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whatyoutolkienabout's review
5.0
As always my reviews are always 100% honest and my own opinions. I will try to never fully spoil a plot. This particular copy I was given access to a copy to review as part of a book tour by Henry Roi PR Book Tours. #HenryRoiPR #HenryRoiPRBookTour #TheGreenPanthers #TomVater #BookTour
Wow. That’s the best word I can use to sum this book up. It was certainly a thrill ride and offered a lot more than I expected. This may seem like an aside but anyone who knows me knows that the state of the world, climate and how we are interacting with the environment, particularly animals, are big issues for me. Now I have no chance of ever dreaming to join a group such as the Green Panthers (if they existed) but I can see I enjoyed that this dystopian science fiction thriller gave me the feeling that I was right there in the action with them.
The Green Panthers are a privately sponsored, multi-national underground army on a mission to hold corporate polluters to account. They are Clara Green, Emerald, Chartreuse, Olive, Hunter, Juniper and Forest.
What should be a simple rescue of a snow leopard hunted by British tycoons in Siberia, the Green Panthers stumble onto Project SILEO, a millionaires; plot to abandon an overpopulated, dying planet battered by climate change and pollution. SILEO is a lot more than it seems and the Panthers soon learn of an even greater threat to humanity. From Britain to Thailand and the privately-owned space station Stella blue, the panthers race against time to save the human race from a man only known as a Slow King. Soon riots and unrest take hold all over the world can they stop the Slow King’s apocalyptic ambitions?
This book explores systemic corruption, capitalism, space exploration and climate change as well as the nature of friendship and courage in a future world where everything is for sale.
While this is a dystopian thriller set in a future world it is easy to see a lot of the issues the Green Panthers face are evident right now in the world we live in. It might seem bleak but I feel that Vater and those like him who take these themes and explore them in fiction shed light on how it’s not too late to find the issues and start a change. The Green Panthers is action packed and sometimes dark but thread throughout is the idea of hope. Each of the Panthers hold strong to their beliefs and wanting the best for humanity and ultimately it keeps them going. I honestly could not put this down when I started. Each character was well developed, even ones like the Slow King and while this had a bit more science fiction than I expected (not a bad thing at all) I can honestly say I adored it!
A little bit of spoiler but one of my favourite parts might seem silly but is the start and end following the snow leopard who arguably started it all. It was lovely to see that nature was continuing especially with the cubs. It was just a brilliant way for Vater to drive home just what the Panthers had done and I really would instantly buy a sequel to this and hope we might see it in the future.
If you are looking for an action packed dystopian thriller that deals with environmental issues this is one for you. Even if you are not interested in the environmental side you are still sure to love this. I know I did!
mars243's review
4.0
The Green Panthers is a Dystopian Thriller that explores corruption, capitalism, climate change, and space exploration.
Tom Vater created a very distinct read. Unique in many ways while showcasing the environment and things our future planet could potentially have to deal with.
The characters were very direct and normalized within the scenarios presented. The use of some known names were used to portray different government appointment characters within the story. Which gives the reader a sense of realism and the ability to understand that character.
Although this is not a genre I would normally read, I found it well thought out and very creative. Giving it a 3.5 star.
This book would be great for anyone who is very dedicated to stopping pollution and climate change and for those who like Dystopian Thrillers.
Tom Vater created a very distinct read. Unique in many ways while showcasing the environment and things our future planet could potentially have to deal with.
The characters were very direct and normalized within the scenarios presented. The use of some known names were used to portray different government appointment characters within the story. Which gives the reader a sense of realism and the ability to understand that character.
Although this is not a genre I would normally read, I found it well thought out and very creative. Giving it a 3.5 star.
This book would be great for anyone who is very dedicated to stopping pollution and climate change and for those who like Dystopian Thrillers.
sreddous's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.5
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
This is a complex thriller that tackles a lot of legitimately-realistic, threatening topics. The pacing is overall really easy to follow and well-balanced -- there's good action and tension here. I definitely “smelled danger at all times” which made things exciting.
Honestly, what I think needs some tweaking in this book to support the scary plot points and action scenes is the dialogue. There are a lot of lines of dialogue about complicated topics that are passed off as quirky banter and not actually explored. I got uncomfortable from the way that the characters seemed to comment on and tease each other and others about size/fatness, race, and gender. I think a lot of this was supposed to be humor but it didn’t work for me. If some of the “You don’t have any kids, Hunter.” “There’s always time, darling...” “You need your head examined. You’re beyond heterosexual. A threat to all women!” kinds of lines were cut and the team acted more professionally, it’d be more interesting.
I think ‘having banter’ often feels like a higher priority even than making sure that things make sense or are factual in the first place, which kept taking me out of the experience. Here’s a not-spoilery example near the middle of the book: there’s a scene where a guy is singing Britney Spears’s song, “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman” to a younger teammate. Another character comments, “She’s never heard that song…she’s not American. Not everyone is.” Which is…silly. That song was on tons of international top-40 lists, c'moooon.
But aside from that, this was an engaging read with nice descriptions of the diverse landscapes and a believable overall threat. Overall, this book tackles a lot of topics that definitely need to be tackled these days even in fiction, and the action and tension is well-built-up-to.
This is a complex thriller that tackles a lot of legitimately-realistic, threatening topics. The pacing is overall really easy to follow and well-balanced -- there's good action and tension here. I definitely “smelled danger at all times” which made things exciting.
Honestly, what I think needs some tweaking in this book to support the scary plot points and action scenes is the dialogue. There are a lot of lines of dialogue about complicated topics that are passed off as quirky banter and not actually explored. I got uncomfortable from the way that the characters seemed to comment on and tease each other and others about size/fatness, race, and gender. I think a lot of this was supposed to be humor but it didn’t work for me. If some of the “You don’t have any kids, Hunter.” “There’s always time, darling...” “You need your head examined. You’re beyond heterosexual. A threat to all women!” kinds of lines were cut and the team acted more professionally, it’d be more interesting.
I think ‘having banter’ often feels like a higher priority even than making sure that things make sense or are factual in the first place, which kept taking me out of the experience. Here’s a not-spoilery example near the middle of the book: there’s a scene where a guy is singing Britney Spears’s song, “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman” to a younger teammate. Another character comments, “She’s never heard that song…she’s not American. Not everyone is.” Which is…silly. That song was on tons of international top-40 lists, c'moooon.
But aside from that, this was an engaging read with nice descriptions of the diverse landscapes and a believable overall threat. Overall, this book tackles a lot of topics that definitely need to be tackled these days even in fiction, and the action and tension is well-built-up-to.
tifflesy's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I received an invite to review a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
How far would you go to be one of the last humans on earth? The novel The Green Panthers tries to show exactly what could befall our world should those with excess money and power attempt to quash the "little man" in the year 2029.
The story starts out quite promising with The Green Panthers, a team of random people with various skills all named after shades of green, trying to save an endangered species. However, they stumble upon something much greater that has the implications of a much more dire, nefarious plot at hand. At this point, the story starts to become more fantastical to the point of unbelievability which is unfortunate (for me). The premise of Vater's novel is an amazing one and had it not had so many bizarre elements (especially one starting with the letter "E" but I don't want to spoil the story) then I would have been able to give a solid 4.5 stars. With that being said, if you're up for an outlandish Captain Planet-type of novel, then this is the story for you.
How far would you go to be one of the last humans on earth? The novel The Green Panthers tries to show exactly what could befall our world should those with excess money and power attempt to quash the "little man" in the year 2029.
The story starts out quite promising with The Green Panthers, a team of random people with various skills all named after shades of green, trying to save an endangered species. However, they stumble upon something much greater that has the implications of a much more dire, nefarious plot at hand. At this point, the story starts to become more fantastical to the point of unbelievability which is unfortunate (for me). The premise of Vater's novel is an amazing one and had it not had so many bizarre elements (especially one starting with the letter "E" but I don't want to spoil the story) then I would have been able to give a solid 4.5 stars. With that being said, if you're up for an outlandish Captain Planet-type of novel, then this is the story for you.
trishacole's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
There’s a phenomenal connection with the Panthers because it begs more questions, How did they meet, How can they live all over the world and trust each other with tasks of this magnitude. The girl and her ability to connect to big cats in the beginning totally got me, and I stayed along for the rest of the ride and got to know some wacky and dangerous characters. Glad I did.
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