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Seamus #1
Makeshift Minds
Seamus has swapped unemployment for the deeply fulfilling life of a call centre operator. But when a
spacecraft obliterates his home
, he begins secretly sleeping at work—only to discover that his manager is
a synthetic android
guarding dark corporate secrets. Reluctantly, Seamus turns to his best friend for a self-proclaimed 'non-federal spy'.
Meanwhile, Alys is confined to the damp walls of Stone Lodge Psychiatric Hospital. Her only ally? An imaginary friend who somehow knows more than should be possible. She's determined to escape—but outside, Sovereign is unravelling. A strange new affliction is leaving makeshift minds in its wake, and Alys isn't the only one seeing things.
A mind-bending satirical sci-fi thriller, Makeshift Minds teeters on the edge between violent anarchy and sheer idiocy.
Meanwhile, Alys is confined to the damp walls of Stone Lodge Psychiatric Hospital. Her only ally? An imaginary friend who somehow knows more than should be possible. She's determined to escape—but outside, Sovereign is unravelling. A strange new affliction is leaving makeshift minds in its wake, and Alys isn't the only one seeing things.
A mind-bending satirical sci-fi thriller, Makeshift Minds teeters on the edge between violent anarchy and sheer idiocy.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2021
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16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 6, 2022
Oppression will always inevitably be rebelled against, but the perfect climate of disenfranchisement fosters only apathy, a primordial soup from which nothing can sprout.
"Makeshift Minds" by Daniel J. Reeves follows the really bizarre kind-of-but-maybe-not-quite zombie first tome with all new weirdness, all the time (with apologies to any advertisers from whom I may have stolen that catchphrase). There's a new pandemic, a genuinely spooky murder mystery in space, body-snatching androids and more! And I think I can say without fear of contradiction that this may be one of the 3 or 4 absolutely weirdest books I've ever read in my life, let alone since the days I've been required to take mood-altering medication!
Her stomach grumbled like a teenager told to rinse off soap suds.
However, I should point out there's a good chance that none of these assessments are accurate. I may in fact merely be 'performing' this review as part of a diabolic semi-corporate plan for global domination! I mean, good gravy where are the forces for good (+/-) from Placeholder when you need them? Oh wait, here they come. And while we're being honest (were we?), I have to confess: at the end of the day, I truly have no bloody clue what this book was about! It was fun, yes, and had umpteen (hint: that's a lot!) of imminently quotable bits scattered throughout. But in terms of being able to explain what I've just finished reading? Um, pass.
A police vehicle passed him, incessantly whining and smearing around primary colours like a toddler set loose on a colour book.
Whereas we don't have perhaps the same fully-formed and complex collection of characters as we did in Book 1, I will say that this is perhaps a better written book. Kindly note though that I'm still trying to decide why that is exactly. There is ever so much intrique going on and certainly up to the (checks Kindle Reader quickly) exactly halfway mark, I didn't have a clue as to what was happening. Nor why. Which was again one of the draws of the first book. Oh and now that I'm finished, I can confirm none of this got better and even began to burn and itch like some kind of mysterious rash.
It’s basically a cult, but without the group sex.
If you're looking for a story that picks up just where we last left off, well, you're stuff out of luck. Even barely three months away - that's in literary time by the way - from that sordid tale of a zombie outbreak (among other issues) and subsequent quarantine, things are more than askew in this world. Yes, our semi-main protagonist Dude is back, apparently fully cured. But between having his apartment destroyed by a flying spaceship - well, technically a crashing spaceship - and getting a job in a company that does… things… we're not really sure what other role(s) he is supposed to be playing. He does save the day as it were. I think. At least indirectly he is vaguely involved with acts that could be construed as 'day saving operations'. Better? No.
This is like a TED talk for killing yourself.
Oh and that mentioned spaceship? Well, let me just point out that all the space related bits appear in a bizarre set of bursts of information, with the main players from same appearing almost at random throughout the book and, well, time. Seriously, what is up with this fellow Scrimshaw anyway? No, don't bother using the search feature to try and establish his origins or connections, he's just THERE. And over there, too! Still, this whole part of the plot is like the movie "Clue" somehow combined with "Alien" along with a dash of maybe, I dunno, "Hunger Games"? Or should we substitute in "Aliens" instead because, you know, "we're all gonna die, man!" And a rap star is involved along the way which makes it all really, really timely. If only I ever listened to rap, even that might have made sense!
Declare, in the most bold voice your prepubescent bowels can muster: I do not want to be a fucking astronaut.
It is good fun though. Take some aspirin first and enjoy! And good luck!
"Makeshift Minds" by Daniel J. Reeves follows the really bizarre kind-of-but-maybe-not-quite zombie first tome with all new weirdness, all the time (with apologies to any advertisers from whom I may have stolen that catchphrase). There's a new pandemic, a genuinely spooky murder mystery in space, body-snatching androids and more! And I think I can say without fear of contradiction that this may be one of the 3 or 4 absolutely weirdest books I've ever read in my life, let alone since the days I've been required to take mood-altering medication!
Her stomach grumbled like a teenager told to rinse off soap suds.
However, I should point out there's a good chance that none of these assessments are accurate. I may in fact merely be 'performing' this review as part of a diabolic semi-corporate plan for global domination! I mean, good gravy where are the forces for good (+/-) from Placeholder when you need them? Oh wait, here they come. And while we're being honest (were we?), I have to confess: at the end of the day, I truly have no bloody clue what this book was about! It was fun, yes, and had umpteen (hint: that's a lot!) of imminently quotable bits scattered throughout. But in terms of being able to explain what I've just finished reading? Um, pass.
A police vehicle passed him, incessantly whining and smearing around primary colours like a toddler set loose on a colour book.
Whereas we don't have perhaps the same fully-formed and complex collection of characters as we did in Book 1, I will say that this is perhaps a better written book. Kindly note though that I'm still trying to decide why that is exactly. There is ever so much intrique going on and certainly up to the (checks Kindle Reader quickly) exactly halfway mark, I didn't have a clue as to what was happening. Nor why. Which was again one of the draws of the first book. Oh and now that I'm finished, I can confirm none of this got better and even began to burn and itch like some kind of mysterious rash.
It’s basically a cult, but without the group sex.
If you're looking for a story that picks up just where we last left off, well, you're stuff out of luck. Even barely three months away - that's in literary time by the way - from that sordid tale of a zombie outbreak (among other issues) and subsequent quarantine, things are more than askew in this world. Yes, our semi-main protagonist Dude is back, apparently fully cured. But between having his apartment destroyed by a flying spaceship - well, technically a crashing spaceship - and getting a job in a company that does… things… we're not really sure what other role(s) he is supposed to be playing. He does save the day as it were. I think. At least indirectly he is vaguely involved with acts that could be construed as 'day saving operations'. Better? No.
This is like a TED talk for killing yourself.
Oh and that mentioned spaceship? Well, let me just point out that all the space related bits appear in a bizarre set of bursts of information, with the main players from same appearing almost at random throughout the book and, well, time. Seriously, what is up with this fellow Scrimshaw anyway? No, don't bother using the search feature to try and establish his origins or connections, he's just THERE. And over there, too! Still, this whole part of the plot is like the movie "Clue" somehow combined with "Alien" along with a dash of maybe, I dunno, "Hunger Games"? Or should we substitute in "Aliens" instead because, you know, "we're all gonna die, man!" And a rap star is involved along the way which makes it all really, really timely. If only I ever listened to rap, even that might have made sense!
Declare, in the most bold voice your prepubescent bowels can muster: I do not want to be a fucking astronaut.
It is good fun though. Take some aspirin first and enjoy! And good luck!
July 27, 2022
I want to start off by saying that this book meets the same standard of brilliant story telling that I've come to expect from the author. I read the first of this series, not expecting much from a free book (as stated in the review I left on it, I'm not even that into zombies), and was absolutely floored. I could not believe how much I enjoyed it. Not only was the story amazing and frequently hilarious, but the writing was pristine. By which I mean I can't even recall a single error. If there were any it wasn't near enough to become distracting and memorable.
With that in mind, this book made me feel somewhat betrayed. I actually paid for it this time and was met with spelling errors on every two or three pages, some simple typos, like "own" in place of "down", and some were clearly repeated mistakes, like "wary" in place of "weary". There was also a few big plot errors and poorly thought out lines.
At one point, Alys meets a group of people camping in the wilderness. Two of them spot her, one with a spear, the other a bow. The bow is trained on her and the other approaches her flank with a club. No mention of them exchanging their spear for a club. Another big one is much earlier in the book, when we're getting to know all the characters of the Apocrypha. The doctor of the ship, Moses, alludes that he is from Zimbabwe by mentioning that he painted when he was in Harare. It is clear this is supposed to tell us where he's from because this chapter had revealed the names and regions of origin of all the characters. Much later in the book he is referred to as the Venezuelan doctor. As if the author completely forgot where his own character was from. Then there's the fact that one of the last chapters called a character by a completely wrong name (Jocelyn instead of Maya). There was also a line in Chapter 20 that really bothered me. The character "Dude" was outside a space station and scaling the side of it without a tether. At one point he grabs an antenna and there's an analogy made that is clearly backwards. It starts by saying he's "preparing to bear fruit come early autumn", then after you're thoroughly confused by this, it says at the end of the paragraph that he's "impersonating a grapevine". My last complaint is slightly minor. It's about the voice in Alice's head. Overall it was great. I absolutely loved their banter. But it's not revealed until like 3/4 of the way in the book what this voice actually sounds like. I would have liked to have had an accurate imagining of this voice to start with.
I'll wrap up by reiterating that the overall story was great despite these issues. It was unpredictable, witty, and enthralling. Exactly as good as the first. But it definitely lacked the thorough polishing that the first book had. Not sure why the same three proofreaders are thanked in the acknowledgements because they really fell asleep at the wheel for the entire sequel. Fix these errors and the many, many typos and you've got a perfect book here. I loved the story and wanted to give it five stars but the errors made it hard to fully enjoy.
With that in mind, this book made me feel somewhat betrayed. I actually paid for it this time and was met with spelling errors on every two or three pages, some simple typos, like "own" in place of "down", and some were clearly repeated mistakes, like "wary" in place of "weary". There was also a few big plot errors and poorly thought out lines.
At one point, Alys meets a group of people camping in the wilderness. Two of them spot her, one with a spear, the other a bow. The bow is trained on her and the other approaches her flank with a club. No mention of them exchanging their spear for a club. Another big one is much earlier in the book, when we're getting to know all the characters of the Apocrypha. The doctor of the ship, Moses, alludes that he is from Zimbabwe by mentioning that he painted when he was in Harare. It is clear this is supposed to tell us where he's from because this chapter had revealed the names and regions of origin of all the characters. Much later in the book he is referred to as the Venezuelan doctor. As if the author completely forgot where his own character was from. Then there's the fact that one of the last chapters called a character by a completely wrong name (Jocelyn instead of Maya). There was also a line in Chapter 20 that really bothered me. The character "Dude" was outside a space station and scaling the side of it without a tether. At one point he grabs an antenna and there's an analogy made that is clearly backwards. It starts by saying he's "preparing to bear fruit come early autumn", then after you're thoroughly confused by this, it says at the end of the paragraph that he's "impersonating a grapevine". My last complaint is slightly minor. It's about the voice in Alice's head. Overall it was great. I absolutely loved their banter. But it's not revealed until like 3/4 of the way in the book what this voice actually sounds like. I would have liked to have had an accurate imagining of this voice to start with.
I'll wrap up by reiterating that the overall story was great despite these issues. It was unpredictable, witty, and enthralling. Exactly as good as the first. But it definitely lacked the thorough polishing that the first book had. Not sure why the same three proofreaders are thanked in the acknowledgements because they really fell asleep at the wheel for the entire sequel. Fix these errors and the many, many typos and you've got a perfect book here. I loved the story and wanted to give it five stars but the errors made it hard to fully enjoy.
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