Book Review: Until the End by Christopher Pike

Review originally written in 2015 on Goodreads.

 

The Review:

Before Stephen King eclipsed all other authors in my heart, there was another. One I think of as my "pre-Stephen-King" and that was Christopher Pike. I devoured all of his books I could get a hold of in high school. The other big horror writer of the day was R. L. Stine and I don't remember what it was that I preferred in Christopher Pike. I think I liked how some of his stories were less "evil dead cheerleader" and more "bizarro sci-fi murder mystery". With time travel. And lizard people evolving into humans.

Recently, I've noticed Pike's been making something of a comeback, so I thought it might be interesting to revisit some of the YA out when I was a teen (dating myself I know). I began this trip with one of Pike's most popular series, the Final Friends trilogy, now republished as one book, Until the End. I should note that this isn't my first return to Pike as an adult. I tried to read The Cold One and let's just say it did NOT hold up.

I am, however, delighted to say that Until the End does hold up. It's a decent little murder mystery trilogy. Although it might have been better had I not remembered the solution to the mystery or if any ONE of the possible suspects had a real motive. That's probably the biggest flaw of the books. The mystery centres on the apparent suicide of Alice McCoy at the end of a party ringing in the new school year. The case appears open and shut but only Michael's obsession, and a few tiny inconsistencies, make it a mystery. The problem is, none of the people left at the end of the party have a reason to kill Alice. She's a sweet, beautiful young girl that everyone loves. If this were written today, she'd have secret lovers that are too old for her and steal people's boyfriends. But she doesn't - Alice is exactly as she seems and Pike never tries to make us think otherwise.

The focus really isn't on the murder/suicide mystery itself. Pike treats it more like a subplot for Michael to occasionally dwell on rather than the driving force of the trilogy. Mostly the series is about how these people navigate their senior year and fall in love with each other. The book is full of romances built on very little. Characters meet, become attracted to each other, stumble through misunderstandings and then somehow end up in love even though a lot of them spend months apart and never talk. The most developed relationship is between two of the characters who never get a pov - Bubba and Clair. They are the only couple to actually date throughout the whole senior year and the only one I can see extending beyond high school.

Let's talk about Bubba and Clair, shall we? Clair is easy - she's the gorgeous head cheerleader who I think we're supposed to hate, but is actually sweet, levelheaded and not a mean girl (another thing that would be different today). I actually wish we could have gotten to know her better. Bubba, on the other hand, oh Bubba. Well, Bubba sucks. He's my least favourite character. He's very Barney Stinson - misogynistic womanizer, inexplicably rich and somehow magical. He knows everything, controls everything, and despite his awfulness, everyone accepts and loves him. His only redeeming qualities are his loyalty to Clair and his friendship with Michael. Generally, I find him unrealistic and creepy.

As for the other pov characters, Jessica, Michael, Polly, Sara, and Nick, my favourite ones are Sara and Nick. Sara is feisty and bossy. When I'm reading her chapters, the book is energized and fun. Nick has a nice contemplative simplicity that I find I can like and respect. Jessica is too self-deprecating and despite being down on herself for her flaws, some genuine and others exaggerated, she does nothing to better herself. Polly's chapters just make me sad - she is truly the tragic character in all of this. I just want to hug the girl. Michael's problem is the same problem with Bubba - he's not very realistic. Sure, he's a better person than Bubba, but he's too perfect.

Michael is a quiet genius who is well-loved and a "good person". I think we're all supposed to be in love with him - like half the cast is - but I wasn't. He obsesses over Alice's death, but only sometimes. There are many weeks and months that go by without him working on it just so everything can be solved at graduation instead of at a less plot convenient time. He's also apparently smarter than everyone else (something we're told more than shown) and he even discovers a new comet.

Despite the flaws though, the books are a fun, easy read. They are not scary and there's no real tension until the climax when things actually ramp up quite a bit. If you want something light to read with a bit of a mystery, then pick this one up.

 

 

Thanks for reading! Want to keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter.