An enjoyable read as with all his books. An intriguing idea of the afterlife

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I jumped all over being a HUGE fan of Sakey's Brilliance trilogy. This one just didn't do it for me in the same way though. It was a quick read and I thought the premise was interesting. Perhaps it will work better on the screen as the film it's already been sold as? Something about it just felt thin. Maybe it was the relationship between Claire and Will that I felt like was not fully developed or perhaps it was the ever changing rules of the afterlife. That and all of the absolute gore and darkness were a turn off for me. I'll continue to keep up with Sakey though since I've liked most of his works.

Originally posted on Word Nerds (www.thewordnerds.wordpress.com)

FBI agent Will Brody has found the woman of his dream, his boss, Claire McCoy. But they are caught up in a manhunt for a sniper who’s terrorizing Chicago. But when Will gets caught in a bomb blast, he wakes up, in an alternate Chicago, utterly alone. Or so he thinks, until he finds others in the echo. The manhunt spans life and death and not even that will stop Will from reuniting with Claire.

Banter Points: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I tagged it as suspense/sci-fi, it’s really a love story (sort of like Passengers, in that regard). Yes, it’s set in a cop-plot with crazy, big worlds and elder gods, but ultimately, the story is about how far Will and Claire will go to be with each other.

Sakey mentioned in his afterward that he kicked this idea around for years. I’m glad he did. This plot in the hands of a younger writer — even a younger Sakey — would probably have come off as corny as heck. Sakey’s always had suspense chops, but in the last few years as evidenced in his Brilliance trilogy, he’s developed a finer emotional edge that makes a story like this work.

Bummer Points: Certain readers will not be able to handle the theology of this book. For me, it was still an enjoyable read even if it didn’t align at all with what I believe happens after death. For potential readers with strong views about Heaven/Hell, this isn’t the book for them.

Word Nerd Recommendation: If you haven’t read any of Sakey’s work, this is a fine place to start. Afterlife is going to be a movie, but like with most adaptations, it’s probably best to do the book first.

There are hundreds of novels (probably more) that speculate about what happens after death, but I doubt that few authors have the gumption to reimagine eschatology the way Marcus Sakey has in Afterlife. In this fantastical thriller, protagonists Will Brody and Claire McCoy have to chase a mass murder across the boundary between life and death. For these two, an FBI badge doesn’t expire after they die.

Afterlife opens with a short, disturbing prologue about a murderous boy named Edmund and how he came to the New World before leaping ahead to present era Chicago. Brody and McCoy are trying to track down a serial killing sniper who leaves little evidence behind. After answering a call about suspicious activity at an abandoned church, Brody becomes the sniper’s eighteenth victim. (This in the first quarter of the book, so it’s not a spoiler. Brody wakes up after his death in a curiously abandoned Chicago and has to quickly learn the rules of the afterlife—including why three people wanted to kill him as soon as he turned up dead-side. When Claire is also killed by the sniper, she and Will reunite and team up to take down the sniper.

As I read, Afterlife’s thriller-plot-with-fantastical-elements become a fantasy-with-thriller elements. The afterlife, as imagined by Sakey, is a bleak hunting ground for creatures (like Edmund from the prologue) that have gained enough power to warp their reality. Brody and McCoy have obviously never tackled anything like the antagonist of this story, but their shared hero complex and their soul-deep love for each other keep them from hiding until the danger passes over their dead heads. They just wouldn’t be able to live(?) with themselves if they didn’t try to take down the baddie.

The thriller elements of Afterlife never entirely go away. Even though this is a good-sized novel at 300+ pages, I couldn’t put it down. So many chapters have twists and reversals that kept the plot racing along that I was done with the book before I realized it. If you don’t mind dark stories that get very weird, very quickly, this is a cracking read.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration. It will be released 18 July 2017.

Thank you very much for the chance to review this, but I am going to decline to review this. I haven't been able to get into this book, so I am setting it aside. Thanks!

After finishing this book, I had to sit with it for a few days.  I'm a fan of Sakey's Brilliance Trilogy - but Afterlife is a cut above and unlike anything I've ever read.

Whatever ideas you've entertained about the afterlife - I promise, you've never thought of it in this way.  Highly creative and thoroughly engaging, Afterlife is a phenomenal blend of thriller, fantasy, and love story set in a dark, dangerous world.

I really liked Will and Claire and their likability is crucial to this story.  Both are what you hope to see in law enforcement - unwavering honor, incredible bravery, and keen intelligence, although Claire is usually a couple of steps ahead of Will.  What they're willing to sacrifice for mankind and each other is completely selfless.

Although I felt the strength of their bond later in the story, the initial connection between them wasn't quite believable for me.  Maybe I'm just not an almost 'love at first sight' kind of person.

Afterlife is an epic battle between good and evil with an original, wondrous story that will stay with you long after finishing the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

I actually couldn't finish this book. This isn't any reflection on the author just couldn't get into it so maybe not a book for me.

This was an interesting read with echoes of The Great and Secret Show and RIPD (without the humour) but with its own philosophy and world building. Life, death and what goes on beyond are all grist for the mill in this story of two FBI agents and a love that not only endures but flourishes as a result of all that is thrown at it. Underlying it all is the apparent belief that to gain power is a selfish and ultimately destructive act and that the more you get the more isolated you become. As a result such power is fragile and can be destroyed by selfless acts. Remember that this is a story first and foremost and so thankfully falls short of polemic. Nevertheless, the characterisation is affected by this morality tale, with all key figures appearing as archetypes and secondary characters therefore suffer in their lack of development.

Despite all of the above it was a story that held my attention and was sufficiently rich and unique that I looked forward to each step in the tale. Recommended.

I've previously read some of Marcus Sakey's work, and while I enjoyed some of it, I wouldn't have willingly picked up Afterlife had the publicist not specifically asked me to. My expectations going into Afterlife were not high, but I figured I'd slog through it if necessary.

It wasn't.

Afterlife raises the bar on what I expect from Marcus Sakey a whole lot higher than it previously was. I had no idea the man was capable of pulling off something like this.

This is one of those books that immediately put me in my happy spot. The hint of romance, the parallel world (for lack of a better term), the new take on life after death. The battle of good versus evil. Afterlife is wonderfully imaginative, deliciously dark, and almost perfectly written.

Claire and Will are a great pair of characters. Too good to be true, of course, but sometimes we need perfect heroes in a story like this. I liked that the author had no problem making Claire the smarter one of the two of them. I loved reading the easy acceptance that Will had of her mental superiority. He loved her and never resented her abilities. And while she had no problem pointing out the flaws in his thinking, she never set out to make him feel like an idiot. (Like I said: too good to be true.) And even though they're both strong separately, together they're so much more. And that's how it should be.

The dialogue was believable. The action was perfectly paced. The way Sakey describes the other world is simple, yet effective. It feels like it really would translate very, very well to screen. Which means, naturally, that I can't watch it in a theater. Because I'll be yelling at the screen for them not getting it right.

Pretty much the only critiques I have of Afterlife are little things. Like every time the villain appeared on screen, he was introduced by his 'razor sharp cheekbones'. By halfway through, I was beginning to imagine if the man was made flesh, he could get a job being a real life Fruit Ninja with the power of his cheekbones alone.

Overall, Afterlife was a solid, entertaining read that I would definitely recommend!

Afterlife is an absolutely outstanding book! Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. It is compelling and beautiful, yet so dark at the same time. It is a mix of crime/dystopian fiction and a love story unlike any other, spanning years and worlds, with a very different antagonist. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It caught me unawares and I will be thinking about it for a long time!

This was different for me...two lovers end up in an afterlife that is between life and dead...in the echo. There they battle the eaters...not telling you anymore.. The author writes well and keeps things moving at a fast pace. This is going to be a movie and I will go see this. Strong likeable characters....such a wild concept..refreshing not to have the same ole same ole...

What a knockout. From the jump, it had me in that sweet spot where you can't put it down and don't want it to end at the same time.

Looks like another good thriller from Sarkey, who has a talent for snappy dialogue and plot.