What Jeff Read February 2024: Recursion, The Human Target, Local Man, & The Teacher

As we reach the midpoint of February, let’s go over four literary works Jeff’s recently read: A 2019 science fiction award-winning novel, a pair of well-regarded 2023 graphic novels, and the latests thriller by Freida McFadden.

Recursion

By Blake Crouch

Recursion is a New York Times Best Seller that also won the 2019 Goodreads award for Best Science Fiction. The 336-page novel is written by Blake Crouch, who’s written a lot of books of this sort, with Wayward Pines being the one I’ve heard of before.

This is definitely the type of sci fi story where it’s best to know as little as possible about the book before reading it. I won’t reveal too much here, only saying that we follow two main characters, a NYPD police detective, and a neuroscientist working at a secret, remote laboratory. The story centers around memory, and something happening with people’s memories seemingly out of the blue that causes them to suddenly receive false memories.

There are plenty of twists and turns in Recursion, with answers to mysteries often leading to more questions about what’s really happening. The novel does, I’m happy to report, have a fulfilling conclusion with explanations for everything.

Recursion is a super-fast and enthralling book with not a single wasted page – everything we’re reading feels important and moves the story along. I couldn’t put this one down! I’d definitely recommend it to any science fiction fans, as it’s one of the better things I’ve read in the genre recently.

Grade: 9/10

The Human Target: Book One & Book Two

By Tom King and Greg Smallwood

I knew nothing about The Human Target before I started to read it, so I was surprised to learn that it falls into the superhero genre. Judging from the cover art, I expected the book to be more of a spy-type story, and I didn’t realize that the titular “Human Target” is actually an older DC character. While there are still some definite noir elements to the story here, an interest in superheroes is most definitely a prerequisite to enjoying these books, which comprise the entire 12 issues that make up this limited series.

When it comes to DC super-teams, the Justice League International (with members like Booster Gold, Guy Gardner, Blue Beetle, Fire, and Ice) has always been probably my least favorite, and that’s the team we concentrate on in The Human Target. Christopher Chance (AKA the Human Target) finds himself teaming up with JLI member/the story’s femme fatale, Ice, in a mystery to find out who’s poisoned him.

I found the story to be pretty good, but never great, with things picking up in the second graphic novel. I was never really surprised by anything that happens, but I wouldn’t say that I was ever overly disappointed by it either. The art, by Smallwood, is a step up from the writing in terms of quality. Overall, I enjoyed The Human Target, though I think it’s mostly forgettable.

Grade: 6.5/10

Local Man Volume 1: Heartland

By Tim Seeley & Tony Fleecs

This first volume of Local Man collects the first five issues of a new, ongoing series. The story centers around a disgraced superhero, Jack (superhero name: Crossjack), who returns to his hometown in the middle of nowhere to live with his parents after being kicked off his team. Once home, Jack begins investigating a case that focuses on both present-day murders and is also connected to members of his former superhero team.

While issues mainly focus on what’s going on currently, they also contain flashbacks to Jack’s superhero days that are drawn in a more 90s superhero artwork style. I think the use of the two artistic styles works really well. (Both Seeley and Fleecs are artists who drew different sections of the book.)

When it comes to the writing, there’s a good mix of intrigue and humor in Local Man that I really enjoyed. It also does a good job breaking down your expectations with what you’d expect to find with a 90s-style superhero team like the one Crossjack belonged to. I’m curious to see where the story goes when the next volume comes out later this year.

Grade: 8/10

The Teacher

By Freida McFadden

So, I’m a big fan of Frieda McFadden and I’ve read a lot of her books over the past year or so. McFadden has a writing style that’s super easy to read which works perfectly with her fast-paced plots. All of her books that I’ve read have been page-turning thrillers, and, at this point, she’s pretty well-known for having twists in her stories, too.

The Teacher, which is one of several McFadden books that’ll be released this year, has all of the staples of a McFadden novel. It’s a book you can devour in just a sitting or two, that’ll keep you guessing with where it’s going. The story, which focuses on a highschooler and a couple, both of whom are teachers, is engaging, but also more unsettling (since it involves children) than other McFadden books.

When compared to other books by the author, I’d say that The Teacher is one of my least favorite works. It has a few too many plot holes and requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, even when you consider that it’s just supposed to be a fun thriller.

That’s not to say that The Teacher is bad—it’s not, but I’d definitely recommend checking out other McFadden books, like The Housemaid, Never Lie, or The Coworker, before this one.