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    Limitless: A Novel
    Limitless: A Novel
    Limitless: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Limitless: A Novel

    Written by Alan Glynn

    Narrated by Fred Berman

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Now a major motion picture starring Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro, and Abbie Cornish.

    Alan Glynn's Limitless is a high-concept thriller for this Adderall age, and a haunting meditation on the allure and the curse of human potential.

    A burnout at thirty-five, months behind on his book, low on cash, and something of a loser, Eddie Spinola could use a shot in the arm. One day he randomly runs into Vernon, his ex-wife's brother, and his ex-dealer. Now employed by a shadowy pharmaceutical company, Vernon has something that might help: a new designer drug that stimulates brain function. One pill and Eddie is hooked. His book is finished within days; he learns and synthesizes information at a frightening rate; and he can go a long time without sleep or food. Naturally, he begins to play the stock market. But when Vernon turns up dead, Eddie makes off with the only stash of the drug in existence. Then come the side effects: black-outs, blinding headaches, and violent outbursts he can't seem to remember.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateMar 1, 2011
    ISBN9781427212108
    Author

    Alan Glynn

    ALAN GLYNN is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. His first novel, The Dark Fields, was republished as Limitless and simultaneously released as a film of the same name in March 2011, and was subsequently developed into a TV series by CBS. The winner of the Ireland AM Crime Fiction Award and a finalist for an Edgar Award, Glynn is also the author of Winterland, Bloodland, Graveland, and Paradime. He lives in Ireland.

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    Reviews for Limitless

    3.5/5

    118 ratings10 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      Great story! I saw the film and some episodes a few years back but only vaguely remember them. Enjoyed the concept, book and narration. Highly recommended.
    • 2/5
      I think having seen the movie, made the book less enjoyable, all the key plot points are in the movie; minus all the long drawn out jargon that the author uses. There are some interesting things in the book that didn’t translate in the movie, but its too simlar. In the end the movie is much more enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      You will possibly know this as the Bradley Cooper movie Limitless (if you go searching for the book, look it up under the movie's title - I don't think it's published under the original title any longer). The main character, Eddie Spinola, acquires some medication that makes him insanely smart. He absorbs information and processes it so quickly that he learns new languages in a day and is able to play the stock market like a toy xylophone. Unfortunately, the drug has its downsides as well, as one might imagine. Unexpectedly, this book reminded me of American Psycho quite a bit, especially when Eddie relates his interactions with people who are hanging off his every word. It's not so much that Eddie shares Patrick Bateman's sociopathic tendencies, but they share a similar tone when narrating their day-to-day thoughts and concerns.(While not a sociopath, though, it IS pretty clear that the drugs suppress Eddie's conscience and moral compass - and I'll also add that the author does a great job showing this fact rather than ever telling us about it.)Definitely worth a read, but the movie is probably more fun due to Bradley Cooper's presence.
    • 4/5
      Not as compelling as the movie (retitled LIMITLESS) with Bradley Cooper, but just as disturbing. This scientific thriller starts off slow with the boring life of a mediocre man, but 150 pages later, with the same speed as MDT-48, the plot takes off and roars through the finish. An interesting look at the power of neuropharmacology and how it determines our lives.
    • 4/5
      It's the age old story: something seems to good to be true and it is. Although the story is a well worn one, it's worth reading this novel. Imagine that there is a drug that makes you hyper intelligent, hyper aware and hyper efficient. And then everything goes to shit because there is always a downside. Even though the movie 'Limitless' gave the story a positive spin to appeal to a wider audience, it ironically makes it a better story because at least it's no longer a trope.I might sound a bit down on the novel but in fact I greatly enjoyed it. The pacing is great, the characters are somewhat flat but act and react in entertaining and believable ways. The effects of the drug are described in a way that makes you go: well I know it can't exist but if it did then yeah those would be the effects and side effects.All in all a good book to sink your teeth into.
    • 4/5
      Although I really enjoyed most of the book, I found the ending anticlimactic.
    • 3/5
      The only real difference between this book and Limitless the film is the ending, provided I'm remembering the ending correctly.It's not a bad read about a man who discovers a drug that expands his mind and makes him more successful, but there are serious costs to this success, costs that he has to make a choice about and his choices will cascade on other people.Honestly, reading it was rethreading the book, there was nothing exceptionally extra in the book, the film wasn't exceptional either but it was watchable, nothing I would add to my collection but I also don't regreat watching it.
    • 3/5
      Eddie is a freelance writer, a bit of a slob, with a few regrets. He runs into his ex-brother in law and ends up on a drug that unlocks the full potential of his brain (apparently.) From there everything changes, but like most drugs there are just a few side effects, and they might get him killed.I read this because I'd seen the film and thought it must have made a much better book. It did. The writing is strong and the story is compelling. Unfortunately, since the movie followed the book very closely I already knew what would happen. I don't feel like I can adequately judge the book, except to say that I've recommended it to people who haven't seen the film, and I'll certainly read more by this author.
    • 4/5
      Eddie Spinola gets hooked by his ex-brother-in-law (author's multiple hyphens) into trying a pill which whirls him into a thrilling place we've probably all have thought we would like, mind enhancement. Ah, but then into a slide on the slippery slope of sheer scariness in Glynn's Dark Fields. The ending only alludes to the real villain. A movie directed by Neil Burger is in the works for a 2011 release.
    • 4/5
      This book was brilliant. It had a interesting plot about a drug (MDT-48) that can increase your intelligence. Imagine if you were able learn a language in a day or allow you to see patterns in the stock exchange! Well MDT-48 is the black market drug that can do that and so much more. You follow the life of Eddie who is taking this untested wonder drug which turns his life around. However when Eddie tries to locate other users, so that he can kick his addiction. He discovers a horrifying truth. Some of the users are sick and all the others are now dead!A fantastic book and a addicitive read. I totally enjoyed the book the only let down was the ending which as a read just left me hanging! I'm not sure what type of ending i wanted however after such a great read it felt like a build up to a pityful end!