Anyone (2019) by Charles Soule – Book Review

I gave Charles Soule’s initial effort, The Oracle Year (2018), 2 out of 5. Anyone (2019) feels like it was written by a whole other author despite being released just a year after his debut. The pacing is superb. The story is unique. The book is simply a page-turner and absolutely unputdownable.

The story follows the creation of the flash which is basically a technology which allows a person’s consciousness to travel to another person. The new host then has full control over the new body while the original body as well as the consciousness of the vessel remain dormant.

Just like the speed of the transfer technology, Soule’s writing style has a breakneck pace, similar to how James Patterson writes. I haven’t read many sci-fi books with most of my reads in this category being comprised of Star Wars novels, yet Anyone is definitely the most finely-paced work of science fiction that I’ve ever read.

I was about to give this novel 5 stars but 2 things changed my mind. 1. There was a major plot-hole 60% into the story involving rats. As this is a spoiler-free review I can’t get into the specifics but it was related to an antagonist making a mistake which most readers will find unjustifiable. 2. The ending. The conclusion seemed rushed. The build-up to the finale was epic, but sadly, the narrative didn’t end on a high note. I expected it to be mind-blowing like the rest of the tale but it was only gratifying.

Nevertheless, Anyone is probably the best novel about anyone being anyone, pun-intended. I hesitated before starting it given my bad experience with Soule’s previous entry, but I’m glad I ended up doing so; otherwise I would have never had a chance to read what is now one of my most favorite novels of all time.