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Sucker: A Novel
Bad Blood meets Succession in this sharp-toothed satire of Silicon Valley and the 1 percent, in which the black-sheep son of an industrial tycoon starts working for a tech pioneer who's running a biomedical startup selling nothing less than immortality, only to uncover the horrifying truth at the heart of her sublime promises.
Chuck Gross would like nothing more than to prune himself from his family tree. He’s already clipped his name, turning Charles Grossheart, Jr.—son of a billionaire labor exploiter, weapons manufacturer, and climate change denier—into ordinary good-guy Chuck, the “self-made” proprietor of an up-and-coming punk label. But when Daddy threatens to cut him off, Chuck is forced to get a “real job”—and conveniently, an old college friend has just swept back into his life with the perfect opportunity.
Famed Harvard dropout and biotech darling Olivia Watts says she is on the verge of totally reinventing the field of medicine, but when Chuck signs on, he soon discovers that things at the vast Kenosis campus are not quite how they appear. Secret labs, vanished employees, and mutated test subjects seem to be as impossible as they are sinister. Is Olivia simply a scammer, or does her technology threaten to usher humanity toward a far bloodier fate? Moreover, does Chuck—who has never accomplished anything without the aid of Daddy’s money—stand a chance of stopping her? Daniel Hornsby hilariously skewers the insatiable hungers of the ultrarich in a novel that no one will be able to resist sinking their teeth into.
Chuck Gross would like nothing more than to prune himself from his family tree. He’s already clipped his name, turning Charles Grossheart, Jr.—son of a billionaire labor exploiter, weapons manufacturer, and climate change denier—into ordinary good-guy Chuck, the “self-made” proprietor of an up-and-coming punk label. But when Daddy threatens to cut him off, Chuck is forced to get a “real job”—and conveniently, an old college friend has just swept back into his life with the perfect opportunity.
Famed Harvard dropout and biotech darling Olivia Watts says she is on the verge of totally reinventing the field of medicine, but when Chuck signs on, he soon discovers that things at the vast Kenosis campus are not quite how they appear. Secret labs, vanished employees, and mutated test subjects seem to be as impossible as they are sinister. Is Olivia simply a scammer, or does her technology threaten to usher humanity toward a far bloodier fate? Moreover, does Chuck—who has never accomplished anything without the aid of Daddy’s money—stand a chance of stopping her? Daniel Hornsby hilariously skewers the insatiable hungers of the ultrarich in a novel that no one will be able to resist sinking their teeth into.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2023
72 people are currently reading
12534 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Hornsby
3 books47 followersDaniel Hornsby was born in Muncie, Indiana. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan, where he received Hopwood Awards for both short fiction and the novel, and an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School. He is the author of a novel, Via Negativa, and his stories and essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Electric Literature, The Missouri Review, and Joyland. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
July 18, 2023
Elizabeth Holmes, the infamous Stanford dropout, is no longer the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire. Forbes estimates her current worth at $0, but she’ll long be remembered as one of the world’s greatest grifters, which is its own species of immortality. Her Silicon Valley start-up, Theranos, promised to revolutionize medicine by quickly running more than 200 tests on a drop of blood.
It was a remarkable technological breakthrough, except for the pesky fact that it was a massive fraud. A coterie of savvy investors lost hundreds of millions of dollars, but on the bright side, the victims included Henry Kissinger and Betsy DeVos.
Theranos would probably have collapsed under the weight of its own chicanery, though recent political events suggest how long even the most ludicrous mass deceptions can stay afloat on the wind of a very stable genius. But Holmes was rushed to ruin by the tenacious reporting of John Carreyrou in the Wall Street Journal. And in 2018, he published an excoriating book, “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup,” which laid out the whole sorry story of gobsmacking duplicity.
Now, in a heartbeat, comes a weird companion novel of sorts called “Sucker,” by Daniel Hornsby. Released just as Holmes begins the second month of her 11-year sentence in federal prison, this is not so much a roman à clef as a roman avec des dents: Hornsby retells the bloody story of Elizabeth Holmes as a vampire spoof.
As metaphors go, this is, admittedly, not too original. Plenty of commentators have remarked on Holmes’s hypnotic powers of persuasion, her pale visage, her preternatural youth and, of course, her company’s vampiric thirst for blood. But Hornsby brings a sharp wit to this worn crypt. “Sucker” highlights the “Twilight” in “The Twilight Zone” to create a caustic satire of obscene....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
It was a remarkable technological breakthrough, except for the pesky fact that it was a massive fraud. A coterie of savvy investors lost hundreds of millions of dollars, but on the bright side, the victims included Henry Kissinger and Betsy DeVos.
Theranos would probably have collapsed under the weight of its own chicanery, though recent political events suggest how long even the most ludicrous mass deceptions can stay afloat on the wind of a very stable genius. But Holmes was rushed to ruin by the tenacious reporting of John Carreyrou in the Wall Street Journal. And in 2018, he published an excoriating book, “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup,” which laid out the whole sorry story of gobsmacking duplicity.
Now, in a heartbeat, comes a weird companion novel of sorts called “Sucker,” by Daniel Hornsby. Released just as Holmes begins the second month of her 11-year sentence in federal prison, this is not so much a roman à clef as a roman avec des dents: Hornsby retells the bloody story of Elizabeth Holmes as a vampire spoof.
As metaphors go, this is, admittedly, not too original. Plenty of commentators have remarked on Holmes’s hypnotic powers of persuasion, her pale visage, her preternatural youth and, of course, her company’s vampiric thirst for blood. But Hornsby brings a sharp wit to this worn crypt. “Sucker” highlights the “Twilight” in “The Twilight Zone” to create a caustic satire of obscene....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
March 18, 2023
Sucker, should have come with an exclamation mark. There is plenty of pop culture references that's head spinning, tangents that shouldn't have existed, and very little nuance. This perhaps might work to the book's advantage with blatant in-your-face narration where the first person narrative offers very little observational commentary but a lot of opinions.
Charles is a superficial douchebag who wants to distance himself from the privilege of his birth but doesn't really step in when his family supplements his income. There are moments where he is absolutely insufferable, but he is entertaining with his opinions, though mostly misguided, when he is interacting.
Sucker could have worked as a social commentary of the rich and the connected if the plot had picked up early in the book. Unfortunately, it picks up a good two thirds into the book. By this time, exhaustion has already set in by dealing with Charles, watching his world which is, again, exhausting though he does nothing (there are lot of drugs, naps and meeting few people at a job his dad got for him). The plot in itself is quite alright though it doesn't seem to be the primary focus of the book.
There are portions of this book that was quite enjoyable but all in all, it was alright.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Press for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
Charles is a superficial douchebag who wants to distance himself from the privilege of his birth but doesn't really step in when his family supplements his income. There are moments where he is absolutely insufferable, but he is entertaining with his opinions, though mostly misguided, when he is interacting.
Sucker could have worked as a social commentary of the rich and the connected if the plot had picked up early in the book. Unfortunately, it picks up a good two thirds into the book. By this time, exhaustion has already set in by dealing with Charles, watching his world which is, again, exhausting though he does nothing (there are lot of drugs, naps and meeting few people at a job his dad got for him). The plot in itself is quite alright though it doesn't seem to be the primary focus of the book.
There are portions of this book that was quite enjoyable but all in all, it was alright.
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Press for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
Read
June 28, 2023DNF 20% My humor is different than this humor.
July 31, 2023
mannnnnnnn "what if Elizabeth Holmes were a vampire" is such a killer concept to me and this book was like...not rly what I was looking for. I felt like the book I wanted was constantly happening off-page. I didn't love the choice of the dirtbag nepo baby narrator. I wish it had been Olivia's POV or at least 3rd person omniscient? Like why are we following around this vanity record label project when there is a VAMPIRE SCAMMER PSEUDO-SCIENTIST doing shit in the vicinity??? HELLO???
October 4, 2023
While I enjoyed this book just fine, I can see why many others would not.
It's a constant pop culture reference filled to the brim with nihilism. Add in the greed and lack of consequences the uber rich 1% enjoy that most of us will never understand or relate to, and it's just not going to resonate with many.
It wasn't a bad book, but I doubt I would recommend it to many.
It's a constant pop culture reference filled to the brim with nihilism. Add in the greed and lack of consequences the uber rich 1% enjoy that most of us will never understand or relate to, and it's just not going to resonate with many.
It wasn't a bad book, but I doubt I would recommend it to many.
April 11, 2023
This is my first-ever DNF of 2023. I've tried since February to get through it before finally giving up at the 32% mark. The writing style is just not for me and the main character was extraordinarily unlikeable and a complete knob. I understand the author was going for tongue-in-cheek and ironically it felt so out of touch it missed the mark. I tried giving this book several chances thinking perhaps I was in a book slump or simply not in the right frame of mind but I finally came to the conclusion this book just isn't for me.
July 18, 2023
I can’t believe I actually finished this. The MC is an utter shite and is insufferable. The storyline is contrived and a bit dull. A generous 1/5.
November 27, 2024
Continuing my trend of absolutely loving books with horrendous Goodreads ratings
August 27, 2024
3 1/2 stars it was funny and silly and had a nice build up to a plot twist!
was surprised to find out it wasn’t a debut novel though if that makes sense
was surprised to find out it wasn’t a debut novel though if that makes sense
September 7, 2023
TW: Language, cheating, sexism, drug use, drinking, toxic family relationships, use of r-word, cancer, misogyny, peer pressure, death of sibling, gaslighting, toxic friendships
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Chuck Gross would like nothing more than to prune himself from his family tree. He’s already clipped his name, turning Charles Grossheart, Jr.—son of a billionaire labor exploiter, weapons manufacturer, and climate change denier—into ordinary good-guy Chuck, the “self-made” proprietor of an up-and-coming punk label. But when Daddy threatens to cut him off, Chuck is forced to get a “real job”—and conveniently, an old college friend has just swept back into his life with the perfect opportunity.
Famed Harvard dropout and biotech darling Olivia Watts says she is on the verge of totally reinventing the field of medicine, but when Chuck signs on, he soon discovers that things at the vast Kenosis campus are not quite how they appear. Secret labs, vanished employees, and mutated test subjects seem to be as impossible as they are sinister. Is Olivia simply a scammer, or does her technology threaten to usher humanity toward a far bloodier fate? Moreover, does Chuck—who has never accomplished anything without the aid of Daddy’s money—stand a chance of stopping her? Daniel Hornsby hilariously skewers the insatiable hungers of the ultrarich in a novel that no one will be able to resist sinking their teeth into.
Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Genre: Humor Horror
Pages: 256
Rating: ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. I like the cover
2. Plot sounded interesting
What I Didn't Like:
1. Chuck
2. When Chuck talks
3. Minor horror in this
4. Chucks whining
Overall Thoughts:
Prepare to read about thee most annoying man to ever grace the pages of a book. Omg. I had to laugh at what a fake person Chuck is. He wants to be seen as this punk anti-establishment struggling artist - who is trying to give musicians their big break when he's a republican rich boy who doesn't care about anyone.
Him stiffing the guy the money he owes because he is getting enjoyment at making him wait it out. Then gets upset when the guy asks for the money 4 weeks later.
Chuck is so bad he can't even let Olivia date someone he knows because he is scared that he'll be viewed as someone who was put in the friend zone. *eye roll*
Everyone in this book is either alternative, a musician, or hot. I've never read a book that was so full of judging everyone's look so critically. I suppose that's what our main character only can see but it kinda got on my nerves. Starting to think the author has a fetish for goth girls.
Why would Tim reach out to Chuck and let him know what was going on? Chuck is an investor so how would he know that he would want to do anything.
Book contradicts itself a few times. One minute Chuck tells us that his dad will be fine to cut their losses and pull out of the funding but then the next chapter he is on board and says it's too much money to lose.
Final Thoughts:
I did not like that this book was marketed as a horror novel all the while really just being a guy whining about how unfair everything is for his rich ass. There is so little horror in this story that it should have been a thriller with minor elements of horror sprinkled lightly in it.
Chuck is such a whiny person. I had to double check a few times to make sure I was still reading Sucker and not American Psycho.
Props to the author though for creating one of the worst male characters in a book I've ever read. I seriously wanted him to die and then we could have Olivia's voice to save the day and maybe make this more interesting.
The problem with this book for me was that it's so centered around Chuck that us readers can never take in our surroundings and figure what's even happening. We are dragged along in this endless battle of Chuck getting fomo when he is left out and mad when he can't make someone do whatever he wants.Chucks actions reminded me so much of Aj from Barbarian; so self centered and oblivious to all the dangers surrounding him.
This was a miss for me. In the end it was just meh. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I'd say it's in limbo of books for me. There was nothing special about it. It just exists.
Recommend For:
• American Psycho men
• Rich people
• Overly explained dialog
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Chuck Gross would like nothing more than to prune himself from his family tree. He’s already clipped his name, turning Charles Grossheart, Jr.—son of a billionaire labor exploiter, weapons manufacturer, and climate change denier—into ordinary good-guy Chuck, the “self-made” proprietor of an up-and-coming punk label. But when Daddy threatens to cut him off, Chuck is forced to get a “real job”—and conveniently, an old college friend has just swept back into his life with the perfect opportunity.
Famed Harvard dropout and biotech darling Olivia Watts says she is on the verge of totally reinventing the field of medicine, but when Chuck signs on, he soon discovers that things at the vast Kenosis campus are not quite how they appear. Secret labs, vanished employees, and mutated test subjects seem to be as impossible as they are sinister. Is Olivia simply a scammer, or does her technology threaten to usher humanity toward a far bloodier fate? Moreover, does Chuck—who has never accomplished anything without the aid of Daddy’s money—stand a chance of stopping her? Daniel Hornsby hilariously skewers the insatiable hungers of the ultrarich in a novel that no one will be able to resist sinking their teeth into.
Release Date: July 11th, 2023
Genre: Humor Horror
Pages: 256
Rating: ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. I like the cover
2. Plot sounded interesting
What I Didn't Like:
1. Chuck
2. When Chuck talks
3. Minor horror in this
4. Chucks whining
Overall Thoughts:
Prepare to read about thee most annoying man to ever grace the pages of a book. Omg. I had to laugh at what a fake person Chuck is. He wants to be seen as this punk anti-establishment struggling artist - who is trying to give musicians their big break when he's a republican rich boy who doesn't care about anyone.
Him stiffing the guy the money he owes because he is getting enjoyment at making him wait it out. Then gets upset when the guy asks for the money 4 weeks later.
Chuck is so bad he can't even let Olivia date someone he knows because he is scared that he'll be viewed as someone who was put in the friend zone. *eye roll*
Everyone in this book is either alternative, a musician, or hot. I've never read a book that was so full of judging everyone's look so critically. I suppose that's what our main character only can see but it kinda got on my nerves. Starting to think the author has a fetish for goth girls.
Why would Tim reach out to Chuck and let him know what was going on? Chuck is an investor so how would he know that he would want to do anything.
Book contradicts itself a few times. One minute Chuck tells us that his dad will be fine to cut their losses and pull out of the funding but then the next chapter he is on board and says it's too much money to lose.
Final Thoughts:
I did not like that this book was marketed as a horror novel all the while really just being a guy whining about how unfair everything is for his rich ass. There is so little horror in this story that it should have been a thriller with minor elements of horror sprinkled lightly in it.
Chuck is such a whiny person. I had to double check a few times to make sure I was still reading Sucker and not American Psycho.
Props to the author though for creating one of the worst male characters in a book I've ever read. I seriously wanted him to die and then we could have Olivia's voice to save the day and maybe make this more interesting.
The problem with this book for me was that it's so centered around Chuck that us readers can never take in our surroundings and figure what's even happening. We are dragged along in this endless battle of Chuck getting fomo when he is left out and mad when he can't make someone do whatever he wants.Chucks actions reminded me so much of Aj from Barbarian; so self centered and oblivious to all the dangers surrounding him.
This was a miss for me. In the end it was just meh. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I'd say it's in limbo of books for me. There was nothing special about it. It just exists.
Recommend For:
• American Psycho men
• Rich people
• Overly explained dialog
IG | Blog
December 23, 2022
Sucker is a satirical novel about Silicon Valley and a tech company with supicious means and motives. I usually love satire – especially when we're making fun of rich people – unfortunalely, this was just not to my tastes.
My biggest issue with Sucker was the characters. The main character/narrator is unlikeable, more than I think he was meant to be, and his constant attempts to be funny and quirky fell completely flat. It didn't take more than a few pages for the writing style to turn from interesting and different to annoying and trite. I couldn't cheer for him no matter how hard I tried, which isn't always a dealbreaker for me, but it does often help the experience to like the mc. The other characters were too unrealistic to be funny and we were introduced to too many for me to really care about any of them.
Another problem was the plot, which took too long to become interesting. The buildup was long enough that I lost interest before I got to the parts I genuinely enjoyed, which is unfortunate. If I wasn't making this review, and therefore felt a sense of duty when it came to finishing the ARC, I would have put the book down before getting to the good bits.
Taste is subjective, and while I didn't enjoy this read I'm sure others might. As always, Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing house for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My biggest issue with Sucker was the characters. The main character/narrator is unlikeable, more than I think he was meant to be, and his constant attempts to be funny and quirky fell completely flat. It didn't take more than a few pages for the writing style to turn from interesting and different to annoying and trite. I couldn't cheer for him no matter how hard I tried, which isn't always a dealbreaker for me, but it does often help the experience to like the mc. The other characters were too unrealistic to be funny and we were introduced to too many for me to really care about any of them.
Another problem was the plot, which took too long to become interesting. The buildup was long enough that I lost interest before I got to the parts I genuinely enjoyed, which is unfortunate. If I wasn't making this review, and therefore felt a sense of duty when it came to finishing the ARC, I would have put the book down before getting to the good bits.
Taste is subjective, and while I didn't enjoy this read I'm sure others might. As always, Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing house for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2023
A fantastic premise wasted on a book that is at best mediocre.
I think the biggest issue here is the style of writing. The main character's thoughts are obviously meant to be funny or at the very least entertaining, but they very quickly veer into grating. I started reading the ebook months ago, dropped it about 5% in because I couldn't really do it, and then picked up the audio book when it popped up as a skip the line loan on Libby. I was hoping that the narration would make the voice more bearable, and it did to some extent since I actually finished, but toning down to some extent would have made this a much better book.
The plot is pretty straightforward and unsurprising. There are some moments of comedic brilliance, but not really enough to cut through the fairly trite events. Thematically, it goes for the most obvious and on the nose interpretation of its concept; the matterhorn could have been extended or deepened to make its thematic point resonate more and in a more interesting and insightful way.
I think the biggest issue here is the style of writing. The main character's thoughts are obviously meant to be funny or at the very least entertaining, but they very quickly veer into grating. I started reading the ebook months ago, dropped it about 5% in because I couldn't really do it, and then picked up the audio book when it popped up as a skip the line loan on Libby. I was hoping that the narration would make the voice more bearable, and it did to some extent since I actually finished, but toning down to some extent would have made this a much better book.
The plot is pretty straightforward and unsurprising. There are some moments of comedic brilliance, but not really enough to cut through the fairly trite events. Thematically, it goes for the most obvious and on the nose interpretation of its concept; the matterhorn could have been extended or deepened to make its thematic point resonate more and in a more interesting and insightful way.
Read
January 30, 2023DNF 15%. Writing style just wasn't for me.
April 9, 2025
Holy cow this was terrible! I'm glad it's over.
October 2, 2023
Well, I don't know why I was surprised by that ending, lol, it absolutely was the correct one, though not as funny as the more "and then he picked up a stake and rammed it through her heart" that I had kind of been hoping for.
I'm honestly not sure how to shelve this-- it's definitely not scary or gory enough to be horror, it's not serious enough to be a thriller, and it's really only a mystery to the protagonist. I really enjoyed it either way. Chuck is unlikable, spineless, and deeply pathetic, but never despicable enough to make me hate him. He's just a dude who's had an easy life with no real hardships, and wants to continue on in that vein, not caring that that makes him a loser. I think my favorite thing about him is how clear it is that while he claims to have ethical issues with his family's money and practices, those issues would clear up quite quickly if his dad were nice to him.
I do wish we'd spent more time with Olivia, to be honest. I wanted more of the megalomaniac thrall we see her cast over people in the first chunk of the book, more of her trying to genuinely get Chuck on her side, in addition to the antics of this hapless nepo baby running around a biotech building trying to dig up information he wouldn't understand even if he had found it.
But this was a fun read-- quick, great audio narrator, and entertaining enough to keep me interested and laughing through a hellish week of outages at work.
I'm honestly not sure how to shelve this-- it's definitely not scary or gory enough to be horror, it's not serious enough to be a thriller, and it's really only a mystery to the protagonist. I really enjoyed it either way. Chuck is unlikable, spineless, and deeply pathetic, but never despicable enough to make me hate him. He's just a dude who's had an easy life with no real hardships, and wants to continue on in that vein, not caring that that makes him a loser. I think my favorite thing about him is how clear it is that while he claims to have ethical issues with his family's money and practices, those issues would clear up quite quickly if his dad were nice to him.
I do wish we'd spent more time with Olivia, to be honest. I wanted more of the megalomaniac thrall we see her cast over people in the first chunk of the book, more of her trying to genuinely get Chuck on her side, in addition to the antics of this hapless nepo baby running around a biotech building trying to dig up information he wouldn't understand even if he had found it.
But this was a fun read-- quick, great audio narrator, and entertaining enough to keep me interested and laughing through a hellish week of outages at work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
nope-dnf
September 25, 2023DNF
I can't even firmly tell you what I'm not getting along with in this book but it's just really boring me and I'm tired of forcing myself through it. The cover is stunning though.
I can't even firmly tell you what I'm not getting along with in this book but it's just really boring me and I'm tired of forcing myself through it. The cover is stunning though.
August 28, 2023
Loved the blunt language, humorous metaphors and style of writing, but unfortunately the story itself was a bit boring for me.
March 24, 2024
i would say this rating is a 2.5 to 3 star rating. Honestly, i didn’t love the book the way i had hoped to, but i didn’t hate it either so.
January 5, 2024
This was a funny vampire " horror ".
September 7, 2024
Sucker
by Daniel Hornsby
Thank you so much partner @vintageanchorbooks for the gifted copy.
Blurb:
Succession meets Bad Blood in this sharp-toothed satire of Silicon Valley and the 1 percent, in which the black-sheep son of an industrial tycoon starts working for a tech pioneer who's running a biomedical startup selling nothing less than immortality, only to uncover the horrifying truth at the heart of her sublime promises.
🩸My thoughts:
I love the covers! Yes, the covers, plural. The simplicity of the hardcover and the super fun colorful paperback is such a vibe. I found the plot of this story to be interesting and ultimately it’s what kept me reading. I actually ended up reading this in a day. There are pop culture references galore in this book and readers will either love it or hate it. Unfortunately I wanted a bit more from this story… and I ended up right in the middle with how much i enjoyed this one. I’d chalk it up to an interesting story, a very unlikable main character, but not enough horror for my expectations. Maybe I was having an off day when I read this and maybe you’ll enjoy this a whole lot more. Sucker is out now.
Happy reading 📖 🩸
by Daniel Hornsby
Thank you so much partner @vintageanchorbooks for the gifted copy.
Blurb:
Succession meets Bad Blood in this sharp-toothed satire of Silicon Valley and the 1 percent, in which the black-sheep son of an industrial tycoon starts working for a tech pioneer who's running a biomedical startup selling nothing less than immortality, only to uncover the horrifying truth at the heart of her sublime promises.
🩸My thoughts:
I love the covers! Yes, the covers, plural. The simplicity of the hardcover and the super fun colorful paperback is such a vibe. I found the plot of this story to be interesting and ultimately it’s what kept me reading. I actually ended up reading this in a day. There are pop culture references galore in this book and readers will either love it or hate it. Unfortunately I wanted a bit more from this story… and I ended up right in the middle with how much i enjoyed this one. I’d chalk it up to an interesting story, a very unlikable main character, but not enough horror for my expectations. Maybe I was having an off day when I read this and maybe you’ll enjoy this a whole lot more. Sucker is out now.
Happy reading 📖 🩸
Read
June 26, 2023From the blurb, Sucker seemed the perfect book for me. Unfortunately I am really struggling to stay focused, I am 25% in and nothing has happened yet. The main character is quite unlikeable, which is usually not a problem, but in this case I find myself bored by him. Probably not the right book for me at the moment.
DNF at 25%.
DNF at 25%.
March 28, 2023
Sucker by Daniel Hornsby is a captivating novel that tells the story of a man's journey towards achieving his dreams. The book is beautifully written, with vivid descriptions that bring the world of the 1% to life. Hornsby's prose is both powerful and poetic, and he expertly captures the emotional struggles that his characters face as they pursue their goals.
One of the things that makes Sucker so compelling is the depth of its characters. Chuck Gross, the protagonist, is a complex and relatable figure who grapples with issues of identity and self-worth. Through his struggles, the novel explores themes of family, ambition, and the true meaning of success. The supporting cast of characters is equally well-drawn, each with their own unique motivations and backstories.
Beyond its compelling story and characters, Sucker is also a masterclass in storytelling. Hornsby deftly weaves together multiple narrative threads, moving seamlessly between past and present, and building towards a satisfying conclusion that ties everything together. His writing is both thoughtful and engaging, and he keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end.
Sucker is a must-read novel that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Hornsby's writing is brilliant, his characters are rich and complex, and his storytelling is masterful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a moving and thought-provoking read.
One of the things that makes Sucker so compelling is the depth of its characters. Chuck Gross, the protagonist, is a complex and relatable figure who grapples with issues of identity and self-worth. Through his struggles, the novel explores themes of family, ambition, and the true meaning of success. The supporting cast of characters is equally well-drawn, each with their own unique motivations and backstories.
Beyond its compelling story and characters, Sucker is also a masterclass in storytelling. Hornsby deftly weaves together multiple narrative threads, moving seamlessly between past and present, and building towards a satisfying conclusion that ties everything together. His writing is both thoughtful and engaging, and he keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end.
Sucker is a must-read novel that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Hornsby's writing is brilliant, his characters are rich and complex, and his storytelling is masterful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a moving and thought-provoking read.
September 24, 2024
This book…is so bad. The main character, Charles, is so incredibly annoying. How many times can a grown man call other grown adults “nerds” unironically???? HOW MANY!! I get that Elizabeth Holmes was a super interesting topic a few years ago but cmon…let’s move on it from it, PLEASE. I got halfway through the book and I feel like absolutely nothing happened. Charles spends the first half just fucking around and trying to not let people know he’s rich. He absolutely does not care that he has a missing friend and when this missing friend winds up dead, he spends the next few chapters convincing said dead friends girlfriend to not look in dead friends phone because there’s a video of him admitting he comes from a rich family. Are you kidding me?? I can’t believe I wasted so much time reading this book. I created my first DNF list for this book bc it was just so bad. Wish I could get a refund of my time wasted on this book.
November 3, 2023
Do you miss Succession/think about Elizabeth Holmes way too often/fear Silicon Valley/hate when trust fund kids are snobs about punk music/love vampirism as metaphor for the 1%?? Then please read this excellent, excellent book so I can scream about it with someone!!!
December 1, 2023
This was my first DNF. I could never get into the story. The characters were insufferable, and I was unable to connect with any aspect of the book. I read about half and could not force myself to read another word.
September 18, 2023
Besides the writing style just not being for me, I couldn’t get behind the strange sci-fi knock off of Theranos & Elizabeth Holmes
August 18, 2023
When I started reading this book I wondered why this title? A bit weird I’m thinking. As I’m reading I wonder where this story is going. Then I figure okay, Chuck’s Dad is Mr. Big Business and Chuck is trying not to be a big business, bloodsucking, tycoon like his father. All right, now I got the title, or so I thought or maybe it was his Dad sucking the life out of Chuck. Both appropriate and so was the end of the book.
This very tongue-in-cheek parody of how big business feeds the public what they want to hear but the bigger question is can they deliver what they promise or are really just lying to us. Sadly, this does seemed to be right out of newspaper headlines.
This strange story weaving its way into a slowly hinted at ending is really very clever and very timely. But I have to say that some of the references were over my head as in I kept thinking “huh?” as I was reading. I think I was not the right demographic for this book, in other words, I’m not the target audience. Now having said that, I can still recognize a humorous book when I read one and this was definitely funny and rather sadly truthful.
I received a copy of this book from Anchor Books a Division of Penguin Random House LLC.
This very tongue-in-cheek parody of how big business feeds the public what they want to hear but the bigger question is can they deliver what they promise or are really just lying to us. Sadly, this does seemed to be right out of newspaper headlines.
This strange story weaving its way into a slowly hinted at ending is really very clever and very timely. But I have to say that some of the references were over my head as in I kept thinking “huh?” as I was reading. I think I was not the right demographic for this book, in other words, I’m not the target audience. Now having said that, I can still recognize a humorous book when I read one and this was definitely funny and rather sadly truthful.
I received a copy of this book from Anchor Books a Division of Penguin Random House LLC.
March 28, 2024
3.5 stars, rounded down because I overall am just not impressed.
I really really wanted to like this more. Satire about silicon valley start ups that feature vampires? That sounds like so much fun! The biggest issue really is that nothing really lands. Pun fully intended, the satire wasn't biting. It lacked any real teeth. It takes forever to get to the actual vampite reveal, which means the symbolism of vampires as greedy capitalists suffers as a result.
All of the characters are unlikable, sans a chosen few that do offer a little levity to the otherwise disgusting cast. In a satire, I do expect a lot of unlikeable characters, but it does become exhausting in this book when the other elements of satire are so empty of any real substance.
Some positives: I do enjoy the juxtaposition of Chuck being so self centered and only involved in punk culture on a superficial level without actually giving up his privileges with Louise who gives up so much in order to help the people around her. A lot of the humor is clever and witty, so it is a mostly enjoyable (if empty) read.
I really really wanted to like this more. Satire about silicon valley start ups that feature vampires? That sounds like so much fun! The biggest issue really is that nothing really lands. Pun fully intended, the satire wasn't biting. It lacked any real teeth. It takes forever to get to the actual vampite reveal, which means the symbolism of vampires as greedy capitalists suffers as a result.
All of the characters are unlikable, sans a chosen few that do offer a little levity to the otherwise disgusting cast. In a satire, I do expect a lot of unlikeable characters, but it does become exhausting in this book when the other elements of satire are so empty of any real substance.
Some positives: I do enjoy the juxtaposition of Chuck being so self centered and only involved in punk culture on a superficial level without actually giving up his privileges with Louise who gives up so much in order to help the people around her. A lot of the humor is clever and witty, so it is a mostly enjoyable (if empty) read.
March 17, 2025
3.5 rounding up to 4. Overall an interesting and entertaining read, and I did appreciate the inventive take on vampirism. My only complaint is that Charles does become an obnoxious (no pun intended) and pretentious narrator after a certain point, but I can acknowledge that that was a part of his character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 23, 2023DNF at 40%. This was painful to read and sooooooo boring!
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