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The Diary: Perdition Awaits
A predator exists, one of flesh and bone, an inquisitive nature within the human mind to delve into lives of others. The Diary preys on one?s need to satisfy a curiosity, enticing those to open its cover and face their innermost fears within a twelve-month term in order to survive, pages self-induced, giving written notice that a life far more interesting counteracts their own inside a subconscious state of mind. Children serve its needs, but one child escaped its clutches, needing to be reclaimed, giving an opportunity for Elfie Odges to right a wrong. A past victim strikes up a deal, enabling him to go home to a loving wife and son?but at a price. Meddling with the future, present, and past, Elfie must interact with Daniel Russell, aided by his best friend, Peter Sykes, in order to bring the girl, a future relation, back to her rightful home, taking her place amongst her true family, the children of the furnace. The Cauldron awaits, a former penal colony, with spirits of the past led by Jimmy Tidal sniffing out a future world to conquer, a man who needs to be stopped.
978 pages, Hardcover
Published January 11, 2018
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 3, 2020
I love the story of this book! I believe that it is unique, original, and ultimately fascinating! This author has one of the most imaginative minds, and he is also brilliant because he has put together a lot of interesting characters and dynamics in this book. What a smart way to intrigue us and capture our attention! He also uses scenes that are highly emotional and destructive. The destructive scenes are the most interesting!
Reading about sexual perversion in the prison cell, spirits levitating, murder, and then animals overpowering humanity is surely disturbing. However, this gets to his main point, which is that humanity is evil, and yet it is also good. But how does good overcome evil? Do we have to? Furthermore, this book will also teach us about friendship, loyalty, and thinking with clarity and balance.
I enjoyed reading this book! The whole dynamics about it is so colorful and enriching that there is no boring part of the story at all! This is a long read; however, you will not want to put it down because of how amazing it was written and how fascinating the scenes are. I believe that Terry Beer should continue to write books that are of the same quality as this one. It looks like this is going to be his forte, and I can't wait to read the next adventure he creates! A great story and a brilliant author!
Reading about sexual perversion in the prison cell, spirits levitating, murder, and then animals overpowering humanity is surely disturbing. However, this gets to his main point, which is that humanity is evil, and yet it is also good. But how does good overcome evil? Do we have to? Furthermore, this book will also teach us about friendship, loyalty, and thinking with clarity and balance.
I enjoyed reading this book! The whole dynamics about it is so colorful and enriching that there is no boring part of the story at all! This is a long read; however, you will not want to put it down because of how amazing it was written and how fascinating the scenes are. I believe that Terry Beer should continue to write books that are of the same quality as this one. It looks like this is going to be his forte, and I can't wait to read the next adventure he creates! A great story and a brilliant author!
May 5, 2020
Fascinating. Worth a read.
This is genuinely the greatest debut fantasy novel, greatest fantasy novel in general that I have read in a long time. Initially, I was terrified to read The Diary. The combination of its ’s size and an epic high fantasy novel was daunting to me, but I am so happy I picked it up. I cannot possibly recommend it enough.
The writing was fantastic. Despite being such a large novel, the pacing was well-done, where I felt I was flying through the novel much quicker than many other long fantasy novels. Terry Beer has a beautiful prose that compliments such a vibrant world and mystical sinister system. All elements of The Cauldron were flawlessly executed – the history of the evil spirits, the violence and dangers that the characters experience, ALL OF IT. I’m infatuated with this world and cannot wait to see it expand in the following novels.
It’s a largish book, nearly 900 pages in the edition that I read, but I breezed through it despite the sometimes-dense exposition which shows the depth of research that was undertaken. This is a dark story, and with the added thrill of the Le Carre like machinations, I loved it, and read it in two days.
Highly recommended.
This is genuinely the greatest debut fantasy novel, greatest fantasy novel in general that I have read in a long time. Initially, I was terrified to read The Diary. The combination of its ’s size and an epic high fantasy novel was daunting to me, but I am so happy I picked it up. I cannot possibly recommend it enough.
The writing was fantastic. Despite being such a large novel, the pacing was well-done, where I felt I was flying through the novel much quicker than many other long fantasy novels. Terry Beer has a beautiful prose that compliments such a vibrant world and mystical sinister system. All elements of The Cauldron were flawlessly executed – the history of the evil spirits, the violence and dangers that the characters experience, ALL OF IT. I’m infatuated with this world and cannot wait to see it expand in the following novels.
It’s a largish book, nearly 900 pages in the edition that I read, but I breezed through it despite the sometimes-dense exposition which shows the depth of research that was undertaken. This is a dark story, and with the added thrill of the Le Carre like machinations, I loved it, and read it in two days.
Highly recommended.
May 5, 2020
The Diary is like coming home, Beer's casual, almost conversational writing style are immensely readable and immediately plunges you into the world of his story.
One of the major attractions of reading The Diary is the characters you will meet. Beer effortlessly fleshes out his characters and makes them not only believable but seem like people you knew by the end of the book. So, while Elfie Hodges is a protagonist who has greatness thrust upon him, he is never two dimensional, and you go through the wringers with him.
The time-traveling aspect of the book is good; I expected no less from a debut novel. I do love the uniqueness of the mechanics of his approach to it, though. I don't want to elaborate on this since it is worth discovering for yourself. Speaking of mechanics, I also started to see the internal workings behind Beer's writing in this book. The way he would drop foreboding sentences here and there. The way certain scenes become predictable only to be followed by a scene out of left field. It makes his craftsmanship even more admirable to me.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone!
One of the major attractions of reading The Diary is the characters you will meet. Beer effortlessly fleshes out his characters and makes them not only believable but seem like people you knew by the end of the book. So, while Elfie Hodges is a protagonist who has greatness thrust upon him, he is never two dimensional, and you go through the wringers with him.
The time-traveling aspect of the book is good; I expected no less from a debut novel. I do love the uniqueness of the mechanics of his approach to it, though. I don't want to elaborate on this since it is worth discovering for yourself. Speaking of mechanics, I also started to see the internal workings behind Beer's writing in this book. The way he would drop foreboding sentences here and there. The way certain scenes become predictable only to be followed by a scene out of left field. It makes his craftsmanship even more admirable to me.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone!
May 5, 2020
A truly memorable, wonderfully written book that I have already recommended to several family members and friends, and I will continue to recommend for years to come.
The excitement and suspense in this book were astonishing. I held my breath in anticipation of certain things Elfie had to do, and then some twist would come out of left field, and I would continue reading in awe.
I do feel like there were pages that dragged on somewhere in the middle, and the book may benefit by taking out a few things, but I'm no expert. That's my opinion. Again, this may have also been something I was feeling because I was impatient and wanting to know how this book would end. Some people may not like the ending, but I loved it!
Final Verdict: The Diary is an excellent novel, recommended both to science fiction fans and to people who usually don't read the genre. This is one of those books you're almost guaranteed to end up thinking about for a long time after turning the final page.
The excitement and suspense in this book were astonishing. I held my breath in anticipation of certain things Elfie had to do, and then some twist would come out of left field, and I would continue reading in awe.
I do feel like there were pages that dragged on somewhere in the middle, and the book may benefit by taking out a few things, but I'm no expert. That's my opinion. Again, this may have also been something I was feeling because I was impatient and wanting to know how this book would end. Some people may not like the ending, but I loved it!
Final Verdict: The Diary is an excellent novel, recommended both to science fiction fans and to people who usually don't read the genre. This is one of those books you're almost guaranteed to end up thinking about for a long time after turning the final page.
September 8, 2021
I have never written a review of a book before. This is a big book in more ways than one. Don’t be put off when you first pick it up. From the very first pages it takes you to a world of imagination and surprise. You get to see the main people grow as the book goes along. Some people you think are only small parts come and go and then return again later in the book. Also nobody is completely safe in the story there are times when you think someone is finished going to be killed and they manage to get themselves out of the predicament they find themselves in. The way some of the people appear for what seems no real reason leave you wondering why they have appeared only fir their story to unfold later in the book. As you read you will get some idea of what you think is going to happen. Then it goes completely the other way. As for the ending I don’t think anyone even those of us who know the author will see that coming. A truly great read. Can’t wait for the next book.
May 5, 2020
I'm not a fan of long books. I sort of drift off when I'm reading them, no matter if it is abysmally good - I get bored easily, so I need to constantly change what I'm reading. So, books with 500+ pages take me even longer, and I don't like that. Surprisingly enough, this book took me less than a week to finish, even when it was … well, more than 800 pages.
But I don't care if it was slow because it was fantastic.
After reading this novel, I was shocked that this work is not more commonly known and revered. This book crosses genre lines between fantasy fiction and science fiction. A remarkable "what-if" situation, resulting in a wonderful read that inspired my imagination and gave me a reason to reflect upon the possibilities of a by-gone millennium.
Outstanding, I thoroughly recommend it!
But I don't care if it was slow because it was fantastic.
After reading this novel, I was shocked that this work is not more commonly known and revered. This book crosses genre lines between fantasy fiction and science fiction. A remarkable "what-if" situation, resulting in a wonderful read that inspired my imagination and gave me a reason to reflect upon the possibilities of a by-gone millennium.
Outstanding, I thoroughly recommend it!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews