This is another celebrity stalker story; however, the celebrity in this story is an author.
The stalker poses as her Lyft driver and Eli Grey has no idea she is about to be driven to her own made up hell.

The stalker thinks he is the author and he created created her as the character in her book. Totally wild.

Fast paced and a spin on a classic thriller stalker book. ( )

I liked the main plot line of the story, Eli’s abduction by a crazed fan. It sort of felt like a mash up of Stephen King’s “Misery” and “The Collector” by John Fowles, both of which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, the back story of both characters in this book were filled with things that didn’t interest me - a Harry Potter-esque book series, cosplay, and fan fiction. And lots of fantasy/sci-fi. Not my cup of tea. But Eli, the main character, is a super strong character, and her fighting spirit really kept the story moving! ( )

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Number One Fan by Meg Elison follows a successful fantasy writer who has been kidnapped by one of her most rabid fans. Ms. Elison is an award-winning writer, specializing in the science-fiction/fantasy genre.

Eli Grey, an author of a successful franchise that branched out into movies, enters a rideshare she believes basically came to pick her up. When she wakes up Eli is bounded, and soon tortured by a “fan”.

The fan, a delusional failed author, believes Eli is her main character, as well as being the rightful heir to the franchise. Eli, a reclusive woman, realizes that, surely, almost no one will know she’s missing.

The scariest part of Number One Fan by Meg Elison, is how plausible the story is. Not only with the kidnapping, and treatment of women, but also how some men will get away with it in court. Not to mention how the antagonist justifies his actions to himself.

Ms. Elison wrote about life that all of us who have ever been part of a fandom recognize. The conventions that are very often a delight, a place to meet like-minded friends. However, they can hide the dark side of delusional others who live in their own worlds.
To be fair, those are far and few in between, and I have never met any that I know of. I, however, have never been to a convention of authors, only to comic conventions and I stopped going many years ago.

Eli Grey, the protagonist author, lives in our modern world. She’s a lonely woman who doesn’t think she’s lonely and uses social media and email to live her digital life. Her captor fools almost the whole world by taking control of her accounts. Not a big accomplishment in a world filled with disinformation, even us savvy folks get fooled.

Another interesting aspect of the book was the author’s commentary about the industry, as well as its fans. The way celebrity writers stick together, and how difficult it is to break into that club. It was a fascinating view, looking both from the inside out, and outside in.

I certainly enjoyed reading this book very much. The story has many aspects, a fascinating look at worlds that co-exist with me, but which I’ll never be a part of (hopefully). The narrative is tight, the characters are all believable, as well as fascinating, and the story is easy to keep track of. ( )

Number One Fan by Meg Elison is a recommended horror thriller in a similar vein to Stephen King's Misery.

Novelist Eli (Elizabeth) Grey, a writer, gets into a ride share or uber at the airport and immediately assumes the drinks the driver offers are all okay. They aren't. She is drugged and wakes up chained to a bed in a strange man's basement. It is clear that her abduction was planned. He possessions from her hotel room have been taken to the house. Her captor is an unhinged fan who has a plan and list of rules she must follow. Her survival depends upon her assistant noticing that something is wrong and notifying the authorities.

The treatment Eli receives is a little too physically brutal and graphic while trying to show the level of derangement that Eli's captor is experiencing. A more nuanced, psychological approach would have served the novel better. However, if a visceral, physical element to the abduction was the point, then it was reached. While I appreciated Eli's clever, astute insight into the unthinkable situation she has found herself in, I also didn't particularly enjoy the graphic nature of the narrative.

While Eli is an interesting character, the actual writing isn't quite up to the task of following her narrative in an engaging, inclusive way, beyond the violence. Having never been to a convention, the whole culture of fans at such a gathering went right over my head. I have authors I enjoy immensely, but while I might go to hear them speak, that would be the limit to my adoration. Reading and writing are both rather private experiences and I am good with keep it that way. In the end, this is an uneven novel. It is an entertaining, horrifying novel, but the writing wanders a bit afield and the ending is unsatisfying.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA Books.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/08/number-one-fan.html ( )