- Title:
- In the Image of Man
- Author:
- Mark Long
- Release:
- November 22, 2021
- Format:
- Audiobook
- Narrator:
- Nicky Griffiths
Bob was a god. I occasionally mention in my reviews that I prefer to go into books without knowing anything about them. I pick review copies based on genre and ignore the summary, other reviews, or ratings. In the Image of Man was one of those rare cases. I listened to the sample and viewed the ratings on Scumazon and they were overwhelmingly 4 and 5 stars, positive. Wow. When the hell does the internet ever agree on something that much? I had to know.
First off, In the Image of Man gets extra points for being extremely creative. Bob, an eternal spec of nothingness who wasn’t aware of anything until he was. From there, he gained his power from belief. The lore of this world explains every other religion, cult, and even schizophrenia in some cases in the context of its world. Bob doesn’t know of and can’t find any other gods. It raises the question. Did they stop existing because belief in them waned? Maybe!
Every aspect of this story seems well thought out. Even his name has a sensible origin story. He had to learn about humans as he goes along. He blunders and makes mistakes along the way, but he’s always trying to do better. The characters are all human. Obviously not bob, but what I mean is they’re all real. They’re believable. They have thoughts, feelings, and emotions past the current plot contrivance that makes them relatable. It’s rare that I talk about or appreciate characters because they’re usually bland, uninteresting, and forgettable to me. Even if I enjoy them or the story, they’re almost always puddle deep.
The plot starts out a little slow and builds up until the end where you’re sitting on the edge of your seat, desperate to know how things play out. In the Image of Man is one of those stories that sticks with you and leaves you thinking about it after you’ve finished it. Maybe that’s the case for most people. But I tend to finish a story and move on.
The narrator is overall pretty damn good. She mispronounces a couple of words, which readers of my reviews know, I find completely insufferable. I don’t know where the hell people get ape out of Apricot. What I find 10x more insufferable is when people say “Nukeuler”, which much to my annoyance, cums up several times in the story.
The review from this point on will contain spoilers. You’ve been warned.
Mary’s cat is alright. You’re welcome. I know you don’t know what that means yet, but I just saved you a lot of anxiety.
NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.