Scan barcode
A review by dustin_frueh7921
Black Friday by Alexander C. Irvine
5.0
The premise alone intrigued me. The fact that a good friend recommended it, and that it's a Tor.com original and therefore FREE, made this story all the more appealing. However, I never could have imagined just what [a:Alex Irvine|3399330|Alex Irvine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1285410376p2/3399330.jpg] had in store for his readers. Wow, man.
The prose is well-written, not at all choppy, with clear characterization of the Mugs (the family that I got to know fairly quickly, given its short duration.) Moreover, I grew to love and grieve with them. The pathos on display impressed and surprised me. Irving didn't limit his character development to the protagonists, either. There was a sense of most-if not all-- of the supporting cast. In short, the action is top-notch, reminiscent of a classic Jack Reacher novel. Cerebral. Disturbing not merely on a horror level (this wasn't horror, by the way,) but especially in relation to the world around us. It's the human condition at its worst. Incredibly profound and thought-provoking. Highly recommended!!
[b:The Running Man|11607|The Running Man|Richard Bachman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333160557s/11607.jpg|3652165] meets [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775] while expertly exploring the complications of the Bill of Rights and gun violence.
I cannot praise this enough, nor can I thank Tor.com and TL enough for making this possible.
Here's the link:
https://www.tor.com/2018/05/30/black-friday-alex-irvine/
The prose is well-written, not at all choppy, with clear characterization of the Mugs (the family that I got to know fairly quickly, given its short duration.) Moreover, I grew to love and grieve with them. The pathos on display impressed and surprised me. Irving didn't limit his character development to the protagonists, either. There was a sense of most-if not all-- of the supporting cast. In short, the action is top-notch, reminiscent of a classic Jack Reacher novel. Cerebral. Disturbing not merely on a horror level (this wasn't horror, by the way,) but especially in relation to the world around us. It's the human condition at its worst. Incredibly profound and thought-provoking. Highly recommended!!
[b:The Running Man|11607|The Running Man|Richard Bachman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1333160557s/11607.jpg|3652165] meets [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775] while expertly exploring the complications of the Bill of Rights and gun violence.
I cannot praise this enough, nor can I thank Tor.com and TL enough for making this possible.
Here's the link:
https://www.tor.com/2018/05/30/black-friday-alex-irvine/