Book Review - The Fold

Hello Enthusiasts,

I have really been enjoying the work of Peter Clines. You can see my review of the Ex-Hero series here, and his novel 14 was excellent (I still need to read Paradox Bound). So I picked up today's book, The Fold, excited to see where Clines would take us. Of course, as always, you can expect some Spoilers Below. 

The story follows our main character, Leland "Mike" Erikson, a man with perfect memory who has resigned himself to teaching English in Maine. This all changes when his old friend and DARPA official, Reggie, asks him to review a project. The project itself, called the Albuquerque Door, folds the space between two locations to allow someone to travel instantaneously. However, something seems to be wrong with the door, and the team of scientists that invented it refuse to tell anyone anything about how it works. As Mike is reviewing the project the problems only seem to get worse, and it seems that the world itself may be in danger if something isn't done.

There is a lot that works in this book. As always, Peter Clines doesn't treat his audience as if they're idiots. He's very good at not explaining everything right up front, allowing the reader to figure things out before filling them in on details. For example, he slowly introduces the idea that Mike has a flawless memory through small actions before outright stating it for the reader. It's also hinted as the story moves forward that this book is a tie in to 14, and it isn't until the end of the book that it is almost referenced outright. Most of the characters are pretty relatable as well, though the ones that aren't are obviously written that way intentionally. The book has a nice pace to it as well; it doesn't linger on anything for too long, but also isn't moving at a break-neck speed. The story of folding space may have been done before, but having it tie in with 14 adds a new element, and one that ends up making it all feel pretty fresh. I also feel that one of Peter Clines' greatest strengths in writing is his ability to take something complex and break it down in a way that isn't too difficult to understand. He could have easily made it more difficult for the reader to get an idea of how Mike's memory works, but he instead creates a visual of an ant colony that brings out different memories that can be stored or used whenever Mike needs them. I can't really do it justice here, but the way it's laid out in the story works very well.

While I like a lot about this book, there are a few drawback to this title. One of the problems was somewhat out of the writer's control, and that's having a character like Mike. It can be difficult to have a character like that and not have them come off as at least a little obnoxious. They remember everything and will often cut people off to finish their sentences, or will go into far too much detail about something that happened or someone they met to show off how good their memory is. Now, to his credit, Clines does lean into this and has other characters call Mike out about how annoying he is after they've already been impressed initially, but it can still be a little annoying for the reader. Also, I didn't feel like all of the characters were fleshed out enough. To reference 14 again, I felt in that story like I knew what each character would say in a situation and just a bit more about all of them. The characters here aren't all the same, but I really didn't get the sense that I knew them all too well. Now, that could very well be intentional as part of the twist of this story, which I won't spoil here, but it still felt like it took something away from the book.

Regardless of any negatives, I would recommend this book to friends, though not to the same level as some of Clines' other work. It's not his best, but it's still better than a lot of other stories out there. It has a lot going for it, just not as much as 14, and certainly not as much as the Ex-Hero series. So I say pick it up for a read, though you'll get more out of it if you do read 14 first.

I give Peter Clines' The Fold a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast