A review by hakimbriki
Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith

5.0

This was... glorious.

Imagine the humor of the TV series Red Dwarf, the surreal and ethereal tone of Michel Gondry and Terry Gilliam movies, the heroism of James Bond films, the heart and endearing characters of Stephen King novels... and a humongous dose of originality. Only Forward is all that, and much more.

Only Forward combines (very) fast-paced, groundbreaking plots with intelligent character development and noirish/science fiction themes. The novel's events take place in two fascinating locations: The City, a bizarre yet spellbinding place divided into several autonomous and extremely eccentric neighborhoods. There is a neighborhood for crazy workaholics, another one where any kind of noise is outlawed, and others which are populated by cats and where people keep trying to fling themselves into heaven by jumping on trampolines because they think their souls are frisby-shaped. The second place is called Jeamland, and it's where peple go when they dream. Our protagonist, known as Stark, lives in Color neighborhood; a district where a computer controls dynamic murals to complement the moods and clothes of the residents. He is a lovable, funny and fearless private investigator that is a wee bit secretive about his life in general. As the plot unweaves, we learn more and more about him, and at one point discover that the cheeky bastard is quite unreliable on the narration front... which I flat-out loved. Other than being the ideal son-in-law, Stark has access to Jeamland. He takes us with him on an adventure to save a citizen of the Center, the workaholic neighborhood, who was assumedly kidnapped in unclear circumstances. An adventure that will keep you guessing until the very, very end.

Aside from the incredible story-telling, fast pacing and sense of humor, Only Forward offers a lot of heartfelt moments, which complement a very solidly built story. Michael Marhsall Smith tugs at your heartstring in the most perfect moments, which make you want to hug the protagonist. This does not happen to me a lot. As you approach the end, you get a sense that the story is somehow incomplete... that the author will not be able to give us a decent ending in the 10 pages left, but fear not. He does a great job of keeping you awake until the very last chapter.

This book has immense poignancy and pathos. It is the kind of Sci-Fi which makes you oblivious to the actual science fiction (and fantasylike) elements in it. All you care about is Stark and his friends... and foes.