469 pages
English language
Published April 16, 2014 by Pocket Books.
Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.
There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.
Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.
At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbour across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.
Or the end of …
Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.
There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment.
Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much.
At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbour across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.
Or the end of everything...
I'm not a big horror/Lovecraft fan, but this was an entertaining read. I perhaps liked the humor in it the best (which is in-line with the other books by Peter Clines that I've read). The character development was also good. Ray Porter, the narrator, was excellent as always (and was the reason I first started "reading" Peter Clines' books). I wouldn't say the book is gripping, but it is entertaining.
I've come to 14 late, after having read The Fold, The Broken Room and especially Terminus, first.
So the build up to the reveal was too long for me in this case.
I also didn't appreciate the constant sexual teasing.
I do think this is a good book and should be read first.
It did put me in mind of another mysterious building at the nexus of universes novel with a more fantasy oriented and cozy approach to horror.; [b:Chasing the Moon|9429090|Chasing the Moon|A. Lee Martinez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344268073l/9429090.SX50.jpg|14313566] by A. Lee Martinez.
Okay, I really need to recommend this to my younger son – he's the REAL sci-fi/fantasy lover; I'm just a casual sci-fi/fantasy lover. Audible didn't even mention sci-fi/fantasy as it's genre, it listed only "mystery/thriller". It was definitely a thriller, but it wasn't a mystery in the standard meaning, although a lot of what happened was very mysterious :-), it was definitely not a murder mystery.
It had aspects of a fantasy world, some electronics – primarily sci-fi, and there was even a little bit of sci-fi astronomy. I think anyone who enjoys fantasy and/or sci-fi will really enjoy this book.
It's very Delta Green Mythos in LA.
I was never a Lovecraft fan (all atmosphere, no substance) but I've read several stories that build upon his work recently and I'm enjoying the heck out of them!
At 68% complete, I felt the story was finished. I couldn't see where else they might go with it. At 68.1%, I realized I'd forgotten about a fair bit of foreshadowing that hadn't been resolved, and saw what probably would (and did) happen next.
All in all, a fun read. I'd enjoy a short novella as a sequel, perhaps about a new tenant learning the ropes, but that probably won't happen. Regardless, this was a fun read.
The book was not bad. It just lacked a lot. I really liked the overall mystery/thriller/horror premise, and quickly got through the first third of the book. I liked where it was going.
Sadly overall I didn't enjoy the book. I still liked the adventure, but I didn't get attached to any of the characters. I got lost a lot in the "his/her" of sentences, the overly verbose-ness of some of the minute details. I found myself skipping paragraphs then doubling back when I realized I had missed something.
Overall I wouldn't advise people away from the book, but I wouldn't go around recommending it either. I think it overall felt a bit forced.
One of my favorite horror tropes is when the familiar becomes sinister. Creepy dolls, municipal buildings like schools or hospitals; I’m sure that you’re familiar with the technique. In 14, it’s an apartment building. There are a lot of them out there like this. At first glance they appear to be normal, but when you look more closely, things get strange. The architecture doesn’t quite make sense. Rooms don’t align; door or stairways don’t actually go anywhere. Changes and additions seem to have been made on an ad hoc basis.
The story opens with Nate, our protagonist, moving into an old apartment building. As he gets settled in he begins to notice strange things, like the light in his kitchen that only works as a black light. Or the strange florescent roaches with an extra leg. The more he looks into things, the stranger it becomes. Eventually he assembles his …
One of my favorite horror tropes is when the familiar becomes sinister. Creepy dolls, municipal buildings like schools or hospitals; I’m sure that you’re familiar with the technique. In 14, it’s an apartment building. There are a lot of them out there like this. At first glance they appear to be normal, but when you look more closely, things get strange. The architecture doesn’t quite make sense. Rooms don’t align; door or stairways don’t actually go anywhere. Changes and additions seem to have been made on an ad hoc basis.
The story opens with Nate, our protagonist, moving into an old apartment building. As he gets settled in he begins to notice strange things, like the light in his kitchen that only works as a black light. Or the strange florescent roaches with an extra leg. The more he looks into things, the stranger it becomes. Eventually he assembles his own Scooby Gang with his neighbors. They pool their knowledge and resources and eventually get to the bottom of the mystery of the Kavach building.
There are a couple of reasons why 14 is so effective. First is Clines’ skillful character development of various members of the ad hoc Scooby gang. They all have their own personalities, backstories and motivations. There are some mysterious elements as well to some of the characters, providing additional suspense and questions. The interactions of the building residents are a joy to read.
Most important is the skillful way that Clines’ handles the mystery at the heart of 14. The reader is only privy to the same information that Nate has at any given time. As events unfold and more and more strange facts emerge, there is a growing sense of dread. What is going on with this building? While the eventual solution does explain the strange things we’ve seen, the various pieces that are uncovered are sufficiently bizarre that it’s not easy to predict the secret of the Kavach building.
14 is a horror mystery rich in mythology, with vibrant characters and a strong emotional core. I’d highly recommend it to fans of the weird.
4.5 I would have gave it a 5 if he would have not used Nikola Tesla by name.
I got a laugh at the short but very memorable Love scene.
This book lacked all the things I loved about the other Peter Clines books I've read. The plot barely crawled forwards at times, and the characters were throughly generic and uninteresting. There were occasional moments where things seemed like they were going to pick up and keep some kind of consistent energy, but it was never sustained for any real length of time. I think I'll stick to his books about superheroes fighting zombies in post-apocalyptic Hollywood.
The thing with this book is, the mysteries are quite superb, but the reveals lack fire. Also, 75% on, this book is completely predictable.
The writing is nice, but I felt that the book lacked satisfying content. This is an airport read, not much more, not much less.
Great story, fun ride!
