Powerless: Review

I do not exaggerate when I say that every Laeth book has moved me personally, though each in a different way. So when a new one is out, I come back with high expectations-perhaps an unwise approach— and yet I am always pleasantly surprised when the books turn out even better than I had hoped. I can safely say that of all of Laeth’s books, Powerless has been without a doubt the hardest one to put down. I only meant to glance the first page, intending to read it later (after finishing another novel) but I soon found myself immersed in the depths of these unique, flawed, and interesting people, and finished the book within a couple days.

Laeth has a talent, and skill to match, at taking the reader into intimate scenes and conversations, allowing us the readers to experience deep, personal moments of each of these authentic characters, as their lives are unexpectedly intruded upon by the 2025 Iberian Peninsula blackout. Each chapter is it’s own story, but you will soon see that the stories are connected in different ways. Here is page turner that doesn’t need to dangle characters off of cliffs. Each chapter had me excited to see where it was heading, with emotional highs and lows, twists and turns, and intrigue on every page. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering how things would pan out for this cast of lovable losers.

Powerless is a spiritual successor to Sketches of Alice, in what I would call his ‘Jazz and Cigarettes’ collection. It takes place in the same ‘world’, but you need not read that one first. In fact, I imagine the reverse order could be best.

I highly recommend this powerful and imaginative read.

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Read the first chapter free, here.

Get the whole thing here.