I think I could probably recall the names and stories of 10 or 11 out of all the perspectives, though the way the symbolism and themes of their stories come together, in the end, was a satisfying touch from Sims.Īnd some of the stories really stand out as the sorts of dark, twisted and deliciously disgusting tales a good horror book needs. Whilst some of the characters became hard to distinguish, their stories are all unique enough that I could usually get by with a: ‘oh yeah, that one from the story with the…’ It really sells this as one interconnected book, rather than an anthology of spooky stories.Īnd whilst thirteen perspectives sounds like a lot, and it is a lot, for the most part, I think Sims does a solid job of keeping them all memorable.

Having characters stumble across one another without realising it is such a small thing to pick up on, but I loved it when I recognised figures from earlier in the book. Off the bat, I’m a big fan of books with multiple perspectives and the format of having thirteen different short stories all set in the same location really felt original. The stories naturally feature different perspectives, and all culminate in an invite to a dinner party with Fell in the penthouse. The book is a collection of thirteen different short horror stories following occupants from both the affluent and poor parts of the building. One of the most successful, albeit extremely controversial businessmen of his day, Fell built the luxurious complex with his penthouse at the very summit, though there also exists a poorer side at the back of the building whose residents live in near-squalor. Thirteen Storeys is set in the fictional Banyan Court, a towering complex constructed by the mysterious Tobias Fell. But how scary was games designer Jonathan Sims’ debut novel? Check out What We Reading for our Thirteen Storeys book review! As the name suggests, Thirteen Storeys is a collection of short horror stories all set in the same building. But, whilst that might mean I am missing out on my ‘Baron’ status, it did help to make Jonathan Sims’ 2020 book Thirteen Storeys very appealing. “This world was designed to generate winners and losers, and it showed a lack of character to wish yourselves a winner without accepting what it does to those who lose.”Īt the time of writing my mansion is still in the post, meaning I’m still living in an apartment complex.

Thirteen storeys