From the author of the hit literary horror debut Bird Box (“Hitchcockian.” –USA Today) comes a chilling novel about a group of musicians conscripted by the US government to track down the source of a strange and debilitating sound The Danes–the band known as the “Darlings of Detroit”–are washed up and desperate for inspiration, eager to once again have a number one hit. That is, until an agent … until an agent from the US Army approaches them. Will they travel to an African desert and track down the source of a mysterious and malevolent sound? Under the guidance of their front man, Philip Tonka, the Danes embark on a harrowing journey through the scorching desert–a trip that takes Tonka into the heart of an ominous and twisted conspiracy.
Meanwhile, in a nondescript Midwestern hospital, a nurse named Ellen tends to a patient recovering from a near-fatal accident. The circumstances that led to his injuries are mysterious–and his body heals at a remarkable rate. Ellen will do the impossible for this enigmatic patient, who reveals more about his accident with each passing day.
Part Heart of Darkness, part Lost, Josh Malerman’s breathtaking new novel plunges us into the depths of psychological horror, where you can’t always believe everything you hear.
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Mr. Malerman should be ashamed of himself! This book is just that good.
I started reading at 11:30 pm planning to get the book started and read for 30 minutes. At 3:30 am I realized I missed my planned time to sleep and had read half the book. At 4:30 am I finally tore myself away from the story long enough to go to sleep (and it was a chore to do so).
So far, I’ve read 2 books by Josh Malerman, and, so far, I’ve loved 2 books by Josh Malerman. If you’ve never read him, you can’t go wrong with this as an entry point.
4.5/5 stars!
Black Mad Wheel is a story which defies categorization and instead focuses on delivering characters that you like and can believe in.
The Danes are a band consisting of ex-army men, (even if they were only in the army band), who are asked by the military to investigate a noise in the African desert. I know it sounds crazy, and maybe it is, but I found it be compelling dark fiction.
From Philip’s point of view, (Philip being the band’s keyboard player), the narrative switches between the trip to Africa and the present, in which he is hospitalized with every. single. bone. in his body broken. He wakes up not quite remembering everything that happened to him or what happened to the rest of the band. The very fact that he wakes up at all is a miracle. Or is it?
Featuring some of the creepiest scenes I’ve read in quite some time, the author’s talent for dark fiction really shines through. I doubt that I’ll ever look at a goat in the same way again and I’ll probably freak out if I ever see a red piano in real life. I loved the writing and the descriptive scenes and I even loved reading about the two prior military teams that were sent to investigate this mystery sound. (Not to mention the story of the couple native to that part of the desert-it was truly disturbing.) The only difficulty I had was that the premise wasn’t really believable-at least not to me. However, I suspended my disbelief, and once I did, I just went along for the ride and what a ride it was!
If you’ve ever felt a song in your heart, I believe you’ll be able to identify with Philip and Ellen, his nurse, because it’s the music they discover is a common bond between them. The ties between band members are also incredibly strong, (especially when they’ve been together as long as The Danes), and those connections are not easily broken. (In this respect, Black Mad Wheel reminds me of Robert McCammon’s THE FIVE, easily one of the best fictional books about a band that I’ve ever read.) The last scene nearly broke my heart and I can’t think of a more perfect ending.
Music, mystery, desert mines and mad doctors, (oh, didn’t I mention that before?): with all that going on how can you resist reading this book? You know you want to! Go ahead: invest yourself in Black Mad Wheel , at the very least you’ll be intrigued. At the very best, you will end up making space on your bookshelf at home-the one that houses all your favorite books. Highly recommended!
*Thank to Ecco and to Edeweiss for the e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This is it. *
Black Mad Wheel’s storyline involves sensory horror, military/war-related themes, the suspense of a top secret mission, paranormal activity, rock n roll, historical fiction, and the slow burn mystery of how the member of a rock band had every single bone in his body crunched like a soda can. All this and more is incorporated into a story that reads less like intentional fiction and more like someone recounting their dream from the night before. It’s that weird. But it’s good. It’s about how history repeats itself over and over like a Mad Black Wheel. Ding ding ding!!!
This review isn’t intended to spoil anything. It’s meant to encourage you to push through the weirdness of it all. It’s worth it for the perspective and lesson about patterns in history that we will all likely know in full real-life detail sooner than later I’m afraid. Read it and have fun with the overall story, but keep the horrifically real theme close to your heart. Josh Malerman is a rock star…literally!
My favorite quote:
“Philosophy doesn’t travel at the same speed technology does. It takes a man forty years to realize what it took his father forty years to realize. And what’s worse, he resists the truths his father’s come to know, until he learns them himself. Meanwhile, technology doesn’t wait. All a man has to do is add another piece to his father’s technological puzzle and the machines, the weapons, the means, are stronger. In the end you have an army with the same philosophy of the cavemen, but with the weapons of ten billion artless minds. Do you see?”
Like fine food, sometimes the presentation is as crucial to success as the ingredients or the overall flavor. I found that the “then-and-now” structure of this novel enhanced the pace and made each set of events all the more intriguing. Coupled with Malerman’s smooth prose and knack for hooking us into a world of the peculiar–or the peculiar within our world– the formula was spot-on.
A unique and harrowing tale about a military band on a covert mission to find the source of a mysterious sound that has brutal and devastating impact on all who hear it. Who else could come up with such a wild plot than the guy who wrote Bird Box? Haunting desert crossings, deranged military, evil hospital staff … this has it all.
Crazy, original story. I enjoy stories which as they unfold you keep having to guess who’s involved in the conspiracy
I love everything this author writes. Certainly original premise. His writing keeps me turning the page. Cannot wait for his forthcoming book
This is an extremely ambitious and deeply layered book. Although it doesn’t have the same tension as Bird Box, it’s still compulsively readable.
There are three writing styles present in this book. The first 10% or so is more of a stream of consciousness and made it a bit hard to get into the story. From there, it kicks into high narrative gear that’s similar to Bird Box’s style. Finally, there’s a deeply layered, philosophical section that may turn some readers off but made me fall in love with the story.
Knowing that the author is a musician, I can’t help but wonder if most of the story is a metaphor for a time in his life when he felt broken, perhaps by the pressures and heartbreak that can accompany any creative pursuit. Based on his initial dedication story, it also wouldn’t be surprising if the nurse character was inspired by his significant other.
I loved all of the commentary about humanity being constantly drawn toward war. Without giving anything away, one of my favorite lines was:
“Is that our big achievement, Private Tonka? We’re finally as smart as bugs?”
The ending, as with any other book, is either going to work for you or disappoint you. For me, it worked and seemed like a logical conclusion.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and rewarding read. It’s the fourth book I’ve read by Malerman, and they’ve all shown him to be an extremely talented writer who isn’t afraid to take risks and vary his writing style. Readers are definitely rewarded by Malerman’s bravery, especially if they don’t desire constant repeats of the same basic thing.
A spooky, engaging story that alternates between two time periods, but at the same time is so much more than that. I like how very little is spoon-fed to the reader, including the origin of the mysterious sound. The author is very good at building an atmosphere that really pulls you in. Too many stories are obvious and spell everything out down to the letter; it’s refreshing to encounter an offering that is not only well-written prose but also haunts my mind after I have finished reading it.
This is the same author who wrote The Bird Box. He is original, creative, unsettling, and provocative. Awesome book. I totally recommend him.
Well written, but pointless. Every author should include at least one sympathetic character or idea per book. There are none here.
Loved this book, I could not put it down because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next!