Peter M. Last

RANTS AND RAMBLES (SPOILER WARNING)

• • I want to make it clear that despite the issues I noticed with this novel, it was still very good and I do recommend it. My job when I review books is to point out all of these things, but any particular rant (and, yes, they can be long-winded) does not necessarily have special bearing on my overall opinion. Please refer to my overall star rating for my unified opinion of the book as a whole.
  • I said before that the book can get a bit preachy. This is especially true when it is tackling the topic of truth, a theme which is integral to the series (it is called “Veritas Project” after all) but only tangential to this particular novel. The scene which sticks out in my mind to highlight this issue is where the two main characters are in class and arguing with the teacher about either/or arguments often made when trying to convince people. Yes, this is a very real logical fallacy, and while the pragmatic side of my mind appreciates the emphasis Frank puts on logic in these books, the delivery of these lines is less than superb. It can definitely feel like someone saying “This particular thing is true” and when someone else disagrees, defending by saying “But this particular thing is true. Listen to this very basic argument for why.” It reads more like an article on the subject, a one-sided argument, than it does an actual conversation between multiple individuals with varying viewpoints. And while I do believe Frank is correct in his assessment of the facts, I think the writing could have been handled with nuance to make it more compelling.
  • The twist ending of this book is fantastic. Perhaps it was just the first decent literary twist in my younger days (obviously I already knew the twist when I read it as an adult and cannot fairly judge it from that perspective), but this ending floored me. You have been warned of spoilers already, but if you have not read this book and intend to, STOP READING NOW! I am about to spoil the ending. You have been warned. The general plot, the paranormal investigation of a spirit, has plenty of reveals, including likeable characters being part of an outcast crowd which calls the spirit to target individuals. But the end twist, that this is not paranormal at all but the actions of an incessantly bullied, incredibly smart individual who was driven to the breaking point, works brilliantly on three different levels. First, I found this more believable than if it had been a ghost all along and more frightening as well because it could theoretically happen in real life. Also, the creep factor is especially ratcheted up if you have arachnophobia (I may have a tinge). Second, this twist is completely consistent with everything which came before it. I am certainly not the only person who has the opinion that the unexpected twist can be poisoned fruit for an author when they chase it to such an extent that it is not foreshadowed and is truly and completely unpredictable. And while the twist in this book may seem like it came out of left field, it doesn’t feel like a cheat because it is completely consistent with everything which came before it. The twist was the last piece of information for everything to fall into place, not a massive exposition dump explaining everything you did not know before (as is often the case). Finally, the twist works because it serves to support the main theme of the story, that people deserve respect and treating them badly can cause them to break and do horrifying things with unexpected consequences. Yes, this could still have been true if a ghost was actually being summoned to kill people, but it works better when the method of retribution is more grounded and realistic.