What do you think?
Rate this book
PhantasAmnesia
Michael Franklin wordt wakker in Distinction, USA, en lijkt zijn totale geheugen kwijt te zijn. Dokters vertellen hem, dat hij lijdt aan phantasamnesia, een geestelijke aandoening waarbij zijn fantasie de gaten in zijn herinnering aanvult met onwerkelijkheden.Maar Mike twijfelt aan hun oordeel, zeker als hij een aantal uiterst merkwaardige ontdekkingen doet over de dorpelingen. Is hij wel degene die aan deze ziekte lijdt? En... als een heel stadje bestaat uit krankzinnigen, wat doet Mike dan temidden van hen?
600 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Olde Heuvelt
47 books3,066 followersThomas Olde Heuvelt (1983) is the international bestselling author of HEX. The much-praised novel was published in over twenty-five countries around the world and is currently in development for TV by Gary Dauberman. Olde Heuvelt, whose last name in Dutch dialect means “Old Hill,” was the first ever translated author to win a Hugo Award for his short story "The Day the World Turned Upside Down".
His new novel ECHO will be out with Nightfire Books in the US and Hodder & Stoughton on February 8, 2022. International publication of his novel ORACLE, which topped all the bestseller charts in The Netherlands in March '21, will follow soon thereafter.
Thomas lives in The Netherlands and the south of France and is an avid mountaineer.
Praise for HEX:
“This is totally, brilliantly original.” —Stephen King
“Creepy and gripping and original.” ―George R.R. Martin
“Spielbergian in the way Olde Heuvelt shows supernatural goings-on in the midst of everyday life... It’s a fabulous, unforgettable conceit and Olde Heuvelt makes the most of it.” ―The Guardian
His new novel ECHO will be out with Nightfire Books in the US and Hodder & Stoughton on February 8, 2022. International publication of his novel ORACLE, which topped all the bestseller charts in The Netherlands in March '21, will follow soon thereafter.
Thomas lives in The Netherlands and the south of France and is an avid mountaineer.
Praise for HEX:
“This is totally, brilliantly original.” —Stephen King
“Creepy and gripping and original.” ―George R.R. Martin
“Spielbergian in the way Olde Heuvelt shows supernatural goings-on in the midst of everyday life... It’s a fabulous, unforgettable conceit and Olde Heuvelt makes the most of it.” ―The Guardian
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 10, 2023
Het heeft mij jaren gekost dit boek te kunnen bemachtigen, en slechts een aantal dagen om het te verslinden. Je kunt goed merken dat schrijver Olde Heuvelt sinds zijn debuut De Onvoorziene flinke stappen heeft gemaakt, het verhaal voelt “volwassener” aan, meer als een geheel. Waar het begin nog wat warrig kan aanvoelen groeit het al snel uit tot een spannend en vooral uniek verhaal naarmate de hoofdstukken vorderen. De jeugdige interesse van Olde Heuvelt in de boeken van de “King-of-Horror” Stephen King is goed te merken. Het herstel van Mike lijkt verdomd veel op die van Paul Sheldon uit King’s Misery. Ook kwa zinsbouw en spanningsbruggen lijkt Olde Heuvelt inspiratie uit het werk van King gehaald te hebben. Maar dat kan ook zeker andersom gelden, tijdens het lezen van PhantasAmnesia moest ik vaak denken aan King’s The Institute -welke vele jaren later geschreven is- wat in mijn ogen zeker een compliment te noemen is. Phantasamnesia lijkt ook een speelplein voor het latere werk van Olde Heuvelt, kleine probeersels om in latere verhalen verweven te worden. Zo lijkt een van de laatste hoofdstukken uit HEX -waar het hele dorp in een explosie van geweld uit elkaar klapt- geïnspireerd te zijn op het moment dat in Distinction de spreekwoordelijke bom valt. Geschreven vol verbeelding en angst, angst dat ook jij als lezer zou kunnen eindigen in dit kleine stadje dat god weet waar ligt. Is iedereen wie ze zeggen dat ze zijn? Is je moeder wel wie ze zegt dat ze is? Wat is hun probleem? Wat is jouw probleem? Allemaal vragen zonder antwoorden, hersenspinsels die wel eens onwaar kunnen zijn. Dit alles maakt dat je moeilijk de woorden naast je neer kan leggen, ze als een donkere wolk om je heen blijven hangen, ze je langzaam gek maken…
“Slapende mensen grijnsden niet.
Maar op zijn gezicht was langzaam een holle en nogal schrikwekkende grijns doorgebroken…”
“Slapende mensen grijnsden niet.
Maar op zijn gezicht was langzaam een holle en nogal schrikwekkende grijns doorgebroken…”
February 8, 2009
From my progress updates you could already read that I really liked this book.
It started out with a young man (Mike), who woke up in an American town called Distinction, not knowing anything anymore. He seemed to have been very ill and is still recovering.
The GP and his mother tell him that he suffers from amnesia because of his serious illness. Things will get better in time, they promise.
Is his mother his mother? There are small fragments he remebers from before his illness, but her face doesn't ring any bell when he looks at her. Neither does the look of his weird 'sister' who eats bugs....
When he recovers, he tries to find out what is happening and steps by at the office of the local psychiatrist. But... he appears to be as mad as all the others he meets. And the world is even stranger. Driving out of town on one side, he drives back in without turning a corner somewhere. He has no idea what is the matter and tries several times to get away from Distinction. But, when he passes Nowhere, the road automatically leads back to it.
When he meets a young boy in the street they talk a bit, but say goodbye again. Later Mike goes back to him, because he recognized another sound soul in him. Together they repeat the attempts to get out of Distinction, but fruitless.
While the story unfolds, the book gets stranger and stranger. I find it very good, that only a few pages before the end of the book you find out what has really been going on. And, it is really not the end I would have expected. And, I'm not saying anything else. Want to know, you'll have to read for yourself *smile*
It started out with a young man (Mike), who woke up in an American town called Distinction, not knowing anything anymore. He seemed to have been very ill and is still recovering.
The GP and his mother tell him that he suffers from amnesia because of his serious illness. Things will get better in time, they promise.
Is his mother his mother? There are small fragments he remebers from before his illness, but her face doesn't ring any bell when he looks at her. Neither does the look of his weird 'sister' who eats bugs....
When he recovers, he tries to find out what is happening and steps by at the office of the local psychiatrist. But... he appears to be as mad as all the others he meets. And the world is even stranger. Driving out of town on one side, he drives back in without turning a corner somewhere. He has no idea what is the matter and tries several times to get away from Distinction. But, when he passes Nowhere, the road automatically leads back to it.
When he meets a young boy in the street they talk a bit, but say goodbye again. Later Mike goes back to him, because he recognized another sound soul in him. Together they repeat the attempts to get out of Distinction, but fruitless.
While the story unfolds, the book gets stranger and stranger. I find it very good, that only a few pages before the end of the book you find out what has really been going on. And, it is really not the end I would have expected. And, I'm not saying anything else. Want to know, you'll have to read for yourself *smile*
July 19, 2024
Eindelijk heb ik PhantasAmnesia (Distinction) gelezen! Nieuwe titel en in een meer dan fantastische uitgave! Mooi om op te merken dat hij qua schrijven gegroeid is sinds de Onvoorziene.
En wat een heerlijk verhaal.Van begin tot eind, oké het had wellicht iets korter gekund, van dit boek genoten. Thomas schrijft filmisch, je ziet het voor je ogen allemaal gebeuren. En als lezer heb je geen idee welke kant het opgaat. Het is spannend maar ook absoluut erg grappig.
En wat een heerlijk verhaal.Van begin tot eind, oké het had wellicht iets korter gekund, van dit boek genoten. Thomas schrijft filmisch, je ziet het voor je ogen allemaal gebeuren. En als lezer heb je geen idee welke kant het opgaat. Het is spannend maar ook absoluut erg grappig.
August 16, 2011
The book is about a guy who wakes up in a house after supposedly having been ill for a long time. Because of his illness he is suffering from amnesia, so he doesn't remember his mom and his sister at all - but he does remember some things from his past. As he recovers from his illness he finds out that things don't really add up and that there's something really odd going on in the town of Distinction.
It started out as an insanely good book. Mysterious, confusing, and above all very creepy. It does really require patience, especially in the middle where it got slightly boring because there was so much random talking about the different inhabitants of the town.
The reason he's woken up in Distinction is kind of lame because it's very unrealistic, things don't really add up and it doesn't really make sense either. Fortunately, that's not yet the end of the book - the real end is way better, and very surprising.
Overall, I really loved the book. It kept me satisfied during our entire 14 hour car ride to Italy.
It started out as an insanely good book. Mysterious, confusing, and above all very creepy. It does really require patience, especially in the middle where it got slightly boring because there was so much random talking about the different inhabitants of the town.
The reason he's woken up in Distinction is kind of lame because it's very unrealistic, things don't really add up and it doesn't really make sense either. Fortunately, that's not yet the end of the book - the real end is way better, and very surprising.
Overall, I really loved the book. It kept me satisfied during our entire 14 hour car ride to Italy.
December 28, 2010
Ik weet wet niet zo goed wat ik er eigenlijk van moet denken. Het zijn heel bijzondere personages, met een heel bizar verhaal!
December 28, 2014
Ietwat lang, maar zo gaaf in elkaar gezet!
February 27, 2016
Good writer. But in the end not original enough.
August 4, 2019
+ a thrill ride, marvellous
+ out of this world
+ the story sucks you right in
- middle is a little boring, but allows a run up to the finale
- no dragons
+ out of this world
+ the story sucks you right in
- middle is a little boring, but allows a run up to the finale
- no dragons
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews