Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for 14 by Peter Clines starting on July 20, 2023.


Happy Reading!

Thank you!

Spot!!

Love this series so much…

I read 14 many years ago, I think before there were others so I wasn’t aware it was a series. I liked it quite a bit at the time but it has really stuck with me over the years. I feel like books that do that are special. I’m excited to reread!

This'll be my first time! Snared by Iain the Enabler.

I’d rank them: 2>1>=4>>>3

2 is my favorite, 3 is my least favorite, but it’s harder to decide about 1/4… 4 is a crossover/culmimation book that pays off alot of elements in 1-2… 3 is basically standalone…

That’s good to know. I loved one and think I would probably rate it a 5 star with how much it has stuck with me. I’ve been planning a reread for a while. Glad I saw this thread. If I loved one and it’s not even the best of the series I’m in a good spot.

Felina wrote: "I read 14 many years ago, I think before there were others so I wasn’t aware it was a series. I liked it quite a bit at the time but it has really stuck with me over the years. I feel like books th..."

We read it together, if I remember correctly ;)

Ray Porter does the narration for these. He's my favorite narrator.

Indeed we did. Back in the good ‘ol forced buddy read. While most of those books were literally forced, this one was a pleasure.

I won’t lie, Chris. Many of the buddy reads I’m taking part in were because you said you were.

Oh jeez almost forgot about this! I love these!

Felina wrote: "Indeed we did. Back in the good ‘ol forced buddy read. While most of those books were literally forced, this one was a pleasure.

I won’t lie, Chris. Many of the buddy reads I’m taking part in wer..."

Brings back good memories..

This is going to be a fun BR :)

I started this one tonight. I ended up listening a little too late.

Mild spoiler (view spoiler)[ I love a good Scooby gang. (hide spoiler)]

Oops, for some reason I thought this started on the 10th so I read it around then and forgot to comment which is typical for me, but no one else was chatting, which isn't so typical xD

It's weird how much of the plot stuck in my head, so a reread didn't add too much new. Still love it though. (Caution whole book spoilers) (view spoiler)[ Gods I love me some Eldritch imagery! I like how this book starts as a little mystery about a weird building and descends into an all out Eldritch nightmare landscape :D

For some reason I get stuck on Clines describing drinking beer as taking a hit. it just makes me laugh idk lol
I still want to know more about the shadowy figures that keep the building occupied and all that.. Reminds me a bit of the Laundry Files now that Iain got some of us to read that :D (hide spoiler)]

I think Clines has battles alcoholism… from what little I know about him…

I just finished this as a second read. I enjoyed it more the second time but I forgot everything about the end so that nice.

I'm starting today. Reading on audio so my comments may be sporadic :D

I started this at work this morning... still love it... this is a type of story I love greatly... it's also full of great surprises...

I can't think of too many similar books I've read, other than Chasing the Moon

I feel like Meddling Kids has the same vibe and is general theme spoiler (view spoiler)[ a Scooby gang that is light hearted, has a lot of heart and is lovecraftian. (hide spoiler)]. Highly recommend. I think aspects of The Fisherman are similar but much less light hearted but with considerably better writing.

If Chasing the Moon is like this I will add it to the top of my list because I love this combination.

A. Lee Martinez is more silly/weird/funny, but similar premise and I enjoyed it...

I added Chasing the Moon to my wish list.

I noticed that my audio book is only counting chapters in multiples of 10 in the app so I have to pay closer attention to the narration in order to post spoilers.

Man I've missed Ray Porter's voice. He does such a great job with this series.

Last time I listened to this was in 2018! Feels like it wasn't that long ago lol I think I remember the plot pretty well so we will see!

The last chapter I remember hearing was 4 so not a huge spoiler but just in case... (view spoiler)[Mysterious stuff right off the bat! Slowly, slowly ;) (hide spoiler)]

Adding all those to the TBR :D

Reading now! I wish the audiobook had actual chapters--but it seems like it groups them by 10s, which is kind of weird. So 20-29 are all under "Twenty" and 30-39 "thirty" and so on.

So somewhere in the Twenties--(view spoiler)[I love the Scooby Gang references! And I really like the slow way that the mystery is creeping up on us... it's spooky, but the fact that it's the whole apartment complex together makes it easy to deal with. I have no stomach for horror, so I keep jumping and expecting something ghostly to start killing people, but I like the rather logical and curious way everyone is approaching the mystery. It almost reminds me of cozy stories, hearing about these people's everyday lives in the weirdness of this building. (hide spoiler)]

Somewhere in the Thirties--(view spoiler)[I really like the characters. I haven't really got a good handle on most of the people in the building, but I like that folks are a bit quirky--like Tim who totally never did any secret military work, and Xele with her art and lack of interest in clothing, and Vik who runs the internet and also has a mysterious job. It might have been after this section, but I'm curious about what one of them mentioned, that each of them was recommended to the building. Is there some quality that the building is looking for? (hide spoiler)]

Somewhere in the 50s I still have no idea what is going on, but I love how it is keeping me guessing. Is it spirits? Fantasy? Science? Parallel dimensions? It's actually reminding me a lot of the other book we read a year ago, also by Peter Clines, I think... ah, yup! The Broken Room That was the first Clines I've read, so I suppose it makes sense that this would also feel similar. Creepy stuff, but with competent people who can handle it.

Seems like the audiobook numbering is going for an apartment building vibe… first digit is the floor number then apartment numbers…

LOL that's a cool way to think of it.

I finished last night! I really enjoyed the book, but I enjoyed the teambuilding/curious clue searching part a lot more than the endgame portion. Though I do like how things ended up--honestly, (view spoiler)[the may-or-may-not-be government group should have just hired them all in the first place. (hide spoiler)]

Just read Emily's spoiler, (view spoiler)[and I was totally thinking of Laundry Files Case Nightmare Green when this book talked about reaching critical mass in cognitive population! And with the eldritch horrors showing up--lots of memory recalls to Laundry Files. I liked that it turned out one of the builders was related to Lovecraft. (hide spoiler)]

I agree the (view spoiler)[ buildup was more fun than the ending but it was a fun lovecraftian game being all the same. Every book should end with such creatures. Like EVERY book. (hide spoiler)]

I think I read this series before Laundry Files...

The ending: (view spoiler)[this is the kind of ending / story element I call Surprise Lovecraft/Cthulhu... I'd have a shelf for this kind of book, but it would be a mega-spoiler, so I don't...

The main 3 I can think of, and think of often, are this series, Laundry Files, and Joe Ledger (but Joe Ledger has everything, but generally thwarts them for the most part... zombies, vampires, X-Files alien hybrids, Cthulhu dimension, etc etc etc)... the new book coming out in a few weeks has Bible Magic, I think... Lost Sea Scrolls stuff... (hide spoiler)]

I still hold that the 2nd book is best... and these character will be revisited in more than a cameo scenario in book 4...

Timelord Iain wrote: " I still hold that the 2nd book is best... and these character will be revisited in more than a cameo scenario in book 4...

Fun!!

Second book is also my favorite. I'm holding off on opening end of book spoilers just in case I've forgotten something.

I'm somewhere in the tens. So far so good. Mystery is slowly building hehe

Felina wrote: "I agree the [spoilers removed]"

Okay, now my brain is trying to think of books that end up with (view spoiler)[eldritch horrors (hide spoiler)]. Lovecraft Country is kind of a given, and The City We Became uses it as a big middle finger to racism. Actually, they both do. Then there's a lot of the Laundry Files books.

I'm somewhere in the 30s and enjoying this reread immensely. It's a very slow and deliberate reveal. (view spoiler)[I just passed when they discovered all the math on the walls behind the paint. Poor Oscar lol He has no idea just what's coming, poor guy. (hide spoiler)]

Oh all their antics with Oscar made me so nervous. Chronic rule follower right here. I’d like to think that I’d be like Nate and Veek but I’d probably be more like that small town gal.

In the 40s (view spoiler)[That little journey to the center of the earth was a fun. It would be neat to follow tunnels like that to ancient, still working geothermal machinery. (hide spoiler)]

And in the 50s (view spoiler)[And there's the first bit of horror! RIP Mrs. Knight. (hide spoiler)]

The 50s are definitely a shock... even on re-read, I forgot about that...

Re-reading this book in general has been a trip... between the first read-through and this one, I watched Archive 81, another story with an apartment building mystery and (view spoiler)[cult (hide spoiler)]

I forgot a lot about this books. In my memory, your spoiler for the 40’s was where I thought the book ended. This reread was nice because it was like reading it for the first time.

Timelord Iain wrote: "The 50s are definitely a shock... even on re-read, I forgot about that...

Re-reading this book in general has been a trip... between the first read-through and this one, I watched Archive 81, anot..."

I'm watching that right now! I've got 3 or so episodes left. Watching pretty slowly though because I'm a wimp when it comes to scary lately lol

I remember a lot of the book. Apparently the story has stuck with me. I'm still really enjoying it!

I'm in the 60s, roughly 75% un, and at this point I'm starting to feel the tension. (view spoiler)[The main event has to be soon. Not enough of the book left to go! I had thought it started by now. As freaked out as the characters are, they haven't seen anything yet lol

Nate and Veek's romance was very sweet after all that happened.

Finding the 100 year old corpse would be very disconcerting. I'm not sure if I'd want to sleep in that apartment again either. (hide spoiler)]

Definitely ditto on the apartment thing... I'm glad that stuff like that has to be legally disclosed when buying property... I'm not sure about renting though.

Somewhere in 70s. (view spoiler)[Shit has officially hit the fan! Amazing how fast the Family royally messed things up. While I appreciate the Scooby gang going to peek at this new world, it was a Very Bad Idea lol (hide spoiler)]

For real!

Narilka wrote: "Somewhere in 70s. [spoilers removed]"

LOL I love your mix of idioms and Capital Letters For Importance.

I finished. That was satisfying!

Tonari no Emily wrote: "It's weird how much of the plot stuck in my head, so a reread didn't add too much new. Still love it though. (Caution whole book spoilers) ..."

I agree. I'm impressed with how much of the story stuck with me over the years. Says something about how intriguing we find it :)

Ha ha. I’m surprised how much of it I forgot especially when considering how much I liked it the first time I read it. I should go back and read Harry Potter again. Maybe it will be like new.

My Harry Potter reread was like that, especially the later books. I'd forgotten soooo much, there are a lot of details that are missed in the movies. It made for an enjoyable rediscovery.

I’ve read the series through so many times that nothing is ever new. It’s sad.