Run Paperback – 19 Mar 2011

I have read Abandon, Dark Matter and The Wayward Pines trilogy, all were really good. I was expecting this to be on the same par with previous books but I was sadly disappointed. It started out confusing and got worse from there. There was no explanation with what really happened, one half of America wanted to kill the the other half of America then they didn't, with no explanation of why. the characters were so lame I wanted them to actually get killed, and the kids just seemed to sleep all the time. Just not a great book to read, I just could not wait until the end so I could read something else. On the plus side it is not that long of a read.

Well, this novel certainly does what it says on the tin. Our main protagonist and his family spend the whole novel running, and there are some very tense moments as they stagger from one perilous situation to another. At least they WOULD be tense moments, if I gave a toss about the characters. Regrettably, the characters were all such one dimensional stereotypes that I found myself willing the whole ordeal to be over, with John, Dee and ' 'Na' annihilated ( preferably in that order). John was a tiresome male stereotype and Dee and Na were disappointingly and relentlessly whiney. Sweet Jesus, the level of whinging was such that Dee and Na's dialogue in at least the first two thirds of the novel consisted almost entirely of time wasting protestations and exclamations of 'But why?' ( during moments requiring quick, no questions asked, retreat or action). In one scene, where the family has found temporary respite in an idyllic cabin replete with supplies and opportunities for hunting and fishing etc, the stereotyping reaches ludicrous new highs ( or should that be lows); Dee and Na are even smugly referred to as 'The women'. On a positive note, there were some nice gory scenes, most notably the ordeal in 'the pit', which was well written.

Really interesting premise. A once in a multi Millenia cosmic light show, turns ordinary people into organised, murdering, God complex psychos and this is the tale of an ordinary middle class family trying to escape the terrifying chaos. Armed, rampaging mobs hell bent on terminating anyone who hasn't seen 'the light' simply because they missed the phenomenon and aren't worthy of life, which occurred at early morning local times, in North America U.S./ Northern Mexico etc. (as in continentally localised), and within days the terror grows exponentially. The author, who by the way, is rather good at building the tension, as well as his descriptive manner of relating the sheer violence of psychopathy, has form for producing a page turner and from thriller to survivalist horror to sci-fi, he has undoubted talent. Some books by other authors I've bought, have taken two months to read and this is the second Blake Crouch I've purchased which actually took me two days (nights) to read (at bedtime), so gripped was I. I'm looking forward to my next Crouch purchase and I absolutely believe that if you enjoy a good yarn, you should get on the Blake Crouch bandwagon!

I've just finished this book and I'd really like to go back to the beginning and read it all over again. I quite literally consumed it, having read it so fast. I just couldn't put it down! Following an unusual show of lights/aurora in the sky late one night, everybody who witnessed the display becomes cold blooded killers, (called 'the affected'). The Colclough family have to leave their home and fight for their very survival in a climate where complete strangers want to kill them. While three members of the family slept through the aurora, their 7 year old son actually watched it. However, he isn't violent or aggressive and he is quite useful in telling the good guys from the bad. Prior to the aurora, a marriage crisis has led to both husband and wife having affairs and it is really gratifying to see them pulling together to meet the demands of the situation.Blake Crouch tells a fast paced, adrenaline pumped story that's worth every penny, because it's not only 'the affected' that the family have to be mindful of, but also the unaffected, who are often just as dangerous. The only criticism I would have is that the family took unnecessary risks by driving through so many towns. I realise they needed petrol and food, but sticking to the road was always going to be a problematic approach to what was happening and they certainly met their fair share of trouble. And why would heading for Canada make a difference if the phenomenon hit the entire American continent? Personally, I'd like to be where others are not, but this utopia proved pretty hard to find ...

After reading all three books of wayward pines. I thought I would try this from Blake Crouch. I was very disappointed, Wayward Pines was great reading where as Run was more like a b movie . One of those films where you know it's rubbish but you continually watch just to find out what happens at the end.Really shame there was not more of the story to cover the meaning and what was the bright light in the sky. Poor plot.Lots of killing family members . Kill feast ..