God's Junk Drawer
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 as thrilling as it is funny and heartfelt.
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Community Reviews
The concept alone is wild in the best way—time, space, dinosaurs, aliens, Neanderthals, and androids all colliding into one strange, impossible “Valley” that somehow works as a setting. I went in not really knowing what to expect, and the twists genuinely caught me off guard in a way I didn’t see coming.
The premise builds around the disappearance of the Gather family and the return of Billy years later with an unbelievable story that no one takes seriously—until everything starts to connect in ways that spiral far beyond anything grounded or normal. That sense of escalation is part of what makes it so fun.
By the time we reach Noah (formerly Billy Gather) and the group of grad students, the book fully commits to its chaotic, layered world-building. The mix of science, mystery, and absurdity is balanced with just enough humor and heart to keep it from feeling overwhelming. It is not overrun with a gratuidouse amount of referances that need to be spelled out, if you get the joke, you get it, and if not the narative moves on.
I will say.... A common problem I have is that I wanted just a bit more closure at the end. A chapter or two but even with that, I was completely along for the ride.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable, fast-moving, and inventive read.
And honestly? …hahahaha WUT?!
The premise builds around the disappearance of the Gather family and the return of Billy years later with an unbelievable story that no one takes seriously—until everything starts to connect in ways that spiral far beyond anything grounded or normal. That sense of escalation is part of what makes it so fun.
By the time we reach Noah (formerly Billy Gather) and the group of grad students, the book fully commits to its chaotic, layered world-building. The mix of science, mystery, and absurdity is balanced with just enough humor and heart to keep it from feeling overwhelming. It is not overrun with a gratuidouse amount of referances that need to be spelled out, if you get the joke, you get it, and if not the narative moves on.
I will say.... A common problem I have is that I wanted just a bit more closure at the end. A chapter or two but even with that, I was completely along for the ride.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable, fast-moving, and inventive read.
And honestly? …hahahaha WUT?!
