Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Worm by J.C. McCrae, Wildbow

8 reviews

gabe_reads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I actually cannot comprehend how much work went into this. It's such a massive series, and it was amazing. The superpowers were brilliant. Incredibly creative and diverse, not just with what powers people have, but how they use their powers. Taylor, with her power to control bugs, which I originally thought would be quite a dull power set. She uses them in such creative ways, with the development of her skills feeling realistic and earned. I also like that her power level felt pretty believable throughout the series. She isn't always just strong enough to face the current threat. She has to come up with creative solutions but also grapple with her own weakness when going up against foes who are essentially forces of nature.

Things I loved were the world building, the richness and deepness of the powers and how the world works. The writing was pretty simple but made it very easy to burn through. I enjoyed the characters, and the dynamics between them. When they're dealing with the more minor, interpersonal issues were my favourite sections. Though I also thought the handling of big bad apocalypse-level characters was done well. The pacing was fast which I enjoyed, though with room to breathe, and the raising of stakes was done well.

I also really enjoyed the interludes from others perspectives. They were great world building and character work. My favourite was from Jessica the therapist. Though Lisa, Coil, Dragon, Legend, Director Piggot and Kevin Norton were great. Dragon was one of my favourite characters all round.

I did think that the final third was a lot weaker than the first two. For details see the points 4 and 5 below. I think the contexts changing and scale expanding meant the personal stories got lost at times. I also thought that the backstory didn't necessarily need to go as deep or far as it did in the end. I think if Wildbow ever goes back to edit it then I'd hope he'd cut a lot of it down, and I think the book would be better off for it. Though I do actually think things improve towards the end! I also think that ending a project this big was always going to be a nigh-impossible task.

When I was reading this I mentally split it up into several parts, or "books". I'm going to talk about my thoughts on each one. These sections will have SPOILERS for each one.

1. Book 1: Arc 1-8.
   Enjoy the dynamic with the rest of the group. Leviathan attack is excellent. Something that completely shatters the old world order, that had been holding everything together.
2. Book 2: Arc 9-15.1.
   Slaughterhouse Nine are such cool characters. They have such an interesting set of powers, and I really enjoyed their recruitment process. It was also interesting having human villains. I also enjoyed Taylor's character development. Her managing her territory. The actual effects of her poor social skills and increasing recklessness. I also thought the power developments were really interesting.
3. Book 3: 15.2-19.
   I enjoyed how the stuff with Coil just kept getting worse and worse. And I thought they dealt with him in a satisfying way, though I wish that the reversal had been hinted at more. Noelle was a really cool threat. She felt like a bigger deal than Leviathan because they were closer to her. I did find some of the flashbacks slightly annoying.
4. Book 4: 20-25.
   This was my least favourite. I found the entire second half of this quite dull. The process of Skitter becoming Weaver was pretty interesting and cool. But I just didn't enjoy her as a hero. I felt like the issues she was dealing with, the institutional demands of the PRT, were pretty boring. And didn't find the new characters and groups very compelling.
5. Book 5: 26-End.
   The first half of this, them chasing the Nine, was also pretty boring. I thought that the fights with the Nine were a bit of a grind, just the same thing again and again. And I didn't care about Golem. I do actually think it got better towards the end. I think they handled the end of the world well. I like how tiny and inconsequential she was (though this did get slightly grating). And I thought the final battle was done well! But I really didn't enjoy the final final epilogue, would have been better if it just hadn't happened I think.

I would give this 5 stars because it is just incredible, and it was the funnest thing I've read in a long time. I was absolutely obsessed with it. And I have so much respect for the huge amount of work that went into this. However, I just can't justify giving something that I spent over 500 pages not enjoying 5 stars! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Grief, Mental illness, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror

Moderate: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, Animal death, and Kidnapping

Minor: Racism, Rape, Cursing, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Slavery, and Car accident

The book just has so much in it, and it's about supervillains, so it covers a lot of bad stuff.

mkaiww's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Gore, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual violence, Stalking, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Bullying, Body horror, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Outing, War, Car accident, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Sexism, Violence, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Child death, Gun violence, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Terminal illness, Classism, Self harm, Blood, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Torture

theaceofpages'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Oh man, if you decide to do this you are in for an interesting ride! But please do be careful if you are the kind of person who needs content warnings - this has pretty much everything (I think gave up trying to keep track in any kind of detailed way by around 10% in and given how long this is, I've probably left a few out). Set in a world with superpowers, this story explores good people doing bad things, bad people doing good things, people doing good things for the wrong reasons, people doing bad things for right reasons and everything in between. We follow Taylor, a bullied teenager with powers who goes out in costume to escape her civilian life, only to find herself quickly caught up in the dark underbelly of her home town. We get to see outside of Taylor's head in interlude chapters, which give us an insight into the wider parahuman world.

This was a reread for me. I got a strong urge to reread this a little while back and since that feeling didn't want to go away, I decided to dive back into Brockton Bay. Nearly two months later and here we are! I love the world that J.C. McCrae/Wildbow created and how complex the characters are.  I love how creative he gets with all the powers and explores their potentials beyond the obvious, surface level applications, particularly as the world breaks more and more and needs increasingly drastic solutions to fix all the new problems that are constantly arising. This may be a long work, but he builds everything up masterfully through the thousands of pages. Are there parts that maybe drag a bit more or feel rushed? Yes. But I think that is also think that's because of how it was originally shared. Does this take away from the enjoyment? No, not really although some parts are less interesting and may need a bit of a push to get through. 

This was a reread and I found it interesting as to how my attitudes towards some of the characters changed from the first time around.

I liked Lisa a whole lot less. While she's good to those she cares about, she's manipulative and borderline emotionally abusive. I didn't enjoy the shopping scene towards the start. While I do appreciate her trying to build Taylor's confidence, I wasn't a big fan of how forceful she was about this. I don't know how intentional it is, but I see a lot of parallels between her and Taylor's bullies. I wasn't a big fan of Reagent last time and disliked him even more this time around. I understand why he is how he is - his backstory is harrowing - but that doesn't mean he's good (although he is a good character, even if he's a bad person). On the other hand, I liked Rachel a whole lot more. I don't know how much of that is me experiencing more frustrating people and relating to her more than last time. That's not to say that she's a traditionally good person of course, but there is something warm deep inside, even though she hides it from all the "stupid people" around her.

This was such a fun (and yet not fun given some of the themes) read. If you are planning on reading it, it is worth remembering that this is largely a first draft. Don't get me wrong, the chapters have clearly been edited (there are no glaring spelling or grammar errors), the continuity is great (with some lovely foreshadowing) and it works fine as a complete work (no glaring plot holes, nothing is seriously broken, etc). Just don't go in expecting 100% polished perfection. It's just a bit wordy at times and it could be cut down to make it more streamlined in parts (although the author did say this would be split into a series if he gets around to publishing it!) and some events could be fleshed out a bit more. That being said,  it is a lot better than a lot of the more recent self-published (and even some (small) press, sorry!) works I've come across. 

I feel like I should have something more to say about this work given how long and complex it is, but I'm going to leave it here for now. I might come back and add more at some point, but I have a lot I want to say that's difficult to put into words, at least without giving spoilers. Now onto the long list of content warnings!

Some notes on some of the content warnings (all are individually spoilered)

 
Animal cruelty: 

Mostly dog abuse

 
Body horror: 

Mostly weird power things, including mutations

 
Confinement: 

Prison and Taylor being shut in a locker with pads and tampons by her bullies

 
Drug abuse: 

Both by choice and forced by gang leaders

 
Fatphobia: 

Lots of offhand comments. At one point a hero also uses making someome fat and obese as a threat

 
Fire: 

Some characters have fire-based superpowers and people get hurt

 
Forced institutionalisation: 

Mentions of time in a mental ward (minor). There are also places places like a home for parahumans

 
Gun violence: 

Includes super-powered guns and bombs

 
Injury: 

So many injuries! Range from scrapes and concussions to paralysis and losing limbs and organs

 
Police brutality: 

Superpowered people making others follow rules through violence

 
Racism: 

Moderate because of the page time but there is a white supremist super power group, as well as several smaller racist intercations

 
Trafficking: 

A gang is holding and using girls as entertainment against their wills. There are people interested in buying them

 
Toxic relationship: 

All kinds! Not just romantic

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Gun violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, War, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, and Gore

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicide, Trafficking, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, and Slavery

Minor: Ableism, Abandonment, Hate crime, Vomit, Genocide, Cancer, Addiction, Body shaming, Car accident, and Infidelity

charmedstray's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

this book fucking sucks its one of the best books ive read in my life. its been over a year and i'm still unwell over it and yet it still irks me that a redditor could write something this compelling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Child death, Death, Bullying, Homophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, and Racism

luminifera's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-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

5.0

Great story. Everyone knows I love it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Slavery, Stalking, Classism, Abandonment, Ableism, Cancer, Addiction, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Animal death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Colonisation, Confinement, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Blood, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Body shaming, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Racism, Antisemitism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Alcohol, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia

It explores a lot of heavy themes. You'll notice I added almost every content warning in the list... It's a long story with many characters and they all have their own trauma. That said, if you can stomach it, it's a very interesting read. I can't recommend it enough.

hgspartan98's review

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a book about a damaged character making hard choice after hard choice. It's a book about wanting to do good and failing. It's a book about fighting impossible odds and winning. 

If you like clever problem solving then I think you'll like this. If you like gritty urban fiction, you'll like this. If you enjoy fights for survival, you'll like this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Bullying, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Body shaming, Torture, and Body horror

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Murder, Self harm, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Kidnapping

pizza_monarchy's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Starts in high school, but does NOT stay there. If something can go wrong, it probably will. Solid world building and well rounded characters leads to authentic responses to the situations. It moves fast, but is so long it feels slow. Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Cursing, Kidnapping, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Medical trauma, and Medical content

mckerwan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Self harm

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Car accident, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt