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Jeff 's Reviews > Replay
Replay
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by
This one’s about time travel.
Now, as a reader of comic books, this phrase has a chilling effect on my brain, because time travel stories are usually (but not always) the last refuge of the unimaginative or gassed out writer, but this book has been sitting on my shelf for a while and heck, because Stephen King wasn’t available, even Dean Koontz has some nice things to say about it on a cover blurb.
The story unfolds like so: Henpecked, depressed dude dies in the middle of a phone call with his wife, he wakes up in his college dorm in 1963, he lives his life differently, dies again at the exact same date and time and wakes up circa 1963. He lives off money betting on sporting event outcomes he remembers and plays the stock market on his inside knowledge of companies that did well over his previous lifetime (IBM, Apple, etc.).
Because this last paragraph is the paraphrased back cover description we are coming up on Spoilertown. Take the exit ramp to the bypass now!
During one of his replays he meets a woman who also experiences the same phenomena and during their multiple lifetimes together they try to not only figure this stuff out but search for others who “replay� as well.
And they find one, but he’s a crazed serial killer who thinks his ability is a gift from aliens and he’s paying them back with human blood. Because I’m on the shallow side, I was thinking, damn, now these two are going to be chased down and forced to outwit a lunatic for the rest of their replayed lives. Woo Hoo!!!
Um, no. It was not to be.
It was back to hitting the familiar historical notes and taking a turn at amateur philosophizing and mixed metaphors and trying to lead a different life this time around.
If you’ve read Stephen King’s time travel book, 11/22/1963, you might recognize a few minor plot points - taking a run at stopping the Kennedy assassination, using sports betting as a way to make ends meet � something King did infinitely better. This book predates King’s by about 15 years.
Grimwood toys with some interesting concepts along the way, but never really gets to the “why�? Which is something I don't ordinarily complain about, I don't have to be spoon-fed everything. Here it just feels like a cheat - like going to your favorite restaurant in anticipation of a grand meal only to find that it was closed by the Board of Health.
Although, there’s some good story telling here and there, the book is weighed down with awkward dialogue, a chunky prose style and a nagging feeling that the author had a thesaurus handy � writing sentences that run smoothly until a jarring word choice makes the reader feel like they’ve just been smacked in the back of the head.
The ending is worthy of a throat punch.
If you loved the movie Groundhog Day (time-looping FTW!) or thought that 11/22/1963 was the bee’s knees, you may give a moment’s pause before you pick this tome up.
A really strong two and a half stars rounded down.
Now, as a reader of comic books, this phrase has a chilling effect on my brain, because time travel stories are usually (but not always) the last refuge of the unimaginative or gassed out writer, but this book has been sitting on my shelf for a while and heck, because Stephen King wasn’t available, even Dean Koontz has some nice things to say about it on a cover blurb.
The story unfolds like so: Henpecked, depressed dude dies in the middle of a phone call with his wife, he wakes up in his college dorm in 1963, he lives his life differently, dies again at the exact same date and time and wakes up circa 1963. He lives off money betting on sporting event outcomes he remembers and plays the stock market on his inside knowledge of companies that did well over his previous lifetime (IBM, Apple, etc.).
Because this last paragraph is the paraphrased back cover description we are coming up on Spoilertown. Take the exit ramp to the bypass now!
During one of his replays he meets a woman who also experiences the same phenomena and during their multiple lifetimes together they try to not only figure this stuff out but search for others who “replay� as well.
And they find one, but he’s a crazed serial killer who thinks his ability is a gift from aliens and he’s paying them back with human blood. Because I’m on the shallow side, I was thinking, damn, now these two are going to be chased down and forced to outwit a lunatic for the rest of their replayed lives. Woo Hoo!!!
Um, no. It was not to be.
It was back to hitting the familiar historical notes and taking a turn at amateur philosophizing and mixed metaphors and trying to lead a different life this time around.
If you’ve read Stephen King’s time travel book, 11/22/1963, you might recognize a few minor plot points - taking a run at stopping the Kennedy assassination, using sports betting as a way to make ends meet � something King did infinitely better. This book predates King’s by about 15 years.
Grimwood toys with some interesting concepts along the way, but never really gets to the “why�? Which is something I don't ordinarily complain about, I don't have to be spoon-fed everything. Here it just feels like a cheat - like going to your favorite restaurant in anticipation of a grand meal only to find that it was closed by the Board of Health.
Although, there’s some good story telling here and there, the book is weighed down with awkward dialogue, a chunky prose style and a nagging feeling that the author had a thesaurus handy � writing sentences that run smoothly until a jarring word choice makes the reader feel like they’ve just been smacked in the back of the head.
The ending is worthy of a throat punch.
If you loved the movie Groundhog Day (time-looping FTW!) or thought that 11/22/1963 was the bee’s knees, you may give a moment’s pause before you pick this tome up.
A really strong two and a half stars rounded down.
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Reading Progress
November 4, 2013
– Shelved
December 11, 2018
–
Started Reading
"
December 12, 2018
–
9.0%
"The premise: dude dies in 1988 and wakes up in 1963 � back when people weren’t ashamed to eat wieners in the open.
"
page
28
"
December 13, 2018
–
35.37%
"And it’s back to 1963. Again. And this time, at least the goat is happy.
"
page
110
"
December 18, 2018
–
70.74%
"“Way to work some deep thinking philosophic meaning of life crap into a book about time traveling�, said nobody, ever.
"
page
220
"
December 20, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-19 of 19 (19 new)
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by
Dan
(new)
Dec 20, 2018 10:19AM
I don't see a kindle edition of this. Did you read it caveman style? I might have to hit the used bookstore on the way home.
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I risked a paper cut and possible gangrene by reading this as books were meant to be read. I picked it up at a thrift store which doubled my chances of getting sepsis.
You might as well drop what you're doing and head to the doctor now as a precaution.
Dan wrote: "You might as well drop what you're doing and head to the doctor now as a precaution."Come to think about it, the book's last owner could have been a leper.
Dan wrote: "This one might be worth your time as far as time traveling time loop things ago:/book/show/1..."
I have added it for the next time I'm in the mood for time traveling.
Jeff wrote: "Dan wrote: "You might as well drop what you're doing and head to the doctor now as a precaution."Come to think about it, the book's last owner could have been a leper."
If your finger falls off, you can use it as a book mark.
Dan wrote: "If your finger falls off, you can use it as a book mark."The same could be said of my nose...
Thanks for the warning, Jeff! I took the exit and will return later.But man, I was really looking forward to this. Your rating does not bode well. :-( At least this is scheduled as a buddy-read.
Dennis wrote: "Thanks for the warning, Jeff! I took the exit and will return later.But man, I was really looking forward to this. Your rating does not bode well. :-( At least this is scheduled as a buddy-read."
With Trish? Then you'll at least have fun.
The best I can say about this book is it's uneven but did have it's moments
I'll read it with a friend that is not on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. But it's always fun with her as well. Even if the book isn't all that good. So that's a plus.We'll get to it presumably in February. Let's see if we like it a little better.
Ha! Ok, so I was intrigued enough to look the book up and find out what happened at the end. <--nice! I may actually read it.
Oh Anne! I'm not quite sure you're doing this the right way. *lol*
Anne wrote: "Ha! Ok, so I was intrigued enough to look the book up and find out what happened at the end. <--nice! I may actually read it."If you do, I'll eat my
It's timey-wimey without the pictures.
Miriam wrote: "Have you read Kei Sanbe's manga Erased, Vol. 1?"I'm not a manga guy, but his does look intriguing.
This doesn't have to many, er, manga effects, as I recall.
Okay, now February happened to be in March and I've finally read the book. I agree with most of the points you made and am especially annoyed at the cheap ending and the constantly missed opportunities for a more clever story.Now I'm in the mood for Groundhog Day. That's a lot more fun.
Not a bad book for a buddy read, though.
This is a premise that certainly had a lot to offer, but the author failed to deliver on.The book does lend itself for buddy read discussions though, misbegotten though it is.
