A Young Adult science fiction novel that will make you think and analyse all the little time travel conundrums and cause-effect implications, which the author seems to be fluent in. At first there is nothing Sci-fi about this story. We meet Nick, who lives in London with his mother and is gearing up for his first round of chemotherapy. Even though he is battling cancer, you get to enjoy his witty and often hilarious inner monologue, as he gradually experiences his body’s deterioration. But his road to recovery is not the main part of this story. Along with a few of his closest friends, Nick embarks on a time travel adventure, that will determine his future and the futures of his friends. However, cheating time is tricky and you can never be entirely sure how the smallest of your actions can influence what lies ahead.

Although it’s a YA story, I believe over 30s will enjoy it even more, since it takes place in the 80s and there is more than a few references to events and pop culture of that time. I couldn’t put it down, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive this ARC in exchange of an honest review!

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence

In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he’s dying. And it isn’t even the strangest thing to happen to him that week.

This is such a wonderful story that is both emotional and fun all rolled up into one. I unfortunately am a 90’s kid so didn’t have the same nostalgia that someone who grew up in the 80’s would have but I did connect and enjoy the nerd culture that was wonderfully portrayed throughout the book!

I loved that it felt like many different books, all beautifully woven together. Part contemporary with dealing with sickness, and its emotional and physical impact while also being a young kid learning his way through life and around the girl he likes. You also have a great science fiction narrative with time travel and interesting conversations of parallel universes and what our actions have for our future and those around us. Then to top it all off you have a thriller aspect that weaves the two parts together.

Personally Mark Lawrence’s writing style is something that i really enjoyed and no matter if it is a grim dark fantasy or a more upbeat sci-fi like One Kill Word you can see the mastery that he has with words.

Overall I give One Kill Word 4 Stars, the only slight critique i have is that some areas seemed to get a bit repetitive and therefor slowed down for me, but when it did pick back up I was back to flying through the pages.

On to the next book!

I was not expected to be pulled so deeply into the story as I was. In merely two hundred pages, Lawrence mad me care for this group of character, believe that time travel was actually possible and fills me with the need to have the sequel in my hands right now.

Since it is set in 1986, the book has very strong 80’s/90’s vibes. Payphones appear in abundances and technologies is in its starting shoes. It makes for a different read but still just as entertaining and it’s a perfect background for our protagonist.

The book is held together by the characters. Nick, who is at his wit’s end after discovering he has leukaemia, and his D&D friends who he surrounds himself with. They all have distinct personality traits and an interesting dynamic that you see unfold in these pages. You have Simon who is more introverted and a math genius, Elton who is creative but grounded in reality and John who is a terrible dancer but a wonderful person. And Mia who is the last to join the group and who has quite a troubled life. (I do have to admit she was a bit too mysterious for my liking but she grew on me).

As time passes, and the plot keeps unravelling, Nick’s life becomes more and more complicated. There are hidden meanings in their D&D nights. Past comments reveal themselves to have predicted the future. There are discussions on the Many World Interpretation and an explanation so beautiful I might have to start believing it.
My favourite part had to be figuring out what it all meant. Why Demus was travelling back in time, what the numbers on the paper were, how they were going to pull it all off – how it would all end.

This book has it all: lovable characters, a great plot, solid and creative sci-fi and a plot that will keep on the edge of your seat. Do yourself a favour and experience it for yourself.

"We might live in a multiverse of infinite wonder, but we are what we are, and can only care about what falls into our orbit"

* * *
3 / 5

I would give practically anything written by Mark Lawrence a shot, which is primarily why I picked up One Word Kill in the first place. I'm definitely more of a fantasy reader than a contemporary sci-fi one, but I do enjoy an occasional well-written time-travel plot, which is what this book is about. I loved the main character and the writing style, but some elements felt way too ~extra~ or over the top.

"We were a tribe who had always felt as if we were locked into a box that we couldn't see And when D&D came along, suddenly we saw both the box and the key"

One Word Kill has a bit of a Stranger Things vibe. Set in the 90s, One Word Kill focuses on Nick and his dungeons and dragons group. Mia is a recent addition to the all-male group, and Nick grapples with his recent cancer diagnosis, a fledgling crush, and the fact that he seems to be being stalked by a man who knows more than he should. The book ties together quantum mechanics, time travel, having fun with the boys, and growing up. 

Nick is a very likeable and relatable young man (never having been a young man myself). He's got all the usual thoughts - like fitting in, going to parties, having a crush and being worried that a woman (gasp!) might tear apart his precious D&D group - as well as some atypical ones, like who is that man following me and his leukaemia diagnosis. His friendship group is fun and quirky and I love a good heist plan. 

"I'd brought Bertrand Russell's Principia Mathematica because I wanted to see him build his marvellous mathematical house of cards. I need to see the edifice raised in all its glory"

I definitely got the feeling the whole way through that the book was trying to "find its feet". The plot, for the most part, is solid, but Lawrence uses the groups D&D campaign to reflect real-life in a weird and over the top metaphor. I thought that this was unnecessary in your face symbolism and was also pretty dull to read about. Having now read the next book, I can comfortably claim that this is one of the areas which the series improves upon - the next book feels much more comfortable with the plot it weaves and how it does it. 

One Word Kill is a fun and well-written book, but it didn't blow me away. It was rather predictable, I was unhappy with some of the character's fates, and it got a bit too weird for me near the end. On the flipside, it was emotionally complex and I loved Nick. 

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of One Word Kill.

Mark Lawrence is one my favourite authors and One Word Kill did not disappoint! I enjoyed the diverse characters and the time travel aspect of the story as well the dungeons and dragons scenes. I knew nothing about D&D previous to reading One Word Kill and I now want to play it! Can't wait to read the next installment.

I really enjoyed this story. The whole time travel aspect and the facts along with it were interesting.

I think there could easily be a follow on and hope there maybe.

Its my first book from this author and i will be watching for more.

Well I feel very spoilt by Mark Lawrence this year with not only the release of the stunning Holy Sister but also both One Word Kill and the sequel!

Previously when I thought of Mark Lawrence I would think of high fantasy, usually with a fairly dark tone. But this book shows that this author is far from a one trick pony! Here we have a YA Sci-Fi story set in our world - not just a small departure from his more famous stuff but something really rather different!

One of the aspects of writing that Mark Lawrence truly excels at is character building and relationships between characters. You truly do care for the characters you are reading about and find them completely believable. Speaking of characters, the diversity in this cast is fantastic. We have a character with cancer, a character on the autism spectrum, a character who's family is from Madagascar, rich characters, poor characters, skinny characters, chubby characters. We have it all. Yet, these really are just aspects of each character and they are not defined by these labels.

Literally the only thing I struggled with is the time travel theory. A multiverse theory where actions did change future versions of yourself just kind of blew my mind a little bit and I couldn't quite get my head around it unfortunately.

The level of nerdiness in this book is beautiful. I already really wanted to get into D&D but this has just made it even more certain.

This is a small book with a big heart. It's a lot of fun and a very enjoyable read.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review

This book made D&D sound like one of the funnest social activities in the world. No, seriously, I'm down for trying out a session one day.

Between his recent cancer diagnosis and dealing with (literally) psychotic bullies from his school, Nick Hayes's only refuge of late are his D&D sessions with his friends, a motley, ragtag crew. When a stranger who looks suspiciously like a bald, older version of him steps into his life, things take a turn for the crazy.

What does this story have? Friendship, rumination on life and death, time travel, all packed into one fast-paced, relatively quick read. There was a very cozy, nostalgic atmosphere to the story, which is set in the 1980s. The sci-fi is relatively light and accessible to everyone, so if you're typically scared of dense sci-fi, this is a great option for you to try.

I enjoyed it overall. It has some character tropes that I generally dislike, but they were executed well nonetheless. Some things also felt a bit brief, the plot a bit <i>too</i> quick, so that the ending didn't resonate as strongly with me as it could have, but that's just me. I like slow stories that linger to delve deep. This book skims over the surface of some heavy topics instead—which isn't bad at all, just not what I'm in the mood for. Not a bad read at all, and I'm keen on checking out future books from this series.

Nick is just trying to survive high school in One Word Kill...literally.

Nick, Simon, John and Elton are best friends, high schoolers, and Dungeons & Dragons fanatics in 1986. Nick also has a crush on their newest player, Mia. Plus Nick has cancer.

Bullies Devis and Rust are rumored to have burned a homeless man to death. What is undeniable is that they have fun taunting the nerds in their high school. Nick’s secret weapon is the mysterious Demus, who appears exactly when he is needed and has strange forecasting powers. The plot just gets better from there.

One Word Kill is a smart, nerdy, many worlds’ hypothesis treat for anyone who loves Back to the Future, 1980s gaming, or physics class. Thirty years after the time period of this book, the nerds clearly have won. Right, Mr. Gates and Mr. Musk? But back in the 80s, the victory wasn’t so assured. That uncertainty is a large part of the charm of this book. If you’re a fan of The Goldbergs on television, I guarantee you will enjoy this book as much as I did. 4 stars!

Thanks to 47North, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Stranger Things meets Back to the Future in this fun, twisty story about family, friendship and first love. The fact that this is a trilogy and not a standalone makes me curious to see just where this story is going!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

This was short science fiction novel with an interesting plot and well-written characters. I will be checking out the next book in this series. I did feel like it was too short for the amount of action and stuff that happened in it. Parts of it were confusing but overall it was a solid read.

A sci-fi novel for people who don’t like sci-fi, this was clearly inspired by Stranger Things, with the 80s setting, D&D playing teenagers and even the character profiles. I’ve seen it compared to Ready Player One, which I don’t get, although admittedly I’ve only seen the movie, and I felt there was more of Back the the Future and The Terminator, both of which are referred to repeatedly. It’s a short book, the start of a trilogy, but I was immediately engaged and enjoyed it immensely.

Londoner Nick Hayes, is 15 in 1986 (as was I, which is probably why this resonated so strongly with me), has just been diagnosed with leukaemia. His father died when he was 12 and his diffident science teacher mother doesn’t really know how to talk to him, so he really needs his weekly Dungeons & Dragons games with his friends - autistic Simon, friendly Anton, handsome & wealthy John, and Mia, the fascinating new girl. When a strange man called Demus starts appearing, Nick is disturbed to discover that he knows secrets and can predict the future. Demus has a task for Nick and his friends, but unless he completes it according to plan, he may not survive, but will the knife-wielding psychopathic bully from his school get him before the cancer does?

This had an intriguing premise (if you don’t read much sci-fi - I can see why hardcore SF fans would turn their noses up), an appealing geeky hero 🤓🦸‍♀️ (who knew those terms had their own emojis!) and a scary bad guy. Quite a lot was left unexplained, but hopefully the sequel will address those questions.
As an eighties child I loved the musical and movie references, although the D&D stuff was a mystery to me. As someone who grew up in South London, I was confused by the author’s geographical leaps (Richmond is not next to Brixton!) but appreciate the intent. Nick’s confusion at his diagnosis and suffering during chemo were well portrayed and added a serious tone to the story.

One Word Kill was published two weeks ago but was still available to request from NetGalley at the time of writing, as is the sequel, which is due at the end of May. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence. Review for Netgalley

A group of teen friends in 1986 united by their love of Dungeons & Dragons are pulled into a spiral of danger and adventure and growing pains. But in London, not Indiana. The comparisons to Stranger Things are inevitable, and perhaps even intentional, but although the heart of the story is often similar (misfit kids banding together to get through the pain of life, discover the joy of it, and also do crazy things together) it is altogether its own beast. It is, for one, a science fiction/time travel story, rather than a science fiction/cosmic horror story. Also, the adults are far less involved than in ST. But it still preserves that golden glow of love for a time, and an appreciation of the humanity of young people, that is the same.

The gentleness of this story, the warm heart it carries for its characters, is almost shocking coming from Lawrence's previous stories--Jorg Ancrath was many things, but sensitive to the joy and pain of simple life he was not. And yet the characters in One Word Kill most certainly are. They are kids, and they act like it, but they are also filled with love for one another that often defies words, but drives their actions.

Nick, our protagonist, and his friend Mia tricking the emotionally closed off Simon into learning to dance so he could go to a party; the friends banding together to protect each other against a homicidal bully without a second thought; the acceptance of each other's differences with natural grace. It's a story of love.

There is, of course, pain here as well. The children (and they are children) lose things that can never be regained, and it is handled well.

The writing is fluid and natural, as well. Lawrence has always been a strong writer of dialog, but I was actually surprised at how earnest and real these characters feel. So many voices in his previous works were trapped by sarcastic insincerity I had almost come to expect it from the author, but this book alone proves me wrong. It's a pleasant mistake to make.

One thing that perhaps I didn't like as much is the kind of universalizing of D&D as a magical gift to all weirdos and misfits of the 80s. As one of those weirdos, I have to say D&D never offered me anything like the emotional panacea that is implied here. I much preferred the stories in books to the ones that people tried to make me be part of. But that's a personal issue, and of course those who grew up with the monster manual in hand will likely feel differently.

But in summary, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed watching the characters take their first fumbling steps out of childhood, I cringed at the pain they faced, and I am glad I got the chance to read Lawrence's latest work.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for giving me the chance to review One Word Kill!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Mark Lawrence book. I didn't know what to expect from the writing, had no clue where the book was going, judging by the synopsis. I went into in mildly intrigued and more less blind. And did it take me by surprise!
One Word Kill is definitely one of my favourite books I read this year. It is THE book I didn't know I needed to read. And it has made me believe that Mark Lawrence is an author I should read more from.

Set in the 1980s London, One Word Kill centres around a group of friends who play Dungeons and Dragons together. Nick, our main protagonist who's perspective we follow in the book, discovers he's dying from cancer at the age of fifteen. The prognosis is bad; the doctors aren't giving him more than 5 years. As he's receiving treatment, he's going about his life in his normal matter – by meeting up with his friends every week to play Dungeons and Dragons. But weird things start happening and a strange man approaches him saying his friend is in danger.
I don't think one should know more about the book going into it. Read the vague synopsis, preferably the one professionally written on Goodreads, and go into it blind - I'm telling you!
I'm a 90s kid through and through and I've never played D&D in my life, or had any interest in doing so, yet this book felt very... nostalgic. The setting, the atmosphere – all of it made me feel sort of sentimental. Don't ask me why.
I loved every single character in this book. Lawrence created this group of very different and diverse characters and did it so effortlessly everything about them felt real. I think it's what added to the sentimental feeling I got. I felt like I knew all those people. Even the villain felt incredibly authentic.
As a D&D noob, I didn't realise the title was a nod to the game therefore important in the plot. Needless to say, the resolution of the plot surprised me, because I had no idea there was a connection. It's probably due to my dumbness, more so than the D&D knowledge, but I'll blame it on the latter to make myself feel better.
The ending was absolutely heart-breaking. Keep that in mind.

I've said it before and I will say it again – time travel sci-fi is my favourite sci-fi! Combined with the insanely clever plot, excellent writing and characters I cared about, sprinkled with references to my favourite movie of all time – Back to the Future, it was a fantastic, fast and engaging read. I can't wait to continue with the series!
4.75/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this, in exchange for my honest opinion. This is available to purchase now.

This was one of those books that I didn’t hate, but I also didn’t love. The idea is solid, and I can understand why this book would be considered a gut-punch for some, but it just didn’t resonate with me. It’s kind of a bummer, because I was so excited to read it.

I honestly think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a full-length book. It really was too short for me to get all that invested in the characters. I do love the D&D angle (I happen to play myself), but I don’t think it was explored as well as it could have been.

The biggest strength in this book is the author: man, Mark Lawrence can write! However, it wasn’t quite enough to pull me from a “meh” reaction to a “holy guacamole” one. That being said, the shorter format might work better for others than it did for me.

It was a worthy effort, but it fell a little flat.

Maybe I should have listened to myself and stopped at the "Ready Player One meets Stranger Things" tagline. I only enjoyed the former because of its overwhelming 1980's nostalgia, and I've had no desire whatsoever to watch the latter, but this is Mark Lawrence - even if I struggled with Red Sister (and I fully intend to give that a second shot and finish the trilogy), he's an author I trust. I thought it opened well, with some compelling scenes in both the cancer ward and at school, and I found myself immediately invested in Nick's tale. The first deja-vu vision was a nice touch, and the menacing stranger in the dark was great. Had the story kept with that spooky, creepy, mysterious vibe of uncertainty, this could have made for a fantastic short story but . . . well, time travel. Ugh. The more contrived and complicated that aspect of the plot became, the more I seemed to be aware of the flatness of the characters and the fact that their maturity seemed to fluctuate to fit the moment. At some point I just wondered why I was still reading and resorted to Power Word Delete.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. Mark Lawrence is amazing and I love everything that is written by him!

I do love me a trip down memory lane and that is exactly what got from this book. Combine that with a healthy dose of time travel and, well, let's just say that I completely devoured this book. It took me back to the days when I played D&D with my brother and his friends, although, thankfully, none of us had received the devastating news that Nick got at the start of the book. He is diagnosed with leukaemia and spends quite a lot of his time on a children's cancer ward undergoing Chemo. The rest of his time is spent with his friends, playing D&D, and avoiding the bullies at school. Until a stranger keeps popping up in his life. A stranger with a fantastical tale to tell, a tale which has Nick and his friends swap the fantasy world of D&D for a real life quest. To save one of their own from their own future timeline. Nick's diagnosis allows him the freedom to cross lines, but will his friends help him, will they even believe him with the truth being stranger than fiction?
This book sucked me in and didn't let me go right up until the end. It's pretty emotional, especially the parts where Nick is having his treatment and this section was handled extremely well. As was the setting, both time and place. Being a child of the 80s myself, I was shocked at how easily I slipped back in time. So many memory links, not just the D&D and the many sided dice! There was so much that was so authentic that it was like I was also taken back in time, although just for pleasure rather than a quest.
Characterisation was brilliant. Each of the main characters was well drawn and unique, and all played their parts well. I loved how different each was and how they were brought together by circumstance and also their love of D&D.
The sciency bits were also well handled and explained to my satisfaction. It's a different spin on the usual time travel books for me as it, well, to avoid spoilers, I'll just say it goes a bit against the grain for what I understand from the limited books I have previously read in this genre. Honestly, this will make sense!
Pacing was good and there was no superfluous padding.
The best thing I think overall was that I clicked with the author's writing style from the very first page. He's a new author to me but it definitely didn't feel that way. Looking at his impressive back catalogue, I think my TBR will be taking a severe hit as I think I might have found another "one to catch up on".
All in all, a cracking read that hit the ground running, held me captive throughout, and left me satisfied at the end, albeit with a hankering for book 2. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was quite good. Given that there are so many reviews, I can't provide any add'l value with my review other than to congratulate the author on solid work! Recommended.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

While I enjoyed the read, marveled at the brilliance within . . . I was ultimately left blinking in confusion with the sensation of an almost-headache. Look, time travel and I have a very complicated relationship, okay? I like the concept of it but my lil brain explodes when the theories come waltzing out to play. I just cannot science well, all right; 'tis the simple fact of me. And there is a LOT of science in here!! Sure, it's explained pretty well, I guess, but my mind kept skipping over the words and slipping around the ideas set forth . . . no matter how hard I tried to force myself to understand things.

So ultimately, I just sat down and enjoyed the chaotic, scientific ride of this novella. And while that did detract a lot of true enjoyment because the purpose behind 90% of the action was lost on me, that didn't mean I had no feels or experienced nothing more than passive appreciation. I know enough science to recognize talent when I see it, and there is a LOT of talent here. Even though I can't really science, I enjoy books that take the time to explain the science behind fictional things cause it makes them seem even more real.

But while this is fast-paced for the most part, I guess the time-travel aspect with the skip-around plot (necessary to a time-travel plot??) really detracted the most enjoyment for me. I prefer a little less tangled scenarios, especially when they involve much science. And while everything was revealed (mostly) at the end, I was still left with a weird sense that something was missing. Also, the stakes didn't really seem that high to me??? But again . . . time travel. So I just nodded and moved along but still was left a bit empty-handed as far as my reading preferences go.