Linus鈥檚 Year in Books

What did you read this year?

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2024

8,049

pages read

books read

Linus

Shortest Book

141

pages

Longest Book

800

pages

Average book length in 2024

349

pages

Most Shelved

3,256,619

people also shelved

The Knights of the Limits by Barrington J. Bayley

Least Shelved

277

people also shelved

Linus鈥檚 average rating for 2024

4.1

Highest Rated on 欧宝娱乐

4.33 average

Linus鈥檚 first review of the year

really liked it

#2 BOB SHAW - 4.5/5

鈥濼he Two Timers" is the second book by Bob Shaw that I have read, after "Other Days, Other Eyes", which in my opinion is a true masterpiece, the perfect "what if...? book.

In "The Two Timers", Shaw plays with time travel and the concept of parallel worlds, which is quite different from "Other Days, Other Eyes", but just as fascinating. Jake Breton has lost his wife Kate, who was raped and murdered in a park after a violent argum ...more

尝滨狈鲍厂鈥橲 2024 BOOKS

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

it was amazing

it was amazing

In Search of the Castaways; or the Children of Captain Grant by Jules Verne

Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson

it was amazing

Linus鈥檚 last review of the year

it was amazing

A Maze of Death is my 9th PKD novel and the one I was able to read in the shortest amount of time, partly because of its short length, but also because it is one of his more straightforward stories. Of course, "straightforward" has to be taken in the context of PKD, which means that it is still very strange, never quite in your grasp, as well as funny and definitely too much brain fuck for some readers. As a regular reader of PKD, I was already a A Maze of Death is my 9th PKD novel and the one I was able to read in the shortest amount of time, partly because of its short length, but also because it is one of his more straightforward stories. Of course, "straightforward" has to be taken in the context of PKD, which means that it is still very strange, never quite in your grasp, as well as funny and definitely too much brain fuck for some readers. As a regular reader of PKD, I was already aware of this, and to be honest, this weirdness is what makes his novels so unique and fascinating.

A Maze of death stands out as a deeply immersive and unique journey into the labyrinth of human existence, making it one of my favorite reads from PKD. Even though it can be seen as a minor novel compared to classics like DADOES or Ubik, it is very hard to give this novel a lower rating as it does not fail to amaze and to draw me directly into the story.

The novel begins with a seemingly simple premise (for PKD): In a future where Earth is largely abandoned and humanity is scattered throughout the universe, a group of complete strangers arrives alone on the distant, isolated planet Delmak-O for a mission they don't know. For different reasons they wanted to quit their last job and made a "prayer", which the real existing "God" actually answered. Just the way they are chosen and transported to this planet is so good, so unique. PKD casually introduces a world where an enigmatic deity which comed in three different forms (Mentafacturer, Intercessor, Walker-on-Earth) seems to really exist as well as the devil (Form-Destroyer). This religion of course seems quite familiar, but PKD makes it completely over the top, including a holy text with the very funny title: How I rose from the dead in my spare time and so can you.

Each person has their own character, which makes them distinguishable more by what they do, how they talk, than how they look. The characters are soon caught up in a web of paranoia and unexplained deaths that leave them and me wondering what is going on. They arrived on the planet without knowing what their mission is, and they cannot communicate with the satellite above the planet. Nor can they go back, having landed on one-way ships. This dark and devastating premise leaves questions unanswered: Who is the unknown force that is killing them one by one? Is there a traitor? And very quickly, you cannot close the book...

PKD's world-building is as strange and compelling as ever. The isolated setting of Delmak-O feels very claustrophobic and unsettling, a perfect backdrop for the story's themes of alienation and despair. Throughout the story, it becomes clear that each character has their own serious flaws and oddities. The most prominent of these seems to be the strange dialogue two of them have about sex, which is also one of the more provocative parts of the story. The presence of this bizarre religious text, which some of them can recite by heart and which is omnipresent, is so typical of PKD and provides a fascinating commentary on faith and the human need for meaning. As the characters grapple with their beliefs, their interactions with this deity add a unique metaphysical layer to the story.

True to PKD's style, the characters are flawed, vulnerable, and deeply human, even as they face increasingly surreal circumstances. There is a mysterious building on the planet with a legend on it, and each character reads something completely different. It seems odd, but it fits the setting perfectly. The novel explores their individual struggles, offering glimpses into their fears, desires, and regrets. It's impossible not to empathize with their plight, even as their world collapses into chaos and there are definitely too many characters.

Coming to the ending, it is especially a masterpiece. It came so unexpectedly and so abruptly, and I really wasn't expecting that twist, it leaves you stunned, definitely. It is very devastating and one of Dick's darkest endings, but unlike other of his novels, it is a clearer ending in the sense that there is a clear path where everything would go. Only PKD could write such a powerful and thought-provoking ending.

Like much of his work, A Maze of Death is difficult to summarize in a way that does it justice. It's packed with intense, unexpected, and deeply philosophical moments that make it a standout in PKD's oeuvre. At the same time, it is marked by strangeness, odd twists, and authorial decisions to move the story forward that, to my mind, only PKD could pull off so successfully that it will stand out as a perfect novel. ...more

What did you read this year?