I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Passengers by John Marrs Published by Berkley on August 27 2019
Genres: Adult, Science fiction, Thriller
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: A thrilling, fast-paced beginning lost steam for me near the end, but up until about the three-quarter mark I really had a lot of fun with this book.
I enjoyed the hell out of this book—up to a point. And then things really started to go wrong for me. It’s almost as if The Passengers itself was one of the self driving cars in the story: heading down a road toward an inevitable and violent disaster. I thought the first three-quarters of the book was a bunch of fun, which is why it’s getting three-and-a-half stars from me, and Marrs certainly knows how to keep a reader flipping pages as fast as they can. But ultimately, the story ended with a fizzle rather than a bang, although I’m still recommending it because I really enjoyed the journey, if not the destination.
The set-up is an interesting one. The action takes place in the UK, where we’re introduced to several characters just going about the business of starting their day. In each case, the character gets into their self-driving car, but minutes after they take off, the car is taken over by an unidentified person, who informs each rider that in a matter of hours, they will most likely be dead. The cars of these unlucky people are no longer under their control, and according to the mysterious voice, they are all heading towards each other and their journeys will end in a fiery collision. Claire is a pregnant woman who is on a secret and terrible mission. Sofia is a famous but aging actress who is trying her best to stay relevant. When her car is hijacked, she thinks it’s a prank and that her agent has finally got her on the show she’s been dreaming of, Celebs Against the Odds. Sam and Heidi are a married couple who are both keeping huge secrets from each other, and just happen to be in separate cars that day. And Shabana is a Muslim wife and mother who is desperately trying to get away from her cruel and controlling husband.
Elsewhere in Birmingham, Libby Dixon is headed toward the second day of a week long, mandatory jury duty, where she and a panel of five other jurors will decide who is to blame for a fatal accident involving a self driving car. Libby hates self driving cars after witnessing the deaths of three innocent people who were killed when one chose not to stop for them as they crossed the street. But soon after the proceedings begin, the same mystery person, now called the Hacker, breaks into the computer/video systems in the courtroom and informs the jurors that they now hold the fate of the Passengers—the eight people who have had their cars hijacked—in their hands. In two and a half hours, all eight cars will collide. The Hacker has some tricks up his sleeve, however, and begins a cruel game with the jurors that involves them having to decide which Passengers to sacrifice and which to save. As he slowly reveals shocking secrets about each Passenger, Libby and her fellow jurors are forced to make some terrible decisions.
Let’s start with what I loved. My favorite part of this book, by far, was the way Marrs created backstories for each character. As the cars are barreling towards their imminent demise, the Hacker reveals a secret about each Passenger. This was a great way to get you to care (or not care) about each one, knowing that each secret could alter their chances of living or dying. Granted, some of the secrets are completely bonkers and over-the-top, so in some ways it was like watching a soap opera, as each character seemed to have a more sensational secret than the last. But hey, people are addicted to soap operas, and there’s a reason for that!
I also enjoyed the mounting tension as the cars get closer and closer to their destination. Marrs also throws in some interesting commentary about the far reaching influence of social media and mob mentality, as he starts each chapter with some sort of Twitter poll, tweet or internet news report. I think part of what was so disturbing about this scenario is that people will change their opinions based on what the masses are doing and saying, and I thought adding this to the story was very effective.
I started to have problems on page 314 of the ARC, when Marrs throws in a big twist and then proceeds to go off on a tangent that I was not expecting, and quite frankly, did not enjoy that much. In the aftermath of the Hacker’s shenanigans, the author explains what happens to all the characters who survived, several years after the event. It was almost like taking the wind out of the sails after such a thrilling story filled with juicy secrets, and it nearly ruined the entire book for me. Libby’s story in particular was sort of ridiculous, which is too bad since it really changed the way I felt about her character. For obvious reasons I can’t tell you what happened, but let’s just say that Marrs tries to explain why the Hacker did what he did, but the story is so convoluted that it only left me scratching my head in confusion.
Honestly, if you’re looking for a really excellent thriller about self driving cars, you’re much better off reading Three Laws Lethal, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. But for some good old fashioned fun, The Passengers is definitely worth reading. It’s not perfect, but I guarantee you’ll get plenty of entertainment value from it, at least up to a point.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
That stinks about the twist. It sounds like a fantastic concept – very cinematic. But on the other hand- I don’t like when stuff leaves me confused.
Some readers are digging the twist and the ending, I guess I was expecting something else, and sometimes expectations ruin things for you:-/
That happens to me a lot.
Not sure about this one. Perhaps one for the wish list.
Lynn
Definitely more of a pop corn read!
And yet another reason I’ll not buy a self driving car. I tend to like control too much to ever be in one anyway. I saw over the weekend some guy was filmed sleeping on a freeway (I think in California so be warned 🙂 behind the wheel of a self driving car. I am glad I have a copy of this one – now to just make time!
I see you’re reading Gideon now. I’m considering preordering that one even if I didn’t put it on my list today. There are too many good books coming out the last quarter of the year!
Barb @ Booker T’s Farm recently posted…TTT – 5 Books I Just Might Preorder…
I’m hoping to finish up Gideon this weekend. Still not sure how I feel about it?? It’s a little strange but I’m still very curious about what’s going on.
Well then. I think this book be coming off the list based off the ending. I hate endings like this and would just be pissed off. But yer review of three laws lethal makes me certainly want to read that one. Thank ye for the saved time matey!
x The Captain
Anytime:-)
Great review. Sounds like an interesting premise — too bad it was a letdown in the end. Think I’ll be skipping this one!
The premise is really interesting, and most of the book was really good:-)
Another informative and well written review, which gave me all I need to decide whether this one is for me… and it isn’t. That ending sounds like a car crash of its own and I’m not as tolerant of those types of endings as you are:)
Thanks Sarah:-)
Sadly, there is nothing worse than a book that creates enormous tension (and expectations in the readers) and then goes the way of the proverbial mountain with the mouse… And the final chapter you mention, with the details on the survivors and various explanations, sounds like a huge mistake.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Review: POLARIS RISING, by Jessie Mihalik
I think the ending worked for a lot of readers, just not me:-)
That’s such a bummer about the ending. What a letdown after such a fantastic beginning. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one. I was interested in this book to an extent, mainly because of the subject matter, but may read your other recommendation instead.
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra recently posted…Review: THE LADY ROGUE by Jenn Bennett
It was still a lot of fun. You do have to suspend your disbelief though:-)
I suspect I’ll skip this one, but appreciate the review. Seems an interesting topic, though, and very timely.
The topic is really cool. We’re not there yet, but we could be in the near future…
Fantastic review, Tammy! I enjoyed the fun of this one too. Now I want to read Three Laws Lethal! Lovely review!
It was fun! And we all need some fun now and then, right?;-)
We both gave this one the same rating and sounds like we had similar issues, though I didn’t talk too much about the last part o the book in my review. I had a lot of fun with this book, but the ending – WTF! That last section just felt really out of place, and ruined what could have been an amazing climax, tbh.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday 08/28/19
Too bad this one fell off a bit at the end. Glad you mostly had a good time with it though. 🙂
This does sound like an exciting premise–I look forward to the non-stop action of the eventual movie adaptation!
I just finished this last week. It was good, but not great! Nice review!
The premise sounds really interesting and highly relevant. Sounds like Three Laws Lethal is the better read, though.
fqaanu travel backpack anti theft,bobby backpack,anti theft travel backpack,pacsafe backpack,cheap
anti theft backpack,pacsafe backpack,water proof backpack,pacsafe backpack,bobby
backpack,anti theft backpack jvavat
bobby backpack recently posted…bobby backpack