Social Media Icons

Saturday, September 7, 2019

BLOG TOUR & Review: The Passengers by John Marrs @berkleypub @johnmarrs1 @jessmapreviews

The Passengers 
by John Marrs

Thanks so much to Berkley Books for this advanced copy and stop on the blog tour.


Publisher: Berkley Books
Publish Date: August 27, 2019
Hardcover
352 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Science Fiction


You're riding in your self-driving car when suddenly the doors lock, the route changes and you have lost all control. Then, a mysterious voice tells you, "You are going to die."


Just as self-driving cars become the trusted, safer norm, eight people find themselves in this terrifying situation, including a faded TV star, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man.

From cameras hidden in their cars, their panic is broadcast to millions of people around the world. But the public will show their true colors when they are asked, "Which of these people should we save?...And who should we kill first?"


My Review:



This.Book.  THIS.BOOK. My FOURTH book by Marrs and ALL have been 5-star reads. WHAT.THE.HELL.  A favorite author in one of my favorite genres - he just keeps on bringing the goods and I am here for EVERY SINGLE PAGE.

I am a lover and fearer of technology.  I love everything it brings us but automatic cars and robots scare the ever living begeezuz out of me.  I've watched WAY too many movies and read WAY too many books not to have this remain an underlying fear for my (our) future.  

Marrs manages to bring the automatic car industry together with social media, mob mentality, a cast of characters to where you actually almost DO feel like you're reading/watching a reality show AND does all of it in less than 400 pages.  He gives each character their own VOICE.  It was so interesting to get into the nitty gritty of each of these peoples' lives, the secrets they hid and how social media and the press can be so easily swayed and how that sways how the general population reacts.

THIS SHIT IS SCARY.  And all too plausible. Call me gullible, call me realistic - just call me a fan because not gonna lie, this book really did WOW me.  

I love love LOVE the tie in with his other book, The One - another book I absolutely adored.  What's fascinating about his writing his how different his books are.  While The Passengers and The One deal in science fiction, the page turning chapters really lend a voice to the main thriller concept that I absolutely love.  I did have one itsy bitsy inkling of the story right and I absolutely loved how it ended.  Also, I enjoyed the chapters beginning with a clip of a newpaper article or a twitter post or commentary on the evens that were unfolding.  It really gave that extra oomph.

What can I say? He's an author you absolutely should put on your TBR. Thank me later. 

★★★★★

Jessica's Review:



I’ve been a big fan of John Marrs since I picked up THE GOOD SAMARITAN a couple years ago and I was so excited to receive a copy of his newest release, THE PASSENGERS. What gave this one an edge was how real this felt. In the not-so-distant future the UK is beginning to implement autonomous vehicles to eliminate human error on the roads. Sounds really convenient and like a huge advancement, right? Well, when eight different self-driving vehicles are hijacked, the night is about to get really intense for all of their passengers.
We have an array of very different characters in this terrifying predicament. When the live streams from inside the cars go live, they immediately become a trending topic and they public must decide who gets to survive their journey. I’m definitely in the camp of being leery of self-driving vehicles, and I would be scared out of my mind if the car I was in started rerouting on its own and then told me I was going to die when I reached the destination. Nope. No thank you. Something out of a Black Mirror episode, this thriller keeps you sucked in from start to finish. I think the synopsis gives the perfect amount of information you need going into the book, and I don’t want to give away much more.
If you’re a fan of John Marrs, then you already know that you need this one on the TBR. If you frequent the thriller genre and like the stories with some situations that feel entirely plausible, then you need to grab a copy of this! I will continue to pick up whatever Marrs releases in the future.
5 stars 

No comments

Leave a Comment