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noragrace89's review against another edition
Dnf at 50%
The main actress in the audiobook ruined the whole thing, I can’t listen to another whiny word
The main actress in the audiobook ruined the whole thing, I can’t listen to another whiny word
rereader33's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, this was incredible. Incredibly difficult to read but incredibly rewarding.
I someone were to ask me to summarize this novel, I would say, "humans are stupid, they've always been stupid, and they will continue to be stupid because that's how we've evolved".
No joke, the sheer amount of stupidity and denial on showcase as this tragedy unfolds is horrifying but completely realistic. But it's because humans have become so coddled and entitled that they think they can keep taking and doing whatever they please, and when nature bitch slaps them back to reality, only THEN do they think to act. And by that point, it's often too late.
The characters living at Greenloop may seem perfectly casted for this story, but despite how unrealistic it may seem that you vegans, an arrogant intellectual, and a literal war survivor, each is integral to pushing Brooks's agenda. That being humans who've never encountered a serious threat (like most of the village) are dismissive or even condescending towards one who has (Mostar) and won't listen to them if they suggest fighting back against a natural predator. They think, "oh! She's just being dramatic because of her past, the animals won't harm us if we don't harm them," when ordinarily that'd be the case, but after a natural disaster nature isn't going to place nice or spare other's feelings. It's hard to say what the root cause of this thinking is and the novel doesn't completely discuss it, but it's dangerous thinking regardless.
It may seem like this book and I are shitting on humans and their incompetence, and yes we are, but it's because like so many other novels this is a wake up call. Humans have become so coddled by technology, but technology is only moving to enhance comfort at the expense of security. Greenloop was supposed to be the ultimate yuppie, privileged, upper class dream: becoming one with nature! Technology pushing the green agenda! Limited food to reduce waste! Yoga and meditation to reduce stress! Life away from the hostile, chemical-ridden cities! Well, that's all well and good, but what happens if, say, a volcano erupts that pushes animals away from their natural food chain, leading them to a village of pampered adults with nothing protecting them? Oh, and what if Sasquatch were real and preyed on them after losing their food supply? What you get is a massacre that could have been easily avoided of the creator of Greenloop had entertained the thought that there could be danger present in the wild. Because, you know, nature is SO peaceful and SO harmonious *rolls eyes*.
These are probably the same people who you'd see in the news having been mauled by a lion at the zoo because they fell in after leaning too far over the barrier to get a fucking picture. Dipshits.
I could go on about how this book perfectly tackles human incompetence in the face of danger, especially with nature, but this would be a fucking essay and I don't have time to write that much. Suffice to say, this was a well-thought out, well-written novel that pits humans against nature in a realistic and disturbing way.
I someone were to ask me to summarize this novel, I would say, "humans are stupid, they've always been stupid, and they will continue to be stupid because that's how we've evolved".
No joke, the sheer amount of stupidity and denial on showcase as this tragedy unfolds is horrifying but completely realistic. But it's because humans have become so coddled and entitled that they think they can keep taking and doing whatever they please, and when nature bitch slaps them back to reality, only THEN do they think to act. And by that point, it's often too late.
The characters living at Greenloop may seem perfectly casted for this story, but despite how unrealistic it may seem that you vegans, an arrogant intellectual, and a literal war survivor, each is integral to pushing Brooks's agenda. That being humans who've never encountered a serious threat (like most of the village) are dismissive or even condescending towards one who has (Mostar) and won't listen to them if they suggest fighting back against a natural predator. They think, "oh! She's just being dramatic because of her past, the animals won't harm us if we don't harm them," when ordinarily that'd be the case, but after a natural disaster nature isn't going to place nice or spare other's feelings. It's hard to say what the root cause of this thinking is and the novel doesn't completely discuss it, but it's dangerous thinking regardless.
It may seem like this book and I are shitting on humans and their incompetence, and yes we are, but it's because like so many other novels this is a wake up call. Humans have become so coddled by technology, but technology is only moving to enhance comfort at the expense of security. Greenloop was supposed to be the ultimate yuppie, privileged, upper class dream: becoming one with nature! Technology pushing the green agenda! Limited food to reduce waste! Yoga and meditation to reduce stress! Life away from the hostile, chemical-ridden cities! Well, that's all well and good, but what happens if, say, a volcano erupts that pushes animals away from their natural food chain, leading them to a village of pampered adults with nothing protecting them? Oh, and what if Sasquatch were real and preyed on them after losing their food supply? What you get is a massacre that could have been easily avoided of the creator of Greenloop had entertained the thought that there could be danger present in the wild. Because, you know, nature is SO peaceful and SO harmonious *rolls eyes*.
These are probably the same people who you'd see in the news having been mauled by a lion at the zoo because they fell in after leaning too far over the barrier to get a fucking picture. Dipshits.
I could go on about how this book perfectly tackles human incompetence in the face of danger, especially with nature, but this would be a fucking essay and I don't have time to write that much. Suffice to say, this was a well-thought out, well-written novel that pits humans against nature in a realistic and disturbing way.
the_wanlorn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy shit this was so good I devoured it. I haven't devoured a book in years. Amazing. Loved it. Perfection.
mairead_parade's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Didn’t grab me as much as WWZ and I struggled with suspension of disbelief for the journal premise (how/when is she writing this in such detail) but Brooks remains very good at world building.
kayay's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
nikkijazzie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chelseatm's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I loved this book. It's well researched and exciting. I loved how the author paired the fiction and non-fiction and created a real viseril sense of reality. If you liked the style of World War Z, I'd highly recommend this one. Love it!
linnaboobooks's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first survival horror novel, and I love it more than I expected to. Before Friday, I never had any interest in this. Bigfoot or any of that kind of "maybe they exist" beings have captured my attention but after hearing a Booktuber (Oliviareadsalatte) talk about enjoying it, I put a hold on the audiobook right away.
I love the audiobook's format of multiple narrators; I love the diary entries, the little quotes, the interviews, and the "present" timeline of the interviewer behind the book.
I love the audiobook's format of multiple narrators; I love the diary entries, the little quotes, the interviews, and the "present" timeline of the interviewer behind the book.
dembury's review against another edition
1.0
Well that was disappointing. I was really excited about the prospect of a Bigfoot horror/survival story, but "Devolution" didn't deliver. Half of this book is Brooks preaching about people's lack of survival skills, reliance on electronics, lack of natural disaster preparedness, and a whole host of other topics, and it's funny because I actually agree with him on many on these points, but the incessant harping about all these things got SO TEDIOUS. I probably sound like one of the people Brooks was narrating against, but it got to the moment where all I was thinking was, "Can we PLEASE just stop being serious and get back to the story?! " Yeah, he made some great points, but in doing so he sacrificed a lot of plot development.
The other half of the story is predictable and substitutes blood and gore in place of real terror. Sure, I had a chill here and there, but it was the same chill you get from watching a C-list horror movie knowing from the increasingly spooky music that some dude in a mask is about to jump out of a closet. Also, there was nothing new offered to the Bigfoot legend, or even anything that was new, period. It was, again, like a subpar movie, although now it's one of those survival ones where a wizened old scientist quips, "Humans took over Mother Nature...now Mother Nature is taking back what belongs to her!" I could have only read the first and last chapters of this book and then told you with 90% accuracy what happens, who dies, and what the climax of the book looks like. I went into this book prepared to enjoy every second of the Bigfoot-ness, but even as I was trying to force myself to like it I just couldn't: as the story went on it just devolved (lol) into a hot mess of predictable tropes and plot points, unlikeable characters, and dry dialogue.
There are other numerous little things I don't think were well done (the main character, Katie, is annoying as HELL; the Bigfoot for some reason speak a vaguely defined "American folk language" that SOMEHOW another character speaks, too; a bunch of really unnecessary footnotes) but I'm just leaving it here.
Can someone PLEASE write some good cryptid novels?! Cause this ain't it.
TL;DR "Devolution" is basically just the "Jurassic Park" movie but with Bigfoot. Spielberg=1, Brooks=0.
The other half of the story is predictable and substitutes blood and gore in place of real terror. Sure, I had a chill here and there, but it was the same chill you get from watching a C-list horror movie knowing from the increasingly spooky music that some dude in a mask is about to jump out of a closet. Also, there was nothing new offered to the Bigfoot legend, or even anything that was new, period. It was, again, like a subpar movie, although now it's one of those survival ones where a wizened old scientist quips, "Humans took over Mother Nature...now Mother Nature is taking back what belongs to her!" I could have only read the first and last chapters of this book and then told you with 90% accuracy what happens, who dies, and what the climax of the book looks like. I went into this book prepared to enjoy every second of the Bigfoot-ness, but even as I was trying to force myself to like it I just couldn't: as the story went on it just devolved (lol) into a hot mess of predictable tropes and plot points, unlikeable characters, and dry dialogue.
There are other numerous little things I don't think were well done (the main character, Katie, is annoying as HELL; the Bigfoot for some reason speak a vaguely defined "American folk language" that SOMEHOW another character speaks, too; a bunch of really unnecessary footnotes) but I'm just leaving it here.
Can someone PLEASE write some good cryptid novels?! Cause this ain't it.
TL;DR "Devolution" is basically just the "Jurassic Park" movie but with Bigfoot. Spielberg=1, Brooks=0.