The Hollow City: A NovelDan Wells
Tor Books, July 2012
ISBN: 978-0765331700
The Hollow City is a mesmerizing journey into madness, where the greatest enemy of all is your own mind.
Michael Shipman is a paranoid schizophrenic accused of being a serial killer in Dan Well’s newest novel, The Hollow City. Suspected of being the cult member mutilating Red Line Killer, Michael must fight to understand the nature of his illness, and, more importantly, the division between what is real in his life and what is not.
Michael lives his life in constant fear of everything around him. He is obsessed by the thought that he is being pursued by Faceless Men, and he believes that every electronic device is capable of tracking his whereabouts. Confined to a mental hospital for much of the story, Michael struggles to come to terms with his illness and the strange happenings about him. Wells uses first person, present tense narration very effectively to bring the reader directly into Michael’s troubled mind.
Meanwhile, there is a murderer on the loose and all signs point to Michael as being the culprit. He protests his innocence but even he begins to believe he might not be telling the truth. He finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that just fuels his illness even more. Michael is often uncertain if he’s telling the truth and just when he thinks he has things figured out, something happens to shake it all loose again.
The Hollow City is a fast-paced mystery with an unconventional perspective. Michael Shipman is an intriguing, original character, and Wells does an excellent job of constructing a narrative around Michael’s schizophrenia, offering a point-of-view not often seen. Wells deftly weaves a complex story with intriguing characters scattered throughout. The Hollow City is a fascinating book that readers will devour.
DAN WELLS is the author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don’t Want to Kill You. He lives in Orem, Utah, with his wife, Dawn, and four young children.
ISBN: 978-0765331700; ISBN10: 0765331705; Imprint: Tor Books; On Sale: 7/3/2012; Format: Hardcover; Pages: 336; $25.99
