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Meet Me in the Strange
Davi tries to help a new friend, Anna Z, escape a cruel and controlling brother, and the teens end up running away to follow the tour of their rock idol, the otherworldly Django Conn. The story is set in a weird and wonderful retro-futuristic city of glam-girls and glister-boys and a strange phenomenon that Anna Z calls the “Alien Drift.”
260 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2018
2 people are currently reading
764 people want to read
About the author
Leander Watts
5 books102 followersLeander Watts is the author of five young adult novels. He lives in the Genesee Valley of western New York State, where he teaches writing and literature (special areas of interest: science fiction, crime novels and YA.)
He owns hundreds of vinyl albums (many still in the original cellophane), twelve fezzes, a ninety year old tenor sax, and the biggest collection of Big Hand Books known to exist.
He owns hundreds of vinyl albums (many still in the original cellophane), twelve fezzes, a ninety year old tenor sax, and the biggest collection of Big Hand Books known to exist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 6, 2018
I was part of the promotional blog tour for this book, head over to my blog to see the full post: https://marriedtobooksreviewsandblog....
Meet Me In The Strange was definitely an interesting YA novella, the length was short, so that was good for me to read on a very busy day in particular (same day as this post is uploaded). The novella is told from Davi’s point of view as he goes to a concert for the artist Django Conn and locks eyes with a strange girl that he later finds out is called Anna Z. She has a burning secret of her own regarding her past family life and doesn’t want to be found by her brother. Together, they make plans to run away and follow their idol Django across his supposed final tour. The futuristic city makes for the sci-fi setting with the Alien Drift being a curious plot twist. The pacing was fast but does make it ideal for a short novella that is completely standalone.
Other thoughts: The chapter lengths were mainly one or two pages long, at times, I did find it difficult to relate to both Davi and Anna as characters.
Meet Me In The Strange was definitely an interesting YA novella, the length was short, so that was good for me to read on a very busy day in particular (same day as this post is uploaded). The novella is told from Davi’s point of view as he goes to a concert for the artist Django Conn and locks eyes with a strange girl that he later finds out is called Anna Z. She has a burning secret of her own regarding her past family life and doesn’t want to be found by her brother. Together, they make plans to run away and follow their idol Django across his supposed final tour. The futuristic city makes for the sci-fi setting with the Alien Drift being a curious plot twist. The pacing was fast but does make it ideal for a short novella that is completely standalone.
Other thoughts: The chapter lengths were mainly one or two pages long, at times, I did find it difficult to relate to both Davi and Anna as characters.
September 19, 2024
"Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with Weird and Gilly
And the spiders from Mars. He played it left hand
But made it too far
Became the special man, then we were Ziggy's band"
Meet Me in the Strange" is an ode to teenage rock fandom with its fascination with lyrics and attributions of deep meanings and hero worship. Although the rock star here is a sort of mid Seventies David Bowie glamfest, his name Django Conn recalls the legendary jazzman of that first name. But, all the references to space and alien drift and magical surrealism are straight outta Bowieland. The story is told through the eyes 👀 of a teenager, Davi, who with his sister lives in a giant storied hotel and has been left to their own devices.
For Davi, that means spinning vinyls and attending rave-party like glittery concerts. At one such concert, he becomes infatuated with Anna Z. Who loses herself in the music and talks nonstop with utter madness about Django and Frankenstein and aliens. Oh, and she's got a madman stalker brother built like a crazed Frankenstein too. The whole thing takes place in a sort of European city lined with canals.
An intoxicatingly poetic work that is probably not for everyone. Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
And the spiders from Mars. He played it left hand
But made it too far
Became the special man, then we were Ziggy's band"
Meet Me in the Strange" is an ode to teenage rock fandom with its fascination with lyrics and attributions of deep meanings and hero worship. Although the rock star here is a sort of mid Seventies David Bowie glamfest, his name Django Conn recalls the legendary jazzman of that first name. But, all the references to space and alien drift and magical surrealism are straight outta Bowieland. The story is told through the eyes 👀 of a teenager, Davi, who with his sister lives in a giant storied hotel and has been left to their own devices.
For Davi, that means spinning vinyls and attending rave-party like glittery concerts. At one such concert, he becomes infatuated with Anna Z. Who loses herself in the music and talks nonstop with utter madness about Django and Frankenstein and aliens. Oh, and she's got a madman stalker brother built like a crazed Frankenstein too. The whole thing takes place in a sort of European city lined with canals.
An intoxicatingly poetic work that is probably not for everyone. Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
February 1, 2018
You can read this review at https://bookwormbrittanyy.wordpress.c...
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1 star
I.... I don't even know what I just read you guys.
Let me just go ahead and say that this book is rated pretty decently. I am about to be the first person to give this book one star. And I'm really not trying to say that the book would be totally awful for everyone, because that's clearly not the case. But... I think you have to enjoy a certain type of genre or writing to like this book. And I just don't seem to fall into... whatever that is, exactly. Fantasy? Nah. Not quite. Magical realism? Maybe. But, that's just not really my type of book. Confession time: I have never finished the Harry Potter series because I'm just not that into it. Whew. I'm so glad to get that off my chest. Please don't attack me. I'm not saying I didn't like it. I'm just saying it's not really for me.
And that's how I felt about this book. It's content confused me and I never really understood what the hell was going on.
So the premise of this book is that two young people, Anna-Z and Davi, go off to follow their favorite musical artist on tour as a way of escaping Anna-Z's super controlling and (frankly) psychotic brother. I call Anna-Z and Davi people, and not girls, or boys, or a boy and girl, because I still have no idea if Davi is a boy or girl. I think that out of habit we tend to assume that if the narrators love interest is a girl, then the narrator themselves must be a boy, unless otherwise stated. And that's really just the heterosexuality norm world that we live in. But I actually think that the author leaves out Davi's gender identity on purpose. This book is chalked full of gender fluidity and boys wearing mascara. I think keeping us in the dark about Davi was a tactic planned very purposefully by Watts.
So Davi and Anna-Z meet, Anna-z rambles on absolutely crazy thoughts about the alien-drift and morphing and whatnot, and Davi is fascinated by her so every word that comes out of Anna-Z's mouth is taken very seriously. But Anna-Z has a crazy, controlling, and (I think?) abusive brother who is after Anna-Z (she has run away) and so Davi protects her. Davi hatches a plan to go to the last concert of Django Conn's tour a few hours away, and they plan to hide from Anna-Z's brother as long as possible. Side note: I was under the impression that they would be following the entire tour, or at least a branch of it. But they are only attending two: one, in the very first chapter of the book where Davi first spots Anna-Z, and two, the last concert of the tour towards the end of the book.
Of course Anna-Z's brother still somehow manages to find her a hundred miles away and interrupts the concert but never fear, because Django Conn is here! Wowza that sounded so silly. But seriously, Django basically saves Anna-Z, but I'll save the hows for those of you who still choose to read this book even after I tell you how much I hated it in this review.
So that's pretty much what happens in this book. There are, of course, some smaller plot lines that you can check out for yourself. But for the main part, what I have just described to you is the summary of this book. But Anna-Z rambles a lot and fills in the pages with a bunch of stuff that I did not understand whatsoever. Maybe I'm just too closed minded. That's a possibility. I definitely believe in aliens, but the alien drift sounded really far out there to me. Anna-Z talks, talks, talks and never stops unless she needs to stop telling stories and tell the truth (Davi calls them stories instead of lies. Makes the relationship seem a little more stable, I guess).
Final thoughts:
This book is just really not for me, guys. I had to force myself to finish it and the only holy grail was that it was so short and was over quickly. I am convinced that Watts got his inspiration from an LSD trip (whether his, or someone else's, I have no idea). The story is somehow based in the present but also not... if that makes sense. Which it doesn't, because even I couldn't understand it. In seeming contrast to other viewers, I was not captivated by the setting nor the characters. Davi and Anna-Z were both extremely boring and paranoid to me. I appreciate that all readers are different and that there will probably be plenty of readers that enjoy this book. I just will not get to be one of them.
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1 star
I.... I don't even know what I just read you guys.
Let me just go ahead and say that this book is rated pretty decently. I am about to be the first person to give this book one star. And I'm really not trying to say that the book would be totally awful for everyone, because that's clearly not the case. But... I think you have to enjoy a certain type of genre or writing to like this book. And I just don't seem to fall into... whatever that is, exactly. Fantasy? Nah. Not quite. Magical realism? Maybe. But, that's just not really my type of book. Confession time: I have never finished the Harry Potter series because I'm just not that into it. Whew. I'm so glad to get that off my chest. Please don't attack me. I'm not saying I didn't like it. I'm just saying it's not really for me.
And that's how I felt about this book. It's content confused me and I never really understood what the hell was going on.
So the premise of this book is that two young people, Anna-Z and Davi, go off to follow their favorite musical artist on tour as a way of escaping Anna-Z's super controlling and (frankly) psychotic brother. I call Anna-Z and Davi people, and not girls, or boys, or a boy and girl, because I still have no idea if Davi is a boy or girl. I think that out of habit we tend to assume that if the narrators love interest is a girl, then the narrator themselves must be a boy, unless otherwise stated. And that's really just the heterosexuality norm world that we live in. But I actually think that the author leaves out Davi's gender identity on purpose. This book is chalked full of gender fluidity and boys wearing mascara. I think keeping us in the dark about Davi was a tactic planned very purposefully by Watts.
So Davi and Anna-Z meet, Anna-z rambles on absolutely crazy thoughts about the alien-drift and morphing and whatnot, and Davi is fascinated by her so every word that comes out of Anna-Z's mouth is taken very seriously. But Anna-Z has a crazy, controlling, and (I think?) abusive brother who is after Anna-Z (she has run away) and so Davi protects her. Davi hatches a plan to go to the last concert of Django Conn's tour a few hours away, and they plan to hide from Anna-Z's brother as long as possible. Side note: I was under the impression that they would be following the entire tour, or at least a branch of it. But they are only attending two: one, in the very first chapter of the book where Davi first spots Anna-Z, and two, the last concert of the tour towards the end of the book.
Of course Anna-Z's brother still somehow manages to find her a hundred miles away and interrupts the concert but never fear, because Django Conn is here! Wowza that sounded so silly. But seriously, Django basically saves Anna-Z, but I'll save the hows for those of you who still choose to read this book even after I tell you how much I hated it in this review.
So that's pretty much what happens in this book. There are, of course, some smaller plot lines that you can check out for yourself. But for the main part, what I have just described to you is the summary of this book. But Anna-Z rambles a lot and fills in the pages with a bunch of stuff that I did not understand whatsoever. Maybe I'm just too closed minded. That's a possibility. I definitely believe in aliens, but the alien drift sounded really far out there to me. Anna-Z talks, talks, talks and never stops unless she needs to stop telling stories and tell the truth (Davi calls them stories instead of lies. Makes the relationship seem a little more stable, I guess).
Final thoughts:
This book is just really not for me, guys. I had to force myself to finish it and the only holy grail was that it was so short and was over quickly. I am convinced that Watts got his inspiration from an LSD trip (whether his, or someone else's, I have no idea). The story is somehow based in the present but also not... if that makes sense. Which it doesn't, because even I couldn't understand it. In seeming contrast to other viewers, I was not captivated by the setting nor the characters. Davi and Anna-Z were both extremely boring and paranoid to me. I appreciate that all readers are different and that there will probably be plenty of readers that enjoy this book. I just will not get to be one of them.
April 13, 2018
When Davi sees Anna Z. at a concert he instantly knows she's special. They experience Django Conn's music in the same way. Davi is enchanted by both the energy on stage and the girl. When he returns to the Angelus hotel, his home, he's impassioned by the memories. Davi hopes he'll see the girl again and is surprised when she shows up at the hotel, meeting his sister. He follows her, so he won't lose her again, and they finally start to talk. Anna Z. has a lot to say and Davi is mesmerized when she tells him about music, stories and the next evolution of humans.
Spending time with Anna Z. isn't without danger. She has a possessive, violent brother. Anna Z. wants to run away from him and Davi gives her shelter at the hotel. Davi has never left his safe and secure world, but if he wants to give Anna Z. a chance at freedom he has to take her somewhere else. Django Conn gives them a perfect reason to leave. The paths of the two teenagers and their idol will eventually cross, what will happen when they do?
Meet Me in the Strange is a creative gripping story. I was immediately intrigued when I read the descriptions of Django Conn's first concert. Every character in this story has fabulous clothes, the visitors of the concert don't only listen to music, they actually feel it and the futuristic vibe is absolutely fantastic. Davi doesn't have any friends, he doesn't go to school and he spends most of his time at his family's hotel listening to music. He is in desperate need of an adventure. When he meets Anna Z. he's being chased, he has to outsmart people and a new alien world of possibilities finally opens for him. I loved all of these elements in the story. Anna Z. is wonderfully mysterious, eclectic, wild and enthralling and that gives Meet Me in the Strange a beautiful atmosphere.
Leander Watts has written a really cool story. Meet Me in the Strange is artistic and original. Because of the vibrant and colorful descriptions I could easily picture the futuristic setting. It felt like looking at a magical painting that constantly keeps changing and I loved the effect the story had on me. Leander Watts takes his readers into a completely different reality where looks, sounds, values and dreams are different and intriguing. While his world is futuristic, he also gives them a few familiar handles of the past that feel like anchors and new opportunities at the same time, which is something else I liked a lot. I was captivated by this story from the beginning and read it in one sitting. Meet me in the Strange is unique and surprising and filled with energy, imaginativeness and inspiration.
Spending time with Anna Z. isn't without danger. She has a possessive, violent brother. Anna Z. wants to run away from him and Davi gives her shelter at the hotel. Davi has never left his safe and secure world, but if he wants to give Anna Z. a chance at freedom he has to take her somewhere else. Django Conn gives them a perfect reason to leave. The paths of the two teenagers and their idol will eventually cross, what will happen when they do?
Meet Me in the Strange is a creative gripping story. I was immediately intrigued when I read the descriptions of Django Conn's first concert. Every character in this story has fabulous clothes, the visitors of the concert don't only listen to music, they actually feel it and the futuristic vibe is absolutely fantastic. Davi doesn't have any friends, he doesn't go to school and he spends most of his time at his family's hotel listening to music. He is in desperate need of an adventure. When he meets Anna Z. he's being chased, he has to outsmart people and a new alien world of possibilities finally opens for him. I loved all of these elements in the story. Anna Z. is wonderfully mysterious, eclectic, wild and enthralling and that gives Meet Me in the Strange a beautiful atmosphere.
Leander Watts has written a really cool story. Meet Me in the Strange is artistic and original. Because of the vibrant and colorful descriptions I could easily picture the futuristic setting. It felt like looking at a magical painting that constantly keeps changing and I loved the effect the story had on me. Leander Watts takes his readers into a completely different reality where looks, sounds, values and dreams are different and intriguing. While his world is futuristic, he also gives them a few familiar handles of the past that feel like anchors and new opportunities at the same time, which is something else I liked a lot. I was captivated by this story from the beginning and read it in one sitting. Meet me in the Strange is unique and surprising and filled with energy, imaginativeness and inspiration.
November 28, 2018
DNF @28.
To begin with, I wasn't a fan of the choppy sentences and the super small chapters, but I get that this is something that is maybe/ probably corrected in the editing process, so I'll just move past that.
I liked the description of glam rock with a space twist, and the big role that the music played (at least in the first chapter or so), BUT, this is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl Story.
I didn't even have to read further than 28% to realize that, because from the moment Anna Z properly met our protagonist (who is undoubtedly male; more on this later) she started delivering those manic monologues, which, I suppose, were there to make her "weird" and "an outcast" and "a thinker", but just served to make her eye-rollingly (yes, that's a phrase) annoying in my eyes. I get that these are supposed to be pretentious teenagers, but I felt that the author was completely playing them straight. BOY, do I have some special feelings for the authors who play their stories completely straight!
About the protagonist's, Davi's, gender: I've seen other reviewers say that the author left it vague, but in my opinion he was not only male, but an Author Avatar, at that, like all Manic Pixie Dream Girl stories. There's a point when the protagonist comments on other boys wearing makeup and such, and he's like "No, I'm not like that, I'm not like those other boys" (sigh)
And apart from that (this is a first-person narrative, through Davi's eyes), he also slyly judges every single female character on whether or not she's physically attractive. There are many instances of this even in the small percentage of the book I read! Hey, you could argue that Davi could have easily been female (because judging people's attractiveness is definitely not a male characteristic), but.... Maybe this was just me, but I got a very male vibe from Davi, and the judging was in the very distinct "How bangable is she" male bro-fashion.
Seriously, Manic Pixie Dream Girl stories should stay in the early 2000s, where they belong.
**Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read!**
To begin with, I wasn't a fan of the choppy sentences and the super small chapters, but I get that this is something that is maybe/ probably corrected in the editing process, so I'll just move past that.
I liked the description of glam rock with a space twist, and the big role that the music played (at least in the first chapter or so), BUT, this is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl Story.
I didn't even have to read further than 28% to realize that, because from the moment Anna Z properly met our protagonist (who is undoubtedly male; more on this later) she started delivering those manic monologues, which, I suppose, were there to make her "weird" and "an outcast" and "a thinker", but just served to make her eye-rollingly (yes, that's a phrase) annoying in my eyes. I get that these are supposed to be pretentious teenagers, but I felt that the author was completely playing them straight. BOY, do I have some special feelings for the authors who play their stories completely straight!
About the protagonist's, Davi's, gender: I've seen other reviewers say that the author left it vague, but in my opinion he was not only male, but an Author Avatar, at that, like all Manic Pixie Dream Girl stories. There's a point when the protagonist comments on other boys wearing makeup and such, and he's like "No, I'm not like that, I'm not like those other boys" (sigh)
And apart from that (this is a first-person narrative, through Davi's eyes), he also slyly judges every single female character on whether or not she's physically attractive. There are many instances of this even in the small percentage of the book I read! Hey, you could argue that Davi could have easily been female (because judging people's attractiveness is definitely not a male characteristic), but.... Maybe this was just me, but I got a very male vibe from Davi, and the judging was in the very distinct "How bangable is she" male bro-fashion.
Seriously, Manic Pixie Dream Girl stories should stay in the early 2000s, where they belong.
**Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read!**
April 2, 2018
This is a really intriguing read. Firstly, I am clearly not the target audience. While I enjoy my music and at times lock onto new artists and play an album to a standstill – I no longer have the intense, self-defining relationship with music that I recall needing during my teenage years. This book is targeted at those youngsters and those not so young, whose relationship with their music is mind-altering and profound.
Davi, the protagonist, is deliberately left ungendered, but is clearly male – although that doesn’t matter as much as you might think in this futuristic world where gender fluidity clearly prevails. The language is a delight – Watt’s users a form of slang of his own devising, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I get a tad tired of sci fi authors using sayings that originated from our nautical past with the assumption they would still prevail in an era where we are no longer in an environment where the sea matters, so I thoroughly enjoyed the way Watts plays with language.
The same imagination and inventiveness is bestowed upon the world building and details of Davi’s everyday life as the son of a hotel owner whose interaction with his children is fleeting. Davi and his older sister live and odd, unstructured life with far too many resources, far too much time and scarily little interaction with anyone they can turn to for guidance or advice – other than a few kindly members of staff who do their best to look out for the teenagers. By contrast, the actual storyline suffers. It seems that so much imaginative energy has been expended on the world building and cool characterisation depicted through the inventive language that the actual plot is rather simple.
However, I’m not sure the target audience will really mind. What this book offers is a glimpse into the daily life of an imagined teenager in the future, including his love of music and his attempt to help Anna get free from her brother. Indeed, since I completed this book it keeps popping back into my head – the world and the feel of it, right down to the musty splendour of the hotel, which has seen better days. Recommended for readers who also enjoy music as well as inventive and futuristic world building. While I obtained an arc of Meet Me in the Strange from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
Davi, the protagonist, is deliberately left ungendered, but is clearly male – although that doesn’t matter as much as you might think in this futuristic world where gender fluidity clearly prevails. The language is a delight – Watt’s users a form of slang of his own devising, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I get a tad tired of sci fi authors using sayings that originated from our nautical past with the assumption they would still prevail in an era where we are no longer in an environment where the sea matters, so I thoroughly enjoyed the way Watts plays with language.
The same imagination and inventiveness is bestowed upon the world building and details of Davi’s everyday life as the son of a hotel owner whose interaction with his children is fleeting. Davi and his older sister live and odd, unstructured life with far too many resources, far too much time and scarily little interaction with anyone they can turn to for guidance or advice – other than a few kindly members of staff who do their best to look out for the teenagers. By contrast, the actual storyline suffers. It seems that so much imaginative energy has been expended on the world building and cool characterisation depicted through the inventive language that the actual plot is rather simple.
However, I’m not sure the target audience will really mind. What this book offers is a glimpse into the daily life of an imagined teenager in the future, including his love of music and his attempt to help Anna get free from her brother. Indeed, since I completed this book it keeps popping back into my head – the world and the feel of it, right down to the musty splendour of the hotel, which has seen better days. Recommended for readers who also enjoy music as well as inventive and futuristic world building. While I obtained an arc of Meet Me in the Strange from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
January 25, 2018
I might be young for the glam generation, but I came of age watching Velvet Goldmine, so when I read the description of this book I was instantly hooked. Loved-loved-loved this space-age, glittery music-backed adventure that takes place in a slightly alternate version of (Italy, I thought, but I'm not sure). Compelling, dreamy Anna Z. and androgynous (or at least, gender-ambiguous), earnest Davi navigate life and drama in the shadow of their idol, superstar Django Conn.
Personally, I actually could have done without the more down-to-earth action parts with Lukas. It probably puts me among the minority, but I really, really enjoyed drifting among Anna Z's theories and Davi's enraptured journey alongside, especially once Frankenstein and Shelley got thrown into the mix along with glam rock and the ideas of alien/god-like hyperbeings of light. It's not that the weird and abusive relationship between Lukas and Anna wasn't compelling, but the moments of him literally fighting people for her just weren't as interesting as the experiences of the two teenagers figuring each other out and spending an -- ultimately finite -- amount of time together.
That said, though, I tore through the book, and I wasn't annoyed enough by Lukas to put it down, so obviously it was working for me. I definitely suggest putting together a good glam rock soundtrack to bop through this book to: I was listening to Bowie, T.Rex, Roxy Music and the Velvet Goldmine score, and it made it just a little magical.
Personally, I actually could have done without the more down-to-earth action parts with Lukas. It probably puts me among the minority, but I really, really enjoyed drifting among Anna Z's theories and Davi's enraptured journey alongside, especially once Frankenstein and Shelley got thrown into the mix along with glam rock and the ideas of alien/god-like hyperbeings of light. It's not that the weird and abusive relationship between Lukas and Anna wasn't compelling, but the moments of him literally fighting people for her just weren't as interesting as the experiences of the two teenagers figuring each other out and spending an -- ultimately finite -- amount of time together.
That said, though, I tore through the book, and I wasn't annoyed enough by Lukas to put it down, so obviously it was working for me. I definitely suggest putting together a good glam rock soundtrack to bop through this book to: I was listening to Bowie, T.Rex, Roxy Music and the Velvet Goldmine score, and it made it just a little magical.
April 5, 2018
As I was reading "Meet Me in the Strange" I wondered if the author knew music, real music. Because each chapter flowed effortlessly into another, like movements in a symphony, or maybe a rock opera. Dialogue between characters rose and fell in rhythmic waves. The pulse-pounding songs sung by Django Conn and his band carried me along with Davi and Anna Z. The cocktail of retro, like a darkly tilted mirror of our history, lunar landings and Ziggy Stardust, blended with science fiction offered a surprisingly modern feel. The setting, while important, didn't matter half so much as the characters, Davi and the wild lyrical girl who alters his worldview.
Rarely do books transport me so fully and effectively, until I thought I could see the passing light of Alien Drift. I love how this was as much a thrilling coming-of-age as a love letter to youth, words and music.
Rarely do books transport me so fully and effectively, until I thought I could see the passing light of Alien Drift. I love how this was as much a thrilling coming-of-age as a love letter to youth, words and music.
December 14, 2017
What a dreamy, magical setting in this cool book! A huge music fan, it sure took me back to those days when a concert was an out of body experience. Loved it.
March 20, 2018
Teenage Davi, along with his sister, lives a rather strange existence on the seventh floor of the Angelus, a once grand hotel, founded by his great-grandfather. A huge fan of glam rock-god, Django Conn, at one of his concerts Davi catches a glimpse of a young girl who appears to be totally lost in the music, even transformed by it. She is completely focused on Django and her very being appears to flicker with the pulse-beat of the music. He is immediately drawn to her and feels an almost visceral compulsion to get to know her. Although he loses sight of her at the end of the concert the two do eventually meet up and it is not long before he is drawn into the mysterious world of Anna Z, with her passionate beliefs, her conspiracy theories, her belief in aliens. She believes that Django is the next stage in evolution: “homo lux” – humans made out of light and that so too are she and Davi. He is exhilarated by the new ideas she bombards him with and, in spite of warnings that she is not what she seems, that getting close to her will lead him into uncharted territory, he wants to be part of her vision for the future. He also becomes aware that she is desperate to escape from an abusive brother and so is determined to do all in his power to help to save her. Hopes for their salvation seem to be dependent on following Django on his tour of the continent, hoping to discover the secret of “Alien Drift”, a mysterious force which may hold the answers to the future of humanity.
Any story which involves sci-fi, magic realism, total immersion in the rather psychedelic world of rock music is one which would not attract my attention. However, knowing that “Meet Me in the Strange” is being published by Meerkat Press, a small publishing house which has recently introduced me to some remarkable authors, I felt confident that a treat was probably in store – a confidence which was amply rewarded! As soon as I started reading I felt drawn into the worlds of Davi and Anna Z and I couldn’t bear to put the book down until I had finished it. The story pulses with frantic, passionate, soul-felt emotion and psychic energy and is full of pain, innocence and, ultimately, hope.
Although the music described holds little personal appeal, the story powerfully evokes the power of music to move and infuse your very being and this was something I was very easily able to identify with. I also loved all the references to Frankenstein and Mary Shelley (who, like Anna Z ran away from home as a seventeen-year old virgin and then wrote her famous book!) and to the many reflections on beauty and horror. The short chapters captured the rather ethereal nature of the story and contributed to my feeling that I was joining these two young people on their journey of discovery. Whether their experiences were real or fantasy felt totally unimportant. What was important was their journey towards self-discovery and the many ways in which the author captured the passionate seriousness and single-mindedness of this age group.
I found this a very visual book (it lends itself to being made into a film!) and, for a hugely captivating few hours, felt drawn into a psychedelic fantasy world. Although it is a book which is aimed at the 12-18 age group I, several decades beyond this target group, thoroughly enjoyed being transported to a different realm! A final comment: I loved the cover, another brilliant illustration from the multi-talented Keith Rosson.
My thanks to Nudge/Library Thing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 4, 2018
I ordered this book for the library after reading a review that mentioned how the world had a David Bowie glam feel to it. I checked it out a couple of weeks after it arrived and it sat in my TBR long enough for me to forget anything that I read about it. I'm glad, though. I don't know what I would have expected if I remembered the summary I read. I think this one was better to go into blind.
Watts crafts a world that is much different from our own without feeling completely otherworldly. The city where most of the action takes place is some kind of holy city and there is talk of the New World without there ever being any real explanation of what the New World is. The whole book has a surreal, otherworldly 1970's feel to it. Django Conn, the rock star that everyone loves, definitely feels like Bowie and the fashions that he's ushered in fit the glam rock scene too and there is a lot of talk about the moon landing and what it might mean.
Davi has always lived in the Angelus Hotel. His family has owned it for generations and there he has access to almost anything he could want. He spends his time listening to music in his room and coming and going as he please, him and his sister having chased off any tutors long ago. When Davi goes to the Django Conn concert, he spots a girl who is completely lost in the music and he can't help but feel like they are the only two people who really get it. When the girl, Anna Z, shows up with Davi's sister's boyfriend, Davi follows her, desperate to find out who she is. Anna Z is unlike anyone Davi has ever met before. She talk-talk-talks about strange things until they seem to be the absolute truth. But Anna Z is trying to escape and she needs Davi to be more than he ever has in order to free her.
This was an iffy book for me. It was short and had short chapters, which I loved, and it reminded me a lot of Francesca Lia Block, which is honestly what kept me reading. There was a lot here and I would like to see it with more ratings and reviews because I definitely think it's worth the read. However, I was a little put off by the portrayal of Anna Z. She's almost the definition of a "manic pixie dream girl" but I still liked her as a character. I liked this book enough that I would like to seek out some more of Watts in the future but it is definitely an acquired taste. Read it if you love music enough to think it's everything and don't mind a few strange ideas being twisted page after page.
Watts crafts a world that is much different from our own without feeling completely otherworldly. The city where most of the action takes place is some kind of holy city and there is talk of the New World without there ever being any real explanation of what the New World is. The whole book has a surreal, otherworldly 1970's feel to it. Django Conn, the rock star that everyone loves, definitely feels like Bowie and the fashions that he's ushered in fit the glam rock scene too and there is a lot of talk about the moon landing and what it might mean.
Davi has always lived in the Angelus Hotel. His family has owned it for generations and there he has access to almost anything he could want. He spends his time listening to music in his room and coming and going as he please, him and his sister having chased off any tutors long ago. When Davi goes to the Django Conn concert, he spots a girl who is completely lost in the music and he can't help but feel like they are the only two people who really get it. When the girl, Anna Z, shows up with Davi's sister's boyfriend, Davi follows her, desperate to find out who she is. Anna Z is unlike anyone Davi has ever met before. She talk-talk-talks about strange things until they seem to be the absolute truth. But Anna Z is trying to escape and she needs Davi to be more than he ever has in order to free her.
This was an iffy book for me. It was short and had short chapters, which I loved, and it reminded me a lot of Francesca Lia Block, which is honestly what kept me reading. There was a lot here and I would like to see it with more ratings and reviews because I definitely think it's worth the read. However, I was a little put off by the portrayal of Anna Z. She's almost the definition of a "manic pixie dream girl" but I still liked her as a character. I liked this book enough that I would like to seek out some more of Watts in the future but it is definitely an acquired taste. Read it if you love music enough to think it's everything and don't mind a few strange ideas being twisted page after page.
March 17, 2018
**Thank you NetGalley and Meerkat Press for allowing me the opportunity to review an eARC of Meet Me in the Strange!**
This book is definitely three stars, maybe three and a half. It wasn’t bad, however, I expect that in a few months’ time, I will end up forgetting I read it.
Meet Me in the Strange is about a teenage boy named Davi living in this “retro-futuristic city of glam-girls, and glister-boys,” (NetGalley). THE WORLD WAS AWESOME. I was pleased with having such a sharp contrast to a host of books I’ve read recently. The language suited the vibe, as well, which made me incredibly happy!
The book opens up with Davi at Django Conn’s concert. The rocker of glam, Hunger Games Capitol attire conjured up a bit of wonderful magic and special effects. This is the time when Davi sees a mysterious girl, one who seems to be literally losing herself to the music--disappearing and reappearing. With shy Davi’s interest piqued, he eventually finds his opportunity to see the girl after the concert and try to start a friendship with her.
The premise sounds great and I think that Leander Watts has a great story and plot going on. Even the short burst of chapters seem to flow with the style he’s trying to capture.
However, after chapter 3, I noticed that Davi was more interested in info-dumping on me than actually doing anything. There is very little action--which in and of itself would be fine--however, I mean that I’m spending the chapters being told what is happening or about the people around Davi that I, as a reader, don’t really need to know. Active vs passive voice here. I got to chapter 14 before I had to turn around and come back home.
And it’s such a shame because I was really wanting to go on this adventure.
But the voice for me will make or break a story, regardless of how well the story is fleshed out. If the narrator sounds like they are being dragged around or that they aren’t getting to make quick decisions for themselves, I will feel that way, too.
Until next time!
This book is definitely three stars, maybe three and a half. It wasn’t bad, however, I expect that in a few months’ time, I will end up forgetting I read it.
Meet Me in the Strange is about a teenage boy named Davi living in this “retro-futuristic city of glam-girls, and glister-boys,” (NetGalley). THE WORLD WAS AWESOME. I was pleased with having such a sharp contrast to a host of books I’ve read recently. The language suited the vibe, as well, which made me incredibly happy!
The book opens up with Davi at Django Conn’s concert. The rocker of glam, Hunger Games Capitol attire conjured up a bit of wonderful magic and special effects. This is the time when Davi sees a mysterious girl, one who seems to be literally losing herself to the music--disappearing and reappearing. With shy Davi’s interest piqued, he eventually finds his opportunity to see the girl after the concert and try to start a friendship with her.
The premise sounds great and I think that Leander Watts has a great story and plot going on. Even the short burst of chapters seem to flow with the style he’s trying to capture.
However, after chapter 3, I noticed that Davi was more interested in info-dumping on me than actually doing anything. There is very little action--which in and of itself would be fine--however, I mean that I’m spending the chapters being told what is happening or about the people around Davi that I, as a reader, don’t really need to know. Active vs passive voice here. I got to chapter 14 before I had to turn around and come back home.
And it’s such a shame because I was really wanting to go on this adventure.
But the voice for me will make or break a story, regardless of how well the story is fleshed out. If the narrator sounds like they are being dragged around or that they aren’t getting to make quick decisions for themselves, I will feel that way, too.
Until next time!
January 11, 2018
This book reminded me very much of my own personal fascination with David Bowie and his almost God-like/out-of-this-world-like personality which many of his fans ascribe him. The story follows the daily adventures of Davi and their (Davi's gender is unknown to the reader) longing for a pixie dream girl Anna Z who helps them both find and simultaneously lose their place in this world and another, 'beyond', alien-type world, all thanks to their bonding love for musician Django Conn. I very much enjoyed the shortness of each chapter, it seemed to reflect the fast-paced and flitting thoughts of Anna Z; at times it felt more like I was having a strange dream than reading a book about hypothetical aliens in a nostalgic, fantasy-like setting. The author's writing style is smooth and simple, Meet Me in the Strange is an easy and entertaining book to read in one or two sittings, and I would especially recommend it to anyone who has ever felt lost yet saved thanks to a particular musician.
January 13, 2018
If you want to get lost in a narrative and lose 3-4 hours of your day, get this book. I seriously can't believe I just did that. I sat down around 4 and didn't get up until it was well past dinner time.
The atmosphere of this book is absolutely amazing--it's like going to a concert of your favorite band and just losing yourself in the music and show and wondering how that time really passed because it couldn't possibly have been everything.
That is what this book is and I loved it.
The plot was a bit bland, but you seriously can't tell it once you get into the movement of the narrative and lost in the story of Davi and Anna Z. Davi's gender fluidity is brilliant done allowing anyone to connect to the narrative and thus, the musical atmosphere of the book. Anna Z's speeches tended to run long, but you don't really notice that as they blend into the atmosphere of the book.
Leander Watts did an amazing job with this book and I'm stoked to read more.
The atmosphere of this book is absolutely amazing--it's like going to a concert of your favorite band and just losing yourself in the music and show and wondering how that time really passed because it couldn't possibly have been everything.
That is what this book is and I loved it.
The plot was a bit bland, but you seriously can't tell it once you get into the movement of the narrative and lost in the story of Davi and Anna Z. Davi's gender fluidity is brilliant done allowing anyone to connect to the narrative and thus, the musical atmosphere of the book. Anna Z's speeches tended to run long, but you don't really notice that as they blend into the atmosphere of the book.
Leander Watts did an amazing job with this book and I'm stoked to read more.
December 27, 2017
Meet Me in the Strange by Leander Watts is a crazy cool science fiction adventure. File it under young adult or adult fiction, if you wish. This distinction is almost always fuzzy to me and I find myself enjoying titles from both streams. This book in particular works as a kind of William Gibson-like approach to a science fiction celebrity culture that mirrors our own. Leander Watts brings a nice touch to describing this world, and I found the ride quite enjoyable.
December 13, 2017
Django Conn is a rock god with a massive teenage following, including Davi, a young man who has lived all his life in a high-end hotel, and Anna Z, a young woman who is on the run from….someone. Davi first sees Anna Z at a Django concert and he sees how she is utterly transformed by the music; obviously, she is someone he must get to know! When he does meet her, however, he is drawn into her mysterious world - and it becomes his mission in life to help her continue life in the Strange…. I received an ARC of this YA novel from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program, having requested it because it’s from Meerkat Press, a publisher whose other books I have enjoyed a lot. Alas, this is not one of those. Firstly, I find it difficult to see teens of today relating to a book that spends a lot of time talking about vinyl albums and other technologies set more or less in the 1970s, and secondly, more importantly, the female lead is essentially either described as being “owned” by a man or being “saved” from that man by the male lead. That is to say, Anna Z comes across as manic and somewhat crazy, while at the same time having essentially no agency in her own life. A misfire from Meerkat, I’m afraid.
January 3, 2018
I got a copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4 ⭐️
The summary of this novel doesn't do it justice. While Davi does help Anna Z escape from her brother, it is SO MUCH MORE than that. The main character is not Davi, it's the atmosphere. Set in a sort of alternate universe 1970s Italia, the story is all about dreaming and discovering life through crazy theories. Anna Z is a kind of angel that shows Davi how more there is to life than what he knows. She shows him the limit of his creativity and imagination.
There was also a clear David Bowie-style vibe around Django Conn and his music. The author states that his first concert was a Bowie one in 1974, and you can feel his intention of recreating the 70s rock vibe throughout his novel. I absolutely love the way he described both concert scenes, because that's pretty much what attending a concert of your favourite artist feels like. As a music fangirl, I 100% approve that description.
I didn't love the story in itself, but the vibe was enough to keep me interested. For the vibe alone, I could have given 5 stars.
4 ⭐️
The summary of this novel doesn't do it justice. While Davi does help Anna Z escape from her brother, it is SO MUCH MORE than that. The main character is not Davi, it's the atmosphere. Set in a sort of alternate universe 1970s Italia, the story is all about dreaming and discovering life through crazy theories. Anna Z is a kind of angel that shows Davi how more there is to life than what he knows. She shows him the limit of his creativity and imagination.
There was also a clear David Bowie-style vibe around Django Conn and his music. The author states that his first concert was a Bowie one in 1974, and you can feel his intention of recreating the 70s rock vibe throughout his novel. I absolutely love the way he described both concert scenes, because that's pretty much what attending a concert of your favourite artist feels like. As a music fangirl, I 100% approve that description.
I didn't love the story in itself, but the vibe was enough to keep me interested. For the vibe alone, I could have given 5 stars.
March 2, 2018
This is one of the weirdest books I've ever read. It is bizarre.
If you've ever obsessed over a band, lost yourself at a live show, considered yourself an "other" growing up, and maybe found another odd person to share a bit of crazy with - this book is for you.
It's a quick, fun, trippy ride. If I still smoked weed I'd have read this high. Aloud, with other high friends. Chapter by chapter. Taking turns.
Plus - solid, clear ending. Like a movie. A very weird movie.
If you've ever obsessed over a band, lost yourself at a live show, considered yourself an "other" growing up, and maybe found another odd person to share a bit of crazy with - this book is for you.
It's a quick, fun, trippy ride. If I still smoked weed I'd have read this high. Aloud, with other high friends. Chapter by chapter. Taking turns.
Plus - solid, clear ending. Like a movie. A very weird movie.
March 29, 2018
The language makes this a somewhat difficult read but it's well worth it. It's often hard to tell the characters' reality from their imagination or dreams... you have to pay close attention. The parallels with what we think is our own reality are compelling and frightening.
January 13, 2018
I felt so at home in the other-worldliness of Meet Me In The Strange, as I so often do in novels by Leander Watts. This book is for fans of Bowie, Velvet Goldmine, and for anyone who has ever longed or lived for the transcendent and out-of-body experiences music can offer. It’s a quick and satisfying read that makes you wish you were there too, and one you’ll be thinking about long after you’re done reading. Dig your glitter platforms put of the closet (or head to your nearest goodwill ASAP) and enjoy the ride.
April 2, 2018
I think I need to read this one again. I seriously think you might need to experiment with drugs to really get it. That being said, it was a decent story. Davi seems kind of simple-minded and Anna Z definitely seems to be using him in the beginning. There is a lot of build-up, and that mostly feels like I imagine an acid trip would be like? There's some amazing imagery and some seriously weird theories tossed around. The action/suspense part of the story doesn't really start until you're almost 2/3 of the way through. The story gets intense, but it still maintains that glam-rock, spacey feel.
Part of this is fairly annoying single-page chapters. There's chapter breaks in the middle of cohesive ideas, which is pretty irritating. However, the short chapters make for fast reading and move the story along at a decent pace.
Anna, as a character, grows on you, but she still feels somehow like she's conning Davi. Davi never really gets past that simple-minded feeling. He feels much younger than he potentially is. He refers to Anna's speech as "talk-talk-talking" and I feel like much of the book is just that. There are vague references to shady characters, but overall nothing much actually happens until the 66% mark...and even then it's really rather basic. There isn't a great trial, really. There's no real conflict. This feels rather fluffy, actually. Lukas and Carlos are both detestable characters, but they are definitely on the periphery of the story.
I'm not sure it was a science fiction story, though. It felt more like an alternate history focused on the glam-rock era. The names for places and certain people were different, but the general history was similar enough. There wasn't enough actual settings or dealing with science for me to classify it as science fiction. There are allusions to aliens as theories, but no concrete exploration beyond the moon landing and Mars probes--both of which are recent history.
Overall, it was an enjoyable, quick read, but I'm definitely left feeling like I missed something.
Part of this is fairly annoying single-page chapters. There's chapter breaks in the middle of cohesive ideas, which is pretty irritating. However, the short chapters make for fast reading and move the story along at a decent pace.
Anna, as a character, grows on you, but she still feels somehow like she's conning Davi. Davi never really gets past that simple-minded feeling. He feels much younger than he potentially is. He refers to Anna's speech as "talk-talk-talking" and I feel like much of the book is just that. There are vague references to shady characters, but overall nothing much actually happens until the 66% mark...and even then it's really rather basic. There isn't a great trial, really. There's no real conflict. This feels rather fluffy, actually. Lukas and Carlos are both detestable characters, but they are definitely on the periphery of the story.
I'm not sure it was a science fiction story, though. It felt more like an alternate history focused on the glam-rock era. The names for places and certain people were different, but the general history was similar enough. There wasn't enough actual settings or dealing with science for me to classify it as science fiction. There are allusions to aliens as theories, but no concrete exploration beyond the moon landing and Mars probes--both of which are recent history.
Overall, it was an enjoyable, quick read, but I'm definitely left feeling like I missed something.
April 13, 2018
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
There seem to be two plots to this story. One is about a teenager befriending a girl who is escaping from her abusive brother. The other is about an alien invasion, maybe, at least according to Anna Z. If I hadn’t been paying much attention, I think I would have come away from this book assuming that Anna Z was a creative dreamer and Davi was very gullible, believing her fanciful stories. But the very beginning of the book explains, “Something new, something powerful… had come moving into the city… I heard rumors of winds from the eastern deserts carrying poisonous dust… The dolphins in the Fountain of Poseidon, in the grand piazza, turned overnight from bright bronze to charred black… Messages and quavering pictures—like something seen under water—appeared on people’s TV screens,” etc. It seems like something really is happening in this world, something important and metaphysical, maybe even something alien, and Anna Z is on the right track with her stories. But this is not actually ever developed. Yes, Davi meets Anna Z and learns about all of her theories about aliens and light and mutations, but the majority of the book is either Anna monologuing or the two of them hiding from her brother. The actual alien invasion, or whatever it is, doesn’t properly appear again, except maybe at the very end. So most of the book feels like two teenagers being weird together in a big city, and, of course, the experience of devoting oneself to being a fan of a musician. Given the strength of the prose, that makes a fine story, but it rings slightly hollow. The dramatically short chapters, only one or two pages long, contribute to this feeling that something is missing or not properly developed, and are also somewhat jarring. I am not sure whether or not Davi was ever gendered in the book, but the approach to gender in general was very interesting. For some reason any time a gendered pronoun was used for a teenager, I was surprised, maybe because none of them are (I believe) described in gendered ways. I think there was so much emphasis on the “astral plane” and this light-based mutation and ascension/transcendence that it was hard to tie characters to their physical bodies.
There seem to be two plots to this story. One is about a teenager befriending a girl who is escaping from her abusive brother. The other is about an alien invasion, maybe, at least according to Anna Z. If I hadn’t been paying much attention, I think I would have come away from this book assuming that Anna Z was a creative dreamer and Davi was very gullible, believing her fanciful stories. But the very beginning of the book explains, “Something new, something powerful… had come moving into the city… I heard rumors of winds from the eastern deserts carrying poisonous dust… The dolphins in the Fountain of Poseidon, in the grand piazza, turned overnight from bright bronze to charred black… Messages and quavering pictures—like something seen under water—appeared on people’s TV screens,” etc. It seems like something really is happening in this world, something important and metaphysical, maybe even something alien, and Anna Z is on the right track with her stories. But this is not actually ever developed. Yes, Davi meets Anna Z and learns about all of her theories about aliens and light and mutations, but the majority of the book is either Anna monologuing or the two of them hiding from her brother. The actual alien invasion, or whatever it is, doesn’t properly appear again, except maybe at the very end. So most of the book feels like two teenagers being weird together in a big city, and, of course, the experience of devoting oneself to being a fan of a musician. Given the strength of the prose, that makes a fine story, but it rings slightly hollow. The dramatically short chapters, only one or two pages long, contribute to this feeling that something is missing or not properly developed, and are also somewhat jarring. I am not sure whether or not Davi was ever gendered in the book, but the approach to gender in general was very interesting. For some reason any time a gendered pronoun was used for a teenager, I was surprised, maybe because none of them are (I believe) described in gendered ways. I think there was so much emphasis on the “astral plane” and this light-based mutation and ascension/transcendence that it was hard to tie characters to their physical bodies.
December 23, 2017
Anna Z is a girl who can talk-talk-talk and make you fall in love with her. Her soul is bright and crazy.
Davi is a someone who sees. The most weird thing is, I don't think it is mentioned anywhere that Davi is a boy, and even if it is, Davi's gender fluidity is brilliant.
This book definitely does justice to the word strange.
There's music, magical-realism, plans and an actual bonding over music. It's fast paced and thrilling in the way that it swirls around. The sentence structure and the way the chapters are written create a strange ethereal effect that exists in good magical-realism novels. The line between real, unreal and magical is absent. It's trippy.
At the end, it left me with a strange feeling as if I'd just read the book under the influence of psychedelics.
Davi is a someone who sees. The most weird thing is, I don't think it is mentioned anywhere that Davi is a boy, and even if it is, Davi's gender fluidity is brilliant.
This book definitely does justice to the word strange.
There's music, magical-realism, plans and an actual bonding over music. It's fast paced and thrilling in the way that it swirls around. The sentence structure and the way the chapters are written create a strange ethereal effect that exists in good magical-realism novels. The line between real, unreal and magical is absent. It's trippy.
At the end, it left me with a strange feeling as if I'd just read the book under the influence of psychedelics.
December 21, 2020
Have you ever attended a Truly Epic Concert? One where the combination elements just somehow transports and transforms you in ways you can't explain?
I have. Back in 2001.
The band I saw isn't important. Just someone who was extremely popular two decades previous and who was trying to make a comeback with an all-new sound... but kind of failing at it. I kind of dug some of their older stuff, but the new music... It was too middle of the road, too much trying to please old fans while, at the same time, attempting to draw in new ones who wanted something different streaming into their ears. It was the sort of music you can listen to without being offended by any of it, but forget soon afterward. The sort where you like a song or two, but not enough to buy the album (or even the single)
The band wasn't important. Even the music wasn't even important. I wasn't even really that into either. I'd gone with a couple friends, one of whom was SUPER into it and who had manage, somehow, to score second row seats for all of us (the band wasn't all that popular anymore, so tickets were cheap). I thought that was pretty cool. But I'd gone more for something to do, but I didn't anticipate the show impacting me the way it did.
But the lights...
the smoke and mirrors...
the way the bass and drums reverberated off the distant walls and high ceilings of the arena and shook me to my core...
the way the band members themselves seemed larger than life, at the same time both more real than actual people and like alien creatures about as far from human as one can get...
the flashes from cameras and flicks of lighters and the way they looked like thousands of glittering magical fireflies signaling to each other from across the dark expanse...
the whole VIBE and ENERGY coming off the crowd...
maybe even the alignment of the stars and planets at that particular moment in time...
ALL of that combined to transport me outside of myself and to other places in the Best Natural High Ever and to give me the Best Concert Experience Ever. I haven't experienced anything like that before or since. Not even while attending shows by bands I like much better than the one I saw that night. Not even while attending another of the same band's shows (I went again with the same friends and nothing. No magic at all). I've looked for IT since, but it has eluded me. Maybe it was a Once in a Lifetime Experience. Probably was.
The closest I've come is when my High School's marching band, of which I was briefly a member, played its final competition amid a torrential rainstorm. We were all SUPER into it that night, and every single member was ON in a way we never all were before. Our band received the highest ranking that could be earned from the judges. The show was freaking historical!! Legendary!! Still, a shadow of the Epic Concert.
Attending That Show is what the opening chapters of this book reminded me of. I thought, Hey! This Author...They've BEEN there! Which was cool. I wanted to keep reading to revisit the memory of that show. And I wanted to stay with Davi and Anna Z because they GOT too. And for a while, it was all magical. But then things started to unravel somewhere around the halfway point of the story, and I wasn't sure where things were going anymore. I gave it a few more pages/chapters before giving up.
2.5 Stars for the Nostalgia, for reawakening the memory of that night.
But overall, a solid DNF
I have. Back in 2001.
The band I saw isn't important. Just someone who was extremely popular two decades previous and who was trying to make a comeback with an all-new sound... but kind of failing at it. I kind of dug some of their older stuff, but the new music... It was too middle of the road, too much trying to please old fans while, at the same time, attempting to draw in new ones who wanted something different streaming into their ears. It was the sort of music you can listen to without being offended by any of it, but forget soon afterward. The sort where you like a song or two, but not enough to buy the album (or even the single)
The band wasn't important. Even the music wasn't even important. I wasn't even really that into either. I'd gone with a couple friends, one of whom was SUPER into it and who had manage, somehow, to score second row seats for all of us (the band wasn't all that popular anymore, so tickets were cheap). I thought that was pretty cool. But I'd gone more for something to do, but I didn't anticipate the show impacting me the way it did.
But the lights...
the smoke and mirrors...
the way the bass and drums reverberated off the distant walls and high ceilings of the arena and shook me to my core...
the way the band members themselves seemed larger than life, at the same time both more real than actual people and like alien creatures about as far from human as one can get...
the flashes from cameras and flicks of lighters and the way they looked like thousands of glittering magical fireflies signaling to each other from across the dark expanse...
the whole VIBE and ENERGY coming off the crowd...
maybe even the alignment of the stars and planets at that particular moment in time...
ALL of that combined to transport me outside of myself and to other places in the Best Natural High Ever and to give me the Best Concert Experience Ever. I haven't experienced anything like that before or since. Not even while attending shows by bands I like much better than the one I saw that night. Not even while attending another of the same band's shows (I went again with the same friends and nothing. No magic at all). I've looked for IT since, but it has eluded me. Maybe it was a Once in a Lifetime Experience. Probably was.
The closest I've come is when my High School's marching band, of which I was briefly a member, played its final competition amid a torrential rainstorm. We were all SUPER into it that night, and every single member was ON in a way we never all were before. Our band received the highest ranking that could be earned from the judges. The show was freaking historical!! Legendary!! Still, a shadow of the Epic Concert.
Attending That Show is what the opening chapters of this book reminded me of. I thought, Hey! This Author...They've BEEN there! Which was cool. I wanted to keep reading to revisit the memory of that show. And I wanted to stay with Davi and Anna Z because they GOT too. And for a while, it was all magical. But then things started to unravel somewhere around the halfway point of the story, and I wasn't sure where things were going anymore. I gave it a few more pages/chapters before giving up.
2.5 Stars for the Nostalgia, for reawakening the memory of that night.
But overall, a solid DNF
February 10, 2024
Davi’s life is comfortable, if uneventful. Uneventful, at least until that Django Conn show and Anna Z. Uneventful, until the gorgeous girl and all her talk talk talking about the alien drift and other dimensions. Uneventful, until Anna Z.’s brother comes hunting for her and they make a run for it, following Django Conn and all the glister and glam that follows the man and his music.
There is a level of oddity I expect from a book titled Meet Me in the Strange. Even more so when it features a rock star/ possible otherworldly being as a major part of the story. Leander Watts presents something a bit beyond the expected level of odd, though enjoyable so.
This is a book that thrives on its setting and the interactions between Davi and Anna Z., or rather how taken with Anna Z. Davi is. She does most of the talking between the two of them, and it paints these fantastic jumbles of ideas and thoughts. Frankenstein’s monsters and souls from the way way out there, the evolution and change of humanity and a sort of mutation of the soul, it’s got this fantastic patter to it that dances along to an almost hypnotizing beat. She’s out there and disconnected, but then it works.
Then there’s the setting. There’s this whole retro-future deal where they’re talking about recent space visits and Davi’s buying music on records, but then instead of feeling set in the past it feels like the future as seen by the 80’s. The Angelus hotel is stately and elegant and a historic throwback that draws in all manner of fancy visitors. Anna Z. talks about classic horror movies and old stories in relation to Homo Lux and the alien drift. But then there’s this bright energy with the glam-boys and glister-girls and the teen speak used. It’s unfamiliar, but feels right from a words perspective. Like, I really enjoyed the slang as part of the world building because even when I didn’t get it, it felt right.
If I have an issue with the book though, it’s that the plot is really not present for most of the run of the book. The antagonist takes awhile to show up and we’re told how much of a threat he is and shown how scared of him Anna Z. is and then not a lot happens with him. When I said that the book thrives on its setting and character interactions, that’s almost all it has. This wasn’t a major problem for me because of how much I enjoyed everything else. But it is the weakest part of the book.
So, in a lot of ways Meet Me in the Strange makes me think of Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie, just with the way it feels. It’s spacey and odd and a ton of fun. It says, at times, quite a lot but also very little. The chapters are short and it feels a bit like eating chips, you just want to keep going. I actually really want to listen to some of the music from the book’s world, to catch the kind of wild brilliance that Davi and Anna Z. hear. It gets a four out of five from me. The weakness of the plot is the only thing keeping it from getting the full five.
This book was provided to me by netGalley for honest review. Review was previously posted at https://tympestbooks.wordpress.com/20...
There is a level of oddity I expect from a book titled Meet Me in the Strange. Even more so when it features a rock star/ possible otherworldly being as a major part of the story. Leander Watts presents something a bit beyond the expected level of odd, though enjoyable so.
This is a book that thrives on its setting and the interactions between Davi and Anna Z., or rather how taken with Anna Z. Davi is. She does most of the talking between the two of them, and it paints these fantastic jumbles of ideas and thoughts. Frankenstein’s monsters and souls from the way way out there, the evolution and change of humanity and a sort of mutation of the soul, it’s got this fantastic patter to it that dances along to an almost hypnotizing beat. She’s out there and disconnected, but then it works.
Then there’s the setting. There’s this whole retro-future deal where they’re talking about recent space visits and Davi’s buying music on records, but then instead of feeling set in the past it feels like the future as seen by the 80’s. The Angelus hotel is stately and elegant and a historic throwback that draws in all manner of fancy visitors. Anna Z. talks about classic horror movies and old stories in relation to Homo Lux and the alien drift. But then there’s this bright energy with the glam-boys and glister-girls and the teen speak used. It’s unfamiliar, but feels right from a words perspective. Like, I really enjoyed the slang as part of the world building because even when I didn’t get it, it felt right.
If I have an issue with the book though, it’s that the plot is really not present for most of the run of the book. The antagonist takes awhile to show up and we’re told how much of a threat he is and shown how scared of him Anna Z. is and then not a lot happens with him. When I said that the book thrives on its setting and character interactions, that’s almost all it has. This wasn’t a major problem for me because of how much I enjoyed everything else. But it is the weakest part of the book.
So, in a lot of ways Meet Me in the Strange makes me think of Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie, just with the way it feels. It’s spacey and odd and a ton of fun. It says, at times, quite a lot but also very little. The chapters are short and it feels a bit like eating chips, you just want to keep going. I actually really want to listen to some of the music from the book’s world, to catch the kind of wild brilliance that Davi and Anna Z. hear. It gets a four out of five from me. The weakness of the plot is the only thing keeping it from getting the full five.
This book was provided to me by netGalley for honest review. Review was previously posted at https://tympestbooks.wordpress.com/20...
June 28, 2019
I was provided with an e-copy of this book through Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review, so thank you to them and the publisher for the opportunity.
I really wanted to like this book, I did. And I was quite sure I would at least enjoy it, but it is clear that Meet Me in the Strange was just not for me.
First of all, nothing really happened. I am a big fan of slow books, but this one felt like 260 of complete void. I was bored to death, and it took me ages to finish it, even if it is a very short novella. It took me less to finish A Court of Wings and Ruin, and that has 699 pages.
The chapters are way too short. 100 chapters (thank you for the even number) and only 260. Everything felt scrappy.
Moreover, I didn’t like the characters. I actually quite hated Anna Z and her long talks about nothing. She sure talks a lot, so much so that Davi, the main character (I guess) becomes totally irrelevant. All they do is think how awesome Anna Z is, but let me tell you, she is so annoying I wanted to kill her. I almost hoped she would die.
What was cool, however, was that Davi was never gendered by the author. Depending on the reader, everyone can interpret them how they want. Which is good. To me, Davi falls into the agender or genderfluid spectrum, but I must say, they could be anything. It’s the only good thing I have to say about this book.
The other characters, including Davi’s sister, are completely irrelevant. Adults apparently do not exist; that’s how much of a role they have in the story. This book was just a lovesong to Anna Z. But, as I said, I hate her.
The world. What can I say about the world? It felt vague, as everything in this book does. Is it some kind of futuristic magical realism Europe? From the names, I’d say so, but everything was mixed up.
Also the prose. It was lyrical and down to earth at the same time, but not in a good way. There were some good quotes, but the author kept repeating the same two concepts over and over again. The power of music and how good of a book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is. Duh?
Furthermore, I think what happened in the end was rushed. The author wasted something like 200 pages with Anna Z’s babblings and Davi’s praise of her and then rushed what should have been the peak of the suspence.
So, yeah. That’s all. I really wanted to love this book, but then I didn’t. And that’s okay, maybe it was just me (since it has some very good ratings on Goodreads), but I wouldn’t know who to recommend this book to, since it took me forever to finish it and I don’t want to be responsible for any reading slump.
January 29, 2018
Goodreads Synopsis:
Davi tries to help a new friend, Anna Z, escape a cruel and controlling brother, and the teens end up running away to follow the tour of their rock idol, the otherworldly Django Conn. The story is set in a weird and wonderful retro-futuristic city of glam-girls and glister-boys and a strange phenomenon that Anna Z calls the “Alien Drift.”
My Review:
I received a copy of Meet Me In The Strange from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I love the cover for this. Usually I don't read juvenile fiction, but I just thought that the description for this book was too interesting to pass up It begins with a concert, and a flickering out of place girl.
Davi is a young boy who lives in a dorm and spends a lot of his time listening to his favourite band. He meets a girl he really likes, and she's super weird compared to everyone else, including their first encounter where she seemed like she was flickering while she was listening to the band play at a show, but that couldn't be right could it? She's into all these conspiracies and aliens and he just loves listening to her talk. She believes the singer of their favourite band is actually an alien and Davi soon starts to believe that too. When he learns about her hidden past, it changes everything. This story is crazy and a smooth ride from start to finish.
Although the chapters are only a few pages long each, this book was an enjoyable read and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.
Here's a link to the book on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.ca/Meet-Me-in-the-...
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
Davi tries to help a new friend, Anna Z, escape a cruel and controlling brother, and the teens end up running away to follow the tour of their rock idol, the otherworldly Django Conn. The story is set in a weird and wonderful retro-futuristic city of glam-girls and glister-boys and a strange phenomenon that Anna Z calls the “Alien Drift.”
My Review:
I received a copy of Meet Me In The Strange from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I love the cover for this. Usually I don't read juvenile fiction, but I just thought that the description for this book was too interesting to pass up It begins with a concert, and a flickering out of place girl.
Davi is a young boy who lives in a dorm and spends a lot of his time listening to his favourite band. He meets a girl he really likes, and she's super weird compared to everyone else, including their first encounter where she seemed like she was flickering while she was listening to the band play at a show, but that couldn't be right could it? She's into all these conspiracies and aliens and he just loves listening to her talk. She believes the singer of their favourite band is actually an alien and Davi soon starts to believe that too. When he learns about her hidden past, it changes everything. This story is crazy and a smooth ride from start to finish.
Although the chapters are only a few pages long each, this book was an enjoyable read and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.
Here's a link to the book on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.ca/Meet-Me-in-the-...
Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)
July 5, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. This is the first thing I've read by the author.
I connected with the book immediately, the first chapter takes place in the pit at a concert and I can totally relate to what's happening. After that things kind of lost me. I would say that one of the main characters is tripping balls and is a hippy dippy new age type of person that I just can't relate to. The other main character just seems to be happy to follow the first even though he's not sure if she is sane and often has no idea what she is talking about. On the plus side the flow of this book was very good and it was easy to read even if I couldn't relate to it. The flow is so good that I would try reading something else by the author but if I can't relate to the next thing I read I'd have to pass after that.
I connected with the book immediately, the first chapter takes place in the pit at a concert and I can totally relate to what's happening. After that things kind of lost me. I would say that one of the main characters is tripping balls and is a hippy dippy new age type of person that I just can't relate to. The other main character just seems to be happy to follow the first even though he's not sure if she is sane and often has no idea what she is talking about. On the plus side the flow of this book was very good and it was easy to read even if I couldn't relate to it. The flow is so good that I would try reading something else by the author but if I can't relate to the next thing I read I'd have to pass after that.
July 26, 2018
The concept sounded cool, but I didn't find the characters to be relatable, and their problems seemed less than awful, and the solutions to those problems not particularly well thought out. I probably would've enjoyed this book far more as a teenager, when most problems could be solved with some friends and good music, but as an adult, I found it just an okay read.
January 5, 2018
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Meet me in the Strange, ah, what a fitting title. If this book was anything, it was strange. And I mean strange.
The plot of this book was so simple, and there wasn’t much expansion on it. No plot twists, no surprising development.
The characters also weren’t very interesting or relatable.
Anna Z was an eccentric character whose long weird speeches made up half the book.
Davi was a character who just followed Anna Z around an listened to all her weird speeches. He really didn’t do all that much. He was like Anna Z’s mindless follower.
Luka was a creepy psycho character who had an unhealthy obsession for his sister.
If this book was actually some amazing and enlightening allegory of life or something, then it went right over my head. I didn’t get it.
When I finished this book my thought was, “Well that was weird.”
Meet me in the Strange, ah, what a fitting title. If this book was anything, it was strange. And I mean strange.
The plot of this book was so simple, and there wasn’t much expansion on it. No plot twists, no surprising development.
The characters also weren’t very interesting or relatable.
Anna Z was an eccentric character whose long weird speeches made up half the book.
Davi was a character who just followed Anna Z around an listened to all her weird speeches. He really didn’t do all that much. He was like Anna Z’s mindless follower.
Luka was a creepy psycho character who had an unhealthy obsession for his sister.
If this book was actually some amazing and enlightening allegory of life or something, then it went right over my head. I didn’t get it.
When I finished this book my thought was, “Well that was weird.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews