M.R. Carey – Cannonball Read 17

Anarchy in the UK

Once Was Willem by M.R. Carey

July 16, 2025 by NatalieH Leave a Comment

CBR Bingo: ‘O’ I bought Once Was Willem by M.R. Carey a few months ago, essentially on a whim (I liked the title and the cover). I’d vaguely heard of the author (he wrote The Girl with All the Gifts, a book/movie that has been recommended to me before, but that I’ve never actually gotten around to reading/watching yet), but I was basically going in blind. I picked it up recently because it’s a short standalone novel, which I like to read to break up bigger […]

A great addition to its genre (but you’re better off not knowing what it is)

The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey

September 22, 2024 by genericwhitegirl Leave a Comment

This is a book best discovered blind, without knowing the plot or even genre. But if you already know, or don’t mind mild spoilers, read ahead. “That’s Pandora…she was a really amazing woman. All the gods had blessed her and given her gifts. that’s what her name means, the girl with all the gifts. So she was clever and brave and beautiful and funny, and everything else you’d want to be. But she just had the one tiny fault, which was that she was very, […]

Fewer gifts than expected

The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey

January 9, 2020 by zinka 5 Comments

The Girl with all the Gifts features Melanie, an obviously brilliant child, surviving the mysteriously strict and small world of her school and trying to discover who she is and how she fits in the world around her. The story unfolds to reveal other heroes and a larger world that these folks must survive together in a strange survival road trip. I hesitate to say much more, because although the surprises are not hard to see coming, the story is more valuable with them. I […]

Hits all the high notes, and yet…

The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey

May 5, 2019 by Caesar's Wife 1 Comment

This novel is a modern-day retelling of the story of Pandora (as the literal translation of the title ‘The Girl With All The Gifts’). A plague of fungus has wiped out most of humanity, hijacking the bodies of the infected and using them to spread the downfall further. Yet through the hopelessness emerges a group of children who have retained their humanity and intelligence, despite the infection. It is hypothesised that they may hold hope for the cure. They live wild on the streets of […]

Not a good follow up

Fellside by M. R. Carey

March 7, 2019 by Carriejay 2 Comments

Jess Moulson is an addict. It used to be she was only hurting herself but during one of her highs she set fire to her flat and the resulting blaze killed a 10 year old boy. She’s sent to Fellside maximum security prison, riddled with guilt and hoping for an early death. But once there she starts to have visions of the little boy, and he tells her his death wasn’t as it seemed. Is this her own mind talking or is there something to […]

The gift that keeps on giving

October 24, 2018 by octothorp Leave a Comment

This was my “cannonballer says!” square for bingo and it’s kind of a twofer as maydays’ comment on alwaysanswersb’s review doubled down on my decision to buy the book. And honestly, enough of you guys have recommended this one that I was leaning toward buying this before maydays let me know this was written by Mike Carey (I’m a huge comic book reader but keep my cannonball reviews to prose), but alwaysanswersb really made me interested. I’m spending a lot of words on the review, […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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