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Famous
A man goes to terrifying extremes to adopt his celebrity doppelganger's life in this darkly comedic psychological suspense novel from the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Dark Matter
and
Upgrade
.
The basis for the upcoming A24 film Famous , starring Zac Efron.
“My name is Lancelot Blue Dunkquist, and the best thing about me is, when you doll me up right, I look just like the movie star James Jansen.”
Meet Lance. Thirty-eight years old. Works a meaningless job. Still lives above his parents’ garage. By all accounts, a world-class loser. Save for one glaring He has a million-dollar face.
Lance has been mistaken eighty-seven times for the Oscar-winning movie star James Jansen, and for the last ten years, he’s saved his money and studied Jansen’s films, his moves, his idiosyncrasies—even the way he speaks. Now, after an unceremonious termination from his job, Lance has decided that the time has come to go after his dream of truly becoming Jansen.
From New York’s avant-garde, off-off Broadway scene to the glitter of Los Angeles, Lance embarks on a journey toward becoming James Jansen that will take him closer to the star than even he had dreamed—and to darker lengths than he could’ve possibly imagined.
Shot through with dark humor and building to a truly shocking conclusion, Famous is a scary, surprising, genre-blending thrill ride as only Blake Crouch can deliver.
The basis for the upcoming A24 film Famous , starring Zac Efron.
“My name is Lancelot Blue Dunkquist, and the best thing about me is, when you doll me up right, I look just like the movie star James Jansen.”
Meet Lance. Thirty-eight years old. Works a meaningless job. Still lives above his parents’ garage. By all accounts, a world-class loser. Save for one glaring He has a million-dollar face.
Lance has been mistaken eighty-seven times for the Oscar-winning movie star James Jansen, and for the last ten years, he’s saved his money and studied Jansen’s films, his moves, his idiosyncrasies—even the way he speaks. Now, after an unceremonious termination from his job, Lance has decided that the time has come to go after his dream of truly becoming Jansen.
From New York’s avant-garde, off-off Broadway scene to the glitter of Los Angeles, Lance embarks on a journey toward becoming James Jansen that will take him closer to the star than even he had dreamed—and to darker lengths than he could’ve possibly imagined.
Shot through with dark humor and building to a truly shocking conclusion, Famous is a scary, surprising, genre-blending thrill ride as only Blake Crouch can deliver.
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First published April 15, 2010
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About the author
Blake Crouch
79 books59.2k followersBlake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the forthcoming novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT television show starring Michelle Dockery based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He has written more than a dozen novels that have been translated into over thirty languages and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Crouch lives in Colorado with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 728 reviews
March 26, 2025
Love the author and his writing style. Fun character in a quite original plot.
June 3, 2022
Famous by Blake Crouch was interesting enough to keep me reading.
This story involves a guy called Lancelot who happens to look like a famous Oscar winning actor, James Jansen, so much so, that people often mistake him for this Hollywood icon. One day, he gets fired from his menial job, goes back home – a single room above his parent’s garage – and decides to leave for Hollywood. He’s managed to save around 40 Grand, so he buys some expensive clothes (Hugo Boss suits and the like) and glamourous accessories, gets his hair done, and travels to Hollywood to enact his long-time dream of ‘being famous’.
So, this is all about Lancelot visiting various haunts in Hollywood and being recognised as a superstar. He loves it!! He is even recognised by the occasional writer or director who say hello and things like “Jim it’s great to see you up and about again”. This made me very curious about why James Jansen was laying low. There were some amusing bits, such as when Lancelot/James was invited to talk to a bunch of acting students and even do a role play with them – but being Lancelot, he couldn’t act.
There is a dark thread running through this story, you know something sinister will happen and there’s a very good chance it will end in tears. It does get a bit edgy and suspenseful and for those reasons I found myself thinking about Lancelot/James when I was doing other things – good sign hey? But let’s make one thing clear – Lancelot is an utter arsehole.
This is really a story about stardom, and how it might feel to be famous from the perspective of a narcissistic, sociopath. It also provides us with a perspective of those people who are totally and utterly obsessed with celebrity. It was for these reasons I found this quite interesting.
This was an enjoyable enough experience that didn’t rise to any great heights.
This Ralph Malph lookalike gives this one 3 Stars.
This story involves a guy called Lancelot who happens to look like a famous Oscar winning actor, James Jansen, so much so, that people often mistake him for this Hollywood icon. One day, he gets fired from his menial job, goes back home – a single room above his parent’s garage – and decides to leave for Hollywood. He’s managed to save around 40 Grand, so he buys some expensive clothes (Hugo Boss suits and the like) and glamourous accessories, gets his hair done, and travels to Hollywood to enact his long-time dream of ‘being famous’.
So, this is all about Lancelot visiting various haunts in Hollywood and being recognised as a superstar. He loves it!! He is even recognised by the occasional writer or director who say hello and things like “Jim it’s great to see you up and about again”. This made me very curious about why James Jansen was laying low. There were some amusing bits, such as when Lancelot/James was invited to talk to a bunch of acting students and even do a role play with them – but being Lancelot, he couldn’t act.
There is a dark thread running through this story, you know something sinister will happen and there’s a very good chance it will end in tears. It does get a bit edgy and suspenseful and for those reasons I found myself thinking about Lancelot/James when I was doing other things – good sign hey? But let’s make one thing clear – Lancelot is an utter arsehole.
This is really a story about stardom, and how it might feel to be famous from the perspective of a narcissistic, sociopath. It also provides us with a perspective of those people who are totally and utterly obsessed with celebrity. It was for these reasons I found this quite interesting.
This was an enjoyable enough experience that didn’t rise to any great heights.
This Ralph Malph lookalike gives this one 3 Stars.
May 30, 2025
ARC for review. To be published September 23, 2025.
2.5 stars, rounded to 3. Note that this book was originally published in 2011, This appears to be a reissue, so if you are a big Crouch fan make sure you haven’t already read it!
This is the story of one fancily-named Lancelot Blue Dunkquist, (which is really crying out for a “III” at the end.) a seldom-do-well who has but one questionable claim to fame: he looks like Hollywood star and Oscar winner James Jansen. So he decides to chuck his unsatisfying life in Charlotte and make something out of that. He heads to NYC, then to LA to become Jansen.
And, well, that’s pretty much it. This isn’t much like Crouch’s usual book with their mix of horror and sci-fi, it’s really just what it sounds like. I have no idea why Lance does what he does at the end, and there’s a pretty big issue left unexplained but I kept turning the pages up til then. I wish I could keep rating at a 2.5, mainly because of the ending, but I’m OK with rounding to a 3.
2.5 stars, rounded to 3. Note that this book was originally published in 2011, This appears to be a reissue, so if you are a big Crouch fan make sure you haven’t already read it!
This is the story of one fancily-named Lancelot Blue Dunkquist, (which is really crying out for a “III” at the end.) a seldom-do-well who has but one questionable claim to fame: he looks like Hollywood star and Oscar winner James Jansen. So he decides to chuck his unsatisfying life in Charlotte and make something out of that. He heads to NYC, then to LA to become Jansen.
And, well, that’s pretty much it. This isn’t much like Crouch’s usual book with their mix of horror and sci-fi, it’s really just what it sounds like. I have no idea why Lance does what he does at the end, and there’s a pretty big issue left unexplained but I kept turning the pages up til then. I wish I could keep rating at a 2.5, mainly because of the ending, but I’m OK with rounding to a 3.
March 18, 2017
I have to admit, at first I was like-wait-this is a Blake Crouch book? What is the point of this book? And then it got stalkerish and then the ending-BAM! So stay with it-even if you don't love it at first. The payoff at the end is worth it.
July 16, 2025
Humoristic but dark critique of the celebrity culture set at a time prior to social media and the ubiquity of camera phones; otherwise, he couldn’t have continued with the pretence for as long as he did—one could only hope until one keeps reading.
This book has an abundance of references to psychology including that which enables the lead character to pass himself off not just any celebrity but an Oscar-winning one. Evidently, people do not know celebrities they’ve seen only on screens at a personal level though they like to imagine they do based on publicly available information. Deep down, some want him to be a celebrity so they can (claim to) have an experience with one so they lower their guards and suspend their suspicions. Fake Jim (Lancelot) does not stop there because where is the fun in that? So conceited and confident is he, that he hobnobs with celebrities so deeply self-involved, they could not see through his ruse despite having (multiple) interactions with the real Jim. As long as there is conformity to what they think they know, alarm bells do not ring—fake Jim knows this. They want something from him. What or who is real does not matter as much as their own (selfish) ends. Put in this way, can they claim to be (morally) better than fake Jim who only wants to experience what is good without making anyone else worse than before? With the right combination of looks, swagger and grasp of psychology, he has doors open for him that remain shut to those more deserving and/or desperate.
Within this subculture, ruthlessness and indifference are necessary in order to be respected and loved by the majority—this is narrated in a matter-of fact way. Based on this alone, any chilling conclusion to the story is consistent to the mood of the writing.
This book has an abundance of references to psychology including that which enables the lead character to pass himself off not just any celebrity but an Oscar-winning one. Evidently, people do not know celebrities they’ve seen only on screens at a personal level though they like to imagine they do based on publicly available information. Deep down, some want him to be a celebrity so they can (claim to) have an experience with one so they lower their guards and suspend their suspicions. Fake Jim (Lancelot) does not stop there because where is the fun in that? So conceited and confident is he, that he hobnobs with celebrities so deeply self-involved, they could not see through his ruse despite having (multiple) interactions with the real Jim. As long as there is conformity to what they think they know, alarm bells do not ring—fake Jim knows this. They want something from him. What or who is real does not matter as much as their own (selfish) ends. Put in this way, can they claim to be (morally) better than fake Jim who only wants to experience what is good without making anyone else worse than before? With the right combination of looks, swagger and grasp of psychology, he has doors open for him that remain shut to those more deserving and/or desperate.
Within this subculture, ruthlessness and indifference are necessary in order to be respected and loved by the majority—this is narrated in a matter-of fact way. Based on this alone, any chilling conclusion to the story is consistent to the mood of the writing.
October 7, 2025
Well, this definitely wasn’t your traditional Blake Crouch novel for sure. It basically follows Lance, a doppelgänger for a famous actor, as he gets fired from his job and decides he’s going to pursue an acting career. Of course, if people mistake him for Jim, the famous actor, he can’t help that and uses it to his advantage.
This was an odd duck. It basically just followed Lance’s journey that obviously had some speed bumps along the way. Then it just kind of ended. But it was a quick read so there’s that. Maybe Blake Crouch‘s doppelgänger wrote this?🤔
This was an odd duck. It basically just followed Lance’s journey that obviously had some speed bumps along the way. Then it just kind of ended. But it was a quick read so there’s that. Maybe Blake Crouch‘s doppelgänger wrote this?🤔
September 25, 2025
Well that’s one way to end the book…
Not my fav, but I still love Blake Crouch! Very different vibe from his other books, but I can see why A24 picked this one up!
Not my fav, but I still love Blake Crouch! Very different vibe from his other books, but I can see why A24 picked this one up!
February 26, 2012
The book was Crouch's best, until he decided it didn't need a third act.
February 23, 2012
I actually stopped reading this book at one point in search of a decent synopsis. Goodreads had the best one, and it fits perfectly. The problem was I was really waiting for this book to take off. It never did, it maintained an easy pace throughout. It didn't start off grabbing me right out of the gate, it was more like gate opened on the first page, and you experience the events of a slow and crazy racehorse just kind of meandering along. Despite that, something made me keep reading, and I finished it's 350 pages in less then a day, even after I had decided it wasn't worth it, and put it aside... something made me pick it back up, I have no idea what.
If you are in the mood for crazy action and suspense, save this book for another day, one where you are in the mood for something different. This book got 4 stars instead of 3, since it did stick with me after I finished it. The gears in my head are still turning. I still find myself kind of waiting for something to happen, but, anything that stimulated the gray matter in my opinion is a good thing.
Lance is a nut job, that much is clear right away. Textbook serial killer type. Though he isn't a serial killer, and as you wade through this book, you keep waiting for him to be one. I think perhaps his character was a bit too well crafted. Though who knows, given the chance, he might very well have gone that way.
The writing is very smooth, very easy to read. It flows beautifully, at a very even pace throughout the book. It is this pace that can be a bit frustrating. Be forewarned on that front, this book is not one that will make you sit on the edge of your seat, but it is one that gets you thinking. It also kind of leaves you thinking.
It wouldn't be at the top of my "must read" list, but neither is it on my "don't bother" list.
If you are in the mood for crazy action and suspense, save this book for another day, one where you are in the mood for something different. This book got 4 stars instead of 3, since it did stick with me after I finished it. The gears in my head are still turning. I still find myself kind of waiting for something to happen, but, anything that stimulated the gray matter in my opinion is a good thing.
Lance is a nut job, that much is clear right away. Textbook serial killer type. Though he isn't a serial killer, and as you wade through this book, you keep waiting for him to be one. I think perhaps his character was a bit too well crafted. Though who knows, given the chance, he might very well have gone that way.
The writing is very smooth, very easy to read. It flows beautifully, at a very even pace throughout the book. It is this pace that can be a bit frustrating. Be forewarned on that front, this book is not one that will make you sit on the edge of your seat, but it is one that gets you thinking. It also kind of leaves you thinking.
It wouldn't be at the top of my "must read" list, but neither is it on my "don't bother" list.
October 22, 2025
Just as I was getting a bit annoyed by how delusional the MMC was, the ending was such a mindfuck! I can't wait for the A24 movie!
May 29, 2015
Unlike everyone else, I did not love this book. I didn't think it was deep; the message is apparent almost right away and it's something that's been around since the Gilded Age, so it was hardly a revelation. The protagonist wasn't pathetic enough to be pitiable, or human enough to be sympathetic or even horrible enough to be entertaining. For me, this was like watching a seagull slowly drown itself in the pursuit of some fish. I didn't really care at all, but I wasn't satisfied experiencing it either.
When I started to think things might get interesting, the book ended. I get that circumventing traditional story structure is rebellious and avant-garde, it's also kind of annoying.
When I started to think things might get interesting, the book ended. I get that circumventing traditional story structure is rebellious and avant-garde, it's also kind of annoying.
November 5, 2025
not my cup of tea. I really didn't care for the main character.
November 18, 2025
Not sure why this is getting a bad rap,I really enjoyed it, deff has some shock factor!
June 28, 2025
Crouch’s ”Famous” is a republication of a novel he first put out fourteen years earlier, but now it’s been made into a Hollywood movie. Thus, republishing made sense.
“Famous” explores what would happen if a paper-shuffling clerk who still lives in his parents’ basement loser (one Lancelot Blue Dunkquist”) happens to be the doppelgänger for a rich and famous movie star (one James Jansen). One day Lance quits his loser job and takes his $40,000 in savings (because living with mom and dad means no expenses), buys the fanciest Hugo Boss suits he can get and heads to New York where he pretends to be Jansen although he’s holed up in a cheap hotel in Harlem. He fakes acting in a play, only to get so nervous he throws up on stage although his picking up a woman using the Jansen persona works out for him.
The second stage of Lance’s act is heading to Los Angeles where he can mingle with other “stars” while crashing on his brother’s couch. Jansen, though now a recluse, lives in the Hollywood Hills and Lance has literally no concern about running into Jansen (til he does) though sporting around in a Lamborghini and picking up models pretending to be Jansen.
Crouch never quite pulls this one off. Lance remains a loser with no plan even as he takes over Jansen’s life. But, Lance never quite gets the true killer instinct of a psychopath and just bounces from one event to another. Lance feels stupid rather than desperate and never quite reaches creepy.
“Famous” explores what would happen if a paper-shuffling clerk who still lives in his parents’ basement loser (one Lancelot Blue Dunkquist”) happens to be the doppelgänger for a rich and famous movie star (one James Jansen). One day Lance quits his loser job and takes his $40,000 in savings (because living with mom and dad means no expenses), buys the fanciest Hugo Boss suits he can get and heads to New York where he pretends to be Jansen although he’s holed up in a cheap hotel in Harlem. He fakes acting in a play, only to get so nervous he throws up on stage although his picking up a woman using the Jansen persona works out for him.
The second stage of Lance’s act is heading to Los Angeles where he can mingle with other “stars” while crashing on his brother’s couch. Jansen, though now a recluse, lives in the Hollywood Hills and Lance has literally no concern about running into Jansen (til he does) though sporting around in a Lamborghini and picking up models pretending to be Jansen.
Crouch never quite pulls this one off. Lance remains a loser with no plan even as he takes over Jansen’s life. But, Lance never quite gets the true killer instinct of a psychopath and just bounces from one event to another. Lance feels stupid rather than desperate and never quite reaches creepy.
April 15, 2025
3.5 - The ending seemed like an afterthought...
October 27, 2025
I saw that A24 picked this one up to adapt to film and I really enjoy their work, so decided to grab this one from the library and give it a whirl. Well, the film thing AND I've read a lot of Blake Crouch and haven't read a bad one yet.
Sadly, this one was just mid for me, even though I thought the ending was great. It was just a bit boring working its way up to it.
Honestly, if you haven't read this one yet, I think the movie is going to be head and shoulders better, so I'd say just wait for that.
Sadly, this one was just mid for me, even though I thought the ending was great. It was just a bit boring working its way up to it.
Honestly, if you haven't read this one yet, I think the movie is going to be head and shoulders better, so I'd say just wait for that.
October 11, 2025
I’m finding it difficult to say what I feel about this.
Interesting story of a mental illness but which never really explores it. It feels as if this tale has so many layers but never moves off the first.
Interesting story of a mental illness but which never really explores it. It feels as if this tale has so many layers but never moves off the first.
December 2, 2015
I've read Crouch before and yet he managed to completely and pleasantly surprise me with this one. Famous isn't Crouch's typical work, it isn't a thriller, there are no supernatural elements. It is, of course, still twisted, in a good way. Perfectly appropriate for our celebrity obsessed society, this is a story of a man improbably named Lancelot Blue Dunkquist, a proper nobody who just happens to look like a popular movie star. It's a perverse version of an American dream, if you can be anyone you want to be, why not be someone famous. How much fun would it be to matter, to have the blind adoration of fans, to command that sort of attention, to wear another shinier life like a new suit, to park your caravan in the greenest grass. But then again, you know what they say about wishes. Not to mention the price tag they might come with. Great story, moral and all, clever social commentary, very entertaining, well written, really fun quick read. My favorite Crouch book to date. Recommended.
February 21, 2024
This was honestly such a strong premise for a book that ultimately failed due to poor execution. (I can really appreciate how far Blake Crouch has come as a writer as a result.)
I did pick this up since it was announced that it’s going to be an upcoming movie and I gotta say I do have pretty high hopes.
I did pick this up since it was announced that it’s going to be an upcoming movie and I gotta say I do have pretty high hopes.
March 8, 2023
I loved this book but it’s like Blake Crouch woke up one day bored with writing this story and abruptly ended it. The ending was good but it came too soon.
November 27, 2023
Talk about not sticking the landing...
Big fan of Blake Crouch and I am now digging around his earlier works looking for hidden gems. For the most part this was entertaining and a nice quick read between heavier hitters. There was so much potential within this story, I would have liked to have seen this be much longer with things slowly unravelling for Lance and building the tension so that the reader is constantly guessing which slip up or vital piece of evidence will bring everything crashing down.
This may have been a more interesting story told in reverse, starting with JJ recovering in hospital with amnesia, being told that he's an Oscar winner with a nice life, only to later discover a grizzly secret and try to piece together who he really is.
Thankfully Crouch goes on to bigger and better things and his science fiction / techno thriller work seems to be where his best strength is.
Big fan of Blake Crouch and I am now digging around his earlier works looking for hidden gems. For the most part this was entertaining and a nice quick read between heavier hitters. There was so much potential within this story, I would have liked to have seen this be much longer with things slowly unravelling for Lance and building the tension so that the reader is constantly guessing which slip up or vital piece of evidence will bring everything crashing down.
This may have been a more interesting story told in reverse, starting with JJ recovering in hospital with amnesia, being told that he's an Oscar winner with a nice life, only to later discover a grizzly secret and try to piece together who he really is.
Thankfully Crouch goes on to bigger and better things and his science fiction / techno thriller work seems to be where his best strength is.
November 12, 2020
Frankly, I'll read anything by Blake Crouch. I actually have, most of his books. Famous is one of his earlier works and you will know that just by reading the first chapter.
The plot, although not unique, kept me curious the whole time. It was unpredictable. And, man, can Crouch get into the skin of the human psyche and create disturbing characters. Lance was vulnerable and terrifying both at the same time and he didn't show either of those sides.
I had trouble with the editing of the book. Blake's writing, as usual, was flowy and smooth, but there were places where I thought the grammar was confusing, and there were typos. It basically seemed like a rough draft. The book also needed closure. It was very abrupt. It seemed like the last act was missing.
It's a 3.5-star book for me.
The plot, although not unique, kept me curious the whole time. It was unpredictable. And, man, can Crouch get into the skin of the human psyche and create disturbing characters. Lance was vulnerable and terrifying both at the same time and he didn't show either of those sides.
I had trouble with the editing of the book. Blake's writing, as usual, was flowy and smooth, but there were places where I thought the grammar was confusing, and there were typos. It basically seemed like a rough draft. The book also needed closure. It was very abrupt. It seemed like the last act was missing.
It's a 3.5-star book for me.
November 8, 2025
Who knew that Young Blake Crouch had a phase where he wanted to be Bret Easton Ellis?
November 15, 2025
3.5, I think this is what they said happened to young thug
November 21, 2025
This book was insane! A fast-paced thrilling story of a man's desire to be famous and successful and facing the repercussions thereof.
Also Blake Crouch's style of writing is so good that I've added almost his entire bibliography to my WTR shelf.
Also Blake Crouch's style of writing is so good that I've added almost his entire bibliography to my WTR shelf.
August 6, 2012
Wow. I have never, EVER met a Blake Crouch book I didn't like but this one? Wow. Just wow. I can't even stop thinking about it. Or quoting it. Or thinking about it. Honestly, I think the best part of getting a tablet/kindle is now being able to read AAAAALL the Blake Crouch books. After reading Desert Places, years ago, I was so disappointed that only five of his books could be purchased as actual paper books. So naturally the first thing I did when I got my new tablet was purchase a Blake Crouch book, ha.
This one, to be exact.
I was scrolling through his various ebooks and this one really caught my eye. Not only for the title but for the premise. And then I just dove right in. I honestly enjoyed everything about this book. It was definitely a story that piqued my interest. A man who, naturally, looked exactly like a celebrity and slowly began living not his own life, but that of the celebrity's?
Well, it just got better and better from there. This is, honestly, a book I want to begin reading again even though I just finished it a few days ago. I was BEYOND hooked. And, actually, I don't know that I can really say any more without giving the whole thing away.
If you're a fan of thrillers (or, well, I'm not exactly sure how to classify this one o.O) or have read any of Blake Crouch's other fine, fine, novels I HIGHLY recommend this one. It is fantastic and definitely one of my new favorites. I know I will DEFINITELY be reading it again.
This one, to be exact.
I was scrolling through his various ebooks and this one really caught my eye. Not only for the title but for the premise. And then I just dove right in. I honestly enjoyed everything about this book. It was definitely a story that piqued my interest. A man who, naturally, looked exactly like a celebrity and slowly began living not his own life, but that of the celebrity's?
Well, it just got better and better from there. This is, honestly, a book I want to begin reading again even though I just finished it a few days ago. I was BEYOND hooked. And, actually, I don't know that I can really say any more without giving the whole thing away.
If you're a fan of thrillers (or, well, I'm not exactly sure how to classify this one o.O) or have read any of Blake Crouch's other fine, fine, novels I HIGHLY recommend this one. It is fantastic and definitely one of my new favorites. I know I will DEFINITELY be reading it again.
July 21, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this story after having read "Dark Matter," as this earlier book shows a lot of promise and the beginnings of some of the themes that Crouch explores in D.M. (a book which I gave 5 stars!) He really is a great writer, and I thought I could almost sense some Salinger-inspired prose in this story.
The plot itself is interesting enough, and I like the way that Crouch slowly reveals details as the story unfolds. I saw a review of this book that said it was great until Crouch decided not to write a third act. I can see where this reviewer is coming from, and it might have been wise to let the story play out a little longer just when it was getting good. However, it's not like Crouch totally messed up; he deliberately made the choice to go with a gut-punch, Shyamalan-like twist at the end, which I think is a valid choice for this type of story.
Overall, an intriguing story written incredibly well.
The plot itself is interesting enough, and I like the way that Crouch slowly reveals details as the story unfolds. I saw a review of this book that said it was great until Crouch decided not to write a third act. I can see where this reviewer is coming from, and it might have been wise to let the story play out a little longer just when it was getting good. However, it's not like Crouch totally messed up; he deliberately made the choice to go with a gut-punch, Shyamalan-like twist at the end, which I think is a valid choice for this type of story.
Overall, an intriguing story written incredibly well.
September 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
Famous.
I didn't realize this was a reissue until I read previous reviews.
The writing is bad, like really bad; simplistic, like someone learning how to write basic sentences.
I've read the author's previous books before and enjoy most of them so it's great to see how much his writing has improved.
The narrative is meh.
I've read something like this before, in an EC Comics story and that was way better.
Is the setup hard to suspend disbelief for? Sure.
The biggest problem is Lance; he's a loser, plain and simple.
He's just faking it, and not well, meandering along in life like he did with his previous loser life.
He's not likable, not even a likable sociopath, and the ending is exactly what I imagined for a loser like Lance.
I didn't realize this was a reissue until I read previous reviews.
The writing is bad, like really bad; simplistic, like someone learning how to write basic sentences.
I've read the author's previous books before and enjoy most of them so it's great to see how much his writing has improved.
The narrative is meh.
I've read something like this before, in an EC Comics story and that was way better.
Is the setup hard to suspend disbelief for? Sure.
The biggest problem is Lance; he's a loser, plain and simple.
He's just faking it, and not well, meandering along in life like he did with his previous loser life.
He's not likable, not even a likable sociopath, and the ending is exactly what I imagined for a loser like Lance.
December 29, 2021
Blake Crouch is an auto-buy author for me. I read Dark Matter, Recursion and The Wayward Pines trilogy, all of which were stellar. Going through his back catalogue, I wasn't sure what to expect. I enjoyed this one - it had a few great moments that really shifted the narrative, and it was definitely another page turner. The protagonist grapples with Identity and possibly mental health, and it's a stressful ride while he seems to be going off the rails, but it explores this quite well. It's fairly short and overall, does what was intended. A decent entry that's hard to rank against other home-runs by this author. Worth a read since it's easy to fit in.
April 3, 2022
I guess there's a reason this isn't a popular Blake Crouch book. It could have easily just been a short story. A loser who lives in his parents' basement looks like a celebrity and wants to know how it would feel to be a somebody. When he loses his job, he decides to pretend to be the celebrity, eventually taking it to the degree you expect.
I had a hard time wanting to pick up the book to finish because the story wasn't all that interesting, and the main character was loathsome.
I had a hard time wanting to pick up the book to finish because the story wasn't all that interesting, and the main character was loathsome.
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