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Review: A Dark Matter by Peter Straub. 3* 02/27/2022

The book is a Post-20th Century novel. The concept of this book is about a tight-knit group of childhood friends who meet a cult leader and convinces them to help him open a portal to another world. The story has its own identity and concentrated on appealingly complicated literature and in a disorderly fashion, however, restrained and focused on metabolic breakdown of life, love and survival. I did like the structure, the characters, the themes and the language in the book. The author used the issue of genuine vs borrowed language.

Each of the characters stories differ in details and those differences gives the reader the insight into the characters who are telling their story. The characters themselves are both the greatest strength and also the greatest weakness of the story. If the reader is seeking a straight-up, good vs. evil, you probably won’t be happy with what you read here. There is plenty of good writing, layers of meanings, and a meditation seeking an understanding of what we are reading.

The novel isn’t supposed to be about a big shock. It’s about the creeping dread of secrets and past lives controlling our present. Another time and place out of this world. ( )

Ever since I started buying ebooks online, I've been forgetting to actually look inside the physical book I'm buying from the physical bookstore before I get home. Stupid mistake.

My tipping point was when the main character said that he was an author and therefore notices the words people use and doesn't like it when they're not eloquent! Shut up, [real] author!* Why isn't your writing nice and elegant?

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* meta! ( )

Rithöfundur byrjar að rannsaka atburð úr ævi vina sinna og eiginkonu sem hafði afdrifaríkar afleiðingar fyrir þau öll. Vinahópurinn hafði leiðst í dulspekiritúal með trúarleiðtoga á framhaldsskólaárum sínum sem hafði skelfilegar afleiðingar. Einn lést, sundurbitinn, annar hvarf, sá þriðji lenti á geðsjúkrahúsi og hinir neituðu að ræða atburðinn áratugum saman. Nú virðist tími til kominn að opna á þögnina og sagan lýsir því þegar höfundurinn nær upplifun þátttakenda smám saman upp á yfirborðið.
Brokkgeng saga og hæg. ( )

Very well written. More of a mystery/thriller than a horror book, in my opinion. Keeps you wondering what's next. ( )