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floorse's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have hated few protagonists as much as I hate John Custance. Some fun elements of unreliable narration/masked motivations right up until the end. The characters are thoroughly unlikable but that's sort of the point.
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Rape and Domestic abuse
lief_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Violence, War, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cannibalism
megyeager's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book was definitely a product of it's time concerning the treatment of women but was also prescient when considering the focus on a crop virus. I am not generally a fan of darker books, I prefer hopeful endings and this ending left me feeling a bit sad about the turns that humanity might take in the future. That being said, the author did a great job with the character development of John as he took on a leadership position in his group. Overall, I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Graphic: Murder, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
skittledog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A similar apocalyptic vibe to other 1950s UK books I've read (e.g. John Wyndham), but with a more realistic/hard-science apocalypse that is due to a grass plague emerging in, er, China. Plays with similar themes of personal responsibility vs global morality, and the loss of humanity which may or may not be acceptable for survival. Some of the underpinning themes are a bit less well thought through, though - the author wants to make points about xenophobia and sexism, I feel, but didn't quite actually get round to making them because his own viewpoint was clearly still a little mired in them itself. But an interesting read, and a very small personal version of what surviving the first few days/weeks of societal collapse might actually look like.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Misogyny, and Genocide
Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, Cursing, and Infidelity
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