What do you think?
Rate this book
25 Perfect Days #1
25 Perfect Days
Will you follow The Way or be crushed by the Controllers?
A totalitarian state doesn't just happen overnight. It's a slow, dangerous slide. 25 Perfect Days chronicles the path into a hellish future of food shortages, contaminated water, sweeping incarceration, an ultra-radical religion, and the extreme measures taken to reduce the population. Through twenty-five interlinked stories, each written from a different character's point of view, 25 Perfect Days captures the sacrifice, courage, and love needed to survive and eventually overcome this dystopian nightmare.
A totalitarian state doesn't just happen overnight. It's a slow, dangerous slide. 25 Perfect Days chronicles the path into a hellish future of food shortages, contaminated water, sweeping incarceration, an ultra-radical religion, and the extreme measures taken to reduce the population. Through twenty-five interlinked stories, each written from a different character's point of view, 25 Perfect Days captures the sacrifice, courage, and love needed to survive and eventually overcome this dystopian nightmare.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2013
27 people are currently reading
893 people want to read
About the author
Mark Tullius
63 books1,316 followersMy writing covers a wide range, with fiction being my favorite to create, with two dozen or so titles under my belt. There are 21 titles in my YA interactive Try Not to Die series and 30 more in the works. I also have two nonfiction titles, both inspired by a reckless lifestyle, playing Ivy League football, and battering the hell out of my brain as an unsuccessful MMA fighter and boxer. Unlocking the Cage is the largest sociological study of MMA fighters to date and TBI or CTE aims to spread awareness and hope to others that suffer with traumatic brain injury symptoms.
I live in sunny California with my wife, two kids, five cats, and one demon. Derek. He makes special appearance on my social media
You can also get your 3 free books by signing up to my newsletter. This letter is only for the brave, or at least those brave enough to deal with bad dad jokes, a crude sense of humor, and loads and loads of death.
Derek and I would love to have you join us!
Here are all my links -
Newsletter - https://subscribepage.io/TulliusNews
https://youcanfollow.me/MarkTullius
I live in sunny California with my wife, two kids, five cats, and one demon. Derek. He makes special appearance on my social media
You can also get your 3 free books by signing up to my newsletter. This letter is only for the brave, or at least those brave enough to deal with bad dad jokes, a crude sense of humor, and loads and loads of death.
Derek and I would love to have you join us!
Here are all my links -
Newsletter - https://subscribepage.io/TulliusNews
https://youcanfollow.me/MarkTullius
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
May 7, 2013
This review is from an Advance Readers Copy supplied free of charge by the author
In a post apocalyptic world life for the ordinary, like you and me, just sucks. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but in this group of short stories what doesn’t kill you is going to keep on trying until they do !!
Each story has a cast of characters that are trying to get by. In this world the religious leaders have determined they know best and as long as you agree with that doctrine you will be okay. You lose all your independence and most of your money and belongings but you survive. The religious dogma floats through most of the stories here.
The author drops in on his cast of characters at opportunistic times, reports what is happening, and then jumps forward one to four years.
All characters are not in each story, but there is a linkage between them.
It’s an interesting format for a story and each new story feels fresh yet familiar.
Recommended
In a post apocalyptic world life for the ordinary, like you and me, just sucks. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but in this group of short stories what doesn’t kill you is going to keep on trying until they do !!
Each story has a cast of characters that are trying to get by. In this world the religious leaders have determined they know best and as long as you agree with that doctrine you will be okay. You lose all your independence and most of your money and belongings but you survive. The religious dogma floats through most of the stories here.
The author drops in on his cast of characters at opportunistic times, reports what is happening, and then jumps forward one to four years.
All characters are not in each story, but there is a linkage between them.
It’s an interesting format for a story and each new story feels fresh yet familiar.
Recommended
May 23, 2013
Co-reviewed with MMOGC at The BiblioSanctum:
This is a collection of short stories bound together by the characters and events that become part of an ever more oppressive totalitarian state run by The Way (religion) and The Controllers (government). The controlling groups inflict more and more horrifying ways to control poverty, overpopulation and pollution.
I liked the way things gradually move into this dystopian future, rather than the usual way the reader is plopped into the chaos and has to learn as we go along. Here, we get to learn along with the characters as they are forced into ever worsening situations. The various forms of oppression presented are their own reasonably unique twists on many things we've seen before, such as the all powerful church combining with state. But some elements, like the weight requirements, are new to me. The chapter that introduces this is particularly shocking. It's frightening to consider the lengths people go to to remain under the ever decreasing weight cut off.
I like the entire concept of moving through these twenty-five days, spelling out this horrible world and the people within it. I like the way the chapters made you have to think and infer what the different situations meant in order to paint the overall picture of this society. I like the way the chapters intertwined with the ramifications of actions in the previous chapters weaving through the story, along with the various players.
Unfortunately, what I like about the book is also its major flaw. The brief chapters develop the world, but they don't strongly develop the story, and worse, it doesn't give me enough time with the characters. None of the characters really stick out for me enough to like their stories or the characters themselves because they aren't around long enough. There are characters that I wanted to like and know more about, like the Salazars, but because of the format of the book, we never get enough time with any of them and if we see them again, years have passed. Many of them have some really great moments, particularly the ones that sacrifice themselves to help others escape, but other than the obvious nature of their motivations, there just isn't enough depth to any of them. And since many show up in future chapters, it was a bit frustrating when other characters that I thought were important, didn't show up at all. By the end of the book, I was just confused with the names, feeling like I needed a spreadsheet on the wall to keep track of everyone. There is a character glossary in the back, but even that proved too confusing.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending, where we suddenly have new creatures to deal with. I didn't feel like this was as gradually developed as the other horrific aspects of this future and therefore when these creatures appeared, I had to check if I'd missed some pages. The end felt a bit rushed. It felt like it wanted to prepare for a sequel, but then changed its mind and decided to decimate the remaining characters to ensure an unhappy, reasonably hope-free ending.
I give this book a B for the effort, but the execution could use some more work to make it cleaner. The chapters could have used more fleshing out to, in turn, allow the characters to be more fleshed out. But I do love the concept and love that I was completely thrown off of my expectations with the very first chapter. I suppose I was expecting something a lot more pleasant from a book with the word "perfect" in the title!
This is a collection of short stories bound together by the characters and events that become part of an ever more oppressive totalitarian state run by The Way (religion) and The Controllers (government). The controlling groups inflict more and more horrifying ways to control poverty, overpopulation and pollution.
I liked the way things gradually move into this dystopian future, rather than the usual way the reader is plopped into the chaos and has to learn as we go along. Here, we get to learn along with the characters as they are forced into ever worsening situations. The various forms of oppression presented are their own reasonably unique twists on many things we've seen before, such as the all powerful church combining with state. But some elements, like the weight requirements, are new to me. The chapter that introduces this is particularly shocking. It's frightening to consider the lengths people go to to remain under the ever decreasing weight cut off.
I like the entire concept of moving through these twenty-five days, spelling out this horrible world and the people within it. I like the way the chapters made you have to think and infer what the different situations meant in order to paint the overall picture of this society. I like the way the chapters intertwined with the ramifications of actions in the previous chapters weaving through the story, along with the various players.
Unfortunately, what I like about the book is also its major flaw. The brief chapters develop the world, but they don't strongly develop the story, and worse, it doesn't give me enough time with the characters. None of the characters really stick out for me enough to like their stories or the characters themselves because they aren't around long enough. There are characters that I wanted to like and know more about, like the Salazars, but because of the format of the book, we never get enough time with any of them and if we see them again, years have passed. Many of them have some really great moments, particularly the ones that sacrifice themselves to help others escape, but other than the obvious nature of their motivations, there just isn't enough depth to any of them. And since many show up in future chapters, it was a bit frustrating when other characters that I thought were important, didn't show up at all. By the end of the book, I was just confused with the names, feeling like I needed a spreadsheet on the wall to keep track of everyone. There is a character glossary in the back, but even that proved too confusing.
I also wasn't a fan of the ending, where we suddenly have new creatures to deal with. I didn't feel like this was as gradually developed as the other horrific aspects of this future and therefore when these creatures appeared, I had to check if I'd missed some pages. The end felt a bit rushed. It felt like it wanted to prepare for a sequel, but then changed its mind and decided to decimate the remaining characters to ensure an unhappy, reasonably hope-free ending.
I give this book a B for the effort, but the execution could use some more work to make it cleaner. The chapters could have used more fleshing out to, in turn, allow the characters to be more fleshed out. But I do love the concept and love that I was completely thrown off of my expectations with the very first chapter. I suppose I was expecting something a lot more pleasant from a book with the word "perfect" in the title!
July 1, 2013
Firstly, a bit of back story and a rant.
For the record, I am a massive fan of the dystopic (and utopic) genre. I read absolutely loads of them; even those with a hint of a dystopian I will pick up and read. This all started back when I was about 12 and read George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four for the first time.
I also read a lot of YA and I was overjoyed the past couple of years to discover that YA had taken the dystopian to its bosom. Well, I was overjoyed at first. I’ve now read so many of the same wishy-washy nonsense that they have a tendency to blend into one. To me, it seems that those writing them (some, not all, I might add) noticed the popularity of dystopian themed books in the YA market and decided to jump on the band wagon without knowing what the hell ‘dystopian’ even meant. And don’t even get me started on the constant ‘insta-love’ scenarios within said novels.
So, when I saw this book on Netgalley I requested it immediately. It’s not aimed at the YA market but I decided to mention my dislike of these fake dystopian’s to use as a comparison to 25 Perfect Days. This book absolutely nails the genre, and each short story comprised within could easily be extended to a full length novel in my opinion.
Tullius has done a fantastic job in laying the groundwork in to what makes a dystopic society. I’ve often wondered how a society could become so blind-sighted and corrupt (and, dare I say, gullible) and how this corruption is thought to be the norm and accepted. Tullius has created a world which could so easily become a reality, and quite a horrifying one at that.
The book consists of 25 interlinking short stories and I particularly enjoyed trying to piece together and remember characters from previous stories. There is a short guide at the end of the book doing just that – turns out I had a few wrong, but was still fun reading through the guide itself and remembering their stories.
Each story adds another dimension to the nightmare unfolding and each is written superbly. Some are more horrifying than others but each story adds to the world Tullius has created (and I’m hoping not foretold).
This has been one of my favourite reads of 2013 and a book I will no doubt be buying to give out as presents.
An advance reader copy was kindly supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.
For the record, I am a massive fan of the dystopic (and utopic) genre. I read absolutely loads of them; even those with a hint of a dystopian I will pick up and read. This all started back when I was about 12 and read George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four for the first time.
I also read a lot of YA and I was overjoyed the past couple of years to discover that YA had taken the dystopian to its bosom. Well, I was overjoyed at first. I’ve now read so many of the same wishy-washy nonsense that they have a tendency to blend into one. To me, it seems that those writing them (some, not all, I might add) noticed the popularity of dystopian themed books in the YA market and decided to jump on the band wagon without knowing what the hell ‘dystopian’ even meant. And don’t even get me started on the constant ‘insta-love’ scenarios within said novels.
So, when I saw this book on Netgalley I requested it immediately. It’s not aimed at the YA market but I decided to mention my dislike of these fake dystopian’s to use as a comparison to 25 Perfect Days. This book absolutely nails the genre, and each short story comprised within could easily be extended to a full length novel in my opinion.
Tullius has done a fantastic job in laying the groundwork in to what makes a dystopic society. I’ve often wondered how a society could become so blind-sighted and corrupt (and, dare I say, gullible) and how this corruption is thought to be the norm and accepted. Tullius has created a world which could so easily become a reality, and quite a horrifying one at that.
The book consists of 25 interlinking short stories and I particularly enjoyed trying to piece together and remember characters from previous stories. There is a short guide at the end of the book doing just that – turns out I had a few wrong, but was still fun reading through the guide itself and remembering their stories.
Each story adds another dimension to the nightmare unfolding and each is written superbly. Some are more horrifying than others but each story adds to the world Tullius has created (and I’m hoping not foretold).
This has been one of my favourite reads of 2013 and a book I will no doubt be buying to give out as presents.
An advance reader copy was kindly supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.
October 18, 2013
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Totalitarianism doesn't happen suddenly. It begins in small ways - things that might seem fairly innocuous at first glance. Over time, however, the little things add up. Little things turn into big things, eventually becoming a way of life, with the church-state having complete control over the population. With 25 short stories taking place over a span of 40+ years, this book tells the tale of the decline of a merely imperfect society into a completely dystopian world.
I thought the author did an excellent job of building each new story onto the last. There were no major leaps here, only subtle shifts in time and events, making the descent of society perfectly believable. I loved that this book didn't just ask the reader to accept a dystopian world, but actually showed how it got to be that way in the first place.
Each chapter tells a story in a new character's point of view, but characters from previous chapters continue to reappear and play parts in the unfolding drama. I had a bit of a hard time keeping some of the characters' stories straight and had to go back to previous chapters to refresh my memory. There's a character list in the back of the book, but be warned: it contains spoilers. However, it will come in handy the next time I read this one.
I'd recommend this one without hesitation to any fan of dystopian fiction, or anyone who just wants a good (if somewhat depressing) read. I'll definitely be looking for more of this author's work.
Totalitarianism doesn't happen suddenly. It begins in small ways - things that might seem fairly innocuous at first glance. Over time, however, the little things add up. Little things turn into big things, eventually becoming a way of life, with the church-state having complete control over the population. With 25 short stories taking place over a span of 40+ years, this book tells the tale of the decline of a merely imperfect society into a completely dystopian world.
I thought the author did an excellent job of building each new story onto the last. There were no major leaps here, only subtle shifts in time and events, making the descent of society perfectly believable. I loved that this book didn't just ask the reader to accept a dystopian world, but actually showed how it got to be that way in the first place.
Each chapter tells a story in a new character's point of view, but characters from previous chapters continue to reappear and play parts in the unfolding drama. I had a bit of a hard time keeping some of the characters' stories straight and had to go back to previous chapters to refresh my memory. There's a character list in the back of the book, but be warned: it contains spoilers. However, it will come in handy the next time I read this one.
I'd recommend this one without hesitation to any fan of dystopian fiction, or anyone who just wants a good (if somewhat depressing) read. I'll definitely be looking for more of this author's work.
October 18, 2020
I'm a sucker with names so getting into the story was a little tough. Going trough the first 100 pages, the characters didn't get to much clearer to me.
Important to note here that I didn't see the authors note at the start, just under the chapter summery, I just scrolled (e-book format) past it. Would have made a big difference in the ease of following the story. Also, I think it would have been easier if the characters didn't have their names hidden in the begining. Thinking of the kids in the first chapter being Jeremy and justin, later on the helpful lady in the hospital being deborah,... The character list would have been better place at the start instead of just referenced.
Next to my struggling point. The story is very wel crafted, the amount of detail made it feel like the world exsisted before the story was written. Maybe a person with more perseption would have gotten the story straight from the first reading.
Their are moments in the story where it was clear what emotional depth was put into the characters.
"The men were gone, their clothes and weapons bunched on the floor, the walls undamaged.
*** felt guilty. At least with the primitive guns of the resistance, bodies could be buried. ***
just erased his enemies."
“If they
find you, run. If they trap you, fight. But never let them take you. Always save a bullet.”
Overal a great quality book, writen by somoeone skilled. But a book that would have gotten me better with a shorter list of characters. The story was better once I know the characters I was supposed to notice and remember.
Important to note here that I didn't see the authors note at the start, just under the chapter summery, I just scrolled (e-book format) past it. Would have made a big difference in the ease of following the story. Also, I think it would have been easier if the characters didn't have their names hidden in the begining. Thinking of the kids in the first chapter being Jeremy and justin, later on the helpful lady in the hospital being deborah,... The character list would have been better place at the start instead of just referenced.
Next to my struggling point. The story is very wel crafted, the amount of detail made it feel like the world exsisted before the story was written. Maybe a person with more perseption would have gotten the story straight from the first reading.
Their are moments in the story where it was clear what emotional depth was put into the characters.
"The men were gone, their clothes and weapons bunched on the floor, the walls undamaged.
*** felt guilty. At least with the primitive guns of the resistance, bodies could be buried. ***
just erased his enemies."
“If they
find you, run. If they trap you, fight. But never let them take you. Always save a bullet.”
Overal a great quality book, writen by somoeone skilled. But a book that would have gotten me better with a shorter list of characters. The story was better once I know the characters I was supposed to notice and remember.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2013
If this is to be our future, be afraid. Be very afraid. The author gives us a peek into a world that might be, and it is very dark indeed.
Who among us has not been annoyed by those wandering religious proselytizers coming to the door pushing their ubiquitous tracts and angling to come in and share a scripture? Now, flash forward 30 years or so. An ultra-radical religion is now firmly in place, it is The Way. Its missionaries recruit their church members by trolling the streets, a particle gun in one hand and a bible in the other. Almost makes you want to extend a warm welcome to the aforementioned others next time your doorbell rings. Almost.
Rights and privileges have been gradually taken away as the descent into this totalitarian state is realized. News reports are manufactured, population control is handled by sterilization, and weight limits are dictated and enforced (this program cleverly called The Reduction Act). Never has renewing a driver's license been fraught with such dread. You do not want to be 'non-renewed'. Trust me. This is how traffic congestion is kept to a minimum.
I borrowed this book from a Goodreads buddy who won it in a giveaway. Thank you to Mark Tullius for a job well done. Great read!
Who among us has not been annoyed by those wandering religious proselytizers coming to the door pushing their ubiquitous tracts and angling to come in and share a scripture? Now, flash forward 30 years or so. An ultra-radical religion is now firmly in place, it is The Way. Its missionaries recruit their church members by trolling the streets, a particle gun in one hand and a bible in the other. Almost makes you want to extend a warm welcome to the aforementioned others next time your doorbell rings. Almost.
Rights and privileges have been gradually taken away as the descent into this totalitarian state is realized. News reports are manufactured, population control is handled by sterilization, and weight limits are dictated and enforced (this program cleverly called The Reduction Act). Never has renewing a driver's license been fraught with such dread. You do not want to be 'non-renewed'. Trust me. This is how traffic congestion is kept to a minimum.
I borrowed this book from a Goodreads buddy who won it in a giveaway. Thank you to Mark Tullius for a job well done. Great read!
April 16, 2014
I can't remember why I originally requested this. I think I was originally drawn by the idea of the twenty-five interlocking stories. There's plenty of dystopia out there, but this seemed like it could be a new way of looking at the idea -- new by way of a different structure, if not in terms of ideas. In the end, it didn't come together for me: the eARC I downloaded was badly formatted, which didn't help, but editing seemed weak and the writing wasn't anything special.
I'm normally pretty demanding of short stories, so perhaps it's not particularly surprising that ultimately I was unimpressed. It lacked polish, really, and that combined with the fact that there was nothing particularly unique in these stories meant I struggled to finish it, even skimming it. I still like the idea of the structure, but it didn't work here.
I'm normally pretty demanding of short stories, so perhaps it's not particularly surprising that ultimately I was unimpressed. It lacked polish, really, and that combined with the fact that there was nothing particularly unique in these stories meant I struggled to finish it, even skimming it. I still like the idea of the structure, but it didn't work here.
April 2, 2013
Mark Tullius’s 25 PERFECT DAYS is a collection of short stories chronicling the gradual decimation of the world at the hands of a totalitarian regime. The stories are told in chronological order, from the spring of 2036 to Christmas Day, 2076, and are connected through several generations of recurring characters. This is a cautionary tale, warning readers of the dangers we face in allowing any government to curtail personal freedoms. Things in 25 PERFECT DAYS fall apart little by little until “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” no longer have any meaning.
This is definitely a frightening and disturbing look at what can happen when greed and power run amuck. The early stories play on recent political developments, suggesting that giving in to politicians who claim to have our best interests at heart can lead to ultimate disaster. In Tullius’s fractured society, a religious group called The Way, led by a megalomaniac calling himself the Preacher, works with the government to take control of personal income, regulate health and fitness, and reduce the population size. As in most dystopian novels, the oppressed people here are starving, terrorized, and forced to make inhumane choices just to survive. And many don’t – Tullius’s broad cast of characters face horrible ends even as some of them fight to change the world. Whether or not the world can be changed is never certain.
I found 25 PERFECT DAYS to be a very interesting examination of totalitarianism. At the same time, the novel’s politics isn’t easy to unravel. In the early stories, it’s clear that the Preacher and The Way are not reflective of any particular present day religion – the “real” religions (like Catholicism, which does play a role in the novel) are still out there in this world, however oppressed or forbidden, so there’s no suggestion here that any present-day religion was the model for the Preacher’s church. The Way is never really seen as a religion – God seems to play no role in its structure at all. In fact, the stories suggest that anti-religious attitudes, as well as liberal efforts to “redistribute wealth,” played a part in the rise of this particular dystopia. Early in the novel, The Way argues in favor of high taxes against the rich, claiming that the money will be used to help the poor and disenfranchised; however their goal is much less humanitarian and much more mercenary. Stripping the so-called “One Percent” of their financial advantage enables The Way and the government to take control of the country, eventually enacting laws that restrict who can drive a car, how much food people can eat, how much they can weigh, and whether or not they can have children. Is Tullius suggesting that present-day efforts to restrict the sales of sugary soft drinks and automatic weapons could result in a society that kills people because they’re too fat or because they dare to try to renew their drivers’ licenses?
Maybe. But by the middle of this book none of that matters, because both The Way and the government have become so corrupt and so outrageously perverse that whatever started it all isn’t really important. Do we want to live in a world where the DMV (under government/Way authority) not only issues drivers’ licenses but also determines whether we live or die? I don’t think so! By the time 25 PERFECT DAYS concludes, we’ve seen mass murder, forced serialization, grotesque forms of torture, and unbelievably horrible things happening to just about everyone. It just seems a little too over-the-top.
I liked many of the stories in 25 PERFECT DAYS, especially the earlier ones. In fact, the first story (“Five Minutes Alone”) is not only brilliantly written, but it is morally challenging in the same way Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” was challenging over fifty years ago. Not all of the stories are as good, however, and by the end I found myself losing track of who these characters are and why I should be interested in them (luckily for me Tullius includes a character list at the back of the book which helps keep everyone straight).
I do recommend this to people who enjoy dystopian fiction – there are definitely hints of classics like 1984 and BRAVE NEW WORLD here, as well as similarities to films like “Soylent Green,” “Blade Runner,” and “Children of Men.” But 25 PERFECT DAYS is an original take on the subject, and Tullius is a solid writer. The biggest question I have is whether Tullius believes that any curtailing of individual freedom spells doom for society. It’s an interesting question, one worth thinking about. And 25 PERFECT DAYS is definitely worth reading.
This is definitely a frightening and disturbing look at what can happen when greed and power run amuck. The early stories play on recent political developments, suggesting that giving in to politicians who claim to have our best interests at heart can lead to ultimate disaster. In Tullius’s fractured society, a religious group called The Way, led by a megalomaniac calling himself the Preacher, works with the government to take control of personal income, regulate health and fitness, and reduce the population size. As in most dystopian novels, the oppressed people here are starving, terrorized, and forced to make inhumane choices just to survive. And many don’t – Tullius’s broad cast of characters face horrible ends even as some of them fight to change the world. Whether or not the world can be changed is never certain.
I found 25 PERFECT DAYS to be a very interesting examination of totalitarianism. At the same time, the novel’s politics isn’t easy to unravel. In the early stories, it’s clear that the Preacher and The Way are not reflective of any particular present day religion – the “real” religions (like Catholicism, which does play a role in the novel) are still out there in this world, however oppressed or forbidden, so there’s no suggestion here that any present-day religion was the model for the Preacher’s church. The Way is never really seen as a religion – God seems to play no role in its structure at all. In fact, the stories suggest that anti-religious attitudes, as well as liberal efforts to “redistribute wealth,” played a part in the rise of this particular dystopia. Early in the novel, The Way argues in favor of high taxes against the rich, claiming that the money will be used to help the poor and disenfranchised; however their goal is much less humanitarian and much more mercenary. Stripping the so-called “One Percent” of their financial advantage enables The Way and the government to take control of the country, eventually enacting laws that restrict who can drive a car, how much food people can eat, how much they can weigh, and whether or not they can have children. Is Tullius suggesting that present-day efforts to restrict the sales of sugary soft drinks and automatic weapons could result in a society that kills people because they’re too fat or because they dare to try to renew their drivers’ licenses?
Maybe. But by the middle of this book none of that matters, because both The Way and the government have become so corrupt and so outrageously perverse that whatever started it all isn’t really important. Do we want to live in a world where the DMV (under government/Way authority) not only issues drivers’ licenses but also determines whether we live or die? I don’t think so! By the time 25 PERFECT DAYS concludes, we’ve seen mass murder, forced serialization, grotesque forms of torture, and unbelievably horrible things happening to just about everyone. It just seems a little too over-the-top.
I liked many of the stories in 25 PERFECT DAYS, especially the earlier ones. In fact, the first story (“Five Minutes Alone”) is not only brilliantly written, but it is morally challenging in the same way Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” was challenging over fifty years ago. Not all of the stories are as good, however, and by the end I found myself losing track of who these characters are and why I should be interested in them (luckily for me Tullius includes a character list at the back of the book which helps keep everyone straight).
I do recommend this to people who enjoy dystopian fiction – there are definitely hints of classics like 1984 and BRAVE NEW WORLD here, as well as similarities to films like “Soylent Green,” “Blade Runner,” and “Children of Men.” But 25 PERFECT DAYS is an original take on the subject, and Tullius is a solid writer. The biggest question I have is whether Tullius believes that any curtailing of individual freedom spells doom for society. It’s an interesting question, one worth thinking about. And 25 PERFECT DAYS is definitely worth reading.
July 8, 2013
This book is told in 25 short individual stories that are all interconnected to tell this story, which starts in the year 2036 and ends in 2076.
It's a very disturbing book in the sense that parts of it could happen. There is a breakdown in law in which there are no more trials for people. Overpopulation which is then controlled by the government in forced sterilisation among women as a start and then increasingly gets more violent and selective. Poisoned meat and medicated water supplies to decrease population and to make people happy little sheep. A militant religious organisation that not only controls the country but also takes away any babies born to women who can't afford to buy them from the government.
All in all a very deeply disturbing book that grabs you and makes you think about what is happening around you and just how much governments and rich organisations can control your life against your will. This was an incredible read that kept me up all night to finish it and then thinking about it.
It's a very disturbing book in the sense that parts of it could happen. There is a breakdown in law in which there are no more trials for people. Overpopulation which is then controlled by the government in forced sterilisation among women as a start and then increasingly gets more violent and selective. Poisoned meat and medicated water supplies to decrease population and to make people happy little sheep. A militant religious organisation that not only controls the country but also takes away any babies born to women who can't afford to buy them from the government.
All in all a very deeply disturbing book that grabs you and makes you think about what is happening around you and just how much governments and rich organisations can control your life against your will. This was an incredible read that kept me up all night to finish it and then thinking about it.
July 7, 2015
See the full review at The BiblioSanctum (co-reviewed with Wendyb!)
25 Perfect Days is a collection of twenty-five short stories all linked together in some way, each written from a different character's point of view. The book spans decades and generations, showing the decline of society into a totalitarian state where the government and a radical religion are one and the same, and overpopulation is leading to massive food shortages, congested cities and pollution. It's a scary look at how extreme measures to counter these problems can cost the people their personal freedoms.
As dystopian novels go, I thought Mark Tullius did a great job creating his disturbing vision of what could happen if a government is given too much power over its people. And usually when I read these kinds of books, the dystopia is already in place, as in whatever took place to bring the society to this state has already happened and is in the past. In 25 Perfect Days, however, we get to see an interpretation of the actual process, the slippery slope which leads to the downfall of a society. Like the book's blurb says, something like this simply doesn’t just happen overnight. It happens by degrees, and I thought the author's way of presenting the novel was a brilliant idea and also quite realistic.
Another aspect I liked about the book was its creative format, letting the story unfold over a series of short stories that each have their own focus, but are also interlinked through either events or the relationships between characters. It wasn't obvious at first, but after the first few stories, I think a bulb suddenly flashed on in my head and I understood. After that, trying to figure out the connections between the stories became an enjoyable part of the reading experience itself.
Of all the characters in the book, I think I liked Maria Salazar and her family the best. She was one of the more memorable characters, and since one of the major themes in this book is about the love and sacrifice needed to survive and overcome the tyranny, I thought the Salazars' stories were all perfect examples. One of the earlier chapters about Maria's fight to come up with the money to keep her newborn daughter was heartbreaking to read, especially for a mother. And then of course there was the story about Enrique and how he risked everything in order to procure food for his family, not to mention Vanessa Salazar, just an infant at the beginning of this book, who grows up to be a major part of the resistance along with her own child. Their family just seems to be quite central to the book.
While I liked the format with all the linked stories and the twenty-five perspectives, this also made it very hard to connect to any one character. For me, that's the most important thing to me as a reader. Like I said, there were some central characters or families that play a larger role or are more central to the overall story, but that left the more minor characters in the background. It was hard to keep track of the relationships, especially when it was a struggle to remember certain people. If it weren't for the list of characters and their connections at the end of the book, I wouldn't have been able to remember most of them on my own. I just think that in a book like this, where almost everyone and their stories are linked in some way or another, not being able to recall the details for some of them or why they're important diminishes the full effect somewhat.
Overall, 25 Perfect Days was a good read that kept me turning the pages and wondering how much worse this dystopian society could get. Though, I do think the writing could use a bit more tightening up, especially when it comes to the action scenes. Some of them were quite difficult to follow, especially when it comes to who does what and who speaks certain dialogue. Just some more description and detail into the setting and action would help me play the scenes out in my head and see them a lot clearer. Other than that, I really enjoyed this. It's nice to read a dystopian novel with elements in it that are more reminiscent of the classics.
25 Perfect Days is a collection of twenty-five short stories all linked together in some way, each written from a different character's point of view. The book spans decades and generations, showing the decline of society into a totalitarian state where the government and a radical religion are one and the same, and overpopulation is leading to massive food shortages, congested cities and pollution. It's a scary look at how extreme measures to counter these problems can cost the people their personal freedoms.
As dystopian novels go, I thought Mark Tullius did a great job creating his disturbing vision of what could happen if a government is given too much power over its people. And usually when I read these kinds of books, the dystopia is already in place, as in whatever took place to bring the society to this state has already happened and is in the past. In 25 Perfect Days, however, we get to see an interpretation of the actual process, the slippery slope which leads to the downfall of a society. Like the book's blurb says, something like this simply doesn’t just happen overnight. It happens by degrees, and I thought the author's way of presenting the novel was a brilliant idea and also quite realistic.
Another aspect I liked about the book was its creative format, letting the story unfold over a series of short stories that each have their own focus, but are also interlinked through either events or the relationships between characters. It wasn't obvious at first, but after the first few stories, I think a bulb suddenly flashed on in my head and I understood. After that, trying to figure out the connections between the stories became an enjoyable part of the reading experience itself.
Of all the characters in the book, I think I liked Maria Salazar and her family the best. She was one of the more memorable characters, and since one of the major themes in this book is about the love and sacrifice needed to survive and overcome the tyranny, I thought the Salazars' stories were all perfect examples. One of the earlier chapters about Maria's fight to come up with the money to keep her newborn daughter was heartbreaking to read, especially for a mother. And then of course there was the story about Enrique and how he risked everything in order to procure food for his family, not to mention Vanessa Salazar, just an infant at the beginning of this book, who grows up to be a major part of the resistance along with her own child. Their family just seems to be quite central to the book.
While I liked the format with all the linked stories and the twenty-five perspectives, this also made it very hard to connect to any one character. For me, that's the most important thing to me as a reader. Like I said, there were some central characters or families that play a larger role or are more central to the overall story, but that left the more minor characters in the background. It was hard to keep track of the relationships, especially when it was a struggle to remember certain people. If it weren't for the list of characters and their connections at the end of the book, I wouldn't have been able to remember most of them on my own. I just think that in a book like this, where almost everyone and their stories are linked in some way or another, not being able to recall the details for some of them or why they're important diminishes the full effect somewhat.
Overall, 25 Perfect Days was a good read that kept me turning the pages and wondering how much worse this dystopian society could get. Though, I do think the writing could use a bit more tightening up, especially when it comes to the action scenes. Some of them were quite difficult to follow, especially when it comes to who does what and who speaks certain dialogue. Just some more description and detail into the setting and action would help me play the scenes out in my head and see them a lot clearer. Other than that, I really enjoyed this. It's nice to read a dystopian novel with elements in it that are more reminiscent of the classics.
January 20, 2015
ABR's full 25 Perfect Days audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
First thoughts about the cover of 25 Perfect Days? That is a huge tunnel, the buildings in the background look like they are falling apart, and there is a huge cross with a black bird on it. Interesting. Black birds are said to be bad luck for some. Uh oh… Is that family doomed already!?
I wish I could pin-point a main character for this story, or even a few, but I cannot. There are lots of characters, lots of mini stories for each, and they all are weirdly connected. For the majority of the story most of the characters did not seem to fit into any pattern together other than living in a horrible society. It wasn’t till I was nearing the end that they seemed to tie in, to fit. I was more than a little confused for the majority of this book till I hit the end.
Over all, the Controllers are the antagonists for the majority of the story. They are there from a church called The Way. Imagine voting in a law that gave up control of laws, rules, people, everything to a single ruling party. That party is called The Way, which is supposedly a church. But they run on the bases of what’s good for the church is the end all be all. Take away more freedoms little by little, add in death for the greater good, death for minor rule breaking, and an underground rebellion trying to fight for their rights to simply survive.
The narrator is Dave Thompson. I enjoyed the easy flow of his voice. He helped bring the highs and lows to each character. It is because of his voice that I continued listening to this book even after it confused me with several different storyline tie ins. The author is Mark Tullius. The book is 7hrs and 37 minutes long. This is a very violent dystopian story. It shows a great point-of-view on how society crumbles little by little when people give up control. It perfectly shows how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This book left me with the knowledge that I would not willingly give up my rights. No one, not even a governing body, should be allowed to control every aspect of people’s lives. It is our rights to always keep those in power in check. “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” – Lenardo da Vinci.
Audiobook provided for review by the publisher.
First thoughts about the cover of 25 Perfect Days? That is a huge tunnel, the buildings in the background look like they are falling apart, and there is a huge cross with a black bird on it. Interesting. Black birds are said to be bad luck for some. Uh oh… Is that family doomed already!?
I wish I could pin-point a main character for this story, or even a few, but I cannot. There are lots of characters, lots of mini stories for each, and they all are weirdly connected. For the majority of the story most of the characters did not seem to fit into any pattern together other than living in a horrible society. It wasn’t till I was nearing the end that they seemed to tie in, to fit. I was more than a little confused for the majority of this book till I hit the end.
Over all, the Controllers are the antagonists for the majority of the story. They are there from a church called The Way. Imagine voting in a law that gave up control of laws, rules, people, everything to a single ruling party. That party is called The Way, which is supposedly a church. But they run on the bases of what’s good for the church is the end all be all. Take away more freedoms little by little, add in death for the greater good, death for minor rule breaking, and an underground rebellion trying to fight for their rights to simply survive.
The narrator is Dave Thompson. I enjoyed the easy flow of his voice. He helped bring the highs and lows to each character. It is because of his voice that I continued listening to this book even after it confused me with several different storyline tie ins. The author is Mark Tullius. The book is 7hrs and 37 minutes long. This is a very violent dystopian story. It shows a great point-of-view on how society crumbles little by little when people give up control. It perfectly shows how absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This book left me with the knowledge that I would not willingly give up my rights. No one, not even a governing body, should be allowed to control every aspect of people’s lives. It is our rights to always keep those in power in check. “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” – Lenardo da Vinci.
Audiobook provided for review by the publisher.
November 15, 2014
Wow!! What a brilliant idea for a book. I love the short stories interconnect to weave the bigger picture. The way the whole book flows is wonderfully engaging. I never wanted it to end.
I do not wish to give away too many details, because you really have to experience this book. It is a well crafted Dystopian society that is brilliant and terrifying at the same time. I was hooked on the first story and then blow away by one line at the end of the second. It just gets better from there.
It is much scarier than I expected. There are some seriously horrific topics covered. It was scary in a very real way. Each new story adds another level to the dark read. You would think through such short stories that a world could not be created with detail. Amazingly, that is not how it goes down. There is such a wealth of detail created through the connections.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Dave Thompson, who is terrific. He had quite a job of voicing all these stories. He keeps things distinct and brings fresh life to each new story. His energy and pace enhance the read. I really enjoyed his tone and would love to hear more of his work.
I noticed there is more to this book, perhaps even a series. I really hope it all comes out in audio. And i hope it has the same narrator and feel!
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
I do not wish to give away too many details, because you really have to experience this book. It is a well crafted Dystopian society that is brilliant and terrifying at the same time. I was hooked on the first story and then blow away by one line at the end of the second. It just gets better from there.
It is much scarier than I expected. There are some seriously horrific topics covered. It was scary in a very real way. Each new story adds another level to the dark read. You would think through such short stories that a world could not be created with detail. Amazingly, that is not how it goes down. There is such a wealth of detail created through the connections.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Dave Thompson, who is terrific. He had quite a job of voicing all these stories. He keeps things distinct and brings fresh life to each new story. His energy and pace enhance the read. I really enjoyed his tone and would love to hear more of his work.
I noticed there is more to this book, perhaps even a series. I really hope it all comes out in audio. And i hope it has the same narrator and feel!
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
September 1, 2013
1 star, only because you can't register 0 stars on GR. It's rare when I can't find a single thing I like about a book so I can talk about that, but unfortunately I struggled to find it in this book. I generally don't write all-bad or scathing reviews, but I found myself not able to escape it this time.
25 Perfect Days is a collection of 25 short stories interconnected by a cast of characters as we travel from 2036 to 2076, on the journey through the rise of the religious state in the USA, with it’s (maybe) eventual downfall. A dystopian, near-future story, author Mark Tullius attempts to examine issues such as population control, food shortages, radical religion, taxing, and health care.
While reading, and then as I finished, 25 Perfect Days, I struggled to come up with that redeeming quality. Even as I sat and pondered what I was going to say about this particular book after finishing it, I’m at a loss.
Let me elaborate, and let’s start with the world.
The important thing to do with creating a world for the purpose of any speculative fiction work is to give us the rules and boundaries of this world so the readers aren’t flailing around, with no idea for motivation.
Full review here.
25 Perfect Days is a collection of 25 short stories interconnected by a cast of characters as we travel from 2036 to 2076, on the journey through the rise of the religious state in the USA, with it’s (maybe) eventual downfall. A dystopian, near-future story, author Mark Tullius attempts to examine issues such as population control, food shortages, radical religion, taxing, and health care.
While reading, and then as I finished, 25 Perfect Days, I struggled to come up with that redeeming quality. Even as I sat and pondered what I was going to say about this particular book after finishing it, I’m at a loss.
Let me elaborate, and let’s start with the world.
The important thing to do with creating a world for the purpose of any speculative fiction work is to give us the rules and boundaries of this world so the readers aren’t flailing around, with no idea for motivation.
Full review here.
May 2, 2016
A fast-paced dystopian set in a future where a religious cult and the government are in cahoots and control the world (or at least North America). Written as a series of vignettes, each one taking place further and further into the future. The stories contain some of the same people and generations of the same families with the book beginning at the start of this cult becoming popular and ending with a completely totalitarian society and an underground movement set to take it down. Because of the episodic nature of each chapter the book has no character development nor characters who stay around long enough to become attached to so that is one thing I missed as I am a character driven reader. However, it's a unique device to tell a story and I was well invested in this nightmarish dystopia which had many possibilities that could become realities if present day society continues on its present course. Of course, there are many far-fetched elements also but altogether it presents a plausible, frightening look into a bleak dictatorial future where one power controls the people's lives. The book was well-written and a page-turner. I'd read more from the author.
May 13, 2013
25 Perfect Days
By Mark Tullius
Never have a read a book quite like this. Mark spins twenty-five short stories and in that is a feat in itself. However, it gets even better! He builds a foundation and then weaves his magic in 25 unique ways to tell the story of what it looks like with a world gone crazy. Not just crazy…Totalitarian, or in other words, the government controls, manipulates, and has their way with all things human and inhuman.
Imagine your world is not private anymore. Your choices are not yours anymore. Oh, it gets so much worse. I was really intrigued by some of the brilliant ideas Mark used in some of his stories. I have some favorites, and I am confident if you read this book you will find some of your own as well.
This book gets a total 10/10 for creativity and uniqueness all the way around!
www.bitemybook.com
By Mark Tullius
Never have a read a book quite like this. Mark spins twenty-five short stories and in that is a feat in itself. However, it gets even better! He builds a foundation and then weaves his magic in 25 unique ways to tell the story of what it looks like with a world gone crazy. Not just crazy…Totalitarian, or in other words, the government controls, manipulates, and has their way with all things human and inhuman.
Imagine your world is not private anymore. Your choices are not yours anymore. Oh, it gets so much worse. I was really intrigued by some of the brilliant ideas Mark used in some of his stories. I have some favorites, and I am confident if you read this book you will find some of your own as well.
This book gets a total 10/10 for creativity and uniqueness all the way around!
www.bitemybook.com
June 21, 2015
This book deserves a lot more recognition and press than it's currently getting. It's one of the most original books in the genre I've ever read. 25 Perfect Days is realistic. Little changes over time lead to a crumbling society; there isn't One Big Event that occurs.
While the book is made up of 25 stand alone stories, many of the characters appear more than once. This makes the stories more emotional (you get more invested in these characters) and it highlights how short the timeline is.
Tullius seems to love writing part of the story and forcing the reader to connect the dots for themselves. This can be frustrating but the payoff is worth it.
I want to note my favorite story, Four Percent. Tullius took something as routine and mundane as going to the DMV and with a few short paragraphs makes your blood run cold. Incredible writing.
While the book is made up of 25 stand alone stories, many of the characters appear more than once. This makes the stories more emotional (you get more invested in these characters) and it highlights how short the timeline is.
Tullius seems to love writing part of the story and forcing the reader to connect the dots for themselves. This can be frustrating but the payoff is worth it.
I want to note my favorite story, Four Percent. Tullius took something as routine and mundane as going to the DMV and with a few short paragraphs makes your blood run cold. Incredible writing.
February 9, 2019
Well, when I saw the title of this book, I honestly didn't think it would have the content it has.
25 perfect days is a dystopian,
it contains stories with almost the same characters or some how the characters are connected.
it depicts a society which is going through very terrible times. so much poverty, so much struggle, lack of empathy and lots of men who are lovers of themselves. This book depicts end times, so much rot and a very despicable society which I am even afraid to think of. The Animal farm ain't got nothing on this one.
Yet still, the author relays the stories in a very intelligent and interesting way. There are some of those stories I read twice to understand what he was insinuating.
This was a good read and a reminder to work hard to prevent us from finding ourselves in such precarious times.
25 perfect days is a dystopian,
it contains stories with almost the same characters or some how the characters are connected.
it depicts a society which is going through very terrible times. so much poverty, so much struggle, lack of empathy and lots of men who are lovers of themselves. This book depicts end times, so much rot and a very despicable society which I am even afraid to think of. The Animal farm ain't got nothing on this one.
Yet still, the author relays the stories in a very intelligent and interesting way. There are some of those stories I read twice to understand what he was insinuating.
This was a good read and a reminder to work hard to prevent us from finding ourselves in such precarious times.
Want to read
July 6, 2013(Disclaimer: This is a review of the first story FIVE MINUTES ALONE in the anthology and not all 25, thus I'm not attaching a "rating" to the review.)
It’s pretty impressive how the author revealed clue after clue about what the 5 minutes meant and I didn’t “get it” until the last couple of paragraphs. I actually re-read the story and knowing the ending it just completely felt like I was reading a whole different story. It’s like watching the Sixth Sense and knowing he’s dead. FIVE MINUTES ALONE is a superb short story and if it is any indication of the rest of the book, 25 PERFECT DAYS will be unlike anything else you have ever read.
The writing is clunky in one or two of the sentences, but otherwise great characters and story execution.
It’s pretty impressive how the author revealed clue after clue about what the 5 minutes meant and I didn’t “get it” until the last couple of paragraphs. I actually re-read the story and knowing the ending it just completely felt like I was reading a whole different story. It’s like watching the Sixth Sense and knowing he’s dead. FIVE MINUTES ALONE is a superb short story and if it is any indication of the rest of the book, 25 PERFECT DAYS will be unlike anything else you have ever read.
The writing is clunky in one or two of the sentences, but otherwise great characters and story execution.
December 4, 2013
I borrowed this from a friend that won this as a first reads giveaway.
I liked several of the stories, lukewarm about a few of the stories. I think this was a very interesting take on the approach to writing a dystopian novel. I think it was more relevant than most.
I liked several of the stories, lukewarm about a few of the stories. I think this was a very interesting take on the approach to writing a dystopian novel. I think it was more relevant than most.
September 13, 2018
Terrifying!
A fast paced, bleak, frightening look into the future. Loved the characters and how their lives were intimately connected. Couldn't put this book down.
A fast paced, bleak, frightening look into the future. Loved the characters and how their lives were intimately connected. Couldn't put this book down.
March 23, 2013
25 Perfect Days: Mark Tullius
Would you want to live in fear, face oppression or lead a life where you are dehumanized, manipulated and controlled by others? Would you want to be part of this imaginary place where your life and everyday being is planned and orchestrated by others? What would you do if you lived in a world where the government made all of your decisions, your individual rights were taken away and the end result would be a world where the government controls absolute authority and centralized control over every part of your life where you and everyone else are subordinated to the state and if you dare to go against or oppose their doctrines, ideals, political views or cultural mores you will be more than just silenced or suppressed? People do not realize when change is about to occur and subtle and covert things happen and we often take a while or backseat and wait to find out the outcome. But, we need to keep our eyes wide opened, our minds clear or what you are about to learn about will not be fiction but fact as the author of 25 Perfect Days takes the reader on a road, not one you want to travel into a world that no one wants to live in. How will you survive if the world has contaminated water, food storages that cannot be rectified, a religion that you are forced to follow and some who feel that only the elite deserve to live and rest need to be eliminated. Hitler killed and exterminated along with many others. Those who would not hesitate to imprison those whom they considered dissenters led what would happen if the world as you knows it?
Would you live in a world where you would be oppressed? Would you want to live with higher taxes, a health care system that did not provide what you need and as they did in many of the concentration camps experiment on people? What would you do if all that you heard on the news were what they wanted you to hear and not the truth? Let’s begin our journey and you decide whether you will fight back or become one of them.
What would you do if you came face to face with a murdered, rapist, killer for five minutes? At the end of the first of the 25 stories you have to decide for yourself what you would do if you came face to face with a killer who raped and murdered your child or sister. The story Five Minutes Alone starts the reader on a journey that will take you inside the minds of many people that control your every move, life and decide whether you live or die. Many will be terminated, exterminated because they dare to express their own feelings, go against what is expected, want to have a child or dare to want to keep their child and not give it to the cult called The Way. Each story interlocks with the ones coming before it and the events are chronicled over a forty- year period. Each reverting back to that terrifying five minutes where decisions were made and many lives changed. What happens to Jeremy and Justin the two brothers whose sister was murdered? Find out where they wind up when you read Fourteen Angry Marchers and learn part of Justin’s fate and understand what happens to Jeremy when you read Thirteenth on the List but their stories are far from over and their fate not sealed until they meet again and in the story titled Eleven Times More Likely. The first story begins in 2036 and the next you find yourself dealing with Angry Marchers one year later. The time spans of these events change but the messages are loud and clear as people no longer have the right to bring up their own children, some are placed in cages hoping to be taken and cared for and others will never see the light of day. Families are separated and children sent to live with and become servants of the Way. Others live in fear of the Controllers and that they will be able to detect and hear their every word and eliminate them. Some are tortured at the hands of those in charge while others are connected. Weight and height specifications determine whether you are live or die. Food that is contaminated, water that is not purified, health care and medical care to those that can afford it, fear reigns and young children forced into slavery.
What would you do if your food were genetically modified, if experiments were done on you or your children to benefit those in charge? What would you do if you have to pay higher taxes, could not speak your mind, worried about what you said about the government or dared to rebel?
Welcome to a world where everyone is programmed to do what others tell them to and where those that disagree will not see the light of another day. But what happens when some do not care and defy the authority of others? Correction officers who inflict pain on others. A man named John Longely that will inspire you and whose son becomes a Disciple but why? A man named Julio who goes to the DMV with his sister and is arrested for buying bleach. Imagine having to decapitate your limbs in order to fit the weight requirements set by those in charge. Imagine having to deal with body scanners, weapons and inhuman treatment as part of your daily life? Imagine a man who thinks he is God and runs a cult called the Way and says he is doing everything for the benefit of mankind. What about those that live their lives hoping to escape but sacrifice themselves for their family?
Reality or fiction? Are we blind to what might really happen? Could anyone fight back and rebel? Each story reverts back to that precious five minutes when four people had the chance to take matters into their own hands and what happens you just won’t believe. Is it love, faith, courage, brainwashing, fear, hate or just plain complacency that allowed this to happen? Would you be able to live in a dystopian society? The stories deal with the lives of many different people whose voices you hear throughout the book and whose feelings and thoughts will surprise and astound the reader as they weave a plot so intricate and deadly you won’t know what the final outcome is for society and the world until you read the last page and wonder if the author has more to come for these people and possibly 25 more days into the future to see what comes next.
Should the government tell you how much you are allowed to weigh, what you are allowed to eat and if you are allowed to drive a car and get a license? What about the fact that this government allows only a certain percentage to drive, where they work and overpopulation is controlled through sterilization and mass extermination. The Way is the religious group at the center of this corrupt and dysfunctional world. Twenty- five perfect days or forty years to find yourself living a permanent nightmare. You decide when you read this novel. Characters that are unique, vividly described and a story that will keep you wondering: Fact or Fiction? Real or Imaginary? Could you live through these 25 Perfect Days? What’s your definition of Perfect?
I read this book in one hour and could not put it down. It is thought provoking and gives the reader much pause for thought.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
Would you want to live in fear, face oppression or lead a life where you are dehumanized, manipulated and controlled by others? Would you want to be part of this imaginary place where your life and everyday being is planned and orchestrated by others? What would you do if you lived in a world where the government made all of your decisions, your individual rights were taken away and the end result would be a world where the government controls absolute authority and centralized control over every part of your life where you and everyone else are subordinated to the state and if you dare to go against or oppose their doctrines, ideals, political views or cultural mores you will be more than just silenced or suppressed? People do not realize when change is about to occur and subtle and covert things happen and we often take a while or backseat and wait to find out the outcome. But, we need to keep our eyes wide opened, our minds clear or what you are about to learn about will not be fiction but fact as the author of 25 Perfect Days takes the reader on a road, not one you want to travel into a world that no one wants to live in. How will you survive if the world has contaminated water, food storages that cannot be rectified, a religion that you are forced to follow and some who feel that only the elite deserve to live and rest need to be eliminated. Hitler killed and exterminated along with many others. Those who would not hesitate to imprison those whom they considered dissenters led what would happen if the world as you knows it?
Would you live in a world where you would be oppressed? Would you want to live with higher taxes, a health care system that did not provide what you need and as they did in many of the concentration camps experiment on people? What would you do if all that you heard on the news were what they wanted you to hear and not the truth? Let’s begin our journey and you decide whether you will fight back or become one of them.
What would you do if you came face to face with a murdered, rapist, killer for five minutes? At the end of the first of the 25 stories you have to decide for yourself what you would do if you came face to face with a killer who raped and murdered your child or sister. The story Five Minutes Alone starts the reader on a journey that will take you inside the minds of many people that control your every move, life and decide whether you live or die. Many will be terminated, exterminated because they dare to express their own feelings, go against what is expected, want to have a child or dare to want to keep their child and not give it to the cult called The Way. Each story interlocks with the ones coming before it and the events are chronicled over a forty- year period. Each reverting back to that terrifying five minutes where decisions were made and many lives changed. What happens to Jeremy and Justin the two brothers whose sister was murdered? Find out where they wind up when you read Fourteen Angry Marchers and learn part of Justin’s fate and understand what happens to Jeremy when you read Thirteenth on the List but their stories are far from over and their fate not sealed until they meet again and in the story titled Eleven Times More Likely. The first story begins in 2036 and the next you find yourself dealing with Angry Marchers one year later. The time spans of these events change but the messages are loud and clear as people no longer have the right to bring up their own children, some are placed in cages hoping to be taken and cared for and others will never see the light of day. Families are separated and children sent to live with and become servants of the Way. Others live in fear of the Controllers and that they will be able to detect and hear their every word and eliminate them. Some are tortured at the hands of those in charge while others are connected. Weight and height specifications determine whether you are live or die. Food that is contaminated, water that is not purified, health care and medical care to those that can afford it, fear reigns and young children forced into slavery.
What would you do if your food were genetically modified, if experiments were done on you or your children to benefit those in charge? What would you do if you have to pay higher taxes, could not speak your mind, worried about what you said about the government or dared to rebel?
Welcome to a world where everyone is programmed to do what others tell them to and where those that disagree will not see the light of another day. But what happens when some do not care and defy the authority of others? Correction officers who inflict pain on others. A man named John Longely that will inspire you and whose son becomes a Disciple but why? A man named Julio who goes to the DMV with his sister and is arrested for buying bleach. Imagine having to decapitate your limbs in order to fit the weight requirements set by those in charge. Imagine having to deal with body scanners, weapons and inhuman treatment as part of your daily life? Imagine a man who thinks he is God and runs a cult called the Way and says he is doing everything for the benefit of mankind. What about those that live their lives hoping to escape but sacrifice themselves for their family?
Reality or fiction? Are we blind to what might really happen? Could anyone fight back and rebel? Each story reverts back to that precious five minutes when four people had the chance to take matters into their own hands and what happens you just won’t believe. Is it love, faith, courage, brainwashing, fear, hate or just plain complacency that allowed this to happen? Would you be able to live in a dystopian society? The stories deal with the lives of many different people whose voices you hear throughout the book and whose feelings and thoughts will surprise and astound the reader as they weave a plot so intricate and deadly you won’t know what the final outcome is for society and the world until you read the last page and wonder if the author has more to come for these people and possibly 25 more days into the future to see what comes next.
Should the government tell you how much you are allowed to weigh, what you are allowed to eat and if you are allowed to drive a car and get a license? What about the fact that this government allows only a certain percentage to drive, where they work and overpopulation is controlled through sterilization and mass extermination. The Way is the religious group at the center of this corrupt and dysfunctional world. Twenty- five perfect days or forty years to find yourself living a permanent nightmare. You decide when you read this novel. Characters that are unique, vividly described and a story that will keep you wondering: Fact or Fiction? Real or Imaginary? Could you live through these 25 Perfect Days? What’s your definition of Perfect?
I read this book in one hour and could not put it down. It is thought provoking and gives the reader much pause for thought.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
August 1, 2024
‘25 Perfect Days’ by Mark Tullius is a dystopian collection of short stories about a not too distant America.
The stories in this collection are about days that are far from ‘perfect.’ They show a country in decline as climate changes, the country becomes ruled by a megalomaniacal theocracy, and new terrifying weapons are created. There are lotteries for driver licenses, quotas for body mass, and no tolerance for non-compliance. The stories are chronologically placed and linked by character. There is a cast of characters at the back of the book that would have helped me as I read the book.
This book is dark and bleak. There are some glimmers of hope but even those get dimmed and put out. The stories are well written and certainly a cautionary tale. I like dystopian fiction and this was written well.
The stories in this collection are about days that are far from ‘perfect.’ They show a country in decline as climate changes, the country becomes ruled by a megalomaniacal theocracy, and new terrifying weapons are created. There are lotteries for driver licenses, quotas for body mass, and no tolerance for non-compliance. The stories are chronologically placed and linked by character. There is a cast of characters at the back of the book that would have helped me as I read the book.
This book is dark and bleak. There are some glimmers of hope but even those get dimmed and put out. The stories are well written and certainly a cautionary tale. I like dystopian fiction and this was written well.
June 7, 2013
"Of course I don't have a problem with the Controllers. No one ever does. No one ever should. They've done such a great job with everything."
** Disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book. This has in no way influenced my review. **
When I saw an opportunity for a review copy of this book I was very intrigued. The synopsis sounded amazing. But it was partially described as "horror," which is not a genre I enjoy. I asked for some clarification and the author graciously addressed my concerns by clarifying that it was more dystopian science fiction than horror, and that the first story, 5 Minutes Alone, was about as graphic as the book got and was (and currently still is) available to read on his website if I'd like to try it out.
I obviously did, and I'm very glad. 5 Minutes Alone (and the book in general) is very dark, and has some detailed violence, but it is always with purpose to story and I fully agree that 25 Perfect Days is much more dystopian sci-fi than horror.
It isn't a novel in the traditional sense, with a single narrative following a few characters. Instead 25 Perfect Days an intricate series of twenty-five interconnected short stories told over the course of forty years, each with a different point of view character. The individual tales are complete on their own, but the large cast overlaps between them via appearances or relations and everything combines to present a vivid picture of a world crumbling around it's inhabitants. We watch a totalitarian state evolve in pieces and from every angle, ranging from those being trampled underfoot to those reaping the benefits and a vast assortment of those caught between.
The regime that descends on the world is incredibly extreme, but built logically and organically such that it always retains a touch of uncomfortable plausibility despite it's drastic nature. The key to this is the skill with which the characters actions and emotions are kept realistic in hyperrealistic settings and situations. The dilemmas and hard choices facing this world's inhabitants are chilling and unsettling, but at the same time engrossing. This is largely because while nightmarish vision of the future presented is wonderfully done, Tullius remembers that the most important of the book are the characters and how they are affected by it. Their troubles are heart-wrenching and the depths within which determination and hope arise from compelling.
One of the things I liked best about this collection and its unique structure is that each story is allowed to shine on it's own. They are all important, because they are all about someone's personal stake in this world and the focus remains there. The overarching narrative is present, but never overwhelms the particular story you're reading at the time with excessive recaps or superfluous information. This means to follow everything from story to story you have to be paying close attention (I often had to flip back to prior stories when I felt I'd seen a particular character briefly before and wanted to know where), but it really adds to the strength of the work.
And the fact that it all DOES still connect and resonate logically speaks highly of the writer's skill. From pacing to word choice to character development to layering I loved everything about the writing style. Smooth reading with vivd descriptions from start to finish. There's also a nice "cast of characters" summary at the end that helps solidify the links between all the stories once you've finished.
To top it all off the level of imagination on display is astounding. The particulars of the totalitarian state that develops are quite original and suitably horrifying. I was quite surprised a number of developments throughout the book as they veered off in unexpected directions. Even the couple of stories that I felt were a touch off from the atmosphere/tone of the rest (like "Fifteen") were extremely original in execution and well done in their own right.
As should be obvious at this point I loved 25 Perfect Days and highly recommend it to anyone who likes thought provoking fiction and/or dystopian stories in general.
** Disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book. This has in no way influenced my review. **
When I saw an opportunity for a review copy of this book I was very intrigued. The synopsis sounded amazing. But it was partially described as "horror," which is not a genre I enjoy. I asked for some clarification and the author graciously addressed my concerns by clarifying that it was more dystopian science fiction than horror, and that the first story, 5 Minutes Alone, was about as graphic as the book got and was (and currently still is) available to read on his website if I'd like to try it out.
I obviously did, and I'm very glad. 5 Minutes Alone (and the book in general) is very dark, and has some detailed violence, but it is always with purpose to story and I fully agree that 25 Perfect Days is much more dystopian sci-fi than horror.
It isn't a novel in the traditional sense, with a single narrative following a few characters. Instead 25 Perfect Days an intricate series of twenty-five interconnected short stories told over the course of forty years, each with a different point of view character. The individual tales are complete on their own, but the large cast overlaps between them via appearances or relations and everything combines to present a vivid picture of a world crumbling around it's inhabitants. We watch a totalitarian state evolve in pieces and from every angle, ranging from those being trampled underfoot to those reaping the benefits and a vast assortment of those caught between.
The regime that descends on the world is incredibly extreme, but built logically and organically such that it always retains a touch of uncomfortable plausibility despite it's drastic nature. The key to this is the skill with which the characters actions and emotions are kept realistic in hyperrealistic settings and situations. The dilemmas and hard choices facing this world's inhabitants are chilling and unsettling, but at the same time engrossing. This is largely because while nightmarish vision of the future presented is wonderfully done, Tullius remembers that the most important of the book are the characters and how they are affected by it. Their troubles are heart-wrenching and the depths within which determination and hope arise from compelling.
One of the things I liked best about this collection and its unique structure is that each story is allowed to shine on it's own. They are all important, because they are all about someone's personal stake in this world and the focus remains there. The overarching narrative is present, but never overwhelms the particular story you're reading at the time with excessive recaps or superfluous information. This means to follow everything from story to story you have to be paying close attention (I often had to flip back to prior stories when I felt I'd seen a particular character briefly before and wanted to know where), but it really adds to the strength of the work.
And the fact that it all DOES still connect and resonate logically speaks highly of the writer's skill. From pacing to word choice to character development to layering I loved everything about the writing style. Smooth reading with vivd descriptions from start to finish. There's also a nice "cast of characters" summary at the end that helps solidify the links between all the stories once you've finished.
To top it all off the level of imagination on display is astounding. The particulars of the totalitarian state that develops are quite original and suitably horrifying. I was quite surprised a number of developments throughout the book as they veered off in unexpected directions. Even the couple of stories that I felt were a touch off from the atmosphere/tone of the rest (like "Fifteen") were extremely original in execution and well done in their own right.
As should be obvious at this point I loved 25 Perfect Days and highly recommend it to anyone who likes thought provoking fiction and/or dystopian stories in general.
July 26, 2013
3.5 out of 5
Too far fetched? A touch paranoiac ? Think North Korea, Saudi Arabia, China, Syria, Hitler, and you will see a semblance of these practices for a regime to control the masses. Any word said against the State, religeous order, government, or attempt to rebel is met with violence, imprisonment, torture and even death.
25 perfect days is twenty five chapters of interlinked stories about the characters related or known to each other in some form or other over a 40 year period. It opens with '5 Minutes Alone' where Olsen has raped and murdered Jenny a 13 year old. Her family, The Adams, have all been granted 5 minutes alone with Olsen in his cell. Prior to the visit, Olsen's family have pleaded and begged on several occasions to forgive him. Their pleas go unread and destroyed.
The Adams' choice will set in motion the slow but constant downslide into chaos of the nation. A choice that will affect everyone's freedom of choice, speech, individuality, rights and thoughts. Religion will merge with the government to evolving into 'The Way' and 'The Controllers'. Inch by inch lives will be ever more controlled. The population is controlled by either voluntary or forced sterilisation; children forcibly removed and adopted into 'The Way'.
You are asked what you might do in similar circumstances if you were the family of the victim. What you do could have a catastrophic effect for the future of your country and the morality of its people.
Each of the character's actions have a cause and effect which generally result in severe consequences for everyone as 'The Way' tighten its grip on all aspects of human life.
Loss of freedom, human rights, every aspect of life is controlled and manipulated by 'The Way'. People are divided into 2 groups, 'them or us' with the chosen living in 'The City of Light' with clear blue skies and the others in 'The Districts' with an atmosphere of choking grey ash and crumbling destruction all around. Where uncontaminated food is hard to find and where a priest might be imprisoned for supplying food to the starving. No one will escape, all live in fear of 'The Way' and 'The Controllers'. A wrong word, action or thought will eventually be reported and invoke punishment by death.
All in all I really enjoyed reading this one, however, I did became disoriented with the multitude of characters. There is a glossary at the end of the book which I tried to ignore due to some plot spoilers and instead made notes on each chapter of the characters noting their relationship to each other. Although this didn't detract my enjoyment of the novel I did miss getting to know more about certain characters of interest and building a relationship with them. The result was flat card board characters on many occasions and I would have liked the author to concentrate on a smaller group of characters developing and fleshing them out more. It was a pretty fast read even with the complexities of the characters relationships. My notes definitely helped and reading the glossary at the end was immensely useful to fill in some of the gaps.
Mark Tullius has created a disturbing dystopian nightmare. This is an intelligent and fun read with a cautionary tale about the dangers of just going with the flow and not questioning what secret covert agendas are in practice behind the promises we are made by those who may one day wield immense power over us.
Thank you to Vincere Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.
Too far fetched? A touch paranoiac ? Think North Korea, Saudi Arabia, China, Syria, Hitler, and you will see a semblance of these practices for a regime to control the masses. Any word said against the State, religeous order, government, or attempt to rebel is met with violence, imprisonment, torture and even death.
25 perfect days is twenty five chapters of interlinked stories about the characters related or known to each other in some form or other over a 40 year period. It opens with '5 Minutes Alone' where Olsen has raped and murdered Jenny a 13 year old. Her family, The Adams, have all been granted 5 minutes alone with Olsen in his cell. Prior to the visit, Olsen's family have pleaded and begged on several occasions to forgive him. Their pleas go unread and destroyed.
The Adams' choice will set in motion the slow but constant downslide into chaos of the nation. A choice that will affect everyone's freedom of choice, speech, individuality, rights and thoughts. Religion will merge with the government to evolving into 'The Way' and 'The Controllers'. Inch by inch lives will be ever more controlled. The population is controlled by either voluntary or forced sterilisation; children forcibly removed and adopted into 'The Way'.
You are asked what you might do in similar circumstances if you were the family of the victim. What you do could have a catastrophic effect for the future of your country and the morality of its people.
Each of the character's actions have a cause and effect which generally result in severe consequences for everyone as 'The Way' tighten its grip on all aspects of human life.
Loss of freedom, human rights, every aspect of life is controlled and manipulated by 'The Way'. People are divided into 2 groups, 'them or us' with the chosen living in 'The City of Light' with clear blue skies and the others in 'The Districts' with an atmosphere of choking grey ash and crumbling destruction all around. Where uncontaminated food is hard to find and where a priest might be imprisoned for supplying food to the starving. No one will escape, all live in fear of 'The Way' and 'The Controllers'. A wrong word, action or thought will eventually be reported and invoke punishment by death.
All in all I really enjoyed reading this one, however, I did became disoriented with the multitude of characters. There is a glossary at the end of the book which I tried to ignore due to some plot spoilers and instead made notes on each chapter of the characters noting their relationship to each other. Although this didn't detract my enjoyment of the novel I did miss getting to know more about certain characters of interest and building a relationship with them. The result was flat card board characters on many occasions and I would have liked the author to concentrate on a smaller group of characters developing and fleshing them out more. It was a pretty fast read even with the complexities of the characters relationships. My notes definitely helped and reading the glossary at the end was immensely useful to fill in some of the gaps.
Mark Tullius has created a disturbing dystopian nightmare. This is an intelligent and fun read with a cautionary tale about the dangers of just going with the flow and not questioning what secret covert agendas are in practice behind the promises we are made by those who may one day wield immense power over us.
Thank you to Vincere Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.
July 1, 2013
I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This is a collection of 25 short stories that span the years 2036-2076. Each story is told from a different persons perspective, but all in the same dystopian world.
I think that the world Mr. Tullius created for this set of stories was quite imaginative. In the year 2036 the world, or at least the United States has undergone a drastic transformation where personal freedom is no longer present. As the years pass by it just gets worse. It seems to start out as a religious dictatorship where an organization called The Way, under the leadership of a man who calls himself The Preacher, runs the country and controls what government is left.
The book starts out with a story called "Five Minutes Alone" that is strange and disturbing, but will hook you in even though it doesn't really give much of a clue what the rest of the book will be like. What you do know, right off, is that things are very different in this world that is just 23 years from now. Each chapter is a different day that tells a consecutive story that spans 40 years. Each story is told by a different person, in a different place, but they all intersect at some point. An 11 year old boy whose father tells the story in the first chapter is a hired killer in a later chapter whose actions cause severe consequences for the female population.
What is clear throughout is that The Way has corrupted everything, but doesn't seem to follow any type of organized religion. It's basically The Way or no way at all. They persecute anyone who doesn't follow them. They have taken control of the government and because of the overpopulation they have put into practice laws that control how much you can weigh, who can drive, who is allowed to have children, etc... They have even given the DMV the authority to set up a lottery system to determine who is allowed to renew a drivers license. If you aren't chosen to renew the consequences are quite disturbing.
There are definitely some disturbing things in this book. Bad things happen to so many people throughout the course of the 40 years. We see kids grow into adults, some good and some bad. Some try to make a difference and some actually do, but others do what they have to do to survive. We see some pretty gruesome things, mass murder, torture and all manner of horrific things. We also see people helping others, people who just want to live and be happy
While all the stories aren't as good as some, they are all written in a way that will keep you reading right to the end. I think I read this book in about 3 hours. Mr. Tullius is quite a talented writer and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up more of his work. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Dystopian read. I can guarantee you haven't read anything quite like it.
I think that the world Mr. Tullius created for this set of stories was quite imaginative. In the year 2036 the world, or at least the United States has undergone a drastic transformation where personal freedom is no longer present. As the years pass by it just gets worse. It seems to start out as a religious dictatorship where an organization called The Way, under the leadership of a man who calls himself The Preacher, runs the country and controls what government is left.
The book starts out with a story called "Five Minutes Alone" that is strange and disturbing, but will hook you in even though it doesn't really give much of a clue what the rest of the book will be like. What you do know, right off, is that things are very different in this world that is just 23 years from now. Each chapter is a different day that tells a consecutive story that spans 40 years. Each story is told by a different person, in a different place, but they all intersect at some point. An 11 year old boy whose father tells the story in the first chapter is a hired killer in a later chapter whose actions cause severe consequences for the female population.
What is clear throughout is that The Way has corrupted everything, but doesn't seem to follow any type of organized religion. It's basically The Way or no way at all. They persecute anyone who doesn't follow them. They have taken control of the government and because of the overpopulation they have put into practice laws that control how much you can weigh, who can drive, who is allowed to have children, etc... They have even given the DMV the authority to set up a lottery system to determine who is allowed to renew a drivers license. If you aren't chosen to renew the consequences are quite disturbing.
There are definitely some disturbing things in this book. Bad things happen to so many people throughout the course of the 40 years. We see kids grow into adults, some good and some bad. Some try to make a difference and some actually do, but others do what they have to do to survive. We see some pretty gruesome things, mass murder, torture and all manner of horrific things. We also see people helping others, people who just want to live and be happy
While all the stories aren't as good as some, they are all written in a way that will keep you reading right to the end. I think I read this book in about 3 hours. Mr. Tullius is quite a talented writer and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up more of his work. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Dystopian read. I can guarantee you haven't read anything quite like it.
February 11, 2019
25 Perfect Days are 25 unexpected, interwoven stories written from 25 different perspectives along a 40-year futuristic period that will terrify humankind, simply because if we humans don't get our acts together it might come true someday in the distant future, or worse, in a horrifyingly not-so-distant one. Starting from the ironic title, as these 25 days (or 30 chapters) are FAAAR from perfect, this book is an original take on the fall of society; a dark dystopian novel about the worst sides of political power, technological development, and extreme religious faith. 25 Perfect Days is a scary and somehow depressing prediction of the future, that frankly no one wants to truly discuss.
It took me an excruciating amount of time to continue reading because every chapter made me very scared, sad (if that was the goal then it is successful), and so confused. I could only handle reading one chapter per day. It's bleak and I have actually 4 more chapters to go, but I am not inclined to finish it anymore.... As far as I can understand, the general theme of the story is hopelessness and as someone who is recovering from an intense past questioning my faith and the benefits of technology, the negativity was truly putting me down. I will eventually finish reading it, someday, as I always finish my books. But today, as I write this, I just cannot yet. I have the utmost respect for the author, Mr. Mark Tullius, because it was written exceptionally, but maybe it was too perfect in its darkness? Which maybe was the goal. However, I think it is important for the readers to hold on to a little hope, and to a distinct character(s) that will make us root for the ending, even if it's not the ending most of us want.
Moreover, the magnitude and the amount of the characters in these stories got me so bewildered as to who is who, even with the character guide at the last part. The timeline was a little confusing as well because of the length and the absence of clear distinction of the settings. In my opinion, if a writer wants to introduce so many characters, the readers should be reminded of very distinct characteristics among these characters (even with only one or two), each chapter should be consistent in that way, just so that readers will be able to attach themselves in these distinct characteristics and not get lost halfway. While reading 25 Perfect Days, most (if not all) of the characters became an unpleasant blur in my mind.
But all in all, I think this story is okay and very original. I haven't read anything quite like it, and I am a fan of the dystopian genre. Technically, it was definitely written well. Let's just hope to God that this story never comes true in this life because it will surely be a nightmare, and none of us are ready for it.
It took me an excruciating amount of time to continue reading because every chapter made me very scared, sad (if that was the goal then it is successful), and so confused. I could only handle reading one chapter per day. It's bleak and I have actually 4 more chapters to go, but I am not inclined to finish it anymore.... As far as I can understand, the general theme of the story is hopelessness and as someone who is recovering from an intense past questioning my faith and the benefits of technology, the negativity was truly putting me down. I will eventually finish reading it, someday, as I always finish my books. But today, as I write this, I just cannot yet. I have the utmost respect for the author, Mr. Mark Tullius, because it was written exceptionally, but maybe it was too perfect in its darkness? Which maybe was the goal. However, I think it is important for the readers to hold on to a little hope, and to a distinct character(s) that will make us root for the ending, even if it's not the ending most of us want.
Moreover, the magnitude and the amount of the characters in these stories got me so bewildered as to who is who, even with the character guide at the last part. The timeline was a little confusing as well because of the length and the absence of clear distinction of the settings. In my opinion, if a writer wants to introduce so many characters, the readers should be reminded of very distinct characteristics among these characters (even with only one or two), each chapter should be consistent in that way, just so that readers will be able to attach themselves in these distinct characteristics and not get lost halfway. While reading 25 Perfect Days, most (if not all) of the characters became an unpleasant blur in my mind.
But all in all, I think this story is okay and very original. I haven't read anything quite like it, and I am a fan of the dystopian genre. Technically, it was definitely written well. Let's just hope to God that this story never comes true in this life because it will surely be a nightmare, and none of us are ready for it.
September 1, 2020
25 interconnected stories take you on a ride across a dystopic world you wish that never materializes- That is fair share of warning the Author gave at the beginning of this book. This books does complete justice to it's genre and thankfully fictional. Though just short stories Mark with his perfect narration is able to transport us into the each story, each moment just as its happening right here. All stories starting at different times and different places, yet the pieces come together perfectly to show the bigger picture. Keeping up with the connection between the characters is tough and gets confusing but there is a Glossary of Characters and their background which is perfect :)
Some stories felt so disturbing that i had to take a break from reading and sleep it off. Whats scary is that this world Mark talks about seems entirely possible.
Every thing about the book is perfect. The story, narration, conclusion except of course the world it is based in.
Definitely recommended
Some stories felt so disturbing that i had to take a break from reading and sleep it off. Whats scary is that this world Mark talks about seems entirely possible.
Every thing about the book is perfect. The story, narration, conclusion except of course the world it is based in.
Definitely recommended
April 9, 2013
I was lucky enough to have been granted an advance reading copy of 25 PERFECT DAYS - thank you NetGalley and Vincere Press.
Mark Tullius's novel is a disturbing but mesmerising read. A chronological collection of fragmented first-person vignettes from a group of interrelated characters, the book chronicles the gradual descent of a society into a dystopian state, and the sacrifices required for salvation. Commencing with revenge and culminating in resurrection, the stories run the gamut from hope to violent despair. Offering slices of the lives of generationally interrelated characters, the world building provides glimpses of existence under a totalitarian regime between August 2036 and Christmas 2076.
Tullius depicts a fractured society in which a doctrinal group called The Way, led by a charismatic sociopath known as the Preacher, is ceded authority by the government to manage taxation policy, regulate health and well-being and rationalise the size of the population. A familiar dystopian theme, the oppressed population in 25 PERFECT DAYS is starving, terrorised, and forced to make inhumane choices just to survive but many don’t. Tullius’s protagonists face callous fates - some for trying to change their world, others despite bowing acceptance to it. By the time 25 PERFECT DAYS ends its characters have faced forced serialisation, mass murder and State-sanctioned torture. No one emerges unscathed.
This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction. Mark Tullius is a solid author, although some of the vignettes are stronger than others. I must admit to having become a little lost in the sheer volume of characters, not discovering the handy 'who's who' of protagonists until I had completed the novel (perhaps this should be listed up front, not at the end). 25 PERFECT DAYS contains allusions to 1984 and BRAVE NEW WORLD as well as films like “Soylent Green,” “Blade Runner,” and “Children of Me, but is, for all that, unique and interesting and not derivative. 25 PERFECT DAYS is definitely worth reading.
Mark Tullius's novel is a disturbing but mesmerising read. A chronological collection of fragmented first-person vignettes from a group of interrelated characters, the book chronicles the gradual descent of a society into a dystopian state, and the sacrifices required for salvation. Commencing with revenge and culminating in resurrection, the stories run the gamut from hope to violent despair. Offering slices of the lives of generationally interrelated characters, the world building provides glimpses of existence under a totalitarian regime between August 2036 and Christmas 2076.
Tullius depicts a fractured society in which a doctrinal group called The Way, led by a charismatic sociopath known as the Preacher, is ceded authority by the government to manage taxation policy, regulate health and well-being and rationalise the size of the population. A familiar dystopian theme, the oppressed population in 25 PERFECT DAYS is starving, terrorised, and forced to make inhumane choices just to survive but many don’t. Tullius’s protagonists face callous fates - some for trying to change their world, others despite bowing acceptance to it. By the time 25 PERFECT DAYS ends its characters have faced forced serialisation, mass murder and State-sanctioned torture. No one emerges unscathed.
This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy dystopian fiction. Mark Tullius is a solid author, although some of the vignettes are stronger than others. I must admit to having become a little lost in the sheer volume of characters, not discovering the handy 'who's who' of protagonists until I had completed the novel (perhaps this should be listed up front, not at the end). 25 PERFECT DAYS contains allusions to 1984 and BRAVE NEW WORLD as well as films like “Soylent Green,” “Blade Runner,” and “Children of Me, but is, for all that, unique and interesting and not derivative. 25 PERFECT DAYS is definitely worth reading.
July 19, 2013
25 Perfect Days
By Mark Tullius
Summery courtesy of goodreads.com
A totalitarian state doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s a slow, dangerous slide. 25 Perfect Days chronicles the path into a hellish future of food shortages, contaminated water, sweeping incarceration, an ultra-radical religion, and the extreme measures taken to reduce the population.
Higher taxes, strict gun control, an oppressive healthcare system. Complete media control, genetically modified food, experimentation on citizens. The push of depersonalizing technology, unending wars, government sanctioned assassinations. Is this collection of stories merely science fiction or soon to be fact? Are these policies designed for the greater good or disguised to benefit a chosen few at the expense of the masses? Is this brave new world the best we could do or part of a sinister grand plan?
Through these twenty-five interlinked stories, each written from a different character’s point of view, 25 Perfect Days captures the sacrifice, courage, and love needed to survive and eventually overcome this dystopian nightmare.
Review
Thank you NetGalley and Vincere Press, for giving me the opportunity to read 25 PERFECT DAYS, I got exactly what I was hoping for and so much more it was a disturbing but mesmerizing read. Move over The Hunger games and Divergent,Mark Tullius has done the impossible; hes produced a dystopian novel that teens and adults will both enjoy; thanks to the array of characters you encounter throughout the 25 short stories that make up 25 Perfect days.
In this post apocalyptic world, everyday life is a struggle and you do your best to survive and get by. if life doesn’t kill you, your lucky because it will try again.
Each story has a cast of characters that are trying to get by. In this world the religious leaders have determined they know best and as long as you agree with that doctrine you will be okay. You lose all your independence and most of your money and belongings but you survive. The religious dogma floats through most of the stories here.
4 Stars
By Mark Tullius
Summery courtesy of goodreads.com
A totalitarian state doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s a slow, dangerous slide. 25 Perfect Days chronicles the path into a hellish future of food shortages, contaminated water, sweeping incarceration, an ultra-radical religion, and the extreme measures taken to reduce the population.
Higher taxes, strict gun control, an oppressive healthcare system. Complete media control, genetically modified food, experimentation on citizens. The push of depersonalizing technology, unending wars, government sanctioned assassinations. Is this collection of stories merely science fiction or soon to be fact? Are these policies designed for the greater good or disguised to benefit a chosen few at the expense of the masses? Is this brave new world the best we could do or part of a sinister grand plan?
Through these twenty-five interlinked stories, each written from a different character’s point of view, 25 Perfect Days captures the sacrifice, courage, and love needed to survive and eventually overcome this dystopian nightmare.
Review
Thank you NetGalley and Vincere Press, for giving me the opportunity to read 25 PERFECT DAYS, I got exactly what I was hoping for and so much more it was a disturbing but mesmerizing read. Move over The Hunger games and Divergent,Mark Tullius has done the impossible; hes produced a dystopian novel that teens and adults will both enjoy; thanks to the array of characters you encounter throughout the 25 short stories that make up 25 Perfect days.
In this post apocalyptic world, everyday life is a struggle and you do your best to survive and get by. if life doesn’t kill you, your lucky because it will try again.
Each story has a cast of characters that are trying to get by. In this world the religious leaders have determined they know best and as long as you agree with that doctrine you will be okay. You lose all your independence and most of your money and belongings but you survive. The religious dogma floats through most of the stories here.
4 Stars
May 6, 2020
I received a free copy 25 Perfect Days by Mark Tullius in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book I’ve read this year where each chapter is its own short story that is somehow connected to one or more of the other chapters. It’s an interesting technique.
Tullius tells the story of a country that allows a church (not THE church because there was only one complicit here) to become one with the state. It starts off as not too threatening as other churches are allowed to exist, but they receive no help from the government or the church in power. Eventually we see the old adage come true: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The overall dystopian story starts in August 2036 and ends in December 2076. In between those dates, readers experience a life that becomes less predictable and, at the same time, more controlled. The book shows families who experience a nation’s destruction through at least three generations. This is what I feel is the book’s weakness: 25 chapters covering 40 years doesn’t offer much time for character development.
Because none of the characters was fully developed, it became confusing by midpoint as to who is who, with the reader made to guess sometimes. I’m glad I read it on the Kindle as it allowed me to search various names and be reintroduced to the characters. This would have been more difficult on paper.
Example: In an early chapter a teacher is introduced by only his last name. One of his students is named Tammy. In a later chapter, Tammy has the last name of the teacher and her husband has a first name. But is her husband the teacher or the son of the teacher? Finally I figure out he is the teacher, and then his name is changed, from Longley to Langley.
By and large though, I did enjoy the book. It describes a dark, hopeless world where the heroes have tragic lives. There’s a second book to go with it, titled Plus 5 More, that I intend to read. And when I have time I will probably read the original again, since I have a better understanding of who the characters are.
This is the second book I’ve read this year where each chapter is its own short story that is somehow connected to one or more of the other chapters. It’s an interesting technique.
Tullius tells the story of a country that allows a church (not THE church because there was only one complicit here) to become one with the state. It starts off as not too threatening as other churches are allowed to exist, but they receive no help from the government or the church in power. Eventually we see the old adage come true: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The overall dystopian story starts in August 2036 and ends in December 2076. In between those dates, readers experience a life that becomes less predictable and, at the same time, more controlled. The book shows families who experience a nation’s destruction through at least three generations. This is what I feel is the book’s weakness: 25 chapters covering 40 years doesn’t offer much time for character development.
Because none of the characters was fully developed, it became confusing by midpoint as to who is who, with the reader made to guess sometimes. I’m glad I read it on the Kindle as it allowed me to search various names and be reintroduced to the characters. This would have been more difficult on paper.
Example: In an early chapter a teacher is introduced by only his last name. One of his students is named Tammy. In a later chapter, Tammy has the last name of the teacher and her husband has a first name. But is her husband the teacher or the son of the teacher? Finally I figure out he is the teacher, and then his name is changed, from Longley to Langley.
By and large though, I did enjoy the book. It describes a dark, hopeless world where the heroes have tragic lives. There’s a second book to go with it, titled Plus 5 More, that I intend to read. And when I have time I will probably read the original again, since I have a better understanding of who the characters are.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews