strange Things of course. And bringing in time-travel along with concepts of quantum mechanics can literally throws things into a crazy spin. But trust Mark to guide us through the storm. In fact, without getting too technical, Mark wades into certain "untouchable" territories of physics and time-travel touching out alternate time lines and multi-verses and he does a truly bang-up job of explaining it, weaving this into the clever narrative, without every losing the chutzpah of a super smooth narrative at breakneck pacing. There's something adorable about kids [ Also reminded me of Stephen King's favorite novel called IT] and the magic of 80's that is so deftly brought out by Mark in this short racy novella that tugs at your heart strings. I grew up in the 80's and 90's and give this guy full credit for indulging in the nostalgia factor but also, focusing on building up a wonderfully warm narrative headlined by a set of absolutely endearing kids and also ratcheting up the tension with the introduction of a crazed out bully psycho, out for Mia.
Nick is undoubtedly the star-act of the group. The first person narrative pitches us straight into his mad genius head, uncomplicated and perfectly logical about everything. He carries the story on his able shoulders, big C or not. There's something comforting in his approach to life, where he rationally weights the consequences of his action. Not particularly brave, Nick nevertheless sticks up for his friends. Against bullies, against anything unfair and by that count, stands up against life itself. His hesitant teenage feelings that blossoms out for Mia, the new girl in the group are naturally brought out without seeming awkward in Mark's deft prose. There are bitter truths about life, that Nick learns along the way [ One of the gems that I usually look out for in Mark's books are these axioms of life presented in his unflinching and yet beautiful prose!]
The others in the D&D group are Elton, the story-teller who sets up the D&D game rules and set up. An upright boy who again would risk everything for his friends or family. There's Simon, a socially reticent boy who sometimes gets his pent-up emotions run away or get the better of him. Totally adorable and so relatable. Then there's the cool and handsome John, who ideally doesn't belong in this group and maybe socially adept in a lot ways than the nerdy bunch but he's got his heart in his right place and is definitely one of those "want-to-do-right-by-my-friends" bunch. Mia, the new girl is total badass and the absolute opposite of what someone like Nick should fall for, but there's one whole chapter of interaction between these two where they discuss the consequences of time-travel and it sort of blew my mind. Mia, despite her troubled background, sticks through thick and thin for her gang and is one of the first to accept Nick's "condition".
Despite being a YA story, there are shockingly pallid moments in the story that are heavy and unflinching. The hospital scenes are grim and laced with pain and self realization. But I thought it set the tone for what comes later - an absolutely no-holds barred screaming inferno of a story that will knock the socks off you, keeping you invested page after page in the future of fifteen-year old Nick Hayes and his best friends. I totally loved this installment with it's cheerful vibes and zany plot, characters you absolutely will adore, all of which packs an emotional wallop! I cannot wait to get started on book-II, The Last Wish out now. Do yourself a favor, get this one. You will not be disappointed for sure.
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