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karamelka_kar19's review
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
5hadow_girl's review
5.0
I saw this on Netgalley first, and since I'm Social Media buddies with the author, the book's description had me searching for a GIMMIE! link before I was even finished reading it! (see the GR comment I left on the 27th, before I even got the book >.< )
Excellent read, and full review will be posted soon.
Excellent read, and full review will be posted soon.
mrfrank's review
5.0
Wow. THE NIGHTLY DISEASE by Max Booth III is an amazing story. Who knew you could take your crummy night shift job, add in some owls and sprinkle it over a gripping crime story and get a masterpiece? Max Booth! That's who!
From the opening line of the book and straight through to the final period, THE NIGHTLY DISEASE drags you into its talons and refuses to let go. So many great, quotable sentences pepper the pages of the book. The prose is wonderful. The plot is nerveracking. Isaac, the protagonist, is a consumate fuck-up who makes choices that should make you hate him and yet you find him endearing and can't help but route for him.
This book is nominated for the 2017 Wonderland Book Award as of the writing of this review. I thought my pick for the award was a long standing lock. This confuses things. It is a great book that deserves to be elevated above the confines of genre and be appreciated on a mass scale. Bravo, Max, Bravo.
From the opening line of the book and straight through to the final period, THE NIGHTLY DISEASE drags you into its talons and refuses to let go. So many great, quotable sentences pepper the pages of the book. The prose is wonderful. The plot is nerveracking. Isaac, the protagonist, is a consumate fuck-up who makes choices that should make you hate him and yet you find him endearing and can't help but route for him.
This book is nominated for the 2017 Wonderland Book Award as of the writing of this review. I thought my pick for the award was a long standing lock. This confuses things. It is a great book that deserves to be elevated above the confines of genre and be appreciated on a mass scale. Bravo, Max, Bravo.
wellwortharead's review
5.0
I don't know where to start. Part of me says what the hell did I just read? Yet I have to admit I flew through this book (like an owl?) and couldn't put it down.
Isaac is a young man who has led a very strange life. We are given a small glimpse into his past when as a young teen he was uprooted from his home.. though we are not given the why of it all. Do we need to know? I can't say the not knowing took away from my enjoyment of this humorous and horrifying story but I am certainly curious. Currently sleeping days and working nights at the "Goddamn Hotel" Isaac is subjected to a strange cast of inhabitants on a nightly basis, including a homeless bulimic girl that he thinks he's in love with and whom he tries to win over with waffles, and a criminal element selling knock offs of name brand shoes. Then there are the owls, do not pet the owls! If you like dark twisted humor with your horror this is most definitely for you.
I received an advance copy for review
Isaac is a young man who has led a very strange life. We are given a small glimpse into his past when as a young teen he was uprooted from his home.. though we are not given the why of it all. Do we need to know? I can't say the not knowing took away from my enjoyment of this humorous and horrifying story but I am certainly curious. Currently sleeping days and working nights at the "Goddamn Hotel" Isaac is subjected to a strange cast of inhabitants on a nightly basis, including a homeless bulimic girl that he thinks he's in love with and whom he tries to win over with waffles, and a criminal element selling knock offs of name brand shoes. Then there are the owls, do not pet the owls! If you like dark twisted humor with your horror this is most definitely for you.
I received an advance copy for review
kidstaple's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
Colourful characters, wonderful prose and a rollercoaster story make this a MUST read! Check it out!
Sure, read the synopsis. This sounds like a weird combination of crime and conspiracy. With owls. And that tells some of the story. But this story is so much more than that. Isaac is a Hotel Night Auditor, Booth drawing on his own experiences and encounters with horrible guests to bring his protagonist to life in glorious technicolour. As the story unfurls in first-person point-of-view, we are exposed to Isaac's bleak and lonely existence, where he is constantly questioning his role in the world, his worth and the point of existence. These sequences are very well written by the author, creating a sympathetic and relatable voice. But just when I want to ask the author if he needs someone to talk to, he delivers an entertaining and comical turn of events, lightening the mood and delivering witty turns-of-phrase as well as some memorably funny scenes. Introduce the horror element of a rabid owl attack and we have a more complete picture of the story. A great mixture of crime and horror, with some truly wonderful prose and brilliantly colourful characters, especially down-trodden yet likeable protagonist Isaac. I devoured this book in just over a day. One of the most entertaining reads I have read recently.
Sure, read the synopsis. This sounds like a weird combination of crime and conspiracy. With owls. And that tells some of the story. But this story is so much more than that. Isaac is a Hotel Night Auditor, Booth drawing on his own experiences and encounters with horrible guests to bring his protagonist to life in glorious technicolour. As the story unfurls in first-person point-of-view, we are exposed to Isaac's bleak and lonely existence, where he is constantly questioning his role in the world, his worth and the point of existence. These sequences are very well written by the author, creating a sympathetic and relatable voice. But just when I want to ask the author if he needs someone to talk to, he delivers an entertaining and comical turn of events, lightening the mood and delivering witty turns-of-phrase as well as some memorably funny scenes. Introduce the horror element of a rabid owl attack and we have a more complete picture of the story. A great mixture of crime and horror, with some truly wonderful prose and brilliantly colourful characters, especially down-trodden yet likeable protagonist Isaac. I devoured this book in just over a day. One of the most entertaining reads I have read recently.
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