Maxwell's Demon

By: Steven Hall

Narrated by: Piers Hampton

Fourteen years after the monumental publication of the international bestseller The Raw Shark Texts, Maxwell's Demon heralds the triumphant return of Granta Best Young British Novelist Steven Hall

Thomas Quinn is having a hard time. A failed novelist, he's stuck writing short stories and audio scripts for other people's characters. His wife, Imogen, is working on a remote island halfway around the world, and talking to her over the webcam isn't the same. The bills are piling up, the dirty dishes are stacking in the sink, and the whole world seems to be hurtling towards entropic collapse. Then he gets a voicemail from his father, who has been dead for seven years.

Thomas's relationship with Stanley Quinn--a world-famous writer and erstwhile absent father--was always shaky, not least because Stanley always seemed to prefer his enigmatic assistant and protégé Andrew Black to his own son. Yet after Black published his first book, Cupid's Engine, which went on to sell over a million copies, he disappeared completely. Now strange things are happening to Thomas, and he can't help but wonder if Black is tugging at the seams of his world behind the scenes.

Absurdly brilliant, wildly entertaining, and utterly mind-bending, Maxwell's Demon triumphantly excavates the ways we construct meaning in a world where chaotic collapse looms closer every day.


Plaque, by Alexander Fisher. England, c.1865 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

the ending is a miss (no spoilers)

the story starts as a very powerful one, filled with fascinating ideas. a real remarkable labyrinth i enjoyed getting lost in. however, their development and conclusion were, i'm sorry to write, disappointing. a lot is left hanging, including some main themes.

the performance is incredible. intelligent, accurate and absorbing.

Daytona Beach Sling Shotted

Entertaining until things got gratuitously weird in the end as if it meant it was intellectual. Mostly it was Daytona Beach Sling Shotted beside a college girl named Sarina that screamed, “Oh my god, oh my god,” the entire ride. And then asked if I would ride again with her.

Well crafted

I enjoyed this story about as much as I could without ever fully engaging. I can see how some may really love this title. For me, it fell a bit flat. The story is pretty original and the author does great with it. The narrator does his job wonderfully. The pace felt a little slow and the ending, while unexpected, was disappointing. I wanted more and it seemed somehow more impossible logistically than what I was already willing to suspend disbelief for. The characters are strong and fleshed out well. I particularly enjoyed how the authors style includes a turn-of-phrase knack that feels like he revived the good part of classic novel writing as if he not only wrote the story but went the extra step to make each sentence interesting and informative even when not fully necessary. While I didn’t love this book, I really appreciated it, liked it, and did enjoy it. It is more than a simple novel. I feel like I’ve read something WORTH reading.

Absolutely incredible!

Kept us engaged on a long road trip, we kept pausing it to discuss what was happening and our theories. Really well written all the way through! Great performance by the narrator

Great Follow Up For Steven Hall

Fun and interesting story from Steven Hall. I (like many) have been waiting to see what he would come up with after The Raw Shark Texts, and this was much appreciated. Also, Piers Hampton should narrator EVERYTHING. Tremendous performance.