A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Read (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
This is the first novel based on the TV show, Psych.While the book and TV show sharea lot of traits, there is one obvious difference. The TV show is around 45 minutes(after you take out the commercials) and is very visual.The novel is 274 pages and is obviously not visual.So the pacing of the two is very differnt.The TV show is very fast-paced while the book moves at a slower pace.The book does have the benefit of being written by an author who has also worked as a writer for the show.He does a very good job of capturing Shawn and Gus.Some of the secondary characters don't get much "stage time".What suffers somewhat is the character interaction.Again, this is mainly due to the lost visuals.Overall, this is a nice addition to the Psych world.Fans of the show should like it. I really, really wish the pacing of this book wasn't so horribly wrong.There's a lot, in my opinion, to theoretically like about this. The mystery's pretty good, actually finding a way to take advantage of Shawn's pseudo-psychicness to tell a story that you couldn't quite see in just ANY mystery novel. (It's especially impressive when you consider how some of the more recent episodes of the show try their hardest to sidestep the psychic angle entirely.) On top of that, Rabkin does an admirable job of capturing Shawn and Gus' random, pointless argument. Even the third-person narration, which I know some others didn't care for, matched the irreverent tone of the show. Psych takes itself even less seriously than most comedic detective shows, so I really didn't mind it here. (This should go without saying, but people who want a properly serious crime novel would be well-advised to look elsewhere.)But....the pacing. My god, THE PACING. You could skip the entire first half of the book and barely miss any of the investigation! The writing is funny and all, yes, but is it funny enough to overcome pretty much nothing happening? No. No, it's not, and that's a pretty big downfall, sadly.(To some of the other reviewers who claim that this book would've been more interesting told from Shawn's point of view: While I understand where you're coming from, who writes a mystery novel from the point of view of the Great Detective, seriously?)
What do You think about A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Read (2008)?
I really like this book. Its very snazzy and funny and a must-read for everyone who like the show.
—Coqui
