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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An advanced alien race invades and forces humanity to Antarctica. There, humans genetically engineer beings better suited to the cold.
There's plenty of fun to be had in that space, and Smith has fun with the biology. But the hasty plotting and easy romantic tropes aren't my bag.
There's plenty of fun to be had in that space, and Smith has fun with the biology. But the hasty plotting and easy romantic tropes aren't my bag.
Aliens give humanity 30 days to move to Antarctica - then vapourise everyone else. The survivors learn how to survive and then work to evolve an augmented human that will cope in the cold.
The book then explores the relationship of this new species with the original survivors.
A bleak novel. We never know why the aliens came, or what happened after the exodus - or why they didn't just kill everyone. This inconsistency detracted from the story for me.
The book then explores the relationship of this new species with the original survivors.
A bleak novel. We never know why the aliens came, or what happened after the exodus - or why they didn't just kill everyone. This inconsistency detracted from the story for me.
'Maybe they can build a home. But it will not be a home for you.'
My feelings for this book are heavily mixed.
On one hand - the premise in intriguing; its prose is smooth and captivating; the characters likeable.
On the other hand... no explanation of the invasion beyond the fact that it was needed for the book to take place; no new insigth on the diatribe of what an outsider is, or on the everlasting fight between good and bad, on the challenge of belonging, on the prospect of extinction.
I couldn't put this book down and I enjoyed reading it, but I wouldn't be able to pinpoint why exactly. It tickles your curiousity, but somehow fails to fulfill it.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
"He was vain, she thought, and she recoiled from his beauty, which to her eye was a marvel of biological engineering and a manifestation of his innate sense of superiority, an absolute certainty that he'd been born to rule, which he intended to do with the ruthlessness of someone who considers their cruelty to be rational rather than despicable."
"You need someone for the winter. Love is the same as food and warmth."
"You need someone for the winter. Love is the same as food and warmth."
"He was vain, she thought, and she recoiled from his beauty, which to her eye was a marvel of biological engineering and a manifestation of his innate sense of superiority, an absolute certainty that he'd been born to rule, which he intended to do with the ruthlessness of someone who considers their cruelty to be rational rather than despicable."
"You need someone for the winter. Love is the same as food and warmth."
"You need someone for the winter. Love is the same as food and warmth."
I read this during a snow storm and became aware once again that in case of dystopic world disaster, I’m peacing out. I don’t have the energy for survival skills. The logistics of how humanity survives in this novel are so impossible that I wasn’t sure at first I would be able to read it. Once I turned off my rational brain, I was swept up in the twists and turns of the story and couldn’t put the book down. In addition to a page-turning plot, there are many thought-provoking passages and ideas about what it means to be human and about what is necessary for a human society to remain truly human. Well-written, entertaining, and engaging as long as you are able to suspend disbelief about the impossible logistics of the Antarctic migration.
3.5 stars
A pretty easy read with an interesting premise. It unfolds like a movie, so there was perhaps not quite as much character development as I usually prefer, but the story was engaging.
The whole notion of genetic engineering of people adapted to living in Antarctica isn’t even mentioned in the book summary, but that is the major element of the entire story. It’s much more about that than about the everyday survival of a displaced population.
A pretty easy read with an interesting premise. It unfolds like a movie, so there was perhaps not quite as much character development as I usually prefer, but the story was engaging.
The whole notion of genetic engineering of people adapted to living in Antarctica isn’t even mentioned in the book summary, but that is the major element of the entire story. It’s much more about that than about the everyday survival of a displaced population.