Review of The Futility of Vengeance

[madai guzman delgado]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Futility of Vengeance" by Adam Guest.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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After Gary Jackson is possessed by another version of himself from a different timeline, he is unjustly imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. While possessed, he murdered his girlfriend, Michelle. Now, he seeks vengeance on the Gary responsible for Michelle's death. The Futility of Vengeance follows the Gary stuck in prison, the Gary proved innocent, and multiple versions of the Gary that committed Michelle's murder via lucid dreaming. While the Gary in prison and the Gary proved innocent set out to get their vengeance by lucid dreaming, the multiple versions of Gary that committed the crime set out to rebuild their social life. Will Gary find peace after Michelle's murder? Will the Gary responsible for Michelle's murder in a different timeline face any consequences for his actions?

In contrast with the previous book in its series, The Futility of Vengeance deeply explores the daily life and relationships in Gary's parallel lives. Adam Guest takes full advantage of the fact that the reader is already familiar with the 'Many Worlds' theory. While the first book spent a significant amount of time explaining parallel timelines,The Futility of Vengeance uses this time to better develop its characters. Everything that I enjoyed about the first book, Worldlines is still present in this book. For example, Guest introduces new timelines immediately after the important event that created them. Thus, it is still easy to understand what has occurred in each new timeline. The drama and suspense is generated from the characters' relationships and personal lives, lending the story an intimate feel which invests the reader.

I think my favorite part of this book was how Gary's different personalities are explored in different timelines. In some timelines, he is more thoughtful and kind, while in others, he is more manipulative and selfish. These aspects of his character are not only revealed through major events, but also in his minor thoughts and observations.

There was genuinely nothing I disliked about this book. There were a few instances in which I had to go back a few chapters to remember what had happened in a timeline, but I was never bothered by this. In fact, I enjoyed the sense of puzzle-solving keeping track of Gary's multiple lives. Guest's storytelling never felt disorganized or confusing, rather, it felt like a fun mental exercise.

The book was clearly professionally edited. I found very few errors. As such, I think it deserves 4 out of 4 stars. The book is a direct sequel to Worldlines, so reading the first book before this one is necessary. Teens and adults who enjoy both drama and sci-fi in one story would enjoy both books in this series. There is a fair amount of profanity and some scenes of violence, which may not be suitable for younger readers.

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The Futility of Vengeance
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[Sohana Hasan]

This is so cool! Admittedly, multiple versions of the same person would also be interesting to me, but this review just makes me even more interested. Great review, by the way!

[Kira Bonita Reece]

I cannot imagine being Gary and living in different multiverse. It must be scary. I liked your review of the book