Murmuration: NULL Paperback – 28 Oct. 2016

Waking up lying on his back in the middle of the road, dazed, with faint impressions of breaking glass somewhere at the back of his mind, and not too sure who he is, the reader has to work hard to get his/her bearings at the start of this book. What is this all about? We are inside the mind of a disorientated man who has only too few clues as to who he is and what has brought him to be here. Why can't he whistle? Why does a horse suddenly appear at the side of the road? We could be dreaming, or perhaps a victim of a hit-and-run driver.Before long, with Mike, we are walking into a small town that presents itself as warmly welcoming all travellers, and in spite of fleeting after-images of falling and breaking glass and twisting metal, we discover that this is where we live, are known and welcomed back, and have a business, an identity and a cat named Martin. It all begins to come back to Mike, Mike Frazier: his home, his contented life and his friend Sean. Armorea is the kind of town with an almost Utopian sense of community and and atmosphere of concern by all for all the inhabitants. As his memory of the place returns to him, so his friends and neighbours gather around him to make him feel at home again after his brief (brief?) absence.Armorea is the sort of place people find it difficult to leave - nothing appears to threaten its security, and though it may be a little old-fashioned, that seems a small price to pay for the sense of community and trust that perhaps permeates even the more querky inhabitants.Mike may have arrived home and found a contentment to remain settled there, but we, the readers are only beginning a journey that takes us through a series of oddly inexplicable, albeit trivial, moments that scratch away at the back of our mind, suggesting that something is going on - something that does not quite stay in tune with the friendly self-sufficiency of Armorea.A murmuration of starlings is a wonder. As the flock swirls and turns and spreads and dips and collapses, crowding together and then flinging apart, so the phenomenon seems to be an impossibility (But then from Into This River, we know that TJ is at ease with the impossible). With never an accident, never a collision, the thousands of birds behave more as if they were being directed by a single mind, yet they are undeniably individuals, somehow impossibly working together in a harmony that has to be seen to be believed.What has this marvel of nature got to do with this book? A few starlings do make an appearance now and then, and Mike does watch a murmuration at one point near the beginning of the book, but can this really justify the title? Or am I missing something? Is there something more there, remaining at the very edge of my vision, something recognized, but hardly available to thought?T J Klune is the master of the tease, stringing the reader along with oblique references that hint only, and avoid declaration. He is also a master of language, confidently walking the fine line between saying too much and too little; somehow he manages again and again to pick the very word that resonates in the mind and sets up vibrations that carry the imagination so much further than just the letters on a page. The story is good - the developing relationship between Mike and Sean keeps the reader turning over, but it is much more than this. There is some other plot going on in parallel to this story . . . . or is there?If I were to say more, you'd have to kill me.

I really liked this book. I loved parts of it - the writing was sublime (and very Wolfsong-esque) and it was a great story - but I felt I had to wait just a tad too long to know what was going on, so I can't say I loved the book.It's almost impossible to write a spoiler free review, but the romance was charming, it made me smile and I loved Sean and Mike. I'm glad I read it, but doubt I'll reread.

I had to put this nook down at one point because I didn't think it was going to go the way I want/ had expected it too. It did, however and I enjoyed the journey and the complexities of the story and situation.

You can't miss this one - it's amazing. Incredibly romantic but so engrossing. Every time you think you've figured it out, it changes! Loved it!

At the start l was unsure if l would like this. That changed. It is a cracking book full of twists and turns. Read it, you will not want to put it down

Another brilliant work from TJ , I love his books and this is no exception, no spoilers as requested but completely unique and mind blowing. A must read

Without doubt one of my all time favourite books

**Here be spoilers of a sort**Imaginative and compelling, yes. Unpleasant and depressing, too.Some might say that it's inspiring and lovely, that we all have better selves and look how happy people can be. I just can't feel that way. You however, might.Klune has been a favourite of mine for a while and he's been very tight lipped about this one, so I went in basically blind. Sometimes that's amazing and sometimes you end up with something that hits all your squick buttons. For me, I guess this was one of those.The story centers on Mike, and his relationships, firstly with Sean and secondly with the town of Amorea.Things aren't quite what they seem and Mike starts to get concerned, which only increases when he realises he's the only one concerned. He does finally figure out what is going on but it tears him away from Sean and exposes some truths about himself, Sean and the town itself.So far I was intrigued and totally hooked. The writing is beautiful.The truths are, in order, ambiguous, sad, and nasty. There are logical reasons why the doctor, the catalyst, does what he does and makes his choices, but they are based on who is available and won't be missed. But there are the dregs of society as people would normally think about it, and then there's some digging to do and that's where the doctor found his raw materials.I liked Mike. I liked Sean. I had sympathy for Mike's flashbacks, right until Greg's side of the story is told, along with the rest of the town.I hate the doctor. I hate his project. I hate the stories behind every person. I hated Greg. I hated what happened to Sean.Mike makes it his mission to get back to Sean and *spoiler* he does, but at the cost of proving he really does belong in that town.At this point I didn't care if he won Sean. I was feeling mildly icky about myself but thankfully the book ended shortly afterwards.I don't know what would have made me feel more prepared for this book, a more detailed blurb or some trigger warnings or something. Reading the sample is probably not enough as the twist becomes clear about halfway / two thirds through the book.