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Spoonbenders
The year is 1995.
Meet the Telemachuses: an apparently ordinary family with strikingly obvious issues. Their individual personalities are eccentric, their intergenerational relationships are strained, their collective failures are well documented, and their finances are, well, let's not even go there.
The city is Chicago.
For Grandson Matty Telemachus, this is just the way things have always been. The only person who has ever tried to convince him otherwise is his hapless Uncle Frankie, who rushes to retrieve 'that video tape' every time he consumes too much red wine at Thanksgiving.
The family is dysfunctional.
This cassette is proof that the family - Grandad Teddy, Grandma Maureen, Aunt Irene, Uncle Frankie and Uncle Buddy - were once known as The Amazing Telemachus Family, and toured the country with a magic and mind-reading act. That was, until on fateful night in 1974...
So is the magic.
Spoonbenders is the legacy and legend of an extraordinary, normal, entirely unique family across three generations of big personalities and socially inept recluses - each cursed with the potential of being something special.
Meet the Telemachuses: an apparently ordinary family with strikingly obvious issues. Their individual personalities are eccentric, their intergenerational relationships are strained, their collective failures are well documented, and their finances are, well, let's not even go there.
The city is Chicago.
For Grandson Matty Telemachus, this is just the way things have always been. The only person who has ever tried to convince him otherwise is his hapless Uncle Frankie, who rushes to retrieve 'that video tape' every time he consumes too much red wine at Thanksgiving.
The family is dysfunctional.
This cassette is proof that the family - Grandad Teddy, Grandma Maureen, Aunt Irene, Uncle Frankie and Uncle Buddy - were once known as The Amazing Telemachus Family, and toured the country with a magic and mind-reading act. That was, until on fateful night in 1974...
So is the magic.
Spoonbenders is the legacy and legend of an extraordinary, normal, entirely unique family across three generations of big personalities and socially inept recluses - each cursed with the potential of being something special.
Audiobook
First published June 27, 2017
About the author
Daryl Gregory
168 books1,329 followersAward-winning author of Revelator, The Album of Dr. Moreau, Spoonbenders, We Are All Completely Fine, and others. Some of his short fiction has been collected in Unpossible and Other Stories.
He's won the World Fantasy Award, as well as the Shirley Jackson, Crawford, Asimov Readers, and Geffen awards, and his work has been short-listed for many other awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Sturgeon awards . His books have been translated in over a dozen languages, and have been named to best-of-the-year lists from NPR Books, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Library Journal.
He is also the writer of Flatline an interactive fiction game from 3 Minute Games, and comics such as Planet of the Apes.
He's a frequent teacher of writing and is a regular instructor at the Viable Paradise Writing Workshop.
He's won the World Fantasy Award, as well as the Shirley Jackson, Crawford, Asimov Readers, and Geffen awards, and his work has been short-listed for many other awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Sturgeon awards . His books have been translated in over a dozen languages, and have been named to best-of-the-year lists from NPR Books, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Library Journal.
He is also the writer of Flatline an interactive fiction game from 3 Minute Games, and comics such as Planet of the Apes.
He's a frequent teacher of writing and is a regular instructor at the Viable Paradise Writing Workshop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,159 reviews
October 5, 2017
Imagine you live with a baker. You are treated weekly to such home-baked deliciousness as double-chocolate peppermint cookies, lemon squares, blueberry puree oat bars, lemon ricotta cookies and almond toffee bars. Now imagine you wander into the kitchen and the baker hands you a chocolate-chip cookie, fresh from the package.
mmm, preservatives.
Such was my experience reading Spoonbenders, by Daryl Gregory. I really enjoy Gregory's work--three of his books are five-star reads for me--but this missed the edgy, flavor-filled writing that I've come to expect from him.
Narration is shared between the blood members of the Telemachus family: founding member Teddy; his daughter, Irene; her son, Matty; and Teddy's other two sons, Frankie and Buddy. Additionally, it ranges back and forth through time, from a disastrous television appearance when Irene, Frankie and Buddy were children, to the 'now,' when Matty experiences his gift for the first time. Given the narrative and time shifts, it is impressive at how well it flows together. Plotting is deft, slowly weaving the 1995 now for each character with a seminal event or two from their backstories, and then wonderfully bringing them all together in a very dramatic climax. It was fairly obvious that there was method to Buddy's madness, but part of the fun is seeing how it all dovetails together.
The characters stand out well, and within the confines of the pieces of life we see, they do feel dimensional. However, with the exception of Teddy, they never feel quite like real people to me. Perhaps it is because the viewpoint shifting limits depth, or perhaps the problem is that each description, interaction or event seemed to reinforce the primary characteristics of the character. Grandpa the con-man. Frankie as oldest son trying desperately to win approval by being like his dad. Irene, the over-worked, love-lost daughter caretaking for everyone but herself. The idolized but dead Grandma. Buddy, the non-verbal, far-out youngest son. Matty the grandson trying to figure out his place.
"(Grandpa Teddy always played for money, and never gave it back after a game. 'You can't sharpen your knife on a sponge,' he'd say."
"Uncle Frankie had shown Matty the tape at Thanksgiving four years ago. Frankie had been drinking a lot of red wine, hitting it hard as soon as his wife, Loretta, unwrapped the shrimp cocktail appetizers, and his sentences had turned emphatic and urgent."
"Buddy remained unperturbed. He'd been in one of his trances since finishing his pie, staring into space, occasionally smiling to himself or silently mouthing a word or two. His muteness was a mystery to Matty, and the adults wouldn't talk about it, a double silence that was impenetrable."
I'm a big fan of Daryl Gregory, but for me, this veered too far into the land of literary fiction, focusing on internal character issues instead of larger wierdness. I like his tinges of horror with the urban fantastical in We Are All Completely Fine, the sheer uniqueness of Afterparty, or the even well-done early adolescent viewpoint with a side of creepy in Harrison Squared. This feels a little too chocolate-chip mainstream for what I've come to expect from Gregory. Other people loved it, so I hope that it brings Gregory some well-deserved attention.
If you enjoyed this, I recommend Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files, which contains similar daffiness, or Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic, if you like a little romance with your magical realism.
Three and a half chocolate chip cookies, because I know Gregory is capable of Monster cookies.
mmm, preservatives.
Such was my experience reading Spoonbenders, by Daryl Gregory. I really enjoy Gregory's work--three of his books are five-star reads for me--but this missed the edgy, flavor-filled writing that I've come to expect from him.
Narration is shared between the blood members of the Telemachus family: founding member Teddy; his daughter, Irene; her son, Matty; and Teddy's other two sons, Frankie and Buddy. Additionally, it ranges back and forth through time, from a disastrous television appearance when Irene, Frankie and Buddy were children, to the 'now,' when Matty experiences his gift for the first time. Given the narrative and time shifts, it is impressive at how well it flows together. Plotting is deft, slowly weaving the 1995 now for each character with a seminal event or two from their backstories, and then wonderfully bringing them all together in a very dramatic climax. It was fairly obvious that there was method to Buddy's madness, but part of the fun is seeing how it all dovetails together.
The characters stand out well, and within the confines of the pieces of life we see, they do feel dimensional. However, with the exception of Teddy, they never feel quite like real people to me. Perhaps it is because the viewpoint shifting limits depth, or perhaps the problem is that each description, interaction or event seemed to reinforce the primary characteristics of the character. Grandpa the con-man. Frankie as oldest son trying desperately to win approval by being like his dad. Irene, the over-worked, love-lost daughter caretaking for everyone but herself. The idolized but dead Grandma. Buddy, the non-verbal, far-out youngest son. Matty the grandson trying to figure out his place.
"(Grandpa Teddy always played for money, and never gave it back after a game. 'You can't sharpen your knife on a sponge,' he'd say."
"Uncle Frankie had shown Matty the tape at Thanksgiving four years ago. Frankie had been drinking a lot of red wine, hitting it hard as soon as his wife, Loretta, unwrapped the shrimp cocktail appetizers, and his sentences had turned emphatic and urgent."
"Buddy remained unperturbed. He'd been in one of his trances since finishing his pie, staring into space, occasionally smiling to himself or silently mouthing a word or two. His muteness was a mystery to Matty, and the adults wouldn't talk about it, a double silence that was impenetrable."
I'm a big fan of Daryl Gregory, but for me, this veered too far into the land of literary fiction, focusing on internal character issues instead of larger wierdness. I like his tinges of horror with the urban fantastical in We Are All Completely Fine, the sheer uniqueness of Afterparty, or the even well-done early adolescent viewpoint with a side of creepy in Harrison Squared. This feels a little too chocolate-chip mainstream for what I've come to expect from Gregory. Other people loved it, so I hope that it brings Gregory some well-deserved attention.
If you enjoyed this, I recommend Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files, which contains similar daffiness, or Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic, if you like a little romance with your magical realism.
Three and a half chocolate chip cookies, because I know Gregory is capable of Monster cookies.
September 19, 2019
Spoonbenders is a mindbender! Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
The Telemachus family is an off-the-wall family where at least some of the family members have actual psychic powers. This gets them into more trouble than you can believe, and this story of their lives and the crisis points that buffet them is both hilarious and touching. Spoonbenders is set mostly in 1995, but there are multiple flashbacks as well as points of view, and several twists and surprises along the way. So it’s a novel that requires some attention while reading ― but it’s well worth it!
The patriarch of the Telemachus clan is Teddy, a charmer, card shark and supremely skilled con man. In 1962 he meets Maureen McKinnon while they’re both participating in a governmental study of psychic powers. Teddy’s expert con skills have all of his testers fooled, but he can’t figure out how Maureen is pulling off her tricks … or are they tricks?
Teddy and Maureen end up marrying, and they have three children who are all gifted with different psychic powers: Irene always can tell if someone is lying to her. Frankie can move objects with his mind … sometimes. His powers are highly erratic. Buddy can see the future, which is a far heavier burden to him than anyone realizes. For a period of time the family makes a living doing psychic shows, billed as the “Amazing Telemachus Family,” but that comes to a screeching halt one day.
Thirty-some years later, Maureen is gone and the Telemachus family is a mess. Teddy, an incurable flirt, begins an ill-advised romance with the estranged wife of a mobster. Irene’s power of discerning lies is fantastic for keeping her 14-year-old son Matty in line, but not so great for maintaining a romantic relationship. Add to these things Frankie’s massive debt to the mob, Matty’s unexpected development of psychic powers (unfortunately, they’re only triggered by masturbation or getting high), and Buddy’s difficulties coping with living simultaneously in the present and future. The Telemachus family members find themselves careening from one adventure (or crisis) to the next. Buddy knows it’s all coming to a head very soon, but he’s unable to effectively communicate his concerns to anyone.
Daryl Gregory weaves an intricate web of characters and events that initially seems chaotic and convoluted, particularly as the viewpoint jumps back and forth in time and between the points of view of multiple different family members. Each member of the Telemachus family is a distinct and eccentric personality, with exasperating, human flaws that are as unique to each character as his or her particular psychic gift. They all seem to be going different directions, at odds with each other and largely failing to cope with the challenges of life. As a result, the first part of the book occasionally made for frustrating reading, but the humor, the insights into these quirky characters, and the bizarreness of their lives all kept me engaged.
Then, as the climactic scenes unfold, the puzzle pieces begin to fit together in a truly awe-inspiring way. Gregory’s ability to pull together so many random-seeming threads was an impressive literary and intellectual achievement. It was almost like one of Teddy Telemachus’ long cons, with unexpected twists and a near-magical payoff at the end. It’s the type of book that I know I’ll want to reread at some point, to appreciate the nuances and the creativity of Spoonbenders. Like its characters, this book is unique, occasionally frustrating, and ultimately heartwarming and extraordinary.
Original post: I'm dying here because I really want to read this book, and my Fantasy Literature review site is giving away five (!) copies to random commenters on this thread: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/auth... There's also a great author interview on this page. I'm not eligible for a freebie since I'm a reviewer with the site. ): ): So go win a copy! and think of me when you do. ETA: The giveaway is over, but one of my co-reviewers at FanLit saw me mourning the fact that I couldn't get one of the free copies and has mailed me a copy she had of it! See? Whining works!! :D
Content advisory: Lots of F-bombs as well as some sexual content. Matty's psychic power only manifests when he's either high on pot or masturbating; it's played mostly for comic effect.
The Telemachus family is an off-the-wall family where at least some of the family members have actual psychic powers. This gets them into more trouble than you can believe, and this story of their lives and the crisis points that buffet them is both hilarious and touching. Spoonbenders is set mostly in 1995, but there are multiple flashbacks as well as points of view, and several twists and surprises along the way. So it’s a novel that requires some attention while reading ― but it’s well worth it!
The patriarch of the Telemachus clan is Teddy, a charmer, card shark and supremely skilled con man. In 1962 he meets Maureen McKinnon while they’re both participating in a governmental study of psychic powers. Teddy’s expert con skills have all of his testers fooled, but he can’t figure out how Maureen is pulling off her tricks … or are they tricks?
Teddy and Maureen end up marrying, and they have three children who are all gifted with different psychic powers: Irene always can tell if someone is lying to her. Frankie can move objects with his mind … sometimes. His powers are highly erratic. Buddy can see the future, which is a far heavier burden to him than anyone realizes. For a period of time the family makes a living doing psychic shows, billed as the “Amazing Telemachus Family,” but that comes to a screeching halt one day.
Thirty-some years later, Maureen is gone and the Telemachus family is a mess. Teddy, an incurable flirt, begins an ill-advised romance with the estranged wife of a mobster. Irene’s power of discerning lies is fantastic for keeping her 14-year-old son Matty in line, but not so great for maintaining a romantic relationship. Add to these things Frankie’s massive debt to the mob, Matty’s unexpected development of psychic powers (unfortunately, they’re only triggered by masturbation or getting high), and Buddy’s difficulties coping with living simultaneously in the present and future. The Telemachus family members find themselves careening from one adventure (or crisis) to the next. Buddy knows it’s all coming to a head very soon, but he’s unable to effectively communicate his concerns to anyone.
Daryl Gregory weaves an intricate web of characters and events that initially seems chaotic and convoluted, particularly as the viewpoint jumps back and forth in time and between the points of view of multiple different family members. Each member of the Telemachus family is a distinct and eccentric personality, with exasperating, human flaws that are as unique to each character as his or her particular psychic gift. They all seem to be going different directions, at odds with each other and largely failing to cope with the challenges of life. As a result, the first part of the book occasionally made for frustrating reading, but the humor, the insights into these quirky characters, and the bizarreness of their lives all kept me engaged.
Then, as the climactic scenes unfold, the puzzle pieces begin to fit together in a truly awe-inspiring way. Gregory’s ability to pull together so many random-seeming threads was an impressive literary and intellectual achievement. It was almost like one of Teddy Telemachus’ long cons, with unexpected twists and a near-magical payoff at the end. It’s the type of book that I know I’ll want to reread at some point, to appreciate the nuances and the creativity of Spoonbenders. Like its characters, this book is unique, occasionally frustrating, and ultimately heartwarming and extraordinary.
Original post: I'm dying here because I really want to read this book, and my Fantasy Literature review site is giving away five (!) copies to random commenters on this thread: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/auth... There's also a great author interview on this page. I'm not eligible for a freebie since I'm a reviewer with the site. ): ): So go win a copy! and think of me when you do. ETA: The giveaway is over, but one of my co-reviewers at FanLit saw me mourning the fact that I couldn't get one of the free copies and has mailed me a copy she had of it! See? Whining works!! :D
Content advisory: Lots of F-bombs as well as some sexual content. Matty's psychic power only manifests when he's either high on pot or masturbating; it's played mostly for comic effect.
November 9, 2019
This... is one of the most fun, out of the box books I read this year. Fabulous!
The story of the gifted Telemachus family (or are they con men?) .... wow! Never read anything like it. The Telemachus family, headed by Teddy Telemachus is a family with special gifts. Above all, Maureen, Teddy's wife, is the real genuine psychic of immense and mysterious power. Teddy, well, he seems to be a charming con man with a gift for sleight of hand. Their three kids grow up troubled, gifted as well... Irene is a human lie detector, Frankie can move objects with his mind. And Buddy, the youngest, can see the future. When their mother Maureen dies, the family's gifts seem to fade into the background, or are they.... A weird and really out of the box story. Fun and sad, and where is it going? A really, really great read, definitely, one of those books that is so different from others.... just the best!
Big five stars, highly recommended! One of the highlights of 2017 for me.
Here's the quote of the book: You'd think that whatever causes these things to happen doesn't want them to be proved... Uri Geller
The story of the gifted Telemachus family (or are they con men?) .... wow! Never read anything like it. The Telemachus family, headed by Teddy Telemachus is a family with special gifts. Above all, Maureen, Teddy's wife, is the real genuine psychic of immense and mysterious power. Teddy, well, he seems to be a charming con man with a gift for sleight of hand. Their three kids grow up troubled, gifted as well... Irene is a human lie detector, Frankie can move objects with his mind. And Buddy, the youngest, can see the future. When their mother Maureen dies, the family's gifts seem to fade into the background, or are they.... A weird and really out of the box story. Fun and sad, and where is it going? A really, really great read, definitely, one of those books that is so different from others.... just the best!
Big five stars, highly recommended! One of the highlights of 2017 for me.
Here's the quote of the book: You'd think that whatever causes these things to happen doesn't want them to be proved... Uri Geller
August 9, 2017
Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory is a 2017 Knopf publication.
This book was a real treat for me! It’s eccentric, hilarious, a madcap family saga, and a thoroughly entertaining fantasy.
I am showing my age here, but I do remember stage shows during the 1970’s where people performed variations of telekinesis, such as bending spoons with their minds. I had forgotten all about these stage/magic shows until I saw the title of this book and I knew I had to read it.
This story is centered around ‘The Amazing Telemachus family’, featuring Teddy Telemachus, the family patriarch, who is, in truth, a con artist. But, his wife, Maureen, is the real deal. She really is psychic and their children have inherited her paranormal abilities. Irene can tell if someone is lying or telling the truth, Frankie can move objects with his mind, and Buddy can see the future.
The family stage act was amazing indeed, until they were outed as frauds on the ‘Mike Douglas Show’.
From there the family tragically spiraled into relative obscurity.
The book is set in 1995, where we find that Maureen has passed on at a tragically young age, Teddy is still running his tried and true scams, Irene is a divorced single mother who has moved back into her family home with her son, Matty, and Frankie is married with three daughters. But, Buddy, seems to have lost his sanity, constantly beginning a project, but never finishing it, and is pretty much mute. No one seems to know quite what he’s up to.
Employing the use of flashbacks, we learn how Teddy and Maureen met, and how the government became aware of her unique gifts, why she decided to work with them, the profound affect her life and death had on her children, and how their unusual abilities shaped them into the adults they became.
Matty becomes a central character in the story as he is seemingly the one grandchild who has inherited his family’s paranormal gifts. He is the one who needs to discover his family history, especially that of his grandmother, and must be protected from government employees who would like to use his abilities to their advantage.
In one way, this is Matty’s coming of age story, but it is mostly a family saga, which spans over three generations.
I loved the nostalgia this story brought back. The seventies, The Mike Douglas Show, the hardcore fascination with psychic phenomenon and ESP and so on, but the nineties! OMG! AOL disc, online chat rooms, Gateway computers and VHS tapes- no- I can’t say I miss any of those things, but it was fun to have a book set in this decade.
“Nothing killed nostalgia for your childhood home like moving back into it”
This family is not exactly role model material. They have trouble with the mob, run cons, and curse up a blue streak sometimes, and many other quirky flaws and general strangeness.
‘Once a man had committed emotionally to the con, it was near impossible to claw his way back to objectivity.”
At the heart of the story is the emerging connection between Maureen, who, although she’s been gone for many years, still communicates with Teddy, via letters that arrive in blue envelopes, and her grandson, Matty.
The author did an amazing job of building a charming and fantastical story around connecting time frames and family generations.
I rarely say anything about content, mainly because we are dealing with art and context, but I couldn’t help but think how much broader the reach such a book might have if not for the language used. It wasn’t necessary, in my opinion, and took away from the story’s charisma.
There were a few other questionable scenes, but with just a small tweak here or there, this book really could have a mass appeal, for young or old alike.
Besides this one complaint, I thought the characters are very well constructed, believable, and although quite dysfunctional, I liked them, warts and all.
There are a few poignant moments, a little romance, and some hilarious antics and dialogue, a little mystery and suspense, plenty of action and adventure, and lots and lots of intrigue, mingling with the paranormal whimsy I found myself completely wrapped up in.
“The thing about skeletons was, you never knew how much space they were taking up in the closet until you got rid of them.”
The plot may appear to ramble down various dead -end paths, making one wonder where all this is leading, but amazingly, the threads all converge into one huge grand finale that really did feel like pure magic.
Overall, this is an offbeat, but utterly charming and delightful tale. Even if you don’t normally indulge in the paranormal or fantasy genres, I think the deeper implications will resonate, and before long you just might find yourself as enchanted by it as I was.
4 stars
This book was a real treat for me! It’s eccentric, hilarious, a madcap family saga, and a thoroughly entertaining fantasy.
I am showing my age here, but I do remember stage shows during the 1970’s where people performed variations of telekinesis, such as bending spoons with their minds. I had forgotten all about these stage/magic shows until I saw the title of this book and I knew I had to read it.
This story is centered around ‘The Amazing Telemachus family’, featuring Teddy Telemachus, the family patriarch, who is, in truth, a con artist. But, his wife, Maureen, is the real deal. She really is psychic and their children have inherited her paranormal abilities. Irene can tell if someone is lying or telling the truth, Frankie can move objects with his mind, and Buddy can see the future.
The family stage act was amazing indeed, until they were outed as frauds on the ‘Mike Douglas Show’.
From there the family tragically spiraled into relative obscurity.
The book is set in 1995, where we find that Maureen has passed on at a tragically young age, Teddy is still running his tried and true scams, Irene is a divorced single mother who has moved back into her family home with her son, Matty, and Frankie is married with three daughters. But, Buddy, seems to have lost his sanity, constantly beginning a project, but never finishing it, and is pretty much mute. No one seems to know quite what he’s up to.
Employing the use of flashbacks, we learn how Teddy and Maureen met, and how the government became aware of her unique gifts, why she decided to work with them, the profound affect her life and death had on her children, and how their unusual abilities shaped them into the adults they became.
Matty becomes a central character in the story as he is seemingly the one grandchild who has inherited his family’s paranormal gifts. He is the one who needs to discover his family history, especially that of his grandmother, and must be protected from government employees who would like to use his abilities to their advantage.
In one way, this is Matty’s coming of age story, but it is mostly a family saga, which spans over three generations.
I loved the nostalgia this story brought back. The seventies, The Mike Douglas Show, the hardcore fascination with psychic phenomenon and ESP and so on, but the nineties! OMG! AOL disc, online chat rooms, Gateway computers and VHS tapes- no- I can’t say I miss any of those things, but it was fun to have a book set in this decade.
“Nothing killed nostalgia for your childhood home like moving back into it”
This family is not exactly role model material. They have trouble with the mob, run cons, and curse up a blue streak sometimes, and many other quirky flaws and general strangeness.
‘Once a man had committed emotionally to the con, it was near impossible to claw his way back to objectivity.”
At the heart of the story is the emerging connection between Maureen, who, although she’s been gone for many years, still communicates with Teddy, via letters that arrive in blue envelopes, and her grandson, Matty.
The author did an amazing job of building a charming and fantastical story around connecting time frames and family generations.
I rarely say anything about content, mainly because we are dealing with art and context, but I couldn’t help but think how much broader the reach such a book might have if not for the language used. It wasn’t necessary, in my opinion, and took away from the story’s charisma.
There were a few other questionable scenes, but with just a small tweak here or there, this book really could have a mass appeal, for young or old alike.
Besides this one complaint, I thought the characters are very well constructed, believable, and although quite dysfunctional, I liked them, warts and all.
There are a few poignant moments, a little romance, and some hilarious antics and dialogue, a little mystery and suspense, plenty of action and adventure, and lots and lots of intrigue, mingling with the paranormal whimsy I found myself completely wrapped up in.
“The thing about skeletons was, you never knew how much space they were taking up in the closet until you got rid of them.”
The plot may appear to ramble down various dead -end paths, making one wonder where all this is leading, but amazingly, the threads all converge into one huge grand finale that really did feel like pure magic.
Overall, this is an offbeat, but utterly charming and delightful tale. Even if you don’t normally indulge in the paranormal or fantasy genres, I think the deeper implications will resonate, and before long you just might find yourself as enchanted by it as I was.
4 stars
June 29, 2017
This book is like one of the magic tricks Teddy Telemachus performs in it - and like the very best magic tricks, you know a trick is being performed on you, you know your eyes are purposefully forced, you know a trick is coming - and you still get blindsided when it finally happens. It was just so awfully clever and I had such a blast trying to figure things out ahead. I enjoyed this so much while at the same time wanting to whack some characters on their heads.
The Amazing Telemachus' are a family of psychics (or con men, depending who you ask). After being debunked on live television they live a quiet life; Teddy the charming, weasely patriarch, astral projecting Maureen, and their children Irene (human lie detector), Frankie (telekinetic), and Buddy (clairvoyant). Years later, even their grandchild Matty is not sure what is true of their family lore and what Teddy made up - until he has his first out of body experience, when he realizes that there might be more truth to Teddy's stories than his mother Irene led on.
The book starts out meandering, but charming. Told in alternating perspectives following the five main characters, the first half or so is spent on showcasting the family and starting to move pieces into place. The characterization is so well-done that I did not mind this at all. I can just imagine every single one of them so vividly and their interaction feels real (if at times exasperating, but family is like that). I felt for Irene who does not know how to have relationships anymore when she always knows if somebody is lying, I raged at Frankie and his harebrained schemes, I marvelled at the enigma that is Buddy - always living at all times of his life at once. Is there even a place for free will if you always know what you will do ahead of time? Can you cheat your own knowledge to carve out a place for yourself? The plot was first secondary (but so much fun!), then more and more coming into focus. There is so much happening: The Mafia! The CIA! Cold War! Spies! Debt! Love! (one of those things is not like the other - but very much the focus of this book)
In the end, when everything came together, I had such a huge grin on my face while at the same time being scared out of my mind about these annoying characters and what they might lose before the end. I absolutely enjoyed this immensely and am still thinking about all the moving pieces that you only recognize as part of the puzzle when they suddenly slot into place. Awfully, awfully clever.
____
I received an arc of this book curtesy of NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for that!
The Amazing Telemachus' are a family of psychics (or con men, depending who you ask). After being debunked on live television they live a quiet life; Teddy the charming, weasely patriarch, astral projecting Maureen, and their children Irene (human lie detector), Frankie (telekinetic), and Buddy (clairvoyant). Years later, even their grandchild Matty is not sure what is true of their family lore and what Teddy made up - until he has his first out of body experience, when he realizes that there might be more truth to Teddy's stories than his mother Irene led on.
The book starts out meandering, but charming. Told in alternating perspectives following the five main characters, the first half or so is spent on showcasting the family and starting to move pieces into place. The characterization is so well-done that I did not mind this at all. I can just imagine every single one of them so vividly and their interaction feels real (if at times exasperating, but family is like that). I felt for Irene who does not know how to have relationships anymore when she always knows if somebody is lying, I raged at Frankie and his harebrained schemes, I marvelled at the enigma that is Buddy - always living at all times of his life at once. Is there even a place for free will if you always know what you will do ahead of time? Can you cheat your own knowledge to carve out a place for yourself? The plot was first secondary (but so much fun!), then more and more coming into focus. There is so much happening: The Mafia! The CIA! Cold War! Spies! Debt! Love! (one of those things is not like the other - but very much the focus of this book)
In the end, when everything came together, I had such a huge grin on my face while at the same time being scared out of my mind about these annoying characters and what they might lose before the end. I absolutely enjoyed this immensely and am still thinking about all the moving pieces that you only recognize as part of the puzzle when they suddenly slot into place. Awfully, awfully clever.
____
I received an arc of this book curtesy of NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for that!
February 23, 2018
I started this multi-generational account of a family of performing “mystics” and thought. . . ooooh, this is going to be fun.
Daryl Gregory's writing style and tone seemed, initially, similar both to Michael Chabon's and Jeffrey Eugenides's (two of my favorite living writers) and I waited patiently for those staggering observations, gut punches and deep character studies to emerge.
They never did.
This is one of the “safest” books I've ever read. If it were a man, I'd say he was a eunuch.
Writers, like everyone else, have bills to pay, and I wondered (for 399 pages) if this man's motivations were mortgage driven. It's obvious to me that Mr. Gregory is crossing his fingers that someone in Hollywood will want to make him an offer on this story. Almost every scene cries out, “Adapts easily to the screen!”
The writer seems like a nice guy, and every sentence was perfectly in place, but this bland, underdeveloped and safe novel had no bite and no balls for me.
Daryl Gregory's writing style and tone seemed, initially, similar both to Michael Chabon's and Jeffrey Eugenides's (two of my favorite living writers) and I waited patiently for those staggering observations, gut punches and deep character studies to emerge.
They never did.
This is one of the “safest” books I've ever read. If it were a man, I'd say he was a eunuch.
Writers, like everyone else, have bills to pay, and I wondered (for 399 pages) if this man's motivations were mortgage driven. It's obvious to me that Mr. Gregory is crossing his fingers that someone in Hollywood will want to make him an offer on this story. Almost every scene cries out, “Adapts easily to the screen!”
The writer seems like a nice guy, and every sentence was perfectly in place, but this bland, underdeveloped and safe novel had no bite and no balls for me.
November 22, 2017
4.25 stars
Often hilarious, sometimes ridiculous, and always full of heart, this story following a family of psychics (or are they?) is a fun, wild ride.
Each member of the exasperating Amazing Telemachus family has their own sets of stresses and struggles, each as interesting (and hilarious) as the others. They're so much fun (and frustrating) to follow and Gregory gives each of them a unique, believable voice. Teddy, Irene, Frankie, Buddy, and Matty, as well as deceased matriarch, Maureen, a looming spectre always present, are the heart of the novel and the plot comes secondary to their interactions with each other and the other people in their lives, both past and present.
There's a lot going on in various timelines and plenty of moving pieces (mafia, get-rich-quick schemes, coming-of-age, end of the world?, CIA, You've Got Mail), it's like a magic trick, hard to know where to keep your focus even though you know something is going to happen. It's impressive when the magician turns what appears to be a light, fun sleight of hand trick into actual magic, bringing all the seemingly disparate parts to coalescence, still managing to surprise.
Posted in Mr. Philip's Library
Often hilarious, sometimes ridiculous, and always full of heart, this story following a family of psychics (or are they?) is a fun, wild ride.
Each member of the exasperating Amazing Telemachus family has their own sets of stresses and struggles, each as interesting (and hilarious) as the others. They're so much fun (and frustrating) to follow and Gregory gives each of them a unique, believable voice. Teddy, Irene, Frankie, Buddy, and Matty, as well as deceased matriarch, Maureen, a looming spectre always present, are the heart of the novel and the plot comes secondary to their interactions with each other and the other people in their lives, both past and present.
There's a lot going on in various timelines and plenty of moving pieces (mafia, get-rich-quick schemes, coming-of-age, end of the world?, CIA, You've Got Mail), it's like a magic trick, hard to know where to keep your focus even though you know something is going to happen. It's impressive when the magician turns what appears to be a light, fun sleight of hand trick into actual magic, bringing all the seemingly disparate parts to coalescence, still managing to surprise.
Posted in Mr. Philip's Library
July 20, 2017
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
4.5 Stars
“Once, we were Amazing.”
As soon as I saw this title on NetGalley I had what I’d like to call a “♪♫♫♪ I want something just like this ♪♫♫♪” moment . . . .
When I saw the author was Daryl Gregory, who I’ve had pretty decent luck with a couple of times in the past, my decision to click the request button was solidified.
Spoonbenders is about exactly what the title would lead you to believe – maybe . . . .
“That was just an act. A stage show. They got debunked.”
“Did they? Perhaps. But perhaps they merely stopped performing.”
Back in the day the Telemachuses (Telemachi???) were all the rage. Led by the patriarch Teddy and his beautiful bride Maureen, the family wowed audiences with not only their talents, but also with the skills of their children Buddy, Frankie and Irene. Unfortunately all of that went to hell in a handbasket when the family’s powers were debunked on the late late show. Fastforward to the present and an aging Teddy who might be getting involved with the wrong type of people . . . .
Buddy, who has been doing his best Harpo Marx impersonation for ages. Frankie, owner of a failing telecommunications network/“goji berry juice” distributorship . . . . .
Irene, who has learned that . . . .
“Nothing killed nostalgia for your childhood home like moving back into it.”
And the newest person to discover their unique gift, Irene’s son Matty. It’s too bad his newfound ability to “travel” only happens when he’s otherwise preoccupied . . . .
It’s even more unfortunate the object of his affection just so happens to be someone really close to home . . . .
As I said above, I was interested in this from the getgo. (Dear NetGalley: You can go ahead and decline my review request since I made sure I was the first person to check out the library copy. Kthanksbye.) A family with telekinetic powers????? SOLD! When I read the following . . . . .
“You know why I’m raising you kids to be Cubs fans? Any moook can be a fan of a winning team. It takes character to root for the doomed.”
I officially declared . . . .
Then, I got not only the story of the Telemachus family in the here and now, but also in the past thanks to the use of some . . . .
(Sidenote: Did you know there’s going to be a female Doctor now? Bet you didn’t. It’s hardly been mentioned at all and people definitely aren’t freaking out about it.)
Where was I? Oh yes, the family history. There were a few moments where I thought a heavier-handed editor could have been beneficial (hence the 4.5 Stars rather than the whole shebang), but by the time I got to the ending it all made sense and had me going . . . .
Well played, Mr. Gregory. Well played. My enjoyment of Spoonbenders already had me interested in reading more of this author's work and I didn’t have to look very far thanks to my nemesis coincidentally reading something by him as well (but don’t hold your breath for an actual review, it’ll probably take 12 or 15 years for him to get around to writing one.)
4.5 Stars
“Once, we were Amazing.”
As soon as I saw this title on NetGalley I had what I’d like to call a “♪♫♫♪ I want something just like this ♪♫♫♪” moment . . . .
When I saw the author was Daryl Gregory, who I’ve had pretty decent luck with a couple of times in the past, my decision to click the request button was solidified.
Spoonbenders is about exactly what the title would lead you to believe – maybe . . . .
“That was just an act. A stage show. They got debunked.”
“Did they? Perhaps. But perhaps they merely stopped performing.”
Back in the day the Telemachuses (Telemachi???) were all the rage. Led by the patriarch Teddy and his beautiful bride Maureen, the family wowed audiences with not only their talents, but also with the skills of their children Buddy, Frankie and Irene. Unfortunately all of that went to hell in a handbasket when the family’s powers were debunked on the late late show. Fastforward to the present and an aging Teddy who might be getting involved with the wrong type of people . . . .
Buddy, who has been doing his best Harpo Marx impersonation for ages. Frankie, owner of a failing telecommunications network/“goji berry juice” distributorship . . . . .
Irene, who has learned that . . . .
“Nothing killed nostalgia for your childhood home like moving back into it.”
And the newest person to discover their unique gift, Irene’s son Matty. It’s too bad his newfound ability to “travel” only happens when he’s otherwise preoccupied . . . .
It’s even more unfortunate the object of his affection just so happens to be someone really close to home . . . .
As I said above, I was interested in this from the getgo. (Dear NetGalley: You can go ahead and decline my review request since I made sure I was the first person to check out the library copy. Kthanksbye.) A family with telekinetic powers????? SOLD! When I read the following . . . . .
“You know why I’m raising you kids to be Cubs fans? Any moook can be a fan of a winning team. It takes character to root for the doomed.”
I officially declared . . . .
Then, I got not only the story of the Telemachus family in the here and now, but also in the past thanks to the use of some . . . .
(Sidenote: Did you know there’s going to be a female Doctor now? Bet you didn’t. It’s hardly been mentioned at all and people definitely aren’t freaking out about it.)
Where was I? Oh yes, the family history. There were a few moments where I thought a heavier-handed editor could have been beneficial (hence the 4.5 Stars rather than the whole shebang), but by the time I got to the ending it all made sense and had me going . . . .
Well played, Mr. Gregory. Well played. My enjoyment of Spoonbenders already had me interested in reading more of this author's work and I didn’t have to look very far thanks to my nemesis coincidentally reading something by him as well (but don’t hold your breath for an actual review, it’ll probably take 12 or 15 years for him to get around to writing one.)
August 14, 2017
I had never heard of Daryl Gregory before reading this book, but having read Spoonbenders, I definitely plan to explore more of his work. This was a fabulous, tightly plotted and heart-warming story about the Telemachus family.
Do they have psychic abilities? Are they frauds and conmen? Remote viewing? Moving objects? Lie detectors? Seeing the future? How can the family pull together to change their fate and fortune?
Recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Do they have psychic abilities? Are they frauds and conmen? Remote viewing? Moving objects? Lie detectors? Seeing the future? How can the family pull together to change their fate and fortune?
Recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
October 20, 2018
Spoonbenders
by Daryl Gregory
This delicious book had me back and forth... con family or real deal?
A great read or listen (got this audible gem from the library) as they do fake cons, and you know they are fake but then they blow you away with a psychic prediction or such. I love stories about psychics and this was a fun book!
The narration was excellent too!
by Daryl Gregory
This delicious book had me back and forth... con family or real deal?
A great read or listen (got this audible gem from the library) as they do fake cons, and you know they are fake but then they blow you away with a psychic prediction or such. I love stories about psychics and this was a fun book!
The narration was excellent too!
November 21, 2017
This should be right up the alley of all you folks who like epic family stories. You know, the whole generational thing with patriarchs (who happen to be expert con-men), children with special (albeit mild) psychical abilities, (read NOT X-MEN), and the difficulties of living in Chicago between the sixties and mid-nineties.
Mind you, we're dealing with mostly realistic stuff here. Tons of it is illusion tricks but this family is special, anyway, between truth-sensing, clairvoyance, and a minor trick of telekinesis. All in all, it's a story of failed romance in a normal family for the truth-sensor. Or being overburdened with foreknowledge when most of this life just sucks. In another case, it's being able to cheat the hell out of a pinball machine. Sometimes it even carries over to roulette. :)
This poor family has issues. Debunked publicly by a skeptic, forced to live normal lives, getting into crap MLM schemes, getting in trouble with the mob... there's a bit of everything going on here.
In reality, though, the focus is on the characters and the family and it plays out very satisfactorily by the end. I love a good heist novel even more than a familial epic, but fortunately, we've got both here. It was fun and requires a bit of patience and natural fascination for the minor psychical stuff as well as family epics, but if you've got that, this is well worth the read.
This happens to be the first novel of Gregory I've read. It's not bad. I'm curious how the others pan out now. :)
Mind you, we're dealing with mostly realistic stuff here. Tons of it is illusion tricks but this family is special, anyway, between truth-sensing, clairvoyance, and a minor trick of telekinesis. All in all, it's a story of failed romance in a normal family for the truth-sensor. Or being overburdened with foreknowledge when most of this life just sucks. In another case, it's being able to cheat the hell out of a pinball machine. Sometimes it even carries over to roulette. :)
This poor family has issues. Debunked publicly by a skeptic, forced to live normal lives, getting into crap MLM schemes, getting in trouble with the mob... there's a bit of everything going on here.
In reality, though, the focus is on the characters and the family and it plays out very satisfactorily by the end. I love a good heist novel even more than a familial epic, but fortunately, we've got both here. It was fun and requires a bit of patience and natural fascination for the minor psychical stuff as well as family epics, but if you've got that, this is well worth the read.
This happens to be the first novel of Gregory I've read. It's not bad. I'm curious how the others pan out now. :)
July 27, 2017
A very fun listen about a telekinetic family. I enjoyed the subtle changes in inflection when the narrator voiced the different character's chapters, and loved the jobs of these telekinetic people, from spy to card shark.
(Received an early copy of the audio from the publisher.)
(Received an early copy of the audio from the publisher.)
October 1, 2018
A con-man and a highly talented psychic fall in love and have children with extraordinary talents. But this doesn't automatically give them an extraordinary life. They struggle to hold down jobs and support each other, while mourning the loss of one of their members and a career in showmanship.
One night, years before this story takes place, the Telemachus family was on a late night show, introducing themselves to the world. But a skeptic proved a portion of their act to be fake and the family's bookings all fell through. One of the members of the family, Frankie, blames the skeptic for the mediocre life they are living now... and worse.
"Archibald was a necessary evil," Grandpa Teddy said. "He was the voice of the skeptic. If your mother had shown him up, the audience would have loved us for it. We could have gone to the stratosphere with that act." "He was evil," Frankie said. ... "He killed Grandma Mo..." pg 19, ebook.
Though the head of the family, Grandpa Teddy, doesn't have any legitimate powers to speak of (except a talent for manipulating cards), his children have a veritable cornucopia of abilities. Frankie can move metal objects with his mind, when he's not under stress. Irene can tell if someone is telling her a lie. And the youngest, Buddy, can see the future so clearly that he calls his perceptions "memories".
And their children have different powers too.
"That they were psychic was another Telemachus Family Fact, in the same category as being half Greek and half Irish, Cubs fans and White Sox haters, and Catholic." pg 27, ebook.
The strength of this story is in the characters themselves. You really enjoy learning who these people are and seeing how they prevent themselves from being great. It's also just a fun story about a large, semi-dysfunctional family. As someone from a large family myself, I felt right at home in this world (minus the extraordinary powers and most of the dysfunction).
One of my favorite characters, though he was a bit of a rogue, was Grandpa Teddy. He's trying to keep his herd-of-cats family all pointed in the same direction while not having the advantage of extraordinary abilities beyond his own quick mind.
"The problem with getting old was that each day had to compete with the thousands of others gone by. How wonderful would a day have to be to win such a beauty contest? To even make it into the finals?" pg 196
I also liked Irene, the daughter who could tell if you were lying to her. I never considered how much the small untruths we tell each other grease the wheels of relationships and civil discourse.
This might be a good pick for a book club read. There are plenty of issues to discuss and powerful moments to dissect.
I may have enjoyed this book more if it had been primarily about the family's abilities rather than real life drama. But I'm into superhero stories and epic fantasy. For readers who like to think about the impossible but not read a story where that sort of thing is the norm, this book may fit the bill.
One night, years before this story takes place, the Telemachus family was on a late night show, introducing themselves to the world. But a skeptic proved a portion of their act to be fake and the family's bookings all fell through. One of the members of the family, Frankie, blames the skeptic for the mediocre life they are living now... and worse.
"Archibald was a necessary evil," Grandpa Teddy said. "He was the voice of the skeptic. If your mother had shown him up, the audience would have loved us for it. We could have gone to the stratosphere with that act." "He was evil," Frankie said. ... "He killed Grandma Mo..." pg 19, ebook.
Though the head of the family, Grandpa Teddy, doesn't have any legitimate powers to speak of (except a talent for manipulating cards), his children have a veritable cornucopia of abilities. Frankie can move metal objects with his mind, when he's not under stress. Irene can tell if someone is telling her a lie. And the youngest, Buddy, can see the future so clearly that he calls his perceptions "memories".
And their children have different powers too.
"That they were psychic was another Telemachus Family Fact, in the same category as being half Greek and half Irish, Cubs fans and White Sox haters, and Catholic." pg 27, ebook.
The strength of this story is in the characters themselves. You really enjoy learning who these people are and seeing how they prevent themselves from being great. It's also just a fun story about a large, semi-dysfunctional family. As someone from a large family myself, I felt right at home in this world (minus the extraordinary powers and most of the dysfunction).
One of my favorite characters, though he was a bit of a rogue, was Grandpa Teddy. He's trying to keep his herd-of-cats family all pointed in the same direction while not having the advantage of extraordinary abilities beyond his own quick mind.
"The problem with getting old was that each day had to compete with the thousands of others gone by. How wonderful would a day have to be to win such a beauty contest? To even make it into the finals?" pg 196
I also liked Irene, the daughter who could tell if you were lying to her. I never considered how much the small untruths we tell each other grease the wheels of relationships and civil discourse.
This might be a good pick for a book club read. There are plenty of issues to discuss and powerful moments to dissect.
I may have enjoyed this book more if it had been primarily about the family's abilities rather than real life drama. But I'm into superhero stories and epic fantasy. For readers who like to think about the impossible but not read a story where that sort of thing is the norm, this book may fit the bill.
December 25, 2023
Not enough bending, of spoons or expectations or my mind.
I'm not finishing, but the first half seems a pretty pedestrian "family with secrets and issues" realistic novel.
My reading history with DG:
1st Gregory = Pandaemonium: Wow, that was excellent, why did I wait so long to try this author?
2nd Gregory = Harrison Squared: Disappointingly not-great compared with Pandaemonium, but fine, I enjoyed it.
(some short stories I don't remember, I'm not a short story person, but they were fine.)
3rd = Spoonbenders
4th...? [Edit: Album of Dr. Moreau was pretty fun, although not as amazing as Pandaemonium]
I'm not finishing, but the first half seems a pretty pedestrian "family with secrets and issues" realistic novel.
My reading history with DG:
1st Gregory = Pandaemonium: Wow, that was excellent, why did I wait so long to try this author?
2nd Gregory = Harrison Squared: Disappointingly not-great compared with Pandaemonium, but fine, I enjoyed it.
(some short stories I don't remember, I'm not a short story person, but they were fine.)
3rd = Spoonbenders
4th...? [Edit: Album of Dr. Moreau was pretty fun, although not as amazing as Pandaemonium]
July 3, 2017
4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/07/03/...
What do you get when you mix clairvoyance and psychokinesis with Cold War secret agents, the Chicago mob, shady con artists, and a dysfunctional family undergoing a crisis of zany proportions? You get Spoonbenders, a wildly original, humorous, and unexpectedly heartwarming tale of paranormal drama. This book had everything in it—and I do mean EVERYTHING—but I’ve seen Daryl Gregory pull off some pretty amazing things with an even stranger mishmash of ideas, so I never doubted for a second that he would be able to pull this off.
Spoonbenders introduces us to the Telemachus family, whose members made brief waves in the 70s by dazzling late-night talk show audiences with their amazing psychic abilities. At the head of this act is Teddy Telemachus, who ironically is the only one with no real power of his own, though he does make up for it by being a smooth and charismatic master swindler. The true talent was his wife Maureen, who is said to be the most powerful psychic in the world. And in their individual ways, each of their children inherited a bit of their mother’s gifts: Irene is a human lie detector, able to fox out the smallest insincerities or fabrication in others’ words; Frankie is a telekinetic, enabling him to dominate the pinball machines of his youth and later the roulette tables of his adult years; and finally there’s Buddy, whose second sight allows him to perceive events far into the future.
But that was then and this is now—the mid-90s to be exact. The Telemachus family has fallen far after their act was debunked by the Astounding Archibald, a renowned stage magician and skeptic. Not long after that in 1974, Maureen also passed away, leaving young Irene to take care of Teddy and her brothers. Now Irene is in her 30s, flat broke and raising her teenage son by herself. She is left with no choice but to move back into the house of her father, a septuagenarian still up to his grifting ways. Frankie has also gotten entangled with the local mafia, owing them a fortune after every one of his get-rich-quick schemes have failed to pan out. And Buddy…poor Buddy appears to have lost his mind, refusing to utter a word to anyone. Instead, he spends his days in Teddy’s house, starting one DIY project after another with seemingly no plans to complete any of them. However, Buddy knows something big is coming, and he does have a plan—one that may involve Irene’s son Matty, who has just discovered that he may have inherited his grandmother’s powers of astral projection.
With such a huge cast of characters spread across three generations, I was extremely impressed with how Gregory was able to keep this book organized and tightly paced. Each Telemachus had their own story arc, including past history and current conflicts, but most amazing to me was how the author managed to tie these separate plot threads back to each other, allowing all of it to culminate into an elegant and well-reasoned finale. As a voracious reader, I have to say I encounter books with ambitious ideas and big, bold premises all the time, but rarely have I seen such deft and clever handling of so many moving parts in a story. This could have easily devolved into an ugly mess, but in fact the results were the complete opposite, so my hat is definitely off to Mr. Gregory.
I also found the story unique and unpredictable—which is always a plus. Readers are bounced between the decades, from the height of the Cold War amidst fears of Russian psychic espionage, to the nostalgic 90s with the advent of AOL and a new wave of organized crime in Chicago. Not quite a suspenseful thriller novel, but at the same time not quite a feel-good family piece either, Spoonbenders is perhaps best described as a light dramedy, combining the ups-and-downs of life with a dark sense of humor that is as absurd as it is funny.
What’s more, the book also delivers a surprising amount of heart. As events in the novel prove, having supernatural powers does not necessarily bring happiness, and in fact, often they actually have detrimental effects on their personal wellbeing and relationships. While they may not be a typical family, I found it easy to connect with many of the characters due to the fact they deal with real and relatable problems, from Frankie’s lack of self-confidence to Irene’s struggles with her love life. Still, even when life gets too tough, it’s clear that they have each other to lean upon. They might not always get along, but the Telemachus family stays together through thick and thin, and an attack on one of them is an attack on all.
In the end, I really enjoyed Spoonbenders, which easily ranks among the most imaginative and well-written books I’ve read so far this year. This novel is definitely not your typical story about family, but it’s fun and engaging all the same. Daryl Gregory is fast becoming one of my favorite authors, and I’m looking forward to whatever and interesting and offbeat ideas he can come up with next.
Audiobook Comments: I alternated between reading the ARC and listening to the audiobook for this book, so I thought I would mention some of my thoughts on the narration here. All told, I loved the performance by Ari Fliakos, who gave such life and personality to all the characters in this story. His accents and inflections were just perfect, varying them enough so that each person had their own unique voice, thus making it easy for the listener to distinguish between the many different speakers—an important factor for any book with a large cast of characters. I hope to listen to another book narrated by him in the future.
What do you get when you mix clairvoyance and psychokinesis with Cold War secret agents, the Chicago mob, shady con artists, and a dysfunctional family undergoing a crisis of zany proportions? You get Spoonbenders, a wildly original, humorous, and unexpectedly heartwarming tale of paranormal drama. This book had everything in it—and I do mean EVERYTHING—but I’ve seen Daryl Gregory pull off some pretty amazing things with an even stranger mishmash of ideas, so I never doubted for a second that he would be able to pull this off.
Spoonbenders introduces us to the Telemachus family, whose members made brief waves in the 70s by dazzling late-night talk show audiences with their amazing psychic abilities. At the head of this act is Teddy Telemachus, who ironically is the only one with no real power of his own, though he does make up for it by being a smooth and charismatic master swindler. The true talent was his wife Maureen, who is said to be the most powerful psychic in the world. And in their individual ways, each of their children inherited a bit of their mother’s gifts: Irene is a human lie detector, able to fox out the smallest insincerities or fabrication in others’ words; Frankie is a telekinetic, enabling him to dominate the pinball machines of his youth and later the roulette tables of his adult years; and finally there’s Buddy, whose second sight allows him to perceive events far into the future.
But that was then and this is now—the mid-90s to be exact. The Telemachus family has fallen far after their act was debunked by the Astounding Archibald, a renowned stage magician and skeptic. Not long after that in 1974, Maureen also passed away, leaving young Irene to take care of Teddy and her brothers. Now Irene is in her 30s, flat broke and raising her teenage son by herself. She is left with no choice but to move back into the house of her father, a septuagenarian still up to his grifting ways. Frankie has also gotten entangled with the local mafia, owing them a fortune after every one of his get-rich-quick schemes have failed to pan out. And Buddy…poor Buddy appears to have lost his mind, refusing to utter a word to anyone. Instead, he spends his days in Teddy’s house, starting one DIY project after another with seemingly no plans to complete any of them. However, Buddy knows something big is coming, and he does have a plan—one that may involve Irene’s son Matty, who has just discovered that he may have inherited his grandmother’s powers of astral projection.
With such a huge cast of characters spread across three generations, I was extremely impressed with how Gregory was able to keep this book organized and tightly paced. Each Telemachus had their own story arc, including past history and current conflicts, but most amazing to me was how the author managed to tie these separate plot threads back to each other, allowing all of it to culminate into an elegant and well-reasoned finale. As a voracious reader, I have to say I encounter books with ambitious ideas and big, bold premises all the time, but rarely have I seen such deft and clever handling of so many moving parts in a story. This could have easily devolved into an ugly mess, but in fact the results were the complete opposite, so my hat is definitely off to Mr. Gregory.
I also found the story unique and unpredictable—which is always a plus. Readers are bounced between the decades, from the height of the Cold War amidst fears of Russian psychic espionage, to the nostalgic 90s with the advent of AOL and a new wave of organized crime in Chicago. Not quite a suspenseful thriller novel, but at the same time not quite a feel-good family piece either, Spoonbenders is perhaps best described as a light dramedy, combining the ups-and-downs of life with a dark sense of humor that is as absurd as it is funny.
What’s more, the book also delivers a surprising amount of heart. As events in the novel prove, having supernatural powers does not necessarily bring happiness, and in fact, often they actually have detrimental effects on their personal wellbeing and relationships. While they may not be a typical family, I found it easy to connect with many of the characters due to the fact they deal with real and relatable problems, from Frankie’s lack of self-confidence to Irene’s struggles with her love life. Still, even when life gets too tough, it’s clear that they have each other to lean upon. They might not always get along, but the Telemachus family stays together through thick and thin, and an attack on one of them is an attack on all.
In the end, I really enjoyed Spoonbenders, which easily ranks among the most imaginative and well-written books I’ve read so far this year. This novel is definitely not your typical story about family, but it’s fun and engaging all the same. Daryl Gregory is fast becoming one of my favorite authors, and I’m looking forward to whatever and interesting and offbeat ideas he can come up with next.
Audiobook Comments: I alternated between reading the ARC and listening to the audiobook for this book, so I thought I would mention some of my thoughts on the narration here. All told, I loved the performance by Ari Fliakos, who gave such life and personality to all the characters in this story. His accents and inflections were just perfect, varying them enough so that each person had their own unique voice, thus making it easy for the listener to distinguish between the many different speakers—an important factor for any book with a large cast of characters. I hope to listen to another book narrated by him in the future.
April 20, 2019
Psychics, mobsters, G-men and more!
I seem to be on a family drama bender this year, I can’t seem to gulp enough of these down. And with a resolutions hangover that is pushing me to clear the virtual and physical book shelves, I reached in and pulled out this 2017 gem that’s been languishing too long and what a treat it was to meet this zany family.
Meet the most charming con man Teddy Telemachus, his wife, the real deal psychic, Maureen, and their children: Irene the human lie detector, Frankie the telekinetic and Buddy, the clairvoyant, plus the next generation of psychics who can tele-transport and also set things on fire and you’ve got a completely different level of dysfunction. Add in a few unsavory Mafioso and a slew of washed up federal agents and you’ve got a wacky tale that straddles family dynamics with both sensitivity and humor. The novel’s structure adds to its cleverness and delivered to the last word.
This is ultimately a character-driven story that mines the complex relationships within families and does so with a well-written, fast-paced narrative. I grew to love these characters as it’s not all madcap mayhem, there is a downside to every psychic gift and your heart goes out to their humanity. This was a four-plus-star read for me and I will definitely look for more of this author’s work because this is top drawer storytelling.
I seem to be on a family drama bender this year, I can’t seem to gulp enough of these down. And with a resolutions hangover that is pushing me to clear the virtual and physical book shelves, I reached in and pulled out this 2017 gem that’s been languishing too long and what a treat it was to meet this zany family.
Meet the most charming con man Teddy Telemachus, his wife, the real deal psychic, Maureen, and their children: Irene the human lie detector, Frankie the telekinetic and Buddy, the clairvoyant, plus the next generation of psychics who can tele-transport and also set things on fire and you’ve got a completely different level of dysfunction. Add in a few unsavory Mafioso and a slew of washed up federal agents and you’ve got a wacky tale that straddles family dynamics with both sensitivity and humor. The novel’s structure adds to its cleverness and delivered to the last word.
This is ultimately a character-driven story that mines the complex relationships within families and does so with a well-written, fast-paced narrative. I grew to love these characters as it’s not all madcap mayhem, there is a downside to every psychic gift and your heart goes out to their humanity. This was a four-plus-star read for me and I will definitely look for more of this author’s work because this is top drawer storytelling.
June 5, 2020
Una vez leída, comprendo perfectamente que a la inmensa mayoría de los lectores les haya gustado, y por lo general mucho, esta novela. Y es que tiene muchos aciertos y muy pocos defectos. Es original, entretenida, adictiva desde la primera página y muy divertida, con un humor inteligente, buen ritmo, un estilo ágil, sencillo pero bien pulido, personajes interesantes, bastante bien perfilados, diálogos ingeniosos. Plantea además temas con los que es complicado no captar el interés, ya que a todos nos rozan: la familia y sus conflictos, los problemas que le son inherentes, el amor y sus secretos, el amor pese a todo, el fracaso, las expectativas vitales que tantas veces vemos insatisfechas... y todo esto tratado con ironía y mala leche.
—Total, que tu vida no ha salido como pensabas. No has cambiado el mundo. ¿Y qué? Fue bonito mientras duró. Y ahora solo tienes una opción.
Smalls enarcó una ceja.
—Abrazar la mediocridad —dijo Teddy—. Ese es mi consejo para ti, amigo. Baja el listón. Acepta el aprobado justo. Renuncia al entrecot y confórmate con la hamburguesa.
Pero algo no me ha terminado de entusiasmar. El planteamiento me parece mejor que el desarrollo. La historia se narra a través de cinco puntos de vista distintos, los de los cinco personales principales (Teddy –mi preferido–, sus hijos Irene, Frankie y Buddy, y su nieto e hijo de Irene, Matty), cada uno con sus subtramas correspondientes, de las que creo que algunas sobran. Todas las pequeñas historias encajan perfectamente, y esta perfección en la estructura es quizás parte del pequeño problema, resulta demasiado redonda para mi gusto, como si algunas de las piezas del puzzle hubiesen sido colocadas precisamente para encajar unas con otras al final.
—Total, que tu vida no ha salido como pensabas. No has cambiado el mundo. ¿Y qué? Fue bonito mientras duró. Y ahora solo tienes una opción.
Smalls enarcó una ceja.
—Abrazar la mediocridad —dijo Teddy—. Ese es mi consejo para ti, amigo. Baja el listón. Acepta el aprobado justo. Renuncia al entrecot y confórmate con la hamburguesa.
Pero algo no me ha terminado de entusiasmar. El planteamiento me parece mejor que el desarrollo. La historia se narra a través de cinco puntos de vista distintos, los de los cinco personales principales (Teddy –mi preferido–, sus hijos Irene, Frankie y Buddy, y su nieto e hijo de Irene, Matty), cada uno con sus subtramas correspondientes, de las que creo que algunas sobran. Todas las pequeñas historias encajan perfectamente, y esta perfección en la estructura es quizás parte del pequeño problema, resulta demasiado redonda para mi gusto, como si algunas de las piezas del puzzle hubiesen sido colocadas precisamente para encajar unas con otras al final.
August 23, 2017
Loved loved LOVED this. Going to be one of my books of the year. Quirky, ironic, madly engaging characters and beautifully written and plotted. Full of magically wonderful surprises.
Full review later this month (and a little interview with the author) as part of the tour.
(Also sticking two fingers up to book snobs who think genre fiction can't be "Literary")
UPDATE:
Spoonbenders is a miraculously readable speculative family drama featuring the Amazing Telemachus family – who are all actually amazing but not for the obvious reasons – this is a novel you sink into. It is strongly character lead with some beautiful plotting and a huge addictive quality as we go from one family member to the next, discovering their story and that of those around them.
Entirely entertaining and eccentrically intricate, this is a quirky, non conformist, rush of a literary read that as a reader you engage with entirely – using flashbacks to flesh out the history and their current status to show you where that history took them, putting a beautifully placed little twist on the end, this is storytelling at its best. Covering generations, a sprawling joy of a read first page to last, I am in love with this book and with this family.
Highly Recommended.
Full review later this month (and a little interview with the author) as part of the tour.
(Also sticking two fingers up to book snobs who think genre fiction can't be "Literary")
UPDATE:
Spoonbenders is a miraculously readable speculative family drama featuring the Amazing Telemachus family – who are all actually amazing but not for the obvious reasons – this is a novel you sink into. It is strongly character lead with some beautiful plotting and a huge addictive quality as we go from one family member to the next, discovering their story and that of those around them.
Entirely entertaining and eccentrically intricate, this is a quirky, non conformist, rush of a literary read that as a reader you engage with entirely – using flashbacks to flesh out the history and their current status to show you where that history took them, putting a beautifully placed little twist on the end, this is storytelling at its best. Covering generations, a sprawling joy of a read first page to last, I am in love with this book and with this family.
Highly Recommended.
June 13, 2017
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
A fun, novel idea, propped up by some fantastic characters.
When I read the description of this book, I thought 'what's not to like'? A family with psychic abilities, a run-in with the mob, the usual lies, deception and angsty relationships? Yeah, I can get behind all that!
For the most part, I wasn't disappointed. The book follows the Telemachus family, three generations of them, to be precise - the dapper con-man Teddy, his uber-talented wife Maureen, their three kids (Irene, Frankie and time-travelling Buddy), and the grandkids too, including plump, astral-body owning Matty, and the wonderfully goth 'Malice'.
Each character has their own plot thread, which is artfully woven to come to a satisfying climax at the end of the novel. Frankie owes huge sums of money to a dangerous man. Irene is caught up in a long-distance relationship, which suffers, due to her ability to tell when people are lying to her. And poor Buddy (the character I definitely felt most sorry for) is cursed with the ability to see into the future, and attempt to act upon it, for better or for worse.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, they were rounded, believable and their psychic gifts were intriguing and well-explained (though I did wonder how it came about - how can one psychic family have so many different, seemingly unrelated talents? However, this is me nitpicking, if you're adept at suspending disbelief, you won't have a problem here).
It took a little time to properly get going (to the point where, at 30% through, I was wondering whether to keep on with it), but I'm glad I did, because after that, it properly held my attention. I do think it could have benefited from just a touch of tightening though, nothing too major.
Overall, a fun, imaginative and well-written book - definitely one to read.
A fun, novel idea, propped up by some fantastic characters.
When I read the description of this book, I thought 'what's not to like'? A family with psychic abilities, a run-in with the mob, the usual lies, deception and angsty relationships? Yeah, I can get behind all that!
For the most part, I wasn't disappointed. The book follows the Telemachus family, three generations of them, to be precise - the dapper con-man Teddy, his uber-talented wife Maureen, their three kids (Irene, Frankie and time-travelling Buddy), and the grandkids too, including plump, astral-body owning Matty, and the wonderfully goth 'Malice'.
Each character has their own plot thread, which is artfully woven to come to a satisfying climax at the end of the novel. Frankie owes huge sums of money to a dangerous man. Irene is caught up in a long-distance relationship, which suffers, due to her ability to tell when people are lying to her. And poor Buddy (the character I definitely felt most sorry for) is cursed with the ability to see into the future, and attempt to act upon it, for better or for worse.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, they were rounded, believable and their psychic gifts were intriguing and well-explained (though I did wonder how it came about - how can one psychic family have so many different, seemingly unrelated talents? However, this is me nitpicking, if you're adept at suspending disbelief, you won't have a problem here).
It took a little time to properly get going (to the point where, at 30% through, I was wondering whether to keep on with it), but I'm glad I did, because after that, it properly held my attention. I do think it could have benefited from just a touch of tightening though, nothing too major.
Overall, a fun, imaginative and well-written book - definitely one to read.
March 29, 2019
3.5 stars
This was the perfect book to follow The Devil All the Time because I was in desperate need of something sweet and quirky.
The story is something I could picture Joshilyn Jackson writing so if you are a fan of this author I think you will definitely enjoy this book.
The Telemachus family is a bit of a puzzle, are they just excellent con-artists or is there more to their abilities?
Out of everyone that had a chance to tell their story Buddy stole my heart. He lives in the past and future but rarely in the present. Keeping all his visions straight is so exhausting he just decided to stop talking, its safer that way.
Matty, now 14 is going through his own transformation, is it puppy love or the fact that he had his first taste of weed that made him believe he has out of body experiences….. or does he actually have talent?
His mother Irene is the human lie-detector – something every mother has a little bit of – but she just wants her child to be normal, boring and have an uneventful life.
And the head of this family, Teddy, the master conman, who still mourns for his dead wife but can his sleight of hand keep the family from falling apart.
And lastly Frankie, on the surface he is the most useless of the lot but full of big dreams and schemes. He grew on me as the story progressed.
The more fantastical elements form a very small part of this charming book and is incorporated in such a way as to appeal to a wider audience. Just be warned, the beginning was a bit wobbly for me and I was not sure if I wanted to continue reading but I am glad I stuck with it.
It’s the prefect holiday read or when you need a bit of cheer.
This was the perfect book to follow The Devil All the Time because I was in desperate need of something sweet and quirky.
The story is something I could picture Joshilyn Jackson writing so if you are a fan of this author I think you will definitely enjoy this book.
The Telemachus family is a bit of a puzzle, are they just excellent con-artists or is there more to their abilities?
Out of everyone that had a chance to tell their story Buddy stole my heart. He lives in the past and future but rarely in the present. Keeping all his visions straight is so exhausting he just decided to stop talking, its safer that way.
Matty, now 14 is going through his own transformation, is it puppy love or the fact that he had his first taste of weed that made him believe he has out of body experiences….. or does he actually have talent?
His mother Irene is the human lie-detector – something every mother has a little bit of – but she just wants her child to be normal, boring and have an uneventful life.
And the head of this family, Teddy, the master conman, who still mourns for his dead wife but can his sleight of hand keep the family from falling apart.
And lastly Frankie, on the surface he is the most useless of the lot but full of big dreams and schemes. He grew on me as the story progressed.
The more fantastical elements form a very small part of this charming book and is incorporated in such a way as to appeal to a wider audience. Just be warned, the beginning was a bit wobbly for me and I was not sure if I wanted to continue reading but I am glad I stuck with it.
It’s the prefect holiday read or when you need a bit of cheer.
January 27, 2021
Historia de una familia con poderes, que lejos de convertirlos en seres extraordinarios los ha llevado a a ser personas mediocres, tristes y permanentemente insatisfechas.
No me ha parecido un libro divertido o gracioso, sí que entretiene porque no paran de ocurrir cosas pero a mí no me han hecho gracia, más bien todo lo contrario. Precisamente eso es justo lo que más me ha gustado de esta historia, el enfoque realista sobre lo que les supone a los miembros de esta familia tener ciertos poderes y como esto condiciona sus vidas y la de quienes los rodean.
No me ha parecido un libro divertido o gracioso, sí que entretiene porque no paran de ocurrir cosas pero a mí no me han hecho gracia, más bien todo lo contrario. Precisamente eso es justo lo que más me ha gustado de esta historia, el enfoque realista sobre lo que les supone a los miembros de esta familia tener ciertos poderes y como esto condiciona sus vidas y la de quienes los rodean.
September 21, 2017
3.5Stars: I think at some point in life, every person has tried to find out if he/she commands psychic powers. Hasn’t everyone tried to bend a spoon or move a piece of paper? How about blow out a candle with your mind? Psychic powers are the dreams of children, and hold fascination for adults.
“Spoonbenders” is the clever creation of author Daryl Gregory. Gregory takes a family of misfortunate’s with special skills and she cleverly muddles up their lives throughout the story. It begins with a con man, Teddy Telemachus who responds to an ad in the paper placed by the government at the height of the Cold War, asking for people with psychic skills to take a test. The participant is paid for taking the test, and if picked for the study, is paid a daily stipend. Teddy is not one for work, prefers conning. His specialty is card games, but he can do a few magic tricks as well. At the testing place, he finds the lovely Maureen McKinnon. From there, he cons the US government along with the lovely Maureen. The two marry and have three children. The eldest is Irene who can tell when someone is lying. The next is Frankie who can move small objects with his mind. And the baby is Buddy who can see the future.
Gregory tells his story in bursts between history and current time. In current time, the family is a mess. Irene finds it difficult to hold a job, or a boyfriend, since she sees lies everywhere. Plus, Irene is cursed with integrity and can’t be part of a business that doesn’t play fair. Frankie is cursed with Teddy’s need for the con, or the easy way out. He’s always looking for the next big score. Poor Buddy is burdened by knowing the future. He understands if he doesn’t do exactly as he sees in the future, he’ll screw up everyone’s future. He’s paralyzed by fear.
What Gregory does best is write family dynamics. This is a motley crew who can’t get out of their own way. Irene does her best, and keeps screwing up. Teddy is just a scammer. And Buddy stays in the family home, barely leaving the premises nor talking to anyone. Irene has a son Matty who is coming-of-age and getting into teenage shenanigans while discovering a gift he possesses. Teddy is married, has twin daughters and a step-daughter (who Matty finds disturbidly attractive). Teddy is in debt with the Mob. Ah the Mob, a lovely addition to an already crazy story. The mob boss is a man stuck in the ‘50’s with Elvis hair and a mean disposition. It gets complicated, but the whole family gets involved with the Mob.
It’s a romp of a story. It’s truly silly and fun. It’s the perfect beach/summer read. It’s a bit of a slow start, and then it’s a compulsive read. I loved it. I find it fascinating that Gregory could conjure up such a story with moving parts and almost slapstick comedy.
“Spoonbenders” is the clever creation of author Daryl Gregory. Gregory takes a family of misfortunate’s with special skills and she cleverly muddles up their lives throughout the story. It begins with a con man, Teddy Telemachus who responds to an ad in the paper placed by the government at the height of the Cold War, asking for people with psychic skills to take a test. The participant is paid for taking the test, and if picked for the study, is paid a daily stipend. Teddy is not one for work, prefers conning. His specialty is card games, but he can do a few magic tricks as well. At the testing place, he finds the lovely Maureen McKinnon. From there, he cons the US government along with the lovely Maureen. The two marry and have three children. The eldest is Irene who can tell when someone is lying. The next is Frankie who can move small objects with his mind. And the baby is Buddy who can see the future.
Gregory tells his story in bursts between history and current time. In current time, the family is a mess. Irene finds it difficult to hold a job, or a boyfriend, since she sees lies everywhere. Plus, Irene is cursed with integrity and can’t be part of a business that doesn’t play fair. Frankie is cursed with Teddy’s need for the con, or the easy way out. He’s always looking for the next big score. Poor Buddy is burdened by knowing the future. He understands if he doesn’t do exactly as he sees in the future, he’ll screw up everyone’s future. He’s paralyzed by fear.
What Gregory does best is write family dynamics. This is a motley crew who can’t get out of their own way. Irene does her best, and keeps screwing up. Teddy is just a scammer. And Buddy stays in the family home, barely leaving the premises nor talking to anyone. Irene has a son Matty who is coming-of-age and getting into teenage shenanigans while discovering a gift he possesses. Teddy is married, has twin daughters and a step-daughter (who Matty finds disturbidly attractive). Teddy is in debt with the Mob. Ah the Mob, a lovely addition to an already crazy story. The mob boss is a man stuck in the ‘50’s with Elvis hair and a mean disposition. It gets complicated, but the whole family gets involved with the Mob.
It’s a romp of a story. It’s truly silly and fun. It’s the perfect beach/summer read. It’s a bit of a slow start, and then it’s a compulsive read. I loved it. I find it fascinating that Gregory could conjure up such a story with moving parts and almost slapstick comedy.
July 15, 2019
His best novel so far.
I say “so far” because he just keeps getting better. All of his books that I’ve read have been multi-layered and intricately sophisticated, complex yet approachable, tangent to creepy and with paranormal undertones but ultimately fun and enjoyable.
Like Hooters – delightfully tacky yet unrefined.
His 2017 outing, which garnered oodles of award nominations and enough peer recognition to fuel a grassroots movement, shares with much of his canon a penchant for the supernatural, but from a kooky and amusing standpoint. We meet the Telemachus family who are kind of like The Osmonds, except instead of singing and dancing, they are psychics. And instead of toothy Mormom comedies, they might just take all your money.
The patriarch of the family got his start as a card shark and under the radar hustler with ice water running through his veins – he could sit at a poker table with gangsters and walk away Paul Newman cool.
Then there was the kids with powers of precognition, lie detecting and telekinesis. But most of all was the mom, gifted in all areas and with the ability of astral projection and travel. She was the star of the show and the central focus of the family.
Until it all went wrong.
We catch up with the Telemachii years later after much of the dust has settled but with some unfinished business at hand. Son Frankie has gotten sideways of some local mobsters and he’ll need the reluctant help of his psychic family network to get it all right again. His brother Buddie, who has inherited much of his mother’s talent, is a gem to watch as he plans for all contingencies with Buster Keaton stoicism. And the grandkids seem to be living up to the hype started decades earlier.
And of course, the real hero here is Gregory himself. He’s a phenomenally talented writer who can put some words together and can tell a great story. If you’re a speculative fiction fan, do yourself a favor and check him out.
I say “so far” because he just keeps getting better. All of his books that I’ve read have been multi-layered and intricately sophisticated, complex yet approachable, tangent to creepy and with paranormal undertones but ultimately fun and enjoyable.
Like Hooters – delightfully tacky yet unrefined.
His 2017 outing, which garnered oodles of award nominations and enough peer recognition to fuel a grassroots movement, shares with much of his canon a penchant for the supernatural, but from a kooky and amusing standpoint. We meet the Telemachus family who are kind of like The Osmonds, except instead of singing and dancing, they are psychics. And instead of toothy Mormom comedies, they might just take all your money.
The patriarch of the family got his start as a card shark and under the radar hustler with ice water running through his veins – he could sit at a poker table with gangsters and walk away Paul Newman cool.
Then there was the kids with powers of precognition, lie detecting and telekinesis. But most of all was the mom, gifted in all areas and with the ability of astral projection and travel. She was the star of the show and the central focus of the family.
Until it all went wrong.
We catch up with the Telemachii years later after much of the dust has settled but with some unfinished business at hand. Son Frankie has gotten sideways of some local mobsters and he’ll need the reluctant help of his psychic family network to get it all right again. His brother Buddie, who has inherited much of his mother’s talent, is a gem to watch as he plans for all contingencies with Buster Keaton stoicism. And the grandkids seem to be living up to the hype started decades earlier.
And of course, the real hero here is Gregory himself. He’s a phenomenally talented writer who can put some words together and can tell a great story. If you’re a speculative fiction fan, do yourself a favor and check him out.
November 21, 2017
2.5 (it was okay) for me but I'll bump it up to a 3 because I'm such a sweetheart (said no one ever).
This is the story of a once famous family who were shamed when their patriarch screws up on national tv and exposes himself for a fraud. Except they’re not all frauds but try telling that to anyone after the public shaming. Now they have to eek out a living like the rest of us schulbs. I think I’m one of the few people who did not find this book exciting, humorous and a rip-roaring good time. I didn’t like the time jumps which I found confusing on audio, I did not care about any of the characters, nor did I care what they were doing, who they were dating, or what binds they were getting themselves into. I’m not going to write a review because I’m lazy and because I know this one is truly a case of my personal taste and my current “meh” mood. I think I’m going to have to quit reading for a bit or at least quit forcing myself through ARC’s because I have lost all the joy for books at this point in time.
This is the story of a once famous family who were shamed when their patriarch screws up on national tv and exposes himself for a fraud. Except they’re not all frauds but try telling that to anyone after the public shaming. Now they have to eek out a living like the rest of us schulbs. I think I’m one of the few people who did not find this book exciting, humorous and a rip-roaring good time. I didn’t like the time jumps which I found confusing on audio, I did not care about any of the characters, nor did I care what they were doing, who they were dating, or what binds they were getting themselves into. I’m not going to write a review because I’m lazy and because I know this one is truly a case of my personal taste and my current “meh” mood. I think I’m going to have to quit reading for a bit or at least quit forcing myself through ARC’s because I have lost all the joy for books at this point in time.
February 18, 2023
3.5 stars *review for the 8-CD German language audio book*
As the blurb states: a family cursed with the potential for being something special. That's a very good description of the story's content as well as for the novel itself.
The only other of Daryl Gregory's works I've read is Afterparty which got more or less the same rating from me for more or less the same reasons: some really super stuff in there...but then couldn't the author have done far more with the material?
Yes, those of us who have some psi-powers do tend to see them as kinda rinky dinky because they aren't good for much - you try having clair-smelling - but so called "sceptics" (read: unbelievers) with smug grins like to bait you to prove that you can't really do squat and are a delusional fraud.
Thanks, guys.
But what if the psi-powers are real, just like the fraud?
With the Telemachus family, that's exactly the case. They really can do what they claim and they really are pulling the wool over your eyes at the same time. You never know if can you believe them or not. Interesting premise, right?
Not really.
You see, that's almost always the case in real life. Those with psi-powers usually can't do EVERYTHING - or probably not enough of everything to convince you they're legit-- so they often do "cheat" a little to fill in the gaps and make up for the weaknesses. That's human, that's normal. And it doesn't mean the real power isn't there. (But it does open the door to self-proclaimed debunkers.)
This is why I felt Gregory could have done more with the phenomenon of psychic ability by working in more layers and depth of meaning. Unfortunately, he stays is too close to how things actually are -- just taken further for literary effect.
Credibility niggle:
I didn't believe for a moment that a genuine talent like Maureen would fall in love with an obvious conman like Teddy. Not after how he acted in the psi programme. An affair maybe, but not a family. That made me doubt a lot of what comes later. As did
I also agree with other reviewers that the novel started on the wrong foot with an embarrassingly uncomfortable scene. That *really* didn't need to be there.
All-in-all, a novel with a lot of strengths which unfortunately doesn't make use of much of its potential.
Shame.
As the blurb states: a family cursed with the potential for being something special. That's a very good description of the story's content as well as for the novel itself.
The only other of Daryl Gregory's works I've read is Afterparty which got more or less the same rating from me for more or less the same reasons: some really super stuff in there...but then couldn't the author have done far more with the material?
Yes, those of us who have some psi-powers do tend to see them as kinda rinky dinky because they aren't good for much - you try having clair-smelling - but so called "sceptics" (read: unbelievers) with smug grins like to bait you to prove that you can't really do squat and are a delusional fraud.
Thanks, guys.
But what if the psi-powers are real, just like the fraud?
With the Telemachus family, that's exactly the case. They really can do what they claim and they really are pulling the wool over your eyes at the same time. You never know if can you believe them or not. Interesting premise, right?
Not really.
You see, that's almost always the case in real life. Those with psi-powers usually can't do EVERYTHING - or probably not enough of everything to convince you they're legit-- so they often do "cheat" a little to fill in the gaps and make up for the weaknesses. That's human, that's normal. And it doesn't mean the real power isn't there. (But it does open the door to self-proclaimed debunkers.)
This is why I felt Gregory could have done more with the phenomenon of psychic ability by working in more layers and depth of meaning. Unfortunately, he stays is too close to how things actually are -- just taken further for literary effect.
Credibility niggle:
I didn't believe for a moment that a genuine talent like Maureen would fall in love with an obvious conman like Teddy. Not after how he acted in the psi programme. An affair maybe, but not a family. That made me doubt a lot of what comes later. As did
I also agree with other reviewers that the novel started on the wrong foot with an embarrassingly uncomfortable scene. That *really* didn't need to be there.
All-in-all, a novel with a lot of strengths which unfortunately doesn't make use of much of its potential.
Shame.
March 23, 2018
4,75 / 5
La extraordinaria familia Telemacus es una de esas novelas que gustarán a cualquier buen lector. Da igual que se tire habitualmente de cabeza al género, como si no lo hace habitualmente. Se trata de una saga familiar multigeneracional mezclada con una aventura de poderes psíquicos e historias de conspiraciones. Hay poderes sobrenaturales, gánsteres, proyectos ocultos del gobierno, algún romance, trucos de cartas, mentalismo, drogas y mucho más.
Apostando por una estructura coral en cuanto a puntos de vista, cada personaje va retomando flashbacks del pasado donde conocemos su verdadera historia, mientras seguimos su situación y acciones en el presente. Los hilos del pasado y el presente se van entremezclando para que todo cobre sentido al final. Ejerce como pilar de todo ello una fuerte caracterización de sus personajes y un estilo de sencilla apariencia pero de inteligencia desbordante.
Ofrece información y contexto sin distracciones, simplemente a través de acciones y diálogos. Diálogos por cierto, cargados de chispa e ingenio. Así nos habla de las familias, del fracaso personal o la parta negativa que puede implicar poseer un don. Además la novela esta llena de referencias que competen entre los años 70 y 90 (maquinas del millón, talk shows, ordenadores o el proyecto Stargate) que le dan un telón de fondo muy atractivo.
Sin ninguna duda, La extraordinaria familia Telemacus será una de mis mejores lecturas de este 2018.
Reseña en el blog: http://boywithletters.blogspot.com.es...
La extraordinaria familia Telemacus es una de esas novelas que gustarán a cualquier buen lector. Da igual que se tire habitualmente de cabeza al género, como si no lo hace habitualmente. Se trata de una saga familiar multigeneracional mezclada con una aventura de poderes psíquicos e historias de conspiraciones. Hay poderes sobrenaturales, gánsteres, proyectos ocultos del gobierno, algún romance, trucos de cartas, mentalismo, drogas y mucho más.
Apostando por una estructura coral en cuanto a puntos de vista, cada personaje va retomando flashbacks del pasado donde conocemos su verdadera historia, mientras seguimos su situación y acciones en el presente. Los hilos del pasado y el presente se van entremezclando para que todo cobre sentido al final. Ejerce como pilar de todo ello una fuerte caracterización de sus personajes y un estilo de sencilla apariencia pero de inteligencia desbordante.
Ofrece información y contexto sin distracciones, simplemente a través de acciones y diálogos. Diálogos por cierto, cargados de chispa e ingenio. Así nos habla de las familias, del fracaso personal o la parta negativa que puede implicar poseer un don. Además la novela esta llena de referencias que competen entre los años 70 y 90 (maquinas del millón, talk shows, ordenadores o el proyecto Stargate) que le dan un telón de fondo muy atractivo.
Sin ninguna duda, La extraordinaria familia Telemacus será una de mis mejores lecturas de este 2018.
Reseña en el blog: http://boywithletters.blogspot.com.es...
September 21, 2017
This book is wacky but with a heart of gold. The Telemachus family once demonstrated their supernatural powers onstage for adoring fans, but the matriarch died young, the three kids are all grown, and no one in the family has found the success those glittery early years promised. Now Frankie is in debt up to his eyeballs, Irene and her teenage son have moved in with her dad, and Uncle Buddy is functionally mute. When one of the newest generation of Telemachuses starts showing signs of latent talent, it might mean that things are finally looking up—or it may signal their total destruction.
The perspective shifts from character to character and the timeline hops from present day to past and back again, but Gregory tap dances through the key changes without dropping any of the plates he’s set spinning. Every time I needed to put the book down to tend to real life, I invariably felt like I was at a crucial juncture. Just a few more pages, please!
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
The perspective shifts from character to character and the timeline hops from present day to past and back again, but Gregory tap dances through the key changes without dropping any of the plates he’s set spinning. Every time I needed to put the book down to tend to real life, I invariably felt like I was at a crucial juncture. Just a few more pages, please!
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
November 29, 2017
4.5 stars. What's to say? I loved this book. The book has a slow start, but once I had met all the members of the Telemachus family, I was totally invested in the story and loved the dialogue and the plot. This book of psychics and (maybe?) failed con artists was a lot of fun, with convoluted, and at times ridiculous, plots hatched by the Telemachus men, and employment and relationship struggles experienced by the sole remaining female member of the family, Irene. The book moves back and forth in time, filling in information on motivations, and gradually exposing the grief and stresses the family has been living with since the death of matriarch Maureen years before the opening of the novel. I loved this dysfunctional family, and though the story had a lot going on, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the Telemachus members by the end.
June 28, 2017
*thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a (clearly) honest and unbiased review*
This book was very strange -which i was expecting! I mean com on! We are talking about a family that apparently is able to perform magic. So clearly it was going to be strange.
But it was too strange for me if that makes any sense.
I hated the opening scene of this book.
Which is not a good way to start a book for me! I do always have a hard time connecting to a book if the first few pages do not work for me! It just sets the tone for the entire book for me, and sadly in this one? It was not working for me!
But i am just not a big fan of being greeted with a masturbation scene where a male cousin gets off on watching his female cousin.
Because just... NO!
I am sorry but NO!
Can we please just finally move on from sexualising family members??
So that CLEARLY didn't work for me.
And while the rest of the story was okay, it was also quiet boring and moving in a way to slow pacing for me to really get invested into the story.
I liked Buddy, but the rest i was just not caring at all for.
I also wasn't really enjoying the constant switch between the characters because i always felt like the one i wanted to hear more about was just not getting enough pages!
The writing was okay, but once again nothing that kept sucking me back into the story, and since how the story was actually told wasn't really working for me, i can't say that i loved the writing.
And as i said, if i start a book and want to close it right away again because the start makes my interest go away in seconds? That book has to pack a BIG punch to actually impress me.
This was not doing that for me.
So sadly, this book didn't work for me.
If you like strange books and don't mind slow pacing and unnecessary many character points of views but pretty good writing?
give this a try.
If not... maybe stay away from this one.
This book was very strange -which i was expecting! I mean com on! We are talking about a family that apparently is able to perform magic. So clearly it was going to be strange.
But it was too strange for me if that makes any sense.
I hated the opening scene of this book.
Which is not a good way to start a book for me! I do always have a hard time connecting to a book if the first few pages do not work for me! It just sets the tone for the entire book for me, and sadly in this one? It was not working for me!
But i am just not a big fan of being greeted with a masturbation scene where a male cousin gets off on watching his female cousin.
Because just... NO!
I am sorry but NO!
Can we please just finally move on from sexualising family members??
So that CLEARLY didn't work for me.
And while the rest of the story was okay, it was also quiet boring and moving in a way to slow pacing for me to really get invested into the story.
I liked Buddy, but the rest i was just not caring at all for.
I also wasn't really enjoying the constant switch between the characters because i always felt like the one i wanted to hear more about was just not getting enough pages!
The writing was okay, but once again nothing that kept sucking me back into the story, and since how the story was actually told wasn't really working for me, i can't say that i loved the writing.
And as i said, if i start a book and want to close it right away again because the start makes my interest go away in seconds? That book has to pack a BIG punch to actually impress me.
This was not doing that for me.
So sadly, this book didn't work for me.
If you like strange books and don't mind slow pacing and unnecessary many character points of views but pretty good writing?
give this a try.
If not... maybe stay away from this one.
Read
June 28, 2017Once upon a time, the Telemachuses were famous. With a telekinetic, a psychic, and a human lie detector in the family, they were a wonder to citizens and secret agents everywhere. But twenty years later, the family is disgraced and in shambles, trying desperately to make ends meet. A visit from an old friend at the CIA checking to see if they have any remaining powers seems to be a waste of time, but what the family doesn’t know is that one of the children has just discovered he has the ability to leave his body. This is a funny, heartfelt dysfunctional family comedy with a supernatural twist.
Backlist bump: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
Backlist bump: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
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