I'm not sure of what I just read in listening to This Plague is Souls by Mike McCormack. I listened to the audio and I can tell you the reader had a beautiful Irish brogue. The material is quite another story. I also attempt to find something interesting in a novel, always. Well, this one was short. I'll simply say this book is not my cuppa tea.

A tale that toes the line between thriller and noir with the added perk of general uneasy weirdness. A darker shade of gray than most thrillers these days, McCormack brings the mc to life by poking us all in our hearts. What would you do for your family? Would you let everyone and everything fall to pieces to save those precious parts of your heart? Existential questions and a quivering tower of morality that hinges on heart strings.

Mike McCormack's "This Plague of Souls" presents a tale of two halves, showcasing the author's prowess in prose while grappling with narrative cohesion.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrated by Dan Murphy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
by Mike McCormack ⭐⭐

This narrator has a beautiful voice, but unfortunately even that was not enough to hold my interest in this book. The premise sounded fantastic but the pace was far too slow and the character was depressing and unreliable.

This book was not my jam and I had a hard time getting into it. I didn't hate it but I wasn't super thrilled with it either. I will give Mike McCormack another try to see if it's a me problem or a writing problem.

#ThisPlagueofSouls
#NetGalley

Ambiguity and tension…..

Book Information

"This Plague of Souls" by Mike McCormack is a 192-page “metaphysical thriller” published on January 2, 2024. The audio version is narrated by Dan Murphy and spans 4 hours and 33 minutes. Thank you to RB Media for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy for review.

Summary

Nealon returns home from prison to find his house cold and empty, his wife and son missing. A stranger calls, claiming to know where they are and what happened. In exchange for a chat, he offers Nealon the answers he seeks.

My Thoughts

Mike McCormack's "This Plague of Souls" presents a tale of two halves, showcasing the author's prowess in prose while grappling with narrative cohesion.

The initial sections of the book immerse readers in a flurry of flashbacks, which, though skillfully written, often leave one feeling adrift without clear contextual moorings. There is also a mysterious caller who continually references a shadowy history. The narrative threads intertwine, but their relevance to the overarching story remains elusive, leading to a sense of disorientation.

As the story progresses into its latter half, anticipation builds around the main character's imminent encounter with his mysterious caller. However, this promise fails to materialize into substantive intrigue, akin to a chess match where one player continually threatens to abandon the game. Despite the potential for depth, I remained disconnected from the story, yearning for more meaningful developments.

Upon completion, the book's ultimate purpose and narrative trajectory remain ambiguous, leaving me grappling with unanswered questions even more so after the final page is turned. Despite these challenges, the audio version, expertly performed by Dan Murphy, succeeds in maintaining listener engagement.

Recommendation

"This Plague of Souls" offers a blend of tension and mystery. Readers inclined toward atmospheric narratives with minimal emphasis on plot intricacies may enjoy its lyrical prose.

Rating

2 Mystery Caller Stars

*A big thank-you to Mike McCormack, RB Media, and NetGalley for a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
A relatively short novel which is hard to define but which left me thinking about it for quite a while. It is all due to the main character, of whom we learn a little but not too much, some questions are left unanswered and left to speculation which is what I appreciate. Set in Ireland, the novel opens with Nealon, the main character who visits after many years the place where he grew up and to which he feels attached. As the story progresses, we learn about his family history which presumebly affected his later life. Then he is contacted by a mystery man and whom he subsequently meets.
The novel is very atmospheric and Irish to the core, mentioning The Troubles and modern threats in the background. Narration by Dan Murphy is superb and makes the story even more memorable.

Engaging, very atmospheric and Complex I enjoyed most of the plot, story and characters development but my main trouble was with the ending. It really settle well with me I end up wanting to know many details being part of this, why he went to prison? For sure is the most gripping book o read so far so is a solid 3.5 stars The narrator was brilliant too

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this audio book in exchange for an honest review. This is the story of a man Nealon who returns from a prison stint to find his home in a-remote part of Western Ireland empty and his wife and child gone. There lots of navel gazing, how his mother had died right after his birth and he and his father had farmed the land. His wife’s erratic insensitive behavior. A mysterious man keeps calling him, demanding a meeting. There is some sort of terrorist threat, and references to the Troubles of Ireland.
The I really liked the narrator, but found it hard to relate to Nealon, he plays everything so close to vest that as a reader we aren’t sure whats going on, he is keeping secrets from everyone and its really hard to relate to or care about him at all. A slow paced depressing read.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Dan Murphy
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

Nealon returns home from the prison and finds his house empty. No sign of his wife and son. As soon as he enters his home, the phone rings. He is called by a stranger who knows a lot about him. There are even more calls throughout the book. Who is the stranger calling him? Where are his wife and child?

I don’t know how I feel about the ending (I believe this is the primary reason for some negative reviews). But I can honestly say I enjoyed the writing, the suspense, and the mystery for at least three-quarters of the novel. The ending was a little baffling, but still, I wouldn’t exactly say it was bad.

This novel is the second part of a triptych. But it is a standalone novel. The first novel in the triptych is Solar Bones, which won The Goldsmiths Prize in 2016. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m very tempted to read it right away.

This Plague of Souls is a very atmospheric read. The author is very sparse with details and builds tension with his writing. There’s not much plot, not much is going on. At the same time, it’s pretty tense. The sentences are perfected, and the writing sounds poetic.

I would recommend the audio format because the narrator, Dan Murphy, is excellent.

Thanks to Recorded Books for the advance copy and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

I'm not sure of what I just read in listening to This Plague is Souls by Mike McCormack. I listened to the audio and I can tell you the reader had a beautiful Irish brogue. The material is quite another story. I also attempt to find something interesting in a novel, always. Well, this one was short. I'll simply say this book is not my cuppa tea.

To sat I was disappointed in this tale would be putting it mildly. The tale did not hold my attention. I was bored.

This book was a short and snappy book that follows Nealon when he returns home from prison to find his wife and child missing, he then reserves strange phone calls asking to meet in order to find them. This book definitely takes the more atmospheric route as opposed to action. I was lucky enough to also listen along to some of the audiobook which i very much enjoyed, the audiobook adds a static quality to all the phone calls which felt so immersive!

The author of the award-winning novel (2016)Solar Bones, Mike McCormack, returns with THIS PLAGUE OF SOULS, a haunting literary/noirish metaphysical suspense novel of a man whose past comes back to haunt him when he returns to his rural Ireland home.

This Plague of Souls is also set in County Mayo, Ireland, in an isolated cottage in the shadow of Mweelrea Mountain.

Nealson (an artist) is returning to his home after being away in prison. His wife and son are gone. The house he grew up in with his father and never knew his mother. We do not know exactly what Nealon did initially, but it was crime-related and possible insurance fraud, skimming insurance policies to fund altruistic works.

It is dark and empty. His wife, Olwyn, and son, Cuan, are missing. We get flashbacks from their earlier life. Memories...What has gone on, and what is happening?

But now the only voice he hears is a mystery man. He has been incarcerated for some time but was released following the collapse of his trial. He was not found innocent, and now, there was a strange phone call.

The anonymous caller knows who Nealon is and where the main switch is in his house. He wants to meet. He is drawn into a sinister game of cat and mouse with the mysterious cryptic caller.

The stranger on the phone claims to know where Olwyn and Cuan are but will only reveal their whereabouts if Nealon meets him in person.

Why meet, and what is this about? But the person seems to know things. Then begins sort of a pre-apocalyptic or supernatural flow.

Even though THIS PLAGUE OF SOULS is a standalone, it connects with his previous book. Both books reference corruption, mortality, disease, plagues, terrorist events, wars, power, coercion, activism, and signs of what will come— from heartbreak, terror, and menace to the possible world collapse.

The novel is difficult to describe without giving too much away, but it crosses genres from literary suspense and thriller to dystopian as the book progresses. Things are beyond the MC's control as he considers fatherhood and family.

The prose and writing are evocative, beautiful, and spellbinding, as is the audiobook narrator's performance by Dan Murphy, which draws you into the vivid landscape of the Irish countryside.

Divided into three parts, the last third part gives you the creeps. The novel's third part features the other version of the world, which is in crisis—a descent into darkness. Do not expect to tie up all loose ends, but a fitting ending.

A talented author, THIS PLAGUE OF SOULS is haunting, eerie, and sinister —an unsettling noir, philosophical, and thought-provoking as much as lyrical and mesmerizing. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

Thanks to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the pleasure of a gifted ALC in exchange for an honest opinion. I recommend the audiobook, which transports you!

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Jan 2, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
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Dark, puzzling … and completely engrossing. The audiobook was well done - I was unable to tear myself away. A man returned to his home in western Ireland after serving a prison sentence - only hints are given for the reason behind his punishment. His wife and son have disappeared, and his only connection with humanity are phone calls from a mysterious man. The slow reveal of bits of information was riveting. This book will not be for everyone, but its brooding atmosphere worked for me.

Dark and brooding, with a tremendous amount of style, McCormack details a few days in the life of Nealon, who has recently returned home from prison to an abandoned house in western Ireland. Greeting him at his house is a phone call from an unknown number, kicking off an unsettling but subtle thriller that takes place more or less across 3 scenes. Steeped in ambiguity, the book requires full attention but pays off as disparate threads converge and a more clear picture of truth emerges, all set against the backdrop of a worldwide terror attack.

Engaging, atmospheric, and expertly narrated. A recommended purchase in all formats for collections where litfic is popular.

I loved the narration of this book, very beautiful. Called a "metaphysical thriller" in many reviews I read which I like in hindsight to describe it. It's beautifully written. I wanted to love it - but admittedly I think details were a bit lost on me. I blew through it and found it easy to listen to, I remember some lines I think are amazing, but at the end I had trouble making the story fully take shape in my head and had a "wait, what happened" type of moment. I don't regret reading it but I think the message went over my head.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for an advance copy of this audiobook!

I'm not sure if the book was simply just too complex for me to "get" but I'm going to have to DNF this one. I'm about halfway through it and I cannot figure out what the point of the book is. I can't even really figure out entirely what's happening, much less what the author intends for me to get out of it. I do like McCormack's writing style, so I'm not sure if I would enjoy it and understand it better if I were to read a physical copy, but trying to figure it out in the audiobook version is just not working for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was hard to get into at first because not very much information was forthcoming about what was happening. I still want to know why Nealon was in prison and more about him as a person. The second half of the book was gripping and I wanted to know more about what the national threat that was plaguing the country. This was an interesting short novel.