Book Review:
The Knowing by David Graham
Published by Urbane Publications, 2017

This genre-defying book covers a lot of bases, touching on horror, thriller, sci-fi and fantasy, and is set in a futuristic, dystopian London where technology such as mobile phones and the internet have been outlawed.

Young witch Ceri Edwards is our protagonist, and the author makes her a likeable, quirky character. The plot is outlandish, and to get the best out of The Knowing, you need to leave any hold on reality at the door! It's a bizarre slow burner that binds humour with horror. You'd probably do well to read the author's The Screaming prior to this book for the full effect.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Urbane Publications for the ARC provided via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review

The knowing by David Graham.
No witches were burnt in the writing of this tale, although the Queen was a little singed at the edges.' Ceri Edwards and two school friends lift the lid on an ancient book of recipes belonging to Betty Williams, a volunteer at the local hospital in Pontypridd, South Wales. Two Kansas City cops step off a flight at London Heathrow and one of them falls to the ground with a painful conviction that there's something evil in the air. United in their destinies, Ceri and the police officers are drawn into a world where prophecies are pitted against invisible forces planning to raze London to the ground and bring down the Royal Family. It all rests with Dai Williams, recently knighted MI5 agent and reluctant hero, to bring some order to the improbable events and to ensure that afternoon tea at The Ritz continues for another hundred years. A great cross between Kim Newman and Ben Aaranovitch and a thrill for any fan of contemporary urban horror.
An ok read. Found this very slow. 3*.

I didn't know it was a sequel until I received the book and started reading it. THE KNOWING is well-written and the story is good. I just feel like I should have read the first book before I read this one. It isn't horror... more like mystery/thriller. You should give this one a read.

In hindsight, I wonder why I chose to read this book, but then again it happens from time to time: you pick a book you find interesting, either because of the summary (original: yes) or the cover (mysterious: yes). You think this could be something different from the well-trodden path of horror and mystery you usually read, widen your horizon and all that stuff. What can I say? Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This book is definitely a very strong case of 'doesn't' for me...

It started off well enough, with a slight sense of humor and big question mark in my mind. What was going on here? Did I miss something important because I did not read the previous book? I sure missed some kind of introductory retrospect to put me on track. As it was, I constantly felt left out, and that I just 'didn't get it'. So on I went - yeah, I'm still one of those rare creatures who are not able to DNF a book, no matter what...). Hoping for things to get better, for something to come that finally grabs my attention with a big WOW (or at least a small Aha!) effect. Sadly, that moment never came, and after finishing the book I felt disappointed, irritated and bewildered. And of course annoyed - not by the book but by my poor judgment that made me chose the book in the first place and wonder how I could miss the fine print telling warning me that the book is not compatible with my reading habits.

Regarding the story, I never felt anything but indifference towards the characters and an immunity to the certainly existing, but sadly not my kind of, humor. More often than not, I missed the smooth transition between chapters and events, they rather felt aligned and without some tighter connection to put them together into a well-rounded whole.

As my review is based on my very own personal taste and, in this case, dislike of the book, I do not feel in a position to either recommend or not recommend it - I'd rather suggest to find out on your own, maybe by dipping your toes into a sample chapter first...

The Knowing by David Graham is a sequel to 'the Screaming' and although it can be read as a standalone, perhaps the reading of the first book would have in hindsight been helpful. I would classify this book as horror/fantasy and the plot is hard to summarise, just to say there is an assorted cast that includes Welsh witches, MI5 agents, gay Kansas City policemen and probably most bizarrely of all the Queen in possession of physic powers.

The plot twists and turns in an absurdist fashion and although the book is in a contemporary setting, it is a country and society that does not seem quite real. Improbable events ensue throughout with both horror and humour along the way.

This may not be to everyone's taste but for those who like the works of say Kim Newman I think they will find it I'm sure of much interest and enjoyment.

I tried with this book, I really did - but in the end, though I finished, it really wasn't for me. A lot of other reviewers have mentioned they didn't realise this was a sequel, and neither did I (though I have a strong belief that each book of a series should stand alone). In the end, that didn't hurt it as much as my absolute failure to connect with any of the characters; as a result, while I could objectively see that it may well be fantastic for another reader, I was only going to struggle through at best.
In the end, definitely not a bad book by any means, but just not one for me.

Mystery, horror and humour too. An enjoyable read.

(DNF at 26%)

Does the crippling guilt of DNF-ing books fade with time or is it eternal?

I really wanted to love this. Mystery?? Horror?? Magic?? Sign me up!!

Sadly, though, the writing style wasn't grabbing me at all and I found my attention wandering off. It didn't help that the perspective kept switching all the time, and when I didn't have much interest in the first place, switching to a random character who is equally un-compelling is not going to help me become interested.

I think it just wasn't my kind of book, because the other reviewers seemed to really love it; probably a not-you-its-me situation. Oh well, c'est la vie.

I will keep this short as I do not feel it's fair to give a full review on a book that I was unable to finish.

It's not very often that I give up on a book. I have tortured myself for months, determined to finish a book in the past with mixed results, all the while staring longingly at my bookshelves for any kind of reprieve. Every now and then, you get lucky and a book will pick up speed and turn into every thing you could hope for. Sometimes, you aren't so lucky.

I made it about half way through this book before deciding to give up. Unfortunately, I could just not "click" with this book and found the pace was not matching the excitement I had when first reading the summary. I had built this up in my head as being a horror story, but found it to be more mystery/thriller and while the summary discusses Ceri and her friends and being "drawn into a world where prophecies are pitted against invisible forces", there is hardly any focus on this in the first half of the book.

I am not saying that this is not a good book, it currently has a 4.78 star rating on Goodreads, this book was just not for me. With the bulk of the plot taking place in the UK, I spent a lot of time researching places, stores, words, etc to understand them in the context that they were being used and could just not justify spending this much time and energy on a book that was just not keeping me enthralled.

If you read this book, I hope you have better luck than I did! If you enjoyed David Graham's other book The Screaming then you should also enjoy this book and I encourage you to give it a try as this is a sequel to that book. If you have not read The Screaming, do not fret as this book can also be read independently as it provides enough back story that you can follow along. One of the other reviews I saw said this book is a mix of The Conjuring, Constantine and Broadchurch, so if you are fans of any of these, then give it a try!

Ok ok…mix Conjuring with constantine and then Broadchurch… There you have it.

A thrilling terror that will make your head rush. Absolutely and quite fascinating reading.

I didn’t knew this author but now I am going to see what he will bring next. Loved his writing.

Review of THE KNOWING by David Graham

A direct sequel to author Graham's terrifying thriller, THE SCREAMING, this novel can nevertheless stand on its own, as sufficient backstory is drawn in throughout so those who may not have read THE SCREAMING can still thrill to the chills and scares of THE KNOWING, as well as enjoying the author's subtle humour and tugging of heartstrings among the characters.

After EM radiation from cell phones and the Internet had been proven to cause adolescent psychosis, the UK banned mobile phones and Internet access, while the US shoveled all adolescents into protective care (read, asylums) under executive order. The silencing of electromagnetic radiation throughout the UK has allowed an influx of “other” energies, including witchcraft, which is on a steep rise. Kansas City, Missouri, police sergeants Dale Franklin and Steve Abrams, who had been instrumental in helping identify the causes of the adolescent psychosis crisis in the U.S., travel to London and discover a new conspiracy, one which reaches to MI5 and possibly to the Queen.