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urlphantomhive's review against another edition
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Soon was a bit a mixed bag for me.
I really liked the artwork. It sorts of looks great with green and dark colors. And the story, when it started was intriguing as well. Some kind of missions that the main character's mother is about to embark on in a world which has dramatically changed.
Their road trip however, was not what I had imagined. It had a lot of telling rather than showing as they slowly discuss the events that let up to this mission. These events were nothing new, climate change, diseases (probably not a good moment on that account), capitalism - and it felt a bit, same old, same old.
So, great artwork, but I'd expected more from the story.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Soon was a bit a mixed bag for me.
I really liked the artwork. It sorts of looks great with green and dark colors. And the story, when it started was intriguing as well. Some kind of missions that the main character's mother is about to embark on in a world which has dramatically changed.
Their road trip however, was not what I had imagined. It had a lot of telling rather than showing as they slowly discuss the events that let up to this mission. These events were nothing new, climate change, diseases (probably not a good moment on that account), capitalism - and it felt a bit, same old, same old.
So, great artwork, but I'd expected more from the story.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
qaised's review
3.0
Good concept but I think the execution is lacking. In terms of practical readability, the setup of the graphic component is difficult to follow, especially in the beginning. It's visually meandering and not very organized - along with the busyness of some of the panels it can make it very hard to parse information (both textual and visual).
Beyond this practical criticism - the plot itself is a bit mediocre. The actual science fiction bits are fascinating (and reading about that 2040 pandemic in 2021 mid-Corona is really a specific type of feeling) and I love that but the main character is boring at best and unlikeable at worst. And not even unlikable in an interesting way, just in that boring "I hate my mom" type of way that male characters can sometimes be. Also, the whole bit at the end with the random sexual encounter with an ethnically ambiguous Asan girl was genuinely jarring in its outdated and stereotyping vibe compared to the rest of the book.
I wish the protagonist had been interesting, and less boring in his weird little abandonment issues with his mom and his chafing at being "babysat" (even though, as an adult, shouldn't you be over this by now? also, does he want companionship or does he want to be alone? he hates his mom for leaving him but also hates having people breathing down his neck? sir c'mon I wanna read about the nuclear waste being shot into the sun, please try to be at least that interesting).
It sucks because the issues I had with the story mean I'm wary about picking up the 2nd book. The art is amazing and the concept is even MORE amazing but I don't know if the actual story is worth it for me. I would still recommend it if you like science fiction though - I think it's worthwhile if you like the genre.
Beyond this practical criticism - the plot itself is a bit mediocre. The actual science fiction bits are fascinating (and reading about that 2040 pandemic in 2021 mid-Corona is really a specific type of feeling) and I love that but the main character is boring at best and unlikeable at worst. And not even unlikable in an interesting way, just in that boring "I hate my mom" type of way that male characters can sometimes be. Also, the whole bit at the end with the random sexual encounter with an ethnically ambiguous Asan girl was genuinely jarring in its outdated and stereotyping vibe compared to the rest of the book.
I wish the protagonist had been interesting, and less boring in his weird little abandonment issues with his mom and his chafing at being "babysat" (even though, as an adult, shouldn't you be over this by now? also, does he want companionship or does he want to be alone? he hates his mom for leaving him but also hates having people breathing down his neck? sir c'mon I wanna read about the nuclear waste being shot into the sun, please try to be at least that interesting).
It sucks because the issues I had with the story mean I'm wary about picking up the 2nd book. The art is amazing and the concept is even MORE amazing but I don't know if the actual story is worth it for me. I would still recommend it if you like science fiction though - I think it's worthwhile if you like the genre.
a_pilgrim's review against another edition
3.0
Soon is set in the future. The year 2150. Climate change and deadly viruses have destroyed the human world. This is the story of Yuri and his mother Simone. Simone is an astronaut who is preparing for a one-way mission.
Beautiful and unique art – reminds me of the dark pencil sketches. An interesting and engaging storyline. Strong and independent characters.
A good read, indeed – get a peek into our future, if we continue to live the way we currently do – irresponsible and selfish.
parsecs's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
peachani's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and War
Minor: Death and Infertility
_sloth_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
earthheartspages's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 climate change apocalypse, pandemics, world wars and disgusting capitalistic exploitation. This graphic novel shows a dark very strict future of humanity after the climate kollaps.
The art style is unique. Very dark, missing details in faces and fitting the story. My favourite parts are the history of the space race and humanity told as a bedtime story. Very well done and fluently going from historical facts into a fictional future.
The story in between with Simone, Yuri, Andrea and Anh is missing something for me, but is still good in showing the state of humanity and the love for scientific discovery. I am missing some character introduction and development. Yuri is not a particulary likable character, but it fits. He is bitter, childish and reckless. His mother Simone is the one I love and Andrea as well. I would have loved to hear more about them, the state of society and their views. The last story of Yuri and Anh (is that her name) was very rushed and had so much potential if continued, but was sadly not explored more. Simply this story is hard-sci fi and missing the character focus we see in other modern sci-fi.
This novel is dark, serious and should be taken as a warning. As someone who studied environmental sciences I can see the aspects of this that could come true in the next decades and terrifying as well as fascinating to see the consequences played out.
I was gifted a copy by NeTGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The art style is unique. Very dark, missing details in faces and fitting the story. My favourite parts are the history of the space race and humanity told as a bedtime story. Very well done and fluently going from historical facts into a fictional future.
The story in between with Simone, Yuri, Andrea and Anh is missing something for me, but is still good in showing the state of humanity and the love for scientific discovery. I am missing some character introduction and development. Yuri is not a particulary likable character, but it fits. He is bitter, childish and reckless. His mother Simone is the one I love and Andrea as well. I would have loved to hear more about them, the state of society and their views. The last story of Yuri and Anh (is that her name) was very rushed and had so much potential if continued, but was sadly not explored more. Simply this story is hard-sci fi and missing the character focus we see in other modern sci-fi.
This novel is dark, serious and should be taken as a warning. As someone who studied environmental sciences I can see the aspects of this that could come true in the next decades and terrifying as well as fascinating to see the consequences played out.
I was gifted a copy by NeTGalley in exchange for an honest review.
spaemdmt's review
4.0
I received a copy of SOON V1 through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review is based on my opinions and on the version of the SOON V1 received through NetGalley, and does not reflect the opinions of other parties.
**
Sometimes, you just know. You turn the page and you think, yes, I love this. This was my experience with SOON V1: I was intrigued by the cover, I downloaded the copy for review, I got to the first page and knew that I loved this book.
I love how retro and clean and honest the art is. I love the storytelling, I’m fascinated by the dilemma the story presents (and what an absolute kick in the teeth the environmental message is), and the characters are interesting people.
And yet for all of that, I’m not sure I can confidently tell you what SOON V1 is about.
SOON V1 is a heavy read. (Context: my partner thinks I love reading books that make me feel miserable and he's not wrong) The book is set in 2151 and named for the predecessor to a central theme of the story: the launch of SOON 2, a one-way space mission. But SOON V1 isn’t really about that. It’s about Soon’s commander, Simone, and her trip around the world with her son. It’s about her hope for humanity, and her role in inspiring a despairing world. It’s about Yuri’s bitterness and broken relationship with his mother, even as we see flashes of a young Yuri proudly reciting his textbook history knowledge of how humanity destroyed the environment. And it’s Yuri’s coming of age story across their trip together.
It’s a beautiful and ambitious piece, but I found the scale of so much sheer content at once difficult to manage, and I started getting confused by what was happening towards the end of the book. I found the book difficult to re-read in one sitting, and I know I’ll be re-reading it again to try and better understand the message.
The art is beautiful throughout the book. The world is complex and developed, and the relationships in the story come with real problems.
My biggest complaint with SOON V1 is there were some points where Yuri comes across as much more immature than I thought he would be at the start. I assumed Yuri to be a young adult given his profession (and presumably qualifications), but while his naivety comes across clearly, towards the end of the book he crosses the line into behaving like a reckless teenager with little regard to his caretakers: it’s not poor writing, but it was odd and made him much more unlikable and I started to lose interest in his story - I wanted to see more about Simone instead.
SOON V1 is an excellent graphic novel to read if you’re in the mood for something beautiful, serious, complex and confronting. It’s absolutely not something I would recommend if you want some light reading - if so, do yourself a favour and save SOON V1 for a couple of quiet hours to appreciate the story.
**
Sometimes, you just know. You turn the page and you think, yes, I love this. This was my experience with SOON V1: I was intrigued by the cover, I downloaded the copy for review, I got to the first page and knew that I loved this book.
I love how retro and clean and honest the art is. I love the storytelling, I’m fascinated by the dilemma the story presents (and what an absolute kick in the teeth the environmental message is), and the characters are interesting people.
And yet for all of that, I’m not sure I can confidently tell you what SOON V1 is about.
SOON V1 is a heavy read. (Context: my partner thinks I love reading books that make me feel miserable and he's not wrong) The book is set in 2151 and named for the predecessor to a central theme of the story: the launch of SOON 2, a one-way space mission. But SOON V1 isn’t really about that. It’s about Soon’s commander, Simone, and her trip around the world with her son. It’s about her hope for humanity, and her role in inspiring a despairing world. It’s about Yuri’s bitterness and broken relationship with his mother, even as we see flashes of a young Yuri proudly reciting his textbook history knowledge of how humanity destroyed the environment. And it’s Yuri’s coming of age story across their trip together.
It’s a beautiful and ambitious piece, but I found the scale of so much sheer content at once difficult to manage, and I started getting confused by what was happening towards the end of the book. I found the book difficult to re-read in one sitting, and I know I’ll be re-reading it again to try and better understand the message.
The art is beautiful throughout the book. The world is complex and developed, and the relationships in the story come with real problems.
My biggest complaint with SOON V1 is there were some points where Yuri comes across as much more immature than I thought he would be at the start. I assumed Yuri to be a young adult given his profession (and presumably qualifications), but while his naivety comes across clearly, towards the end of the book he crosses the line into behaving like a reckless teenager with little regard to his caretakers: it’s not poor writing, but it was odd and made him much more unlikable and I started to lose interest in his story - I wanted to see more about Simone instead.
SOON V1 is an excellent graphic novel to read if you’re in the mood for something beautiful, serious, complex and confronting. It’s absolutely not something I would recommend if you want some light reading - if so, do yourself a favour and save SOON V1 for a couple of quiet hours to appreciate the story.
padddawan's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0