I bought the paperback version of this book, which is no longer available through Amazon. The title "Spares" is partly about the callousness of humans--and who the Spares are.

The novel begins with an ex-cop, Jack Randall, and his attempt to liberate the Spares from their prison-like existence. From there, the plot broadens into an exploratory version of a future society, where mega-malls are actually cities onto themselves.

Jack fights for the Spares, while he tries to dodge the person who wants him dead.

What Jack ultimately face down will leave the reader astonished.

And then, Smith has one final twist.

The story is first person POV, which makes a delightful read. It's easy to fall into the character's dry humor and want to champion him.

At times, I had to go back and read sentences or paragraphs twice, merely to appreciate the humor and wit of the author.

When I finished the book, I turned back to the first page and read it from page to page all over again.

Michael Marshall Smith lives in London. He's the winner of the International Horror Guild and Philip K Dick Award - in addition to winning the British Fantasy Award for best short story more than any other author in history.

Writing under the name Michael Marshall, he is internationally known as a best-selling author of thrillers.

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Created Oct 30, 2014 at 2:24pm • Submit your own review...