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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I was dubious about this book at first. The audiobook had a narrator that was robotic, and of course the reader adopted that persona as well (it would be wrong not to), but it made for some tedious driving at the beginning. I won't say the narrator grew on me, but I guess I got used to him. Everyone was Jason Bourne though.
I almost loved this book. SO I am giving it a really really liked it. I did listen to the audiobook version. The voice actor is a little bit mellower but it really fits the cotard feel. I thought the book was thoughtful and engaging. It was really introspective, and an interesting take on a big brother future. At the same time this had plenty of action and adventure. I thought it had a really nice balance to the book. Lastly, I loved the big reveal, I didn't see it coming and normally I am very good and reading between the lines and seeing all the hints to guess the mystery. Overall I dig this book.
I read John Twelve Hawks "Traveller" series a few years ago and greatly enjoyed it. This book is way less paranoid and less concerned about making a statement about the technological overload and corruption of power in our society [although there are still elements of that in the story]. Spark is more of a straight up action thriller about an assassin who thinks he's dead & yet gets drawn into an assignment that might make him do something he hasn't done in a long time: feel. Like Hawks' other books, this is really fast-paced but I wasn't swept into the world like I was for the Traveller books--it is lacking the rampant techno-paranoia of those books and to be honest, I'm not really into mainstream thrillers.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very optimistic about this story for the first several chapters. I enjoy protagonists who are neuro-atypical. Sadly the author didn't hold the course. Admittedly, it would have been enormously difficult to portray a child-killer as sympathetic. I would have preferred to see Jacob evolve a universal morality that transcended human connections... rather than just seeing his "shell" start acting on its own, presumably implying some nascent nerve regrowth.
Also, I had hoped Jacob's theory-of-mind would have lead to something greater. It might have been the catalyst for true human-level A.I. - Oh well, lost opportunities.
Also, I had hoped Jacob's theory-of-mind would have lead to something greater. It might have been the catalyst for true human-level A.I. - Oh well, lost opportunities.
A little dystopian... a thriller... but the main character? Oh my! Clever
All these books that have the same date for the summer of ‘22 are because I was locked out of Goodreads and didn’t note the day I read the books.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nowhere near as amazing as The Traveller, which is a brilliant book. Liked reading a book set where the Eye etc is fully established, and the addition of cotards syndrome to make the perfect assisn is clever, but makes the character incredibly dull. Slightly predictable events happen throughout the plot, and doesn't have the intrigue or tension of the Traveller books.
I just personally didn’t connect with the novel and I think the issue for me was the main character. I know he is supposed to lack basic human emotions and feelings due to his syndrome but the way he is portrayed just makes me not really care about him or what happens to him. I wanted to like this book but I really had to force myself to finish it - took me 7 months to finally be able to check it off my list. The only thing that kept me from moving on is that I don’t like leaving books unfinished.
I do want to acknowledge how well this book was written though, there certainly are some parts that piqued my interest and kept me going, and I can understand why a lot of people would enjoy it.
I do want to acknowledge how well this book was written though, there certainly are some parts that piqued my interest and kept me going, and I can understand why a lot of people would enjoy it.