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The Curator
A Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm where cats are revered as religious figures, thieves are noble, scholars are revolutionaries, and conjurers are the most wonderful criminals you can imagine.
It begins in an unnamed city nicknamed “the Fairest”, it is distinguished by many things from the river fair to the mountains that split the municipality in half; its theaters and many museums; the Morgue Ship; and, like all cities, but maybe especially so, by its essential unmappability.
Dora, a former domestic servant at the university has a secret desire—to find where her brother went after he died, believing that the answer lies within The Museum of Psykical Research, where he worked when Dora was a child. With the city amidst a revolutionary upheaval, where citizens like Robert Barnes, her lover and a student radical, are now in positions of authority, Dora contrives to gain the curatorship of the half-forgotten museum only to find it all but burnt to the ground, with the neighboring museums oddly untouched. Robert offers her one of these, The National Museum of the Worker. However, neither this museum, nor the street it is hidden away on, nor Dora herself, are what they at first appear to be. Set against the backdrop of a nation on the verge of collapse, Dora’s search for the truth behind the mystery she’s long concealed will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the edge of worlds.
It begins in an unnamed city nicknamed “the Fairest”, it is distinguished by many things from the river fair to the mountains that split the municipality in half; its theaters and many museums; the Morgue Ship; and, like all cities, but maybe especially so, by its essential unmappability.
Dora, a former domestic servant at the university has a secret desire—to find where her brother went after he died, believing that the answer lies within The Museum of Psykical Research, where he worked when Dora was a child. With the city amidst a revolutionary upheaval, where citizens like Robert Barnes, her lover and a student radical, are now in positions of authority, Dora contrives to gain the curatorship of the half-forgotten museum only to find it all but burnt to the ground, with the neighboring museums oddly untouched. Robert offers her one of these, The National Museum of the Worker. However, neither this museum, nor the street it is hidden away on, nor Dora herself, are what they at first appear to be. Set against the backdrop of a nation on the verge of collapse, Dora’s search for the truth behind the mystery she’s long concealed will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the edge of worlds.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published March 7, 2023
900 people are currently reading
20699 people want to read
About the author
Owen King
48 books1,779 followersI'm the author of the novels The Curator and Double Feature, We're All In This Together: A Novella and Stories, co-editor (with John McNally) of the anthology Who Can Save Us Now, and co-author (with Mark Poirier) of the graphic novel Intro to Alien Invasion. I also co-wrote the novel Sleeping Beauties with Stephen King. My most recent work is the ongoing comic book series Self Help, co-written with Jesse Kellerman and illustrated by Mariana Ignazzi.
My wife is the beautiful and mysterious Kelly Braffet. She has written five wonderful books, and the newest is The Broken Tower.
Here are what a couple of my favorite authors were nice enough to say about Double Feature:
“What a kinetic, joyful, gonzo ride—Double Feature made me laugh so loudly on a plane that I had to describe the plot of Sam's Spruce Moose of a debut film (it stars a satyr) to my seatmate by way of explanation. Booth and Sam are an unforgettable Oedipal duo. A book that delivers walloping pleasures to its lucky readers.” - Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!
“Sharp, hilarious, and irreverent, Double Feature is not only a love-letter to cinema, but also a moving exploration of what it means to be an artist. This novel is brilliant, and Owen King is a magician.” - Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies and Arcadia
My wife is the beautiful and mysterious Kelly Braffet. She has written five wonderful books, and the newest is The Broken Tower.
Here are what a couple of my favorite authors were nice enough to say about Double Feature:
“What a kinetic, joyful, gonzo ride—Double Feature made me laugh so loudly on a plane that I had to describe the plot of Sam's Spruce Moose of a debut film (it stars a satyr) to my seatmate by way of explanation. Booth and Sam are an unforgettable Oedipal duo. A book that delivers walloping pleasures to its lucky readers.” - Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!
“Sharp, hilarious, and irreverent, Double Feature is not only a love-letter to cinema, but also a moving exploration of what it means to be an artist. This novel is brilliant, and Owen King is a magician.” - Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies and Arcadia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 669 reviews
March 13, 2023
DNF at 18%
I’m not entirely sure what went wrong here.
The Curator is a book I should’ve loved. I mean, a fantastical tale about conjurors, thieves, and scholars, set in a city nicknamed The Fairest, where cats are religious figures?!?! Written by none other than Owen King, the son of my Uncle Stevie?!?! Sign me up.
But I can’t go on. Eighty-six pages is enough.
Why, you ask?
I’m unable to find my footing in King’s world – there are too many societies, museums, and governmental and military-like entities without any explanation of the history of the city and its recent revolution. His writing borders on the pretentious and lacks charm and whimsy. And in my head, I’m hearing warning bells of female sexual objectification.
I’ve read a few reviews where it’s stated that one has to merely stick with the book, that the story will turn around. But – with apologies to the publisher – I don’t even care to try.
My sincerest appreciation to Owen King, Scribner, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
I’m not entirely sure what went wrong here.
The Curator is a book I should’ve loved. I mean, a fantastical tale about conjurors, thieves, and scholars, set in a city nicknamed The Fairest, where cats are religious figures?!?! Written by none other than Owen King, the son of my Uncle Stevie?!?! Sign me up.
But I can’t go on. Eighty-six pages is enough.
Why, you ask?
I’m unable to find my footing in King’s world – there are too many societies, museums, and governmental and military-like entities without any explanation of the history of the city and its recent revolution. His writing borders on the pretentious and lacks charm and whimsy. And in my head, I’m hearing warning bells of female sexual objectification.
I’ve read a few reviews where it’s stated that one has to merely stick with the book, that the story will turn around. But – with apologies to the publisher – I don’t even care to try.
My sincerest appreciation to Owen King, Scribner, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
dnf
March 11, 2023DNF @ 11%
I was drawn to this book for three reasons: it was written by Owen King (an author I'd been wanting to try), it features cats prominently as revered figures (huge cat lover here, so figured I'd be into it) and it is described in the publisher's blurb as a "Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm."
Well. I'm not sure what was supposed to be so 'charming' about this book, but in the short bit I read, I felt far from charmed...more like disgusted. The beauty of a writer like Dickens is that he managed to take bleak, dreary situations and imbue HUMOR and social commentary to make them palatable. It was clear from the start that this book was lacking in the Whimsy Department, and read more like a bizarre sci-fi fantasy tale...but one where the narrator actively talks down to you and uses lots of big words to seem Very Important while not explaining anything well at all.
Throw in a sex scene where the female character has zero self respect and basically acknowledges her lot is to act as an orifice (and after skimming some other reviews, this is one of SEVERAL such instances) and I was wondering where the heck the cats were and why I started reading this in the first place.
There are some other readers who no doubt will be 'spellbound' by King's craft, but I personally feel he should have spent a bit less time pontificating and a bit MORE time curating an interesting plot.
*Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC! Now available as of 3.6!*
I was drawn to this book for three reasons: it was written by Owen King (an author I'd been wanting to try), it features cats prominently as revered figures (huge cat lover here, so figured I'd be into it) and it is described in the publisher's blurb as a "Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm."
Well. I'm not sure what was supposed to be so 'charming' about this book, but in the short bit I read, I felt far from charmed...more like disgusted. The beauty of a writer like Dickens is that he managed to take bleak, dreary situations and imbue HUMOR and social commentary to make them palatable. It was clear from the start that this book was lacking in the Whimsy Department, and read more like a bizarre sci-fi fantasy tale...but one where the narrator actively talks down to you and uses lots of big words to seem Very Important while not explaining anything well at all.
Throw in a sex scene where the female character has zero self respect and basically acknowledges her lot is to act as an orifice (and after skimming some other reviews, this is one of SEVERAL such instances) and I was wondering where the heck the cats were and why I started reading this in the first place.
There are some other readers who no doubt will be 'spellbound' by King's craft, but I personally feel he should have spent a bit less time pontificating and a bit MORE time curating an interesting plot.
*Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC! Now available as of 3.6!*
April 4, 2023
What a weird, wild, and I must add, an at times wonderful Dickensian tale conceived by Owen. Would I typically use the words weird or wild for an actual Dickens' book? Probably not, though I've only read a few. I'm guessing Owen King has read many more, but my point is not how this is very like a Dickens' tale, as it is more unlike one the further and deeper the reader ventures in. And I use the word venture purposely, because for the characters this story travels from pleasant to perilous. What's seen in the beginning morphs to the unexpected by the end.
If you decide to read, and I do think many should, then I'll say that I didn't like or understand the book until fully half the way through. I don't know if the writing style changed a tad there also, but the narrative began clicking into place, who and what these characters were doing then made sense, and I liked it from there. I still wonder whether one character fits, or was even needed. He brought a thrill of danger to the plot, but it's almost as if he was added in. Most things are explained directly or through insight, though this character has only a short backstory, so my guess is that he is influenced by his early life, and then from the other place or time (you'll understand what that means inside the book). I had an expectation that Dora, called D., would lead a different path, and I was wrong. I'm good with the direction Owen chose. The unexpected is often best.
It may be obvious now to say, if you like Dickens - orphans, struggles versus determination, revolution - then you may like this. Let me add that Owen King is not his father. His writing is his own, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been influenced by his father's work and it certainly shows up here. Read if you like your real world touched by fantasy, even if strangely invaded with a bit of sci-fi.
If you decide to read, and I do think many should, then I'll say that I didn't like or understand the book until fully half the way through. I don't know if the writing style changed a tad there also, but the narrative began clicking into place, who and what these characters were doing then made sense, and I liked it from there. I still wonder whether one character fits, or was even needed. He brought a thrill of danger to the plot, but it's almost as if he was added in. Most things are explained directly or through insight, though this character has only a short backstory, so my guess is that he is influenced by his early life, and then from the other place or time (you'll understand what that means inside the book). I had an expectation that Dora, called D., would lead a different path, and I was wrong. I'm good with the direction Owen chose. The unexpected is often best.
It may be obvious now to say, if you like Dickens - orphans, struggles versus determination, revolution - then you may like this. Let me add that Owen King is not his father. His writing is his own, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been influenced by his father's work and it certainly shows up here. Read if you like your real world touched by fantasy, even if strangely invaded with a bit of sci-fi.
Read
June 22, 2023This book has one of the lowest average ratings on Goodreads I've ever seen*; it's currently sitting at a 3.01, where anything under 3.5 is considered low, and anything under 3.25 is pretty dire. You see a rating like that and your first instinct is, "Whoa, what's going on here??" And honestly, I understand it. I read this book back in March (it is now late June) and I'm still not sure if I even liked it. It is an extremely weird reading experience with a lot of moving parts that do not really come together at the end. But I didn't hate it. It just isn't . . . sitting right, with me. And thus I have been putting off writing this review.
*Not counting books that have been review-bombed; this book came by its rating naturally.
All of the people this appealed to—people who love cats, people who love historical fantasy/alternate history, and people who love weird shit—just know that these things that are drawing you in are probably not going to do what you want them to do. Ughh, I don't know how to explain this. Because I don't know what I think! Let's try talking about the actual book (and let's see if I remember enough about it to do so).
* Main character named Dora/D (who was fashioned after Dickens's Little Dorrit, not that that affects the plot very much). This is somewhat Dickensian I guess.
* Takes place in a fake city where magic exists. A revolution to overthrow the government has just occurred.
* Dora has a boyfriend in the new government, or was he a soldier? anyway i didn't like him, and they would have weird sex on page that was very dull
* Dora accidentally acquires the position of curator of a museum that never ends up being as interesting as you would want, where everything is mannequins reenacting things? oh, it was the museum of the worker, so nodding to socialism there, but that's pretty much it
*interesting side characters were never brought fully into the narrative to my liking
*there is a ship that is first a museum showcasing a dead body (the specifics of this have been lost to me) but then escaped and now harvests the ghosts of dead people . . . for some purpose?
*cats are worshiped by some people, and those people are mocked by others, but the cats do seem to congregate in weird places
*there is a secret society
* All my favorite characters ended up dying.
*
* Dora's neighbor is a serial killer, and she knows but never does anything about it???
I don't know what the fuck, you guys. The more I'm remembering about this book, the more I'm baffled as to what it was going for. I'm very disappointed this didn't work, it had so much potential. Can't really recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good story, but if you're curious, I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on it, for sure!
*Not counting books that have been review-bombed; this book came by its rating naturally.
All of the people this appealed to—people who love cats, people who love historical fantasy/alternate history, and people who love weird shit—just know that these things that are drawing you in are probably not going to do what you want them to do. Ughh, I don't know how to explain this. Because I don't know what I think! Let's try talking about the actual book (and let's see if I remember enough about it to do so).
* Main character named Dora/D (who was fashioned after Dickens's Little Dorrit, not that that affects the plot very much). This is somewhat Dickensian I guess.
* Takes place in a fake city where magic exists. A revolution to overthrow the government has just occurred.
* Dora has a boyfriend in the new government, or was he a soldier? anyway i didn't like him, and they would have weird sex on page that was very dull
* Dora accidentally acquires the position of curator of a museum that never ends up being as interesting as you would want, where everything is mannequins reenacting things? oh, it was the museum of the worker, so nodding to socialism there, but that's pretty much it
*interesting side characters were never brought fully into the narrative to my liking
*there is a ship that is first a museum showcasing a dead body (the specifics of this have been lost to me) but then escaped and now harvests the ghosts of dead people . . . for some purpose?
*cats are worshiped by some people, and those people are mocked by others, but the cats do seem to congregate in weird places
*there is a secret society
* All my favorite characters ended up dying.
*
* Dora's neighbor is a serial killer, and she knows but never does anything about it???
I don't know what the fuck, you guys. The more I'm remembering about this book, the more I'm baffled as to what it was going for. I'm very disappointed this didn't work, it had so much potential. Can't really recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good story, but if you're curious, I'd like to hear other people's thoughts on it, for sure!
March 10, 2024
Well, this review will be all over the place and the reason why I landed on a mid-range 3-star rating.
The bad in this book is obvious. It gets bogged down, becomes confusing, even irritating. The story gets hard to follow as we jump from character to character, location to location and sometimes different eras. Several characters seem somewhat pointless, others seem to play major roles but fizzle out. The 'revoultion' seems to be well underway but then it's not, but hang on, yes it is.
The good in this book is equally obvious. If you attempt reading you need to last to the end as it is fantastic. The characters are deep, the plot line intricate and most outcomes are surprising. The visuals you can achieve of the town and its inhabitants are clear due to good writing.
So in summary, if you can't be bothered with a labour of reading, then just don't start. If you want a truly great story coming to a fine ending, then go for it. I suggest you will want to give up on several occasions but if you start this book, do yourself a favour and finish it.
The bad in this book is obvious. It gets bogged down, becomes confusing, even irritating. The story gets hard to follow as we jump from character to character, location to location and sometimes different eras. Several characters seem somewhat pointless, others seem to play major roles but fizzle out. The 'revoultion' seems to be well underway but then it's not, but hang on, yes it is.
The good in this book is equally obvious. If you attempt reading you need to last to the end as it is fantastic. The characters are deep, the plot line intricate and most outcomes are surprising. The visuals you can achieve of the town and its inhabitants are clear due to good writing.
So in summary, if you can't be bothered with a labour of reading, then just don't start. If you want a truly great story coming to a fine ending, then go for it. I suggest you will want to give up on several occasions but if you start this book, do yourself a favour and finish it.
October 14, 2022
First, thank you Owen King, Simon & Schuster Canada, Scribner, and Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for a review.
The good: The concept seemed whimsical. I got the impression it's the type of speculative novel I enjoy. There was a bit of lovely whimsy in one page about Simon the Gentle.
The world-building was interesting, and kept my (albeit not rapt) attention for a little while.
The bad: The lack of characterization. We're barely being told (or shown; that would have been better), the feelings or emotions of the characters. This doesn't allow the discerning reader to relate to, and thus care about the characters.
The "romance": "Great" morals to push for the teens who will undoubtedly read this book. Hey teen girls and women - just because he has a fun childlike attitude at times, that doesn't mean you should date him just to not be single, when he's selfish and terrible at sex. Hey teen boys, and also men - despite the fact that porn exists, not every woman wants to be treated like a whore. Also, cosmic, mindblowing multiple orgasms are available to all those who actually take the time to build an emotional relationship with a partner, before getting it on.
[Note: In the case of responses to this review to tell me to, "lighten up", or "get with the times", and the like, no, this is not a situation where one just goes with it, cause everything about life is a joke or something. Morals are a thing. A thing you would benefit from. I will not respond to such comments if they are made.]
I skimmed the book after 11%, and I see that it never gets better.
How unfortunate that so many books these days handle what could be interesting concepts, so poorly.
The good: The concept seemed whimsical. I got the impression it's the type of speculative novel I enjoy. There was a bit of lovely whimsy in one page about Simon the Gentle.
The world-building was interesting, and kept my (albeit not rapt) attention for a little while.
The bad: The lack of characterization. We're barely being told (or shown; that would have been better), the feelings or emotions of the characters. This doesn't allow the discerning reader to relate to, and thus care about the characters.
The "romance": "Great" morals to push for the teens who will undoubtedly read this book. Hey teen girls and women - just because he has a fun childlike attitude at times, that doesn't mean you should date him just to not be single, when he's selfish and terrible at sex. Hey teen boys, and also men - despite the fact that porn exists, not every woman wants to be treated like a whore. Also, cosmic, mindblowing multiple orgasms are available to all those who actually take the time to build an emotional relationship with a partner, before getting it on.
[Note: In the case of responses to this review to tell me to, "lighten up", or "get with the times", and the like, no, this is not a situation where one just goes with it, cause everything about life is a joke or something. Morals are a thing. A thing you would benefit from. I will not respond to such comments if they are made.]
I skimmed the book after 11%, and I see that it never gets better.
How unfortunate that so many books these days handle what could be interesting concepts, so poorly.
September 23, 2022
When a new album comes out you can spend the week with it and know every note and word by Friday night. In that way, some books are like a good album: You can spend a week with it and, after reading every page, know the whole thing so well you could probably retell it to a friend.
Thrillers, Mysteries, and even Horror can be a fun ride for a week but the knowability of these genres can limit the desire to want to go back for another ride sometime soon. Once you know who the killer is, what the twist is, or how the protagonist survives, you feel it’s done and maybe pass the book to a friend or shelve it and never look back.
THE CURATOR is a book that you can’t know by heart one time through. It’s not that it is confusing or difficult. It has been put together in such a precise way that your knowability runs away from you.
As Tom Petty sang, “It’s good to be king and have your own world.” Within these pages Owen King has given us a world where many things are possible and unexpected. All this weakens your knowability and adds to the book’s re-readability. It splits many genres and in King’s own world you’ll find yourself laughing just before the trapdoor opens.
Sure, a one-ride thriller is enjoyable, but sometimes it’s worth finding a ride that makes you want to get back in line to see what parts of the journey you blinked on the first time through. I loved this one from the start and I know I’ll pick it up again soon to dig it even more.
Thrillers, Mysteries, and even Horror can be a fun ride for a week but the knowability of these genres can limit the desire to want to go back for another ride sometime soon. Once you know who the killer is, what the twist is, or how the protagonist survives, you feel it’s done and maybe pass the book to a friend or shelve it and never look back.
THE CURATOR is a book that you can’t know by heart one time through. It’s not that it is confusing or difficult. It has been put together in such a precise way that your knowability runs away from you.
As Tom Petty sang, “It’s good to be king and have your own world.” Within these pages Owen King has given us a world where many things are possible and unexpected. All this weakens your knowability and adds to the book’s re-readability. It splits many genres and in King’s own world you’ll find yourself laughing just before the trapdoor opens.
Sure, a one-ride thriller is enjoyable, but sometimes it’s worth finding a ride that makes you want to get back in line to see what parts of the journey you blinked on the first time through. I loved this one from the start and I know I’ll pick it up again soon to dig it even more.
March 6, 2023
2.5 stars. This was a real disappointment. King's fantasy isn't grounded in any kind of emotional reality. I was never able to connect to, or really care about, the characters. And while there's all kinds of world-building, it never really gelled into a place that felt real. I felt so disconnected that I had a hard time following (or caring about) the plot. This was a real slog.
December 15, 2023
Me: *sitting by a giant fireplace reading The Curator by Owen King*
Henchman: "Everybody's been bashing that book."
Me: *nods*
Me: *finishes reading*
Me: *sighs, closes book, turns to the fireplace and sips Dr. Pepper from a fancy glass*
Me: *pets my giant cat*
Cat: *evil purr*
Me: "I love it."
Henchman: "Of course, sir."
Henchman: "Everybody's been bashing that book."
Me: *nods*
Me: *finishes reading*
Me: *sighs, closes book, turns to the fireplace and sips Dr. Pepper from a fancy glass*
Me: *pets my giant cat*
Cat: *evil purr*
Me: "I love it."
Henchman: "Of course, sir."
April 8, 2023
I really enjoyed this tale it is a long form expansion of the short story The Curator. A fantastically story of the fantasy set in the 19th century the unamed city nicknamed “the fairest city ” The curator is full of whimsy the unexplained a hero in a character named Dora who seeks out answers of where her brother went after he died. Her brother Ambrose adored Dora or (D) as he affectionately called her, he worked at the Museum of Psykical Research when she was six. Dora’s convinced that the answers lie within the Museum of Psykical Research before she can find any answers she finds the building burnt to the ground while the city is in the midst .of a revolutionary uprising. Dora becomes the curator of The Museum of the Worker as soon as Dora digs for answers people around her try to get in her way or stop her from looking for the answers to questions that should stay buried. I found some of the side stories were a little long and some of the language used offensive at times. However I enjoyed the story the 19th century feel the characters were well delivered and very interesting. The world is almost like a Dickens story, I thought the idea of the different museums was ingenious to the plot. The cats I think will please a lot of people and is pivotal to the plot. I ask you have patience because the story is wonderful. It is slow to start but once the pace picks up you won’t want to put it down.
Recommend for fans of fantasy novels and fans of V.E Schwab Novels I would lSimon & Schuster Canada, Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Recommend for fans of fantasy novels and fans of V.E Schwab Novels I would lSimon & Schuster Canada, Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 10, 2023
“When they jumbled you, pieces broke off. You were left with lots of sharp points.”
This sentence accurately describes what I experienced reading this book. So many pieces of a story jumbled together, with pieces of character broken off here and there, only jagged edges left over to ponder. It started with a dip into the background of a city. A lot of descriptions were provided, but nothing that really stuck. Then it rolled into character introductions, jumping from one to the next, no chance for any attachments to form. Back to city stuff, with the addition of politics, and then on to the characters again. There was some back history on them laid out, intermingled with any current stuff happening to them, and lots of location jumping as they moved around the city. There was a bit of magic interwoven into it all, which gives the reader even more bits of complicated matter to sort. Oh, and how could I forget all the cats? Mention of them can be found on almost every page. They did not take from the story (thankfully), but they did not really do much extra for it either.
Does any of that make sense? Nope. Which is why I presented it like I did, to match my reading experience (including all the commas). The story did have potential, with the basics of the plot and the visuals the writing style provided. Those were the items that kept it from being rated one star, but they were not enough to overcome all that was wrong with it. This is not a book I will remember (or want to remember), and I do not recommend it.
Two stars to the worst in my Owen King run.
This sentence accurately describes what I experienced reading this book. So many pieces of a story jumbled together, with pieces of character broken off here and there, only jagged edges left over to ponder. It started with a dip into the background of a city. A lot of descriptions were provided, but nothing that really stuck. Then it rolled into character introductions, jumping from one to the next, no chance for any attachments to form. Back to city stuff, with the addition of politics, and then on to the characters again. There was some back history on them laid out, intermingled with any current stuff happening to them, and lots of location jumping as they moved around the city. There was a bit of magic interwoven into it all, which gives the reader even more bits of complicated matter to sort. Oh, and how could I forget all the cats? Mention of them can be found on almost every page. They did not take from the story (thankfully), but they did not really do much extra for it either.
Does any of that make sense? Nope. Which is why I presented it like I did, to match my reading experience (including all the commas). The story did have potential, with the basics of the plot and the visuals the writing style provided. Those were the items that kept it from being rated one star, but they were not enough to overcome all that was wrong with it. This is not a book I will remember (or want to remember), and I do not recommend it.
Two stars to the worst in my Owen King run.
December 4, 2022
DNF.
Maybe people who like long, man written books that try to be edgy by writing graphic sex stuff, suggesting weird kinks, and trying to be as gruesome as possible, would like this book. It read like cheap parlour tricks. I love gore, and I think that sex - both healthy and toxic and complicated in betweens - highlight character development, emotion, processing, emotional maturity, the nature of a relationship, and plot development. I don’t think that this male author was equipped for writing a woman’s (maybe intentional, but really not realistically) dissociative and disinterested sex with a guy she keeps for financial security.
I did not care about the characters at all. He basically went “here is a new character, three pages about their backstory in an immature and underdeveloped way to build character, and then I won’t return to them for ages because I’m busy dividing my attention into so many different characters, that their development is so stretched thin, it may as well be zero.” I like reading lots of characters, unravelling their history, their personality, their unique role they have in the overall story. I do not like being introduced to a crowd so cardboard-character that I wonder whether the author had any idea who he was writing about at all.
Maybe it gets better. Maybe the monotonous drivel and cheaply described “gore” (kinda cartoonish really) develop to somewhere three dimensional, but I was not invested enough to find out. Honestly, pages and pages could have been cut from the first eighth that I read, and I maybe would have stuck through it more. More is not better.
Maybe people who like long, man written books that try to be edgy by writing graphic sex stuff, suggesting weird kinks, and trying to be as gruesome as possible, would like this book. It read like cheap parlour tricks. I love gore, and I think that sex - both healthy and toxic and complicated in betweens - highlight character development, emotion, processing, emotional maturity, the nature of a relationship, and plot development. I don’t think that this male author was equipped for writing a woman’s (maybe intentional, but really not realistically) dissociative and disinterested sex with a guy she keeps for financial security.
I did not care about the characters at all. He basically went “here is a new character, three pages about their backstory in an immature and underdeveloped way to build character, and then I won’t return to them for ages because I’m busy dividing my attention into so many different characters, that their development is so stretched thin, it may as well be zero.” I like reading lots of characters, unravelling their history, their personality, their unique role they have in the overall story. I do not like being introduced to a crowd so cardboard-character that I wonder whether the author had any idea who he was writing about at all.
Maybe it gets better. Maybe the monotonous drivel and cheaply described “gore” (kinda cartoonish really) develop to somewhere three dimensional, but I was not invested enough to find out. Honestly, pages and pages could have been cut from the first eighth that I read, and I maybe would have stuck through it more. More is not better.
March 17, 2025
Dee/Dora & 17th are the greatest characters in the entire book.
Fake Anthony was a rich character.
I could never quite find a way to like Robert.
Why did this feel more like a thousand-page book?
Why does every instance of comparison description need to provide 3 examples?
After all of these story threads, the final section is so sparse in explanations... :(
2.5-3 Stars
Fake Anthony was a rich character.
I could never quite find a way to like Robert.
Why did this feel more like a thousand-page book?
Why does every instance of comparison description need to provide 3 examples?
After all of these story threads, the final section is so sparse in explanations... :(
2.5-3 Stars
February 3, 2023
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!
I really wound up loving this. It's bizarre, whimsical, and has cat worship! I do feel like this is the kind of fantasy that half of the readers will not enjoy saying it doesn't make sense, and the other half will enjoy immensely as the treat it is.
Dora is the main character in this story, and really, the heart of this tale. There are many other characters throughout the book that different chapters follow, which, admittedly, was a bit confusing at first. But, my feelings on books like this is to simply go with the flow and trust the author and in this case, that definitely worked out!
There is revolution, a secret society and a whole entire community of people interacting throughout this novel. What made me really fall in love with this was how all these tiny pieces started fitting together at the end to make this quite amazing full picture that really is quite beautiful.
Out March 7, 2023!
There are some disturbing scenes and images, suicide, violence, torture.
I really wound up loving this. It's bizarre, whimsical, and has cat worship! I do feel like this is the kind of fantasy that half of the readers will not enjoy saying it doesn't make sense, and the other half will enjoy immensely as the treat it is.
Dora is the main character in this story, and really, the heart of this tale. There are many other characters throughout the book that different chapters follow, which, admittedly, was a bit confusing at first. But, my feelings on books like this is to simply go with the flow and trust the author and in this case, that definitely worked out!
There is revolution, a secret society and a whole entire community of people interacting throughout this novel. What made me really fall in love with this was how all these tiny pieces started fitting together at the end to make this quite amazing full picture that really is quite beautiful.
Out March 7, 2023!
There are some disturbing scenes and images, suicide, violence, torture.
April 21, 2023
What. The. Heck. Did. I. Read?
I kept hoping I'd understand what was happening in this long story about multiverses, revolution, murder, and lots of cats. Dora, a young woman in service, grieving her brother, tries to get into The Museum of Psykical Research to find out where her now dead brother is. She ends up instead becoming the curator of The National Museum of the Worker, thanks to her wealthy, callow boyfriend. Fairest, the city around her, is falling apart because of a revolution and a failing provisional government. Owen King populates this story with dozens of characters, some of whom were involved in the revolution and are now dead, others who question the current regime, or really anything, and end up tortured to death, and others on the morgue ship that floats about, appearing on the waterways and in paintings.
The book is positively stuffed, and I kept plowing along, in the hope that I would care and understand the point of all of it.
Nope.
I kept hoping I'd understand what was happening in this long story about multiverses, revolution, murder, and lots of cats. Dora, a young woman in service, grieving her brother, tries to get into The Museum of Psykical Research to find out where her now dead brother is. She ends up instead becoming the curator of The National Museum of the Worker, thanks to her wealthy, callow boyfriend. Fairest, the city around her, is falling apart because of a revolution and a failing provisional government. Owen King populates this story with dozens of characters, some of whom were involved in the revolution and are now dead, others who question the current regime, or really anything, and end up tortured to death, and others on the morgue ship that floats about, appearing on the waterways and in paintings.
The book is positively stuffed, and I kept plowing along, in the hope that I would care and understand the point of all of it.
Nope.
Read
January 2, 2025Shelved as 'unable-to-finish'
Disclaimer: Received this as an advance reader copy via Netgalley and Scribner (Thank you!!!)
Not my cup of tea. Try as I might and as much as I wanted to like this latest novel by Owen, son of Stephen, I just could not get into this book. I felt no connection to the characters and the overall storytelling felt disjointed.
Disclaimer: Received this as an advance reader copy via Netgalley and Scribner (Thank you!!!)
Not my cup of tea. Try as I might and as much as I wanted to like this latest novel by Owen, son of Stephen, I just could not get into this book. I felt no connection to the characters and the overall storytelling felt disjointed.
June 5, 2023
This is probably my least favorite book I have ever finished reading. I held on to the bitter end, in hopes. It was disjointed and literally made me feel like an idiot for not being able to follow the storyline.
March 6, 2023
Thank you Owen King, Scribner, and Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I normally wouldn't request something just based on the description alone, but a magical Dickensian tale with cats felt like the type of fantasy world I could get lost in for a bit: “A Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm where cats are revered as religious figures, thieves are noble, scholars are revolutionaries, and conjurers are the most wonderful criminals you can imagine.” However, this story was not for me.
Early on I thought the world building was going to be good, and I can see the Dickensian influence in the descriptions of characters and long paragraphs detailing some gritty aspect of the city. After a while this got old, and I almost didn't finish this book a few times; by halfway through I realized that most of these longwinded descriptions didn't move the story forward, or tell us anything about the inner lives of characters. The world building in itself was good, but because it was not balanced at all, it became exhausting.
The way female characters are portrayed in this book is fairly awful and frankly insulting. I kept thinking perhaps that would get better as well; we see the potential for a strong female character who's clearly more clever by far than most of those around her, but her character arc has her continuing to stay with and fall in love with a ridiculous lover, who's bad in bed, a hypocrite to his own revolution, selfish and doltish. Some of the secondary characters seemed to be there for shock appeal as well, and some of the darker and more brutal scenes didn't seem necessary to move the story forward.
I may not be the target audience here. I would not be surprised if this resonates more with male readers, and perhaps horror or thriller readers will connect more with the latter half. That said, I struggle to recommend this to anyone because the characterization bothered me so much.
Early on I thought the world building was going to be good, and I can see the Dickensian influence in the descriptions of characters and long paragraphs detailing some gritty aspect of the city. After a while this got old, and I almost didn't finish this book a few times; by halfway through I realized that most of these longwinded descriptions didn't move the story forward, or tell us anything about the inner lives of characters. The world building in itself was good, but because it was not balanced at all, it became exhausting.
The way female characters are portrayed in this book is fairly awful and frankly insulting. I kept thinking perhaps that would get better as well; we see the potential for a strong female character who's clearly more clever by far than most of those around her, but her character arc has her continuing to stay with and fall in love with a ridiculous lover, who's bad in bed, a hypocrite to his own revolution, selfish and doltish. Some of the secondary characters seemed to be there for shock appeal as well, and some of the darker and more brutal scenes didn't seem necessary to move the story forward.
I may not be the target audience here. I would not be surprised if this resonates more with male readers, and perhaps horror or thriller readers will connect more with the latter half. That said, I struggle to recommend this to anyone because the characterization bothered me so much.
March 11, 2023
"Ok, but where is this going?" I asked myself throughout my entire reading.. and in vain. Sadly, this book was a total bust for me.
The Curator follows a vast and quirky cast of nobles, street folk, and soldiers, all linked together by the very fine strings Owen King has subtly spun. This is the kind of story that requires your utmost attention at all times, or you may miss these intricacies, which will essentially make your hours spent reading this for naught.
While I can admire that kind of attention to detail in one's writing, to read it is something else entirely. Only after did I find out this is a long-winded version of a short story, also written by King. Really wish I'd known, because that sounds much more enticing.
Every time I thought this slow-moving steam engine was finally hitting its next gear, the POV would change and lose all momentum.
What a disappointment to not have enjoyed this one like I'd hoped.
Big thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Curator follows a vast and quirky cast of nobles, street folk, and soldiers, all linked together by the very fine strings Owen King has subtly spun. This is the kind of story that requires your utmost attention at all times, or you may miss these intricacies, which will essentially make your hours spent reading this for naught.
While I can admire that kind of attention to detail in one's writing, to read it is something else entirely. Only after did I find out this is a long-winded version of a short story, also written by King. Really wish I'd known, because that sounds much more enticing.
Every time I thought this slow-moving steam engine was finally hitting its next gear, the POV would change and lose all momentum.
What a disappointment to not have enjoyed this one like I'd hoped.
Big thanks to Simon & Schuster for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 22, 2023
“The Curator” by Owen King (yes, son of Stephen King) is an historical fantasy about a woman searching for the truth of her brother’s death during a time of political upheaval. I interpreted it to take place on an alternate version of earth to our own, sometime in the past. Dora is a maid and she is looking into the death of her brother years prior. A revolution has overturned the social order in this city, and while most of the elitist have fled, the newly liberated working class is attempting to restore order. In this infantile new order it seems anyone can do anything simply because they want to. Dora decides to become the curator of the dilapidated National Museum of the Worker, largely because it is next to the burned down remains of the Society for Psykical Research building. This is where her brother secretly was involved in research and hinted to her about the existence of other worlds. The storyline flashes back and forth leading up to the Revolution, and presently after it. The lives of residents are connected through objects—a scarf, a pamphlet, a tooth—that get passed around. It is largely a commentary on society and social classes and human nature, told through a mode of odd fantasy. Especially the second half which gets a little hectic and dives into occultism and dreams, supernatural elements, and parallel universes.
It sounds pretty good! And for some people I think it will be. It’s a solid 3 stars for me, no more and no less. It’s very abstract and odd, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I like my fantasy in your face. Maybe it was too intelligent for me? Too above me? I will admit that that is possible and I feel sure that some things went over my head. King does have some excellent metaphorical writing here. I love the way he shows and describes, he does not simply tell, and does so in some truly unique ways. It’s a strange book, at times for me was a little boring, but I was glad I stuck with it because it really comes together in the second half. My favorite part, without any doubt, are the religious folks who revere cats. I adored all of the lore and worship around cats! And where they allegedly come from, which you will have to read. May a cat smile upon you!
It sounds pretty good! And for some people I think it will be. It’s a solid 3 stars for me, no more and no less. It’s very abstract and odd, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I like my fantasy in your face. Maybe it was too intelligent for me? Too above me? I will admit that that is possible and I feel sure that some things went over my head. King does have some excellent metaphorical writing here. I love the way he shows and describes, he does not simply tell, and does so in some truly unique ways. It’s a strange book, at times for me was a little boring, but I was glad I stuck with it because it really comes together in the second half. My favorite part, without any doubt, are the religious folks who revere cats. I adored all of the lore and worship around cats! And where they allegedly come from, which you will have to read. May a cat smile upon you!
May 12, 2023
I did not finish this title.
In short, it was cumbersome and the characters were not developed enough to be likeable (halfway in to the book). Characters were dumped in, given a lengthy back story, and then disappeared in favor of someone else.
The concept, the premise attracted me. Odd mix of fantasy and government coup, in what felt vaguely Victorian. It should've worked. And for some readers, it certainly will.
The "romance" bothered me greatly. Clearly, sex was a means to an end. Dora was uninterested and uninvolved--just "lay there and took it" in a way that is demeaning for even an underdeveloped female character. Every sexual encounter felt like amateur porn.
I know this will be a 5-star read for someone, but it's definltely not for me.
In short, it was cumbersome and the characters were not developed enough to be likeable (halfway in to the book). Characters were dumped in, given a lengthy back story, and then disappeared in favor of someone else.
The concept, the premise attracted me. Odd mix of fantasy and government coup, in what felt vaguely Victorian. It should've worked. And for some readers, it certainly will.
The "romance" bothered me greatly. Clearly, sex was a means to an end. Dora was uninterested and uninvolved--just "lay there and took it" in a way that is demeaning for even an underdeveloped female character. Every sexual encounter felt like amateur porn.
I know this will be a 5-star read for someone, but it's definltely not for me.
October 7, 2022
This is a long form expansion of the short story "The Curator" by Owen King. A fantastical story of illusion featuring cats worshipped and revered! Set in an unnamed city, we meet Dora, a retired domestic servant who is searching for sign of her brother following his death. She is quick witted and attempts to take over curating a museum where he once worked. Thwarted, she continues to pull at clues, slowly unraveling a conspiracy as well as the end of the world.
If you are a fantasy fan or a cat fan, or both. If you are an Owen King fan, or fan of the Kings plural, if you are looking for your next great trip into an amazing and creative imagination, The Curator is for you!
If you are a fantasy fan or a cat fan, or both. If you are an Owen King fan, or fan of the Kings plural, if you are looking for your next great trip into an amazing and creative imagination, The Curator is for you!
dnf
June 24, 2023DNF at page 56. I really wanted to like this but the story was bland, the writing pretentious and the plot severely lacking. Despite having an interesting premise on face value, there just wasn’t any follow through. I may pick it up again later but honestly, this book felt like a lot of work to even get to page 56 so who knows…
Read
March 7, 2023lol this was over my head. thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy
August 10, 2023
This is maybe my favorite book I've read this year. It's such a well-developed, Victorian fantasy-adjacent world that kept drawing me in, even when the subject matter got a little darker than I normally enjoy. Every image in this book is so interesting and compelling and honestly things wrap up way less miserably than I had prepared myself to expect. Little list of pros and cons I drew up while reading:
PRO:
Many cats
CON:
Lots of allusions to torture
PRO:
All the cats have a meeting
CON:
Lots of death
PRO:
Gay comrade couple <3
CON:
Gay comrade couple dies < / 3
PRO:
Gay comrade couple RISES FROM THE DEAD
CON:
I spent a big chunk of the ending very very worried my favorite characters were both dead or dying
PRO:
Most of the people I cared about actually do live, in a much kinder turn than I was really expecting from someone who wrote in one explicit cat death and several implied cat deaths
CON:
Oh yeah, a cat dies. BUT
PRO:
Most of the cats live AND get to exact a really well-executed vengeance plan
PRO:
The glories of unionized labor and collective action
PRO:
Ghost ship
PRO:
Many cats
CON:
Lots of allusions to torture
PRO:
All the cats have a meeting
CON:
Lots of death
PRO:
Gay comrade couple <3
CON:
Gay comrade couple dies < / 3
PRO:
Gay comrade couple RISES FROM THE DEAD
CON:
I spent a big chunk of the ending very very worried my favorite characters were both dead or dying
PRO:
Most of the people I cared about actually do live, in a much kinder turn than I was really expecting from someone who wrote in one explicit cat death and several implied cat deaths
CON:
Oh yeah, a cat dies. BUT
PRO:
Most of the cats live AND get to exact a really well-executed vengeance plan
PRO:
The glories of unionized labor and collective action
PRO:
Ghost ship
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2024
I received this as a part of a Goodreads giveaway and included it in my TBR for my annual declutter I do in June before moving. (highly recommend a month where you just read all the stuff you’ve been putting off btw)
At best, this was heavy handed and overdone. At worst, it was pretentious. All three of those things are fine, except it was boring, so I just didn’t care. Couldn’t tell ya what was going on because there were several timelines that weren’t ever indicated before you started reading the chapter and probably 40 named cast members, of whom I liked none. And then I had to read over 450 pages of that? Pass.
Had I not received this as an ARC to give a review of, I would’ve DNFed after 100 pages. Save yourself the time, just don’t pick it up.
At best, this was heavy handed and overdone. At worst, it was pretentious. All three of those things are fine, except it was boring, so I just didn’t care. Couldn’t tell ya what was going on because there were several timelines that weren’t ever indicated before you started reading the chapter and probably 40 named cast members, of whom I liked none. And then I had to read over 450 pages of that? Pass.
Had I not received this as an ARC to give a review of, I would’ve DNFed after 100 pages. Save yourself the time, just don’t pick it up.
January 18, 2023
I so wanted to love this book, but I didn't. Its elements promise a good read—thieves, scholars, rebels, cat worship!
Unfortunately, my experience reading the book was similar to my experience when I read J.K. Rowling's The Ickabod: the narrative voice, determined to signal "story" kept me at a remove from the action and character. It doesn't open with "once upon a time," but it might as well have. I felt as if I was being treated like an eight-year-old.
Unfortunately, my experience reading the book was similar to my experience when I read J.K. Rowling's The Ickabod: the narrative voice, determined to signal "story" kept me at a remove from the action and character. It doesn't open with "once upon a time," but it might as well have. I felt as if I was being treated like an eight-year-old.
Read
September 16, 2022I got halfway through, and honestly I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t think I care at this point. Curiosity drove me this far, but be rewarded with only further curious things isn’t making me care enough to keep going.
I might come back to it, if only to see if by some chance an amazing ending made it worthwhile, but I need a break from it for now.
I might come back to it, if only to see if by some chance an amazing ending made it worthwhile, but I need a break from it for now.
September 1, 2024
Abandono al 12%. Que cosa más mala...
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