Member Reviews
Archived by the publisher due to recording issues, but still a recommended purchase for collections where Michaelides' previous titles are popular.
Alex Michaelides does it again! He has such a unique gift in story telling, I’ve never read anything else quite like his writing. I love his creative style and the way he uses his narrators. I also enjoyed that it was broken into five acts, like a Greek tragedy, which is a focus throughout. This is a story of obsession over anything, but it is suspenseful, twisty, and highly entertaining. While none of the characters are particularly likable, their story definitely is. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, I was able to listen to the audiobook, and it is so great! I started to forget that I wasn’t actually sitting at a bar having a drink with Elliot as I listened to his story, as the character suggests. I really enjoyed the narration by Alex Jennings, and listened to it in one day. I am also slightly obsessed with the cover. If you read this you’ll find out why The Fury is the perfect name for it. There is also a subtle nod to his work in The Silent Patient in this book, which I found amazing as well! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, so I am so thankful to have the opportunity now!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “The Fury” in exchange for an honest review. I think that the last 7% of the book would make a really entertaining short story. This book is sloooow. I’m all for exposition but my heart did not quicken its pace one time, for reading something classified as a thriller. It’s very well written and it was interesting to delve deeply into the narrator’s psyche. Ultimately though, everything just felt kind of inevitable.
Lana Farrar is an ex movie star from LA who now resides in England and vacations on her private Greek Island. Elliot Chase has been a close friend of Lana’s for years and when he finds out a mutual friend (Kate) is having an affair with Lana’s husband Jason he tries to find a way to tell his friend. The group ends up spending Easter vacation on the Island and as tensions build and secrets surface, the trip will ultimately end in violence and murder. There are many layers to this story that is told by Elliot. And as he keeps revealing new twists to the story line, I found it a bit difficult to keep the story straight. But the novel was a fascinating read and I really had no idea how it was going to end. Definitely one of my favorite by this author.
I have been dying to get my thriller loving hands on this, and it did NOT disappoint. Not only did I devour the audio in a day, but I also read the paperback. Both were outstanding.
Alex Michaelides is a pure genius. The unique way he writes his books has easily made him one of my favorite authors. The Fury was impossible to stop listening to. The narrator strung me along until the very last minute, and I enjoyed every second of the thrills and twists. I don't typically enjoy slow burn thrillers, but this one was perfection. You can #readthefury on January 16, 2024!
Okay. I’ve had time to think and unfortunately this just didn’t do what I had hoped it would. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 so I feel a bit let down.
Just for context- I’m the odd ball out here in that I LOVED The Maidens, even more than The Silent Patient.
This book jumped around far too much, I hated every single character, and I knew who did it from the beginning. For me to enjoy an unreliable narrator, they need to have some semblance of believability in order for me to take them seriously. Elliot *loved* to prove that he is unreliable by literally saying “oh, I diDnT TeLl YoU something” or “I HaVeNT bEEn HonEST” “Let’s circle back.” 500,000 times. This is why I called the “twist” from like… the third page.
Also, what even was the epilogue? It just confused me.
Will I read Michealides again? For sure. I love his writing and his incorporation of mythology.
I’ll leave you with some reasons you may like this…
You like:
Murder mysteries
Remote island mysteries
Whodunnits
Lots of twists
Rich people doing rich things
I have no idea how to rate this book. I was entranced by the storyteller/narrator/protagonist. I had the audio version of this book and I literally hung on his every word. With that being said, I do not think I would have enjoyed reading this book in print.
For all the fast-paced thriller lovers, like the author's other books, this is a very slow burn. I'm not sure there is even a burn. There is a twist but it's so subtle. I am not saying I didn't enjoy it, because I did. I just know many thriller readers out there that will say "please tell me something happens soon!!" Well, if you read the Silent Patient and the Maiden, then you should know the author's writing style by now.
The entire book is the narrator telling you a story from his perspective, until it's not. I will not give away any spoilers.
I received an advanced audio copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides and narrated by Alex Jennings
Narration is well done by Alex Jennings.
Another piece of admirable writing by Alex Michaelides. I thoroughly enjoyed this brilliant thriller with so many twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out—you don’t.
Takes place on a private Greek island that Lana Farrar, a reclusive ex-movie star owns. Friends are invited to the island for a spontaneous trip, and Elliot, one of Lana’s friends, starts the storytelling of a murder that will happen on this trip.
Full of suspense, love, unrequited love, lies, friendship, hatred, jealousy and revenge.
This book is WILD. It was twist after twist after twist. The chapters are short which made it very bingeable! The narrator is the epitome of unreliable + that made the story so chaotic in the best way. I think this style of narration will be hit or miss, but for me it was a hit! Also if you've read his other books you will find a little easter egg in there. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed.
I loved this twisted psychological thriller from the first page. I enjoyed how the story is told to us by our not always reliable narrator, Elliot Chase. Alex Jennings voices the character superbly on the audiobook. Listening to The Fury on audio truly felt like sitting with a friend who is telling you a story. Most of the time you are just listening along, but every once in a while you say, “Wait, hold on and tell me that again.” This organic way of being told a story is a favorite of mine. I get to find out so much more background on the characters and always remember I’m getting this from my “friend’s” perspective.
Wealthy friends on a private island where a murder occurs is not a new storyline, but this one feels fresh and original. The characters are not likeable, but they are all interesting and that’s what matters to me. I’m here to be told a great story, not to make friends. Bonus: With Elliot Chase, I got both! I love the author’s dry sense of humor and the nod to The Silent Patient was brilliant.
Lana Farrar is an ex-movie star who owns a Greek island named Aura. She has invited a group of friends to spend a lavish weekend with her. All is well until shots ring out and a dead body is found. No worries, our new friend Elliot is here to tell us the tale of what happened.
Don’t miss this one if you enjoy a great psychological thriller and also enjoy some richly drawn and somewhat despicable humans. If choosing between print or audio, go with the audio since the narration is outstanding.
Thank you to @macmillan.audio @netgalley @alex.michaelides for an advance audio copy.
This was deleted by publisher but will send again once the ALC is ready. I’ll update my review the .
I got an email saying that the wrong copy was uploaded and that there will be a new copy next week. I look forward to listening to it when it is ready.
I hope it's as a good as The Silent Patient!
I have no words!!!!!! Holy fucking shit balls, dude!!! If this doesn’t win thriller of the year in 2024, I will truly be shocked. The writing and narration were incredible. There were so many twists and turns; every time I thought I knew where the story was going, I was completely bamboozled. All of the characters had something to hide, which made it truly difficult for this reader to form hypotheses as to the central murder of the story. I could tell this must have been an extremely challenging book to write. Endless applause for Alex Michaelides! WOW.
Bonus: I haven’t read The Maidens yet, but there was a Silent Patient nugget at the end! 🥚 How fun for Michaelides’s avid readers.
This thriller follows a group of friends on a vacation to a Greek island that ends in murder. The story is told by Elliot, an unreliable narrator and a friend to Kate - a retired famous actress. I was super excited for this one, as I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Michaelides’ other novels. Unfortunately, this didn’t really work for me.
The pacing felt incredibly slow - which is never something I want in a thriller. I think the narrator, who was clearly unreliable from the first chapter, was supposed to add intrigue and mystery to the story, but it was just really frustrating. None of the characters felt particularly real. I don’t need my thrillers to be overly believable, but the characters should have actual clear human motivations. There was definitely an attempt at making Elliot into a complex protagonist, but the dramatic therapist speak didn’t do much for me in the way of character development. Also, just a heads up, this book kind of spoils The Silent Patient - a novel also written by this author that I enjoyed much more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew narrator was going to do something that I expect him to do. He sure did, but also so many other twists and turns happened that I wanted to throw the book away in a good way. I was like DJ Khaled singing "anotha one" but in a question form.
They don't lie when they say be careful what you wish for. You want to write the best play ever. You want it to be the most successful one staged in the near past. You want to feel like you tricked everyone with your incomparable cunningness. sure Elliott, you could get all of those, but there could more that came with it. There would always be someone smarter and better than you. There was always a chance that you could be beaten in your own game. You started all of that...
The Fury brought back what we had in the Silent Patient. I felt the buzz in my brain. Every time the narrator said "but that was not the truth" or "but that's not what happened", I said "what else you are going to throw in there?" under my breath. At least now we know not to think that we are as invisible and loved as we thought.
This story sucked me in from the prologue. Written in a distinct narrator voice that is reminiscent of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, The Fury is a story told by narrator Elliot Chase, who recounts a recent trip to his friend's private island in Greece. Atmospheric and transportative, this story is about murder...and love.
The best part about this story is the voice of the narrator-- it is such an enjoyable reading experience when you feel like you're sitting across the table from them as they share the story. Initially, I thought I knew what kind of book this was, but it ultimately turned into something else. Michaelides totally knocked it out of the park on this one!