From the description I was interested to read how the author would achieve a good story. Sci-fi and history mixed with two minds learning about each other without ever meeting. I enjoyed the characters even though I found Jeff very unlikable and thought the author also used the other characters well to round out the story.. She also raised issues of class differences and feminism, both issues that interest me. I enjoyed the cocept and the story. Thank you.

The description of this book enticed me to read it. I was curious in how the two characters would see life through each other’s eyes.
Jeff somewhere in the future and Leonora from the late 1800’s, were able to haunt each other.
Leonora is a young girl living in the highlands of Scotland with her father. She has an affinity with nature and developing an interest in caring for animals. At night she has strange dreams and sees things that she can’t fathom. Meanwhile somewhere in the future Jeff travels from Australia to lose himself in Scotland. Jeff is dying and wants to spend his last days in isolation from his family and friends.
To amuse himself he takes a "tab" that lets him inhabit Leonora’s body in the past. He experiences life in Scotland through Leonora and sees and feels her experiences. Jeff is also haunted by his past and early memories of sexual experiments as a homosexual. These memories also haunt Leonora.
Some sections were very explicit and confronting.

I loved the concept of this book but sadly the reality did not live up to expectations. Perhaps it was lost in over editing ... but I felt that a lot of what we needed to know was never written nor said by any of the characters leaving the reader at a loss as to what had actually transpired. The ending left me wondering why on earth I had bothered persevering ...... no explanations ... just stopped. Disappointing.

‘I am conjuring the past, while she is beginning to see the future.’

At some time in the future, Jeff is dying. Burdened with the baggage of his memories, Jeff flees Australia for Scotland. He has a piece of experimental technology, a device that will enable him to enter someone else’s mind through digitised neural experience (DNE). It’s a technology that has not yet been successfully trialled, and Jeff has been advised to only use it three times. It’s advice that Jeff plans to ignore.
Leonora is a young woman living in the Scottish Highlands in the late 1860s. She is busy and happy at home when her life changes forever. Leonora’s father sends her to stay with her aunt in Edinburgh. But her new life becomes unbearable as Jeff connects to her mind and gives her glimpses of a future that she cannot begin to understand.

There’s more to the story than this. Imagine a world where it’s possible for one individual to invade the mind of another. A world in which the invading individual has no scruples, no care for the person whose mind is being invaded. Imagine how terrifying it would be to see glimpses of a future you don’t understand and to experience longings which are abhorrent to you. Imagine two people trying to control one mind. If you don’t want to imagine this, or at least entertain the possibility that it is imaginable, them you may not wish to read this novel.

I kept reading, sickened by Jeff and his actions, by his disregard for others. I kept reading, saddened by what was happening to Leonora and by the perceptions of those around her. I kept reading, wondering about possibility and about ethics.

I finished the novel, disturbed in part by what I’d read but in awe of the way in which Ms Meyer developed the story. I wondered how many people like Jeff there might be:

‘Or perhaps I will just destroy this. Take no responsibility. Life is chaos; people are all the time causing minute fluctuations which will change history’s path.’

How does it end? You’ll need to read it for yourself.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I'm not sure how I felt about this book. On the one hand I enjoyed Leonora's side of the story but I found Jeff unlikable. I assume we were meant to feel this way but I'm not sure.

I mostly just found myself wanting to go back to Leonora's time and had little interest in what happened to Jeff.

I was so so excited to read this. The synopsis sounded amazing but unfortunately it just didn’t get there for me. I think I was a little put off by the language in the dialogue, especially early in the story and that, for me, took away from the story for me.

The concept itself was brilliant and I applaud the author for coming out with such a brilliant idea.

Jeff is dying. He flees from his home in Australia to the north of Scotland so that he can die alone, haunted by the secrets of his past. He takes with him an experimental technology that allows him to inhabit the mind of another person, in another time. While he has been warned not to overuse it, it is a temptation that he struggles to resist.

Leonora is a young woman living in the Highlands in 1860. Living alone with her widowed father on a small farm, Leonora likes nothing more than the company of animals. However, her father remarries and sends her to Edinburgh to live with her aunt and prepare herself for the seemingly inevitable marriage.

Leonora starts to sense intrusions into her mind, seeing visions and hearing unusual music. She suspects that these are some kind of spiritualist experiences and seeks help. She also feels drawn towards some medical students that she encounters at the university, company that her aunt does not approve of.

Meyer touches on issues of gender fluidity, class differences, the dawn of feminism, the exploitation of women, the imminence of death, the abuse of technology and a few other weighty concepts, all in the space of about 350 pages. Her characterisations are excellent. Leonora is easy to feel for; a fairly typical historical romance heroine. Meyer does very well to present the fundamentally flawed person that is Jeff in a light that does not lead to the visceral rejection you might expect. I was surprised at the degree of empathy that I felt for him.

This is a really good debut from an Australian author of great promise.

“The historical richness of Outlander meets the dystopian feminism of Margaret Atwood in this highly accomplished book from the most exciting debut novelist of 2018 – Angela Meyer.”

The first thing I want to say about A Superior Spectre is this: do not go into this novel thinking it is anything at all like Outlander. It's not. It's a curious blend of science fiction and historical fiction, the resulting story presenting as a cautionary tale with gothic leanings about the perils of greed and power alongside the misuse of science. It's startlingly clever yet intensely discomforting and it should possibly come with a content warning as it has the potential to upset some readers.

Jeff is the most vile creature I have ever come across in a novel. His self flagellation did nothing to balance out the perversion of his desires, it just made him even more contemptible. He is given a device which enables him to indulge in a digitised neural experience (DNE), a futuristic invention akin to time travel for your mind. Yet, because he is dying, he doesn't follow the instructions and overuses it to the point where he has invaded the mind of a young Scottish woman living in the late 1860s, whose connection to him slowly sends her mad. Jeff’s entire life has been about him, every step of the way, so it stands to reason that he will die that way: self absorbed and self indulgent. He disgusted me and once his ‘desires' became apparent, I will admit to distancing myself from his sections. And yet, Jeff's sections were quite an accomplishment for the author. When you have a character who is so repulsive, reader instinct is to turn away. I felt like Jeff was trying to make us feel for him, while at the same time, the author was giving us every reason not to. It was an interesting dynamic.

With Leonora, I was fully invested in her journey. These historical sections were so steeped in atmosphere and authenticity. There was a gothic element to the setting and the sense of Victorian restraint was ever present. To me, there was a Dracula kind of feel to this part of the story, with Leonora's mind being inexplicably invaded while her body became infused with sensation and desire. I liked this blend of the gothic historical with science fiction. It was so unique and provided a solid canvas for the author to explore many themes, most notably, the abuse of power within the context of male privilege and the idea that female promiscuity is linked with mental instability.
“We cannot do this, or it will create some external evidence of my madness. A woman who has burst from her corset, from the cage of her bones. That's what it feels like, like I am uncontained and spreading out.”
Leonora was oppressed, in so many ways, and Jeff seemed to take upon himself to ‘enrich’ her by infusing her with his own memories and desires. Yet he oppressed her further and it was incredibly sad to see her unravelling under his influence. And infuriating as well. I was so angry at him, wishing he would just get on with the business of dying and leave her in peace, which was what he was wishing as well! I was also angry at the other men in Leonora's life. Her father, who simply wanted to get rid of her so he could have a new life with his new wife; Oskar, who wanted to indulge in her sexuality yet despised her for it; William, who betrayed her confidence in him. Leonora suffered in the way so many women have throughout the ages: she was not permitted to live freely, to simply be herself.
“I want to live in the Highlands – to have physical duties but to be free in my thoughts, to use my hands while my mind has time to draw connections between ideas.”

I very much liked the ending of this novel. It rounded things out for all of the characters and provided closure for the reader. I don't mind an open ended finish but I was pleased the author avoided that in this case. A Superior Spectre is a clever piece of literary fiction. I feel there will be resistance to and adulation heaped upon this novel in equal spades. It will depend on how you approach it, but an open mind will lead to a greater appreciation.

Thanks is extended to Ventura Press via Netgalley for providing me with a copy of A Superior Spectre for review.

Review will be published in line with the book's publication date at www.theresasmithwrites.com and on Goodreads.

Parts of this book I just loved completely, other parts I found myself skimming through. It is such an interesting mix of historical fiction (the parts I loved) and science fiction (the parts I had problems with) and the meshing of these two so distinct storylines was well done but at times too confusing and strange. It certainly is well written, almost lyrically written in parts. The observations of nature and the wildness of Scotland through the eyes of Leonora were stunning, the book is worthwhile just for this. And, you can hear that there is a but coming.

So, you've got Jeff who has scurried off to the west of Scotland to die, he takes with him an automaton who will take care of him he believes, he also has a device which enables him to live life through the eyes and mind of another person, he should only enter their life 3 times but of course, he can't help himself and he spends a lot of time being Leonora, a young woman who lives on a farm with her father. You have an alternating story line, firstly through Jeff's eyes as he examines his life, loves and losses. Then you have Jeff, living Leonora's life, her beginning of fondness for the Laid, the relationship of her father and his new wife and Leonora's struggle as she is swept away to Edinburgh to the care of her thoroughly weird aunt.

There is a lot going on. And remember you've got alternating paragraphs. It almost feels like you have two side by side novels, which I guess was the goal. I wonder if this rather good author tried to do a bit much. Having said that it is engaging, the tech is clever and well thought out. Maybe it is Jeff, I just couldn't care about him. He seems like a pillock and I always find it hard to read a character I don't like. On the other hand I loved Leonora, I hated what Jeff was doing to her and I was really invested in her survival.

All in all it is complicated and at times totally fabulous, I've dithered about writing this review and how many stars I'd give it, I'd love to hear someone elses opinion of it, I see the reviews below are very mixed, and I guess that might make it a really good novel, people are polarised, for me it is half way there.

When I first read the blurb, I thought that this might be in a similar vein to the Outlander series; however, it falls more into the science fiction genre. It follows Jeff, who takes a drug, allowing his to escape his life but taking on another person’s life. He takes over from Leonora, who lives int eh Scottish highlands in the 1860s. However, as time progresses, both Jeff and Leonora ‘s lives are affected.
I must admit that this was quite a different novel from what I usually read. I found Jeff’s character difficult to like and hence, I found this a difficult story to enjoy. However, Leonora’s story was quite the contract and I found myself quite engrossed in this part of the book. Consequently, I probably would have preferred the novel to have been largely about her, timewise.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found the concept of this novel fascinating although I think that the execution was a little clumsy in places. Whilst the character of Leonora was very interesting and the sections about her life were a delight, I found the Jeff sections to be rather confusing and rambling in parts and the ending was too abrupt. I think the the novel would benefit from stronger editorial direction.

I picked up A Superior Spectre for a few reasons. One was because it was recommended to me that if I loved Outlander (which I really, REALLY do) then I would like this book. The second was the science fiction element of being able to time travel mentally using a device. I love a good time travel novel and I had high hopes for this book.

To say this novel was a giant let down is an understatement. While the writing is very clever and it was refreshing to read something that wasn’t in the typical once upon a time set up, the book, in my opinion, did not live up to its hype. The only thing it had in common with Outlander was that it was set in Scotland. That’s it. Yes, there was a time travel element but the writer only took us as far back as the 1860s and it was not in some magical Devine way. It was an invasion of privacy and it never sat well with me.

Character-wise I couldn’t stand Jeff, our male protagonist. He was long winded, unnecessarily despondent and selfish in regards to how he treated those around him. I just couldn’t connect with him and his dark thoughts. It was like reading about the human version of Eyore - if Eyore was in his forties and liked to constantly think about having sex with teenage boys -- Yeah, that was another thing that didn’t sit well with me either.

The upside is that alongside Jeff’s melancholic accounts, the novel switches over to the other protagonist, Leonora who is living in the late 1800s era in Scotland. Her sections of the book were a joy to read and so captivating. I personally would have preferred the novel to center on Leonora and her perspective. For that reason, I gave the book a 3 out of 5, because I could have left the rest and just focused on her interesting journey of navigating society and mental health in 1860s Edinburgh.

When books are sold as being like a well known or well-loved book that you've already read, I'm always a little sceptical. A Superior Spectre was described on the NetGalley email, encouraging me to request it, as being similar to A Handmaid's Tale. I have to say, that although this is set in a dystopian future, it isn't really like it in any way. If it were like any of Atwood's frightening glimpses of a possible future, then it reminded me of the world the Oryx and Crake trilogy or The Heart Goes Last. Really, comparisons are pointless, this is a great read in its own right.

The book is really two stories, that are linked by technology that allows the futuristic Jeff to see into the mind of Leonora, a young Scottish girl from the 1800's. Jeff is dying and uses these journeys into Leonora's mind as a form of escape. The more he joins with her though, the more that his thoughts begin to break into her conscious and life. While Jeff battles his own demons and illness, Leonora struggles to find her place in life and questions her sanity. More than once I couldn't help but wonder if Jeff was a figment of Leonora's imagination, or that perhaps Leonora was a figment of Jeffs.

This is an interesting and engaging read. I wanted to follow the paths of both of the main characters and find out what would happen to them. It is in some ways a book with a science fiction setting, but to describe it as such really sells it short. The tech that allows this all to happen, isn't really the point, but it is about the two main characters and how they deal with their lives and situations.

A Superior Spectre is a fantastic read and I found it gripping from the beginning. I found myself involved in the storyline and just couldn't put it down.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for a free copy of this remarkable book.

Jeff lives in an alternative present, or perhaps a near future, creepily reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, with a touch of J D Robb’s mid-21st Century urban life and the television series “Humans” where androids help us out at home, the state has too much control over our lives and health and technology has merged with the human body. He has a “tab” which allows him to enter the mind of a historical person for a time.

Leonora is a young Scottish woman who lives in the highlands in the 1860s. She lives with her father, her mother having died when Leonora was very young, and helps out with the animals on the farms on the Laird’s land. Her life is simple and she is happy, until things start to change, and she is sent to live with her aunt in Edinburgh. There, her life spirals out of control.

This is a beautifully written novel. The language is lyrical and atmospheric, but often frank and sometimes confronting. This is a warts-and-all account of Jeff and Leonora’s lives and the societies they live in. I could barely put this novel down and enjoyed the fast-paced action as well as the quiet, contemplative moments. The author has a special ability to set a scene and evoke the atmosphere her characters are experiencing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the author’s future work.

A Superior Spectre captivated me right from the first page. It is a fascinating study of human nature and what makes up our sense of self. It also considers personal responsibility when our actions impact on the lives of others. This was a real page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what would happen next and how things would work out. Although there is a sci-fi element to the tale, this work sits firmly on the literary fiction shelf. It offers both an exciting, interesting plot and a deep, thought-provoking premise. I would recommend it to readers looking for a read that poses questions while also entertaining. I would definitely read more from Meyer in the future as her prose still was simple yet engaging, her pacing excellent, and her characters beautifully formed.

Intense!!
A bit weird.

Jeff is an Australian man in the near future looking to escape his life completely, by taking a drug, a "tech" that allows him to live someone else's life for hours at a time while tripping.

His compatible life is in Leonora, a woman living in the Scottish highlands in the 1860s.
Jeff becomes addicted to living Leonora's life and takes trip after trip, against all recommendation.

As Jeff becomes more & more unwell it becomes apparent that his trips are affecting Lae's life & timeline as well.

Richly imaginative, the novel takes a new concept of time travel or neuroscience or technology or I'm not quite sure exactly what that was.

Be warned, this is often frankly & graphically sexual with very strong language (I won't be buying this for my Mum for Christmas if you catch my drift).

Read if you enjoy historical fiction, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (although this is much less cerebral), Victorian novels of suffering, grief and/or illness (I'm not sure if I'm evoking the wrong people in Albert Camus, James Joyce etc), Gothic ghost stories or haunting novels.

As the nature of the novel is quite confronting (but not in a social.justice way), I'm not sure I can recommend this one to many of my friends. An acquired taste perhaps.