The Cipher

Book arrived in very good condition. This is the first book I decided to read in a long time and within the first few pages I felt I was in a similar predicament as the main characters. That is the obsession and curiosity of the concept of the "funhole". I really was very intrigued with the main element of this story as its actually the entire focus of the book. The characters are all pretty messed up people in their own ways and the author does a great job of creating believable characters. With distinct personalities and motives, minus the main character, Nick, who doesn't really have any of those things. It's a really great use of contrast comparing Nick to these other characters that are all significantly more driven, and defined as people than he is. I enjoyed the books beginning and end with a bit of a lull in the middle. Sometimes things got a bit confusing but all in all it was an interesting read. It also wasn't really scary for me just more gross body horror and creepy.

I’ve heard Kathe Koja’s horror novels are excellent, but until now I’d never read one. I absolutely loved The Cipher. Nakota and Nicholas are semi-sorta-sometimes a thing (or at least they sleep together, and Nicholas believes he loves Nakota). But what really draws them together is the mysterious hole to nowhere in the storage room downstairs from Nicholas’s flat. Nakota is determined to experiment with it, using bugs and then a mouse. Something happens to all of them–the bugs mutate strangely before dying, and the mouse… well, we just won’t go there. When Nicholas’s hand goes into the hole, a mysterious sore appears on his palm. They’re able to get some footage of what’s down there using a camcorder on a string, and the results are literally mind-bending. Nakota uses the video tape to draw in more and more people, even when there end up being multiple factions of people fighting over access to the hole. As for Nakota herself, she hopes for a more radical transformation courtesy of whatever’s going on in there.Wow, the characters. Okay. Phew! Nakota is positively repellant. She uses people. She manipulates people. In fact, I daresay she does not bother to interact with anyone unless she is using and manipulating them. She knows Nicholas loves her and uses that to twist him around her little finger. She’s calculatedly vicious. As for Nicholas, he isn’t Mr. Perfect himself. He loves Nakota in his own weird way, mostly by letting her walk all over him. He spends most of his time drunk. If Nakota had been the point of view character, she would have been too unlikable and obnoxious. Nicholas is perfect as the PoV character, because while he’s no angel, he’s better enough to be engaging despite (or maybe because of) his flaws. Both characters constantly grate against one another. It galls Nakota that Nicholas is transforming when she is not. Nearly all of the characters in here are deeply flawed people.The flow of the narrative–told from Nicholas’s point of view–is somewhat stream-of-consciousness-like. There’s a lot of exploration of Nicholas’s thoughts and ruminations, and yet I wasn’t bored at all once I got into the story. I never felt like we were retreading too much ground, or that there wasn’t a need for it, or that it slowed things down. Nicholas’s thoughts made things more interesting instead of less.My only (totally minor) objection is that I wanted just a little bit more at the end. I felt like it ended a bit abruptly. The ending was still very good; I just felt it wasn’t quite as amazing as the rest of the book.Content note: Sex, animal harm/death, suicidality, and the amount of violence and gore you can expect from pretty much any horror novel.

Fantastic book. Dark, disturbing, prose succinct yet poetic. Definitely not for everyone, but perfect for me. A new favourite author.From the get-go we’re introduced to Nicholas and Nakota, two misfits living on society’s fringes. Nicholas is an assistant manager at a video store, Nakota a barlady-cum-waitress at a local dive-bar. They’re in Nicholas’s dilapidated flat, when we find out they’ve recently discovered something they refer to as ‘The Funhole’.The Funhole itself is an anomaly: a hole that could lead to anywhere, clearly some kind of supernatural disturbance or portal. It gives off strange smells, occasionally sending psychic music to them, and tempting them back to its presence in Nicholas’ apartment block. Our protagonists start experimenting with the Funhole, trying to determine where it leads (if anywhere) and what happens to those who enter it. Their curiosity starts as scientific, but devolves into quasi-religious fervour as the Funhole exerts its influence on them and those around them.Our…heroes?:The Funhole exists in the fringe, and so only those living there could find it. Nicholas is a failed poet, and generally apathetic about life. Existing has become rote, and he performs the bare minimum actions to sustain himself in as mechanical a manner as possible without any thought to pleasure or accomplishment. The only things that break through this grey haze he lives in are Nakota, and the Funhole.Nakota is the one person who can intimidate and goad Nicholas into action. From the get-go it’s obvious she is driven and predatory, ready to sacrifice anyone to get what she wants. Every time Nicholas gives in to her her influence grows that little bit stronger. She feels the Funhole’s lure most powerfully of all. As the stakes get higher, Nicholas is called to action, often to oppose her. Nakota’s dark charisma is a formidable weapon, however, and soon she amasses followers who are drawn to the promise of some extraordinary transubstantiation that she offers.Adrenaline Poetry:Most captivating for me about Koja’s writing was the vivid quality of her descriptions. The story is told from Nicholas’ perspective, which might explain the cynical, poetic voice being used. Self-deprecating in tone, yet insightful, it paints a perfect picture of the squalor the characters start in, and the degeneration they undergo on a mental and spiritual level. With very few words, used in delightful combinations and the poetic flourish of the Beats, Koja manages to conjure visceral and powerful imagery. It’s the succinct, poetic yet cynical quality of her prose that makes this tale come alive.The pace is fast, and there’s never a dull moment. The novel draws you in with mysteries that you want the answers to, and keeps you hooked with escalating action that brings promised disaster racing to the fore.So what’s not to like?I had no issue with this book beyond the Kindle formatting – there was an occasional typographical mistake (r instead of an n), or moments where a new paragraph would start mid-sentence. This is unfortunate, as it makes an otherwise flawless and admirable presentation come across as less polished than it really is.In conclusion:This isn’t for all readers, but it’s definitely for me. It’s very dark and thrilling. The quality of the prose makes me want to up my game, and Cipher has introduced me to a new favourite author.

A strange black hole appears in an empty room of an apartment block.Two people decide to experiment with lowering different objects into it with horrific results.After a camcorder is lowered into the hole, a small cult starts to formIt's a difficult one to start with as the opening chapter is written as an unfiltered stream of conscience, not a cohesive story but it does start to become more of a structured piece of fiction as things progress.Almost none of the characters are likable and everything is relentlessly grim and some reviews have complained about this, but that's missing the point of the story.This is about people at the lower end of society, people who have to worry about money and the kind of exploitative people those with little hope or willpower attract.If all you really want is white Knights vs evil monsters then there are plenty of crash bang wallop hero fantasies out there.But If you're willing to take on something that is relentlessly grim and that doesn't always conform to traditional story writing structure, then give it a go.Just be warned that it is not an enjoyable read.

Wow! What a mess! This was brilliant. It would take multiple readings to fully understand this as it is philosophical horror. The main theme is that a black hole opens up in an unused janitor's closet in aspiring poet Nicholas' apartment building. He and his brusque, rough sort-of girlfriend find it together. She becomes obsessed with it and finds some crazy scientific theories. Putting things in such as insects and a mouse they rearrange their features. She wants to go in but Nicholas will not let her. Eventually, it is revealed that Nicholas is the one it wants. Some frightening body horror but mostly this book works on a metaphysical level and is quite deep at times. This is a must-re-read for me!

A great snapshot of late 80s slacker culture: everybody’s a skinny underemployed artist, smoking cloves and skipping showers, showing up at the main guy’s apartment to drink awful beer and swap insults. You really get the sense that (nearly) everyone in the book would let you down in increasingly depressing ways. I wish we had a few more POVs to work with, or further explored some of the concepts that came up, but perhaps some things are best left untouched.A few days after I finished it, I saw a goth girl in a poodle skirt and some obscure t-shirt on the bus, in (what I assume) was an unintentional Nakota cosplay. Freaked me out a bit!

creepy but kinda irritating lol. really unlikeable characters, didnt end up caring what happened to any of them which kinda defeats the object of horror books to me. like i literally couldnt care less whether or not any of them fall into the hole, making it really not frightening at all hahaha. but crappy characters aside, i enjoyed the spooks and the grimy imagery, the rest of it was well written just the characters not so much lol.

This was a weird one, probably would have made a better novella but I still really enjoyed it. The book has generally a very dark atmosphere throughout. Most of the characters are very unlikeable. I enjoyed the cosmic/body horror aesthetics of it and I would definitely try more of Koja’s horror works in the future.The ebook version is let down by typos and formatting errors throughout which is a shame. Would have been a 4 star if not for the lazy ebook release.