Jeff’s Reviews > The Gatepost > Status Update

Kind of maddening to have the protagonist describe her situation as anti-climactic when the whole purpose of the plot leading to that point has kind of fizzled out, and why would a geologist suddenly grasp the hidden truth of quantum mechanics? So clumsy compared to the immaculate buildup

Cool bank-heist gimmick there, but for your lookout's health to be your last thought after resolving the big showdown with a police presence is a little absurd.

I very much disagree that she had no choice but to watch. This ending better be pretty good.

Everybody is awfully restrained for such a wild story. Also pretty gullible considering all the covert activities and accusations of naivete being thrown around. Also, when your villain closely resembles a bond villain and uses a line that is quoted in two bond movies by the villain(s), you probably shouldn't draw attention to it by having him deny the resemblance in dialogue.

Okay, so veering from prohibitive distrust to blind loyalty (without working out the somewhat obvious reason for his visit) is a little stupid, but it does serve the plot in an essential way. If nothing else, the pacing here is relentless and propulsive. Which reminds me, I really need a new word to describe good, intense pacing.

The end of chapter 31 is good enough on its own for a Black Mirror episode. I really hope this author ends up being prolific--the world is missing out if he doesn't.

It's a tried and true formula to bridge from the mystery-building part of the narrative to the climactic conclusion and Big Reveal, but I have always disliked these segments where two characters clearly on the same side of a conflict are talking past each other to increase the stakes. The conversations leading to the reveal get repetitive, too, which is slightly unforgivable in such a short book.

These developments, though they do seem unavoidable to someone like me, represent a simplification of the plot, with many branching possibilities collapsing into this reality. An author of this magnitude might have been able to create a more satisfying resolution to the twisty setup, but even if not, given the length of the book, this seems a little rushed. Frustrating.

Probably an inevitable development but so disappointing.

If this were a movie, the audience would be waiting to see creative effects in the alternate universe scenes, genuine chemistry in the romantic ones, breathtaking beauty in the natural surroundings--and this movie never cuts away at a crucial moment. The Afterlife Project was an achievement, but this is another level.