God's Junk Drawer by Peter Clines - Book Review

From the publisher: From New York Times bestselling author Peter Clines, God’s Junk Drawer is a mind-bending tale of mystery and adventure set at the dawn of time.  

Welcome to the valley… 

Forty years ago, the Gather family—James, his daughter Beau, and his son Billy—vanished during a whitewater rafting trip and were presumed dead. 

Five years later, Billy reappeared on the far side of the world, telling an impossible tale of a primordial valley populated by dinosaurs, aliens, Neanderthals, and androids. Little Billy became the punchline of so very many jokes, until he finally faded from the public eye. 

Now, a group of graduate astronomy students follow their professor, Noah Barnes, up a mountain for what they believe is a simple stargazing trip. But they’re about to travel a lot farther than they planned… 

Noah—the now grown Billy Gather—has finally figured out how to get back to the valley. Accidentally bringing his students along with him, he’s confident he can get everyone back home, safe and sound. 

But the valley is a puzzle—one it turns out Noah hasn’t figured out—and they’ll need to solve it together if there’s any chance of making it out alive.  

Pulling from Earth’s past, future, and beyond, Peter Clines has created a complex, dangerous world, navigated by a dynamic ensemble cast, and a story that is thrilling as it is funny and heartfelt. 

Over the years, I've read nearly all of Peter Clines's books and have enjoyed them. They are usually fast-paced, sort of pop culture connected, and engaging. When I heard that God's Junk Drawer was available, I made sure I picked it up. Once again, I wasn't disappointed.

Quick aside: As a kid, I watched a lot of TV. Saturday mornings were a wonderland of kids shows. However, one in particular used to put me on edge - Land of the Lost. Short summary: Holly, Will, and their dad were rafting when they went over a waterfall and ended up in a weird prehistoric yet slightly futuristic land. There were dinosaurs, neanderthals, weird crystals, and the Sleestaks (scary human lizard hybrids of some sort). In every episode, the family was trying to find a way home and they would always have a run-in with the Sleestaks, who terrified me.

If this sounds familiar to the description of God's Junk Drawer, it's because Clines used this as a jumping off point for his book. What would happen if one of the kids, in this case Billy, escaped but later found a way to return as an adult? And what if the "Valley" wasn't like he remembered? And what if there was more to it than just being a prehistoric place?

I can't go into too much detail because there are quite a few twists or reveals that I don't want to spoil. Suffice it to say that Clines wrote another fun and engaging story that plays with your expectations. The characters (chapters change viewpoints so you get to know multiple characters) are rounded enough but not too deep. The plot moves along steadily with no cheats in the twists. Everything makes sense and their are clues provided to the reader.

I really enjoyed God's Junk Drawer by Peter Clines. It was a fun, quick read that satisfied questions I didn't even know that I had about Land of the Lost. I would highly recommend it to those who enjoyed Clines's previous books, fans of the old TV show, and anyone looking for a good sci-fi read.

I received a preview copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.