Thirteen Storeys Kindle Edition

This book is a great deal of fun superficially, and you can have a good spooky story if you don't want to think too deeply. But if you DO read the book from a more thoughtful, analytic perspective, WOW. It does not disappoint.There are so many layers to the story that go beyond just what is happening. We delve deep into the psychology of every character, and witness how that shapes and is shaped by overarching themes of the story.And the characters are all so distinct, human, and very fleshed out. It's amazing that Jonny Sims managed to give us such well-developed characters with just one chapter for each of them. There is never any heavy exposition detracting from the plot, either. We learn the characters through their thoughts, actions, and fears.I particularly loved that all the characters are just a little bit terrible (some more than others, of course). They aren't heroes. They're just the ones who are there, just people. The final character introduced is absolutely the most terrifying and inhuman, but he definitely has swagger, not gonna lie.Overall, a lovely read, as expected of anything coming from the mind of Jonny Sims.

There is so much fondness in this four-star rating for me. I'm withholding the five stars purely because of my own reasons for rating things five stars, which this book probably couldn't achieve by nature of there being so many characters, so many different stories to explore. I usually rate five stars when I fall in love with some aspect of the book, which is usually to do with the characters, and I don't think we spend enough time with any one character in this book for me to have fallen in love.That said, I loved so much about this. I loved the voice (though, full disclosure, I already loved the voice of this author because I'm absolutely obsessed with The Magnus Archives, which fully does get five stars from me, and more), I loved the way the stories build and come together over the course of the book, I loved the big questions the stories present, about complicity and responsibility and what reasons are strong enough to make what decisions, and how we make peace with that as individuals who live in massive systems.I was blown away by Sims' ability to tell so many different stories, about so many characters, and to theme them all so tightly, and yet never leave me confused about who I was reading about when they intersected, and never muddy the stories together. Each felt fully distinct, and all of them felt as though they had earned their place in the book.There were some delightfully creepy bits, some genuinely funny moments that had me actually laughing, some emotionally moving scenes -- this book did it all, honestly, and I was legitimately impressed throughout. I also listened to the audiobook, which I would highly recommend, especially since the climactic final full chapter is presented as a bit of an audio drama, which plays splendidly.I will say that the book isn't especially subtle, particularly in that final chapter. I had been describing the book as "classic horror tropes with an anticapitalist twist," (which I loved) and it basically hits you over the head with this by the end. But not every book demands subtlety, and in this case, I didn't really mind the lack of it. My one real complaint was that there were moments in the prose that I wished had been tidied up a bit -- some words repeated in quick succession, places where I wished stronger verbs had been chosen, little things like that. But that was such a small issue, and most of the time I didn't even notice, I was so wrapped up in the vivid imagery and compelling characters.Overall, I was really impressed with Sims' ability to get so deeply into the heads of so many different people, to make them feel truly alive, and to weave them all together in such interesting and compulsively page-turning ways. I hoped I would love this, and I'm so pleased that I genuinely did. It's left me so excited to see whatever else Sims puts out in the future, and I know I'll be returning to this book again in the meantime.

I expected Thirteen Storeys to be a fun and spooky read, and it did not disappoint! It takes us through the corridors of Banyan Court, an apartment building that’s wealthy and polished in the front, and poor and run-down in the back, and of course, thoroughly haunted. The book tells thirteen tales about the residents of Banyan, both rich and poor, as they are gradually overtaken by the spirits within its walls--an art dealer with a possessed painting, a little girl and her “imaginary” best friend, a concierge and his murderous coworker, a plumber who finds gore within the pipes of the building--and many more. But every haunting points back to the same man--Tobias Fell, the reclusive billionaire who built Banyan Court and hides at the top of it. The characters all converge in the book’s final tale, leading to a gruesomely satisfying ending.The individual stories are creative and very well paced, starting out ominous and escalating to more disturbing revelations, while also giving strong voice to the individual characters of each chapter. The commentary about classism and capitalist corruption was heavy-handed, but in a way that is cleverly woven into the supernatural elements.If you’re a fan of the Magnus Archives podcast, Jonathan Sims’ most popular horror work, this book shows Sims’ flair for short horror and character writing. If you’re unfamiliar with the author, it’s a well-executed modern haunted house story with some interesting themes. Would definitely recommend! And Jonny, keep up the good work!

Like most of the reviews on here, I first discovered Jonny's work through the brilliant Magnus Archives podcast. Having enjoyed all 5 seasons thoroughly, I had high expectations for his book. I was not disappointed!Though he laid the moral message on a bit thickly at times, the stories individually were engrossing, the atmosphere creepy in a delightfully slow-burn way, and the characters were all likeable, realistic, and built with enough care as to elicit attachment and sympathy from the reader. The ending was every bit the gleefully gory, maniacal ending I had been hoping for.5 stars! Thanks, Jonny. I look forward to the next book!

I love the author from the Magnus Archives. I really wanted to love this book. It was so different and spooky and esoteric for the first 12 chapters, then 13 just let me down. It went from otherworldly to modern day capitalists are the root of all evil boring. Maybe buy it and read the 12 and then make up a fun ending in your mind?

I discovered Jon Sims from a podcast. When I read that he was to publish a book I was thrilled. I read the whole thing with his voice over speaking in my head. Great book, wonderfully written. And kept me on the edge of my seat. I hope he writes more.

Took awhile to arrive but it was worth it! Was second hand but came in excellent condition.

Jonny Sims is an amazing horror writer and in this book he's given exactly what makes The Magnus Archives so compelling: different characters with very distinctive voices in each story. A great reading, can't wait to read more from him.

I don't usually go in for horror, but then I got tricked into listening to The Magnus Archives podcast (also written by Sims), and here we are.Thoroughly enjoyed that and wanted more in his style of writing, so I bought Thirteen Storeys.Without spoilers, this is a really unique take on the "haunted house" trope, built up with a series of interconnected yet stand-alone stories from residents in the building.What I really enjoyed was that each tale highlights a different facet of horror – it's not all guts and gore, nor is it all creepy and subtle. A really awesome mix that shows off Sims' ability to write across the horror spectrum.I enjoyed it so much, I bought his second work, "Family Business".

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some properly spooky and creeping paranormal horror. This flavor of horror doesn't need a big scary monster chasing you down. Instead it uses the sometimes sublte, sometimes manic awareness, that something under these floorboards and in between the walls is very wrong and twisted.Nothing feels better than all the little hints, pieces and connectors hidden along the pages finally fitting into place.This book will very likely stay with me for a very long time.

I had very high expectations for this book, and it has managed to surpass every single one of them! Being a long time horror fan it's difficult to find something refreshing as you can fall into common tropes very often. But this book was a breath of fresh air. Each chapter walks us through the life of a single resident and they seem like stand alone events, but eventually the threads connect to reveal a horrific mystery. The vivid descriptions help you clearly visualise the scenes in your head and I felt myself getting spooked quite often. I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn't put the book down until the epilogue! I've already read it twice through and plan to revisit it soon. This was an absolutely smashing debut by Mr Sims and I can't wait to see what his next book (currently being edited!!) is going to be about and get my hands on it as soon as possible!The book was well packed and quickly delivered by Amazon.