The Arrivals

The Arrivals

First edition US hardback cover
Author Melissa Marr
Country United States
Language English
Genre Weird West
Published 2013, William Morrow
Media type Print, e-book, audiobook
Pages 288 pages
ISBN ISBN 0061826960

The Arrivals is a 2013 Weird West novel by American author Melissa Marr.[1] It is her second adult novel, following her 2011 novel Graveminder. It was first published on July 2, 2013 through William Morrow and follows a group of people that must find a way to survive in strange new surroundings.[2]

Synopsis

When recovering alcoholic Chloe walks into her apartment to find her fiancé having sex with her boss, the first thing she does is walk into a bar and break the sobriety she's worked so hard for. She passes out and awakens in a strange new world called The Wasteland. In this land magic and gunfights are a way of life, as is the rampant corruption that threatens everyone in it. Siblings Kitty and Jack inform her that she is an "Arrival", a person that has arrived in this world from another time and place. Chloe also discovers that the Arrivals are capable of coming back to life if they die, although nobody knows why this happens and this regeneration is not always guaranteed. Together she and the siblings' rag-tag band must fight against Ajani, a wealthy but insane man set on bending The Wasteland to his will.

Reception

Critical reception for The Arrivals was mostly positive.[3][4] USA Today commented that the brother and sister pair of Kitty and Jack were some of the most interesting characters in the book, also stating that "the core concept — of people on a path of redemption in a throwback afterlife — is just too fascinating to ignore".[5] Tor.com commented that while they enjoyed the book overall, the work also felt unfinished but that "Wanting more of what a storyteller has revealed can only be considered a recommendation".[6]

References

  1. "Review: The Arrivals". Booklist. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  2. "The Arrivals May Be the Weirdest Western Yet". Wired. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  3. Whitcomb, Laura (30 July 2013). "Book World: Tales of the weird West in "The Arrivals" by Melissa Marr". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  4. "Review: The Arrivals". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  5. Truitt, Brian. ""The Arrivals" is quite a departure". USA Today. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  6. Bedford, Robert. "Weird West Resurrection World: The Arrivals by Melissa Marr". Tor.com. Retrieved 28 December 2013.