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bennought's review against another edition
5.0
This book took me completely by surprise. It is beautifully written, with an interesting and not-wholly predictable plot and engaging characters with real depth. Berry has taken many of the classic noir tropes and reinterpreted them through the Sci Fi, dystopian lens of the universe he creates; which is both refreshing and masterfully done. On top of that, the book is absolutely hilarious, often with a dry, subtle humor that complements the action and world perfectly. Highly recommended, and I can't wait to read what Berry writes next.
toddzilla's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Didn’t win me over.
liketheday's review against another edition
5.0
Charles Unwin is a clerk at the Agency; he compiles the notes of his detective, Travis T. Sivart, and files them away nicely under titles like "The Oldest Murdered Man" and "The Man Who Stole November Twelfth." But on this day, he is mysteriously promoted to detective in place of Sivart, which does not suit Unwin, who likes his clerk's job and has no interest in detecting. He makes his first case to find out what happened to Sivart, and soon realizes that this case will take more skills than what he can learn in his Manual of Detection.
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littletaiko's review against another edition
4.0
This book might not be for everyone but I really enjoyed it. Charles Unwin is a clerk at a detective agency in a city where it always rains. Things change quickly when he is unexpectedly promoted, promptly stumbles upon a dead body, and learns that a famous detective has gone missing. Armed with only a copy of Manual of Detection, he tries to find the missing detective. Life gets really strange as he follows a trail that involves jumping into peoples dreams.
becca_g_powell's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This book was amazing. I didn't know what I was getting into (attempts by other reviewers to pin it down with adjectives like "noir" and "kafka-esque" and "magical realism" don't hit it quite right, in my opinion, though all skirt around the right description). A truly unique and interesting read, unlike almost any other book I've read before. I have no idea how to describe it. Just read it.
books4biana's review against another edition
I picked The Manual of Detection because the cover was catchy. Sometimes we absolutely must judge our books by their covers.
Knowing this was my high brow criteria, you might imagine that every page was a kind of mystery…what comes next? where will we end up? who is going to pop up now? And you wouldn’t be wrong. Not because I didn’t follow up with a Goodreads summary, but because the books simply had a wild and unexpected ride.
In the tradition of Noir, this tale unfolds…complete with the imagery of darken streets and flashing neon signs…as our protagonist Charles Unwin rides is bike in the rain (it doesn’t always rain in Oregon, but it does in tales of noir) towards his subway rendezvous.
Unwin is an individual like all others in this story; well suited for his role in life, finding satisfaction in completing his reports with great exactitude and with an appropriate title, eating turkey and cheese on wheat every Wednesday, ferrying his umbrella on his daily travels. And, of course, Unwin is about to have his life….shaken.
All the elements of a proper Crime Noir are present from the femme fatale, named Cleopatra Greenwood, villainous twins, a dastardly deed, missing alarm clocks, and even a carnival. (I mean, a dubious carnival, in the rain, complete with chiaroscuro and maybe even a siren)
Goodreads classifies this as, among other things, steampunk and magical realism. I won’t admit to knowing what steampunk looks like, but I’m confident that there was some stretching of reality.
Will our hero complete his unsolicited quest? Can he meet this challenge, unprepared? Will he too fall to the dreamlike world of the seductress? And what happened to November 12th?
The dialogue is snappy. The plot is shifting. Revelations keep showing up. It’s witty. It’s pithy. It’s ….well, it’s darn clever.
Knowing this was my high brow criteria, you might imagine that every page was a kind of mystery…what comes next? where will we end up? who is going to pop up now? And you wouldn’t be wrong. Not because I didn’t follow up with a Goodreads summary, but because the books simply had a wild and unexpected ride.
In the tradition of Noir, this tale unfolds…complete with the imagery of darken streets and flashing neon signs…as our protagonist Charles Unwin rides is bike in the rain (it doesn’t always rain in Oregon, but it does in tales of noir) towards his subway rendezvous.
Unwin is an individual like all others in this story; well suited for his role in life, finding satisfaction in completing his reports with great exactitude and with an appropriate title, eating turkey and cheese on wheat every Wednesday, ferrying his umbrella on his daily travels. And, of course, Unwin is about to have his life….shaken.
All the elements of a proper Crime Noir are present from the femme fatale, named Cleopatra Greenwood, villainous twins, a dastardly deed, missing alarm clocks, and even a carnival. (I mean, a dubious carnival, in the rain, complete with chiaroscuro and maybe even a siren)
Goodreads classifies this as, among other things, steampunk and magical realism. I won’t admit to knowing what steampunk looks like, but I’m confident that there was some stretching of reality.
Will our hero complete his unsolicited quest? Can he meet this challenge, unprepared? Will he too fall to the dreamlike world of the seductress? And what happened to November 12th?
The dialogue is snappy. The plot is shifting. Revelations keep showing up. It’s witty. It’s pithy. It’s ….well, it’s darn clever.
mwgerard's review against another edition
2.0
Pretty disappointed. This had every potential to be great and it just kinda left me unsatisfied. Began with great promise then petered out. Too bad.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
A paranormal detective story that wasn't quite my thing. It was OK but nothing that interested me the slightest
jervonyc's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like this ought to be Terry Gilliam's next movie.
mrninjaviking's review against another edition
3.0
"The Manual of Detection" is the debut novel by Jedediah Berry. I found this copy at a Borders for six bucks on the remainder/bargain table. Had been contemplating buying it prior to this. The price couldn't be passed up.
From Publishers Weekly via Amazon.Com, per usual, here is the description:
One thing that I left out of the above review was this following statement:
Probably a good comparison. The novel has a many things going for it though that it shouldn't be pigeon-holed into just being like these two authors. It's a good mystery alone from what is lurking behind the shadows to make the story more involved and strange.
The story seems to go through a very dreamlike state, and that's when the characters are awake. There are times when they are sleep walking, or caught up and surrounded by those that are. This was something that I didn't expect and ultimately had me struggling to get through it. Maybe some of that was due to the slow pace at times of the story. It lent more to a surreal feeling, maybe better said, and my fondness for that is usually low.
Now, that's now to say it was a bad novel. Not at all. The concept was excellent. Some of the characters were enigmatic. Some of them were dark and mysterious. Some were just outright weird. The setting, without a real feel of time and place gave it real appeal. And Berry's prose and style worked very well with what he created. There's talent here. There is some really good stuff. Some sections were nearly brilliant. But overall my feeling is that it fell a bit flat.
Kudos though to Berry and those that came up with the layout of the book for being creative. "The Manual of Detection" is exactly that for the Agency. It is described that it looks just like the hardcover edition of this novel (which is without a dust jacket to give it a more authentic look). There are references to a certain page number and it falls into place in the story, as well as the number of chapters and their significance. Again, this shows the strong ideas that made this quite a debut novel.
Though I have mixed feelings of this novel, I think Berry is one to watch in the future, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to read his next outing.
From Publishers Weekly via Amazon.Com, per usual, here is the description:
Set in an unnamed city ...... Charles Unwin, a clerk who's toiled for years for the Pinkerton-like Agency, has meticulously catalogued the legendary cases of sleuth Travis Sivart. When Sivart disappears, Unwin, who's inexplicably promoted to the rank of detective, goes in search of him. While exploring the upper reaches of the Agency's labyrinthine headquarters, the paper pusher stumbles on a corpse. Aided by a narcoleptic assistant, he enters a surreal landscape where all the alarm clocks have been stolen. In the course of his inquiries, Unwin is shattered to realize that some of Sivart's greatest triumphs were empty ones, that his hero didn't always come up with the correct solution.
One thing that I left out of the above review was this following statement:
... Berry's ambitious debut reverberates with echoes of Kafka and Paul Auster.
Probably a good comparison. The novel has a many things going for it though that it shouldn't be pigeon-holed into just being like these two authors. It's a good mystery alone from what is lurking behind the shadows to make the story more involved and strange.
The story seems to go through a very dreamlike state, and that's when the characters are awake. There are times when they are sleep walking, or caught up and surrounded by those that are. This was something that I didn't expect and ultimately had me struggling to get through it. Maybe some of that was due to the slow pace at times of the story. It lent more to a surreal feeling, maybe better said, and my fondness for that is usually low.
Now, that's now to say it was a bad novel. Not at all. The concept was excellent. Some of the characters were enigmatic. Some of them were dark and mysterious. Some were just outright weird. The setting, without a real feel of time and place gave it real appeal. And Berry's prose and style worked very well with what he created. There's talent here. There is some really good stuff. Some sections were nearly brilliant. But overall my feeling is that it fell a bit flat.
Kudos though to Berry and those that came up with the layout of the book for being creative. "The Manual of Detection" is exactly that for the Agency. It is described that it looks just like the hardcover edition of this novel (which is without a dust jacket to give it a more authentic look). There are references to a certain page number and it falls into place in the story, as well as the number of chapters and their significance. Again, this shows the strong ideas that made this quite a debut novel.
Though I have mixed feelings of this novel, I think Berry is one to watch in the future, and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to read his next outing.