Scan barcode
riahwamby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
TJ Klune has recently become one of my favorite authors. This one just wasn't for me.
evil_jj's review against another edition
4.0
Hard to give this one a rating since it seems like the story has only just begun! I am intrigued though, and think that there is a lot of potential based on what has happened so far. Klune did such an excellent job describing the scenery and environment that it pretty effortlessly came to life in my mind. However, this is one reason I feel the illustrations detracted from the book -- not only because they didn't look the same as how I pictured it, but more that they didn't even accurately show what was described in the text (positioning of characters, how they were dressed, what type of weapon they were holding, which hand was holding the weapon, etc). It made me wonder how much information was given to the illustrator.
This book demonstrates several things about us humans: our individual need for human connection -- that without it, we lose our minds, but that with it, we make ourselves vulnerable to indescribable heartache; on a larger scale, we are our own worst enemies -- groups of people are susceptible to mob mentality, willing to harm others in ways we would not if we were acting alone, and when we have even further emotional distance through a government, we are capable of even more widespread evil and destruction, as we have always done and will continue to do, over and over again. Such is the human condition. Pretty fucking bleak. Why do we do this to ourselves? Is there any hope to be found?
Anyway, I quite like the characters and how insane they all are, including SIRS. I didn't expect to like the robot! I'm dying to know more about "Psycho." You just know he's been through some serious shit, and despite his murdery exterior, I sense something pure in him.
This book demonstrates several things about us humans: our individual need for human connection -- that without it, we lose our minds, but that with it, we make ourselves vulnerable to indescribable heartache; on a larger scale, we are our own worst enemies -- groups of people are susceptible to mob mentality, willing to harm others in ways we would not if we were acting alone, and when we have even further emotional distance through a government, we are capable of even more widespread evil and destruction, as we have always done and will continue to do, over and over again. Such is the human condition. Pretty fucking bleak. Why do we do this to ourselves? Is there any hope to be found?
Anyway, I quite like the characters and how insane they all are, including SIRS. I didn't expect to like the robot! I'm dying to know more about "Psycho." You just know he's been through some serious shit, and despite his murdery exterior, I sense something pure in him.
the_novel_approach's review against another edition
5.0
Not since his novel Into This River I Drown has reading the work of author TJ Klune left me so gobsmacked—so completely overwhelmed, but Withered + Sere has done just that. How long do I have to wait for the sequel? More than thirty seconds is just much, much too long. What does a bad dog who may or may not be able to communicate with his master, a deranged, bible quoting robot named SIRS, and a psycho, bloodthirsty killer/weapon named Lucas have in common? One man with just one name, Cavalo. If you are thinking this might be a comedy for which Klune is undeniably a master in creating, think again—this one is no laughing matter—not by a long shot. It is dark, full of despair, nightmares, living and dead and blood—lots of blood—and, oh my golly, it is brilliant!
Set in a post-apocalyptic America where people have lived beyond the radiation and once again can have children and attempt to live off a land that was left smoldering from a nuclear shitstorm, our hero, or maybe antihero, Cavalo, manages to exist. He tries his very best to stay well away from other people, notably those living closest to him in Cottonwood, and stick to the non-human types. His companions include his dog, Bad Dog by name, who is loyal to a fault, and the robot SIRS who live with him in the correctional state prison Cavalo has chosen to call home. Abandoned and crumbling yet still functional in many ways, the prison is the only place Cavalo feels somewhat safe. So when he and Bad Dog decide to go hunting and end up in the badlands, and are nearly captured by the unspeakable monsters who live there—cannibals who kill anything that wanders into their territory—it is not surprising that Cavalo captures one of their own and brings him back for some good old post-apocalyptic justice in Cottonwood.
Lucas is one of the Dead Rabbits—the name of a bloodthirsty, lawless gang controlled by a mysterious leader named Patrick. All Cavalo knows about Lucas is that he is most definitely a psycho, a killer, and mute—the result of having his neck sliced clear across in the past and yet somehow managing to survive. But there is something more to Lucas—something that Cavalo recognizes, that Bad Dog calls “smells different,” and for that reason when Lucas is found being tortured by some newcomer at Cottonwood, Cavalo decides to rescue him and take him home—to the prison—and thus begins a journey that will wrap you up in alternating bouts of horror and fascination and keep you frantically reading to the very end—to the cliffhanger end that Klune promises he will make good on in the next installment.
I cannot begin to describe every good thing about this novel. First, there is the alternate world that is gripped in harsh storms and bone numbing cold, even though it is only October and still early in the winter season. Every moment spent in this incredibly well-crafted world gives you a better glimpse into the brilliant mind of this slightly demented author. You can feel this world deep in your bones and sense what it must be like to eke out an existence there. Next the wealth of characters, often mere ghost memories from Cavalo’s tortured memories, are never so many as to confuse the reader but rather, just enough to give this novel a feeling of fullness—of community—even though many in this little hamlet are already dead. The living are more harsh, hardened from living an almost hand-to-mouth existence, yet there is still some civility—a school for the children, sentries at the gate to warn of those horrible Dead Rabbits, families clinging to each other, and then those swift, frantic moments of stolen couplings that keeps them remembering what it once was like to be loved and love in return. And through it all we have Cavalo and that dog, Bad Dog, who I swear is the most precious animal I have ever seen, written into a story.
I could go on and on—I cannot wait for the next installment. With Withered + Sere, TJ Klune has unleashed nightmares that will rock you to the core, but he also has given you characters that will cling to your heart far beyond the last page. I cannot say more than this: I highly recommend this novel to you. It will rock your world in all the right ways.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-withered-sere-by-tj-klune/
Set in a post-apocalyptic America where people have lived beyond the radiation and once again can have children and attempt to live off a land that was left smoldering from a nuclear shitstorm, our hero, or maybe antihero, Cavalo, manages to exist. He tries his very best to stay well away from other people, notably those living closest to him in Cottonwood, and stick to the non-human types. His companions include his dog, Bad Dog by name, who is loyal to a fault, and the robot SIRS who live with him in the correctional state prison Cavalo has chosen to call home. Abandoned and crumbling yet still functional in many ways, the prison is the only place Cavalo feels somewhat safe. So when he and Bad Dog decide to go hunting and end up in the badlands, and are nearly captured by the unspeakable monsters who live there—cannibals who kill anything that wanders into their territory—it is not surprising that Cavalo captures one of their own and brings him back for some good old post-apocalyptic justice in Cottonwood.
Lucas is one of the Dead Rabbits—the name of a bloodthirsty, lawless gang controlled by a mysterious leader named Patrick. All Cavalo knows about Lucas is that he is most definitely a psycho, a killer, and mute—the result of having his neck sliced clear across in the past and yet somehow managing to survive. But there is something more to Lucas—something that Cavalo recognizes, that Bad Dog calls “smells different,” and for that reason when Lucas is found being tortured by some newcomer at Cottonwood, Cavalo decides to rescue him and take him home—to the prison—and thus begins a journey that will wrap you up in alternating bouts of horror and fascination and keep you frantically reading to the very end—to the cliffhanger end that Klune promises he will make good on in the next installment.
I cannot begin to describe every good thing about this novel. First, there is the alternate world that is gripped in harsh storms and bone numbing cold, even though it is only October and still early in the winter season. Every moment spent in this incredibly well-crafted world gives you a better glimpse into the brilliant mind of this slightly demented author. You can feel this world deep in your bones and sense what it must be like to eke out an existence there. Next the wealth of characters, often mere ghost memories from Cavalo’s tortured memories, are never so many as to confuse the reader but rather, just enough to give this novel a feeling of fullness—of community—even though many in this little hamlet are already dead. The living are more harsh, hardened from living an almost hand-to-mouth existence, yet there is still some civility—a school for the children, sentries at the gate to warn of those horrible Dead Rabbits, families clinging to each other, and then those swift, frantic moments of stolen couplings that keeps them remembering what it once was like to be loved and love in return. And through it all we have Cavalo and that dog, Bad Dog, who I swear is the most precious animal I have ever seen, written into a story.
I could go on and on—I cannot wait for the next installment. With Withered + Sere, TJ Klune has unleashed nightmares that will rock you to the core, but he also has given you characters that will cling to your heart far beyond the last page. I cannot say more than this: I highly recommend this novel to you. It will rock your world in all the right ways.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-withered-sere-by-tj-klune/
rebecca_3's review against another edition
4.0
This book is confusing since all the main characters are some degree of crazy. But its really unique and interesting. Can't wait for book 2.
kirjakauris's review against another edition
5.0
I can't not rate this five stars, not when it's so wonderfully fucked up and great in creating this amazing bleakness, this half-mad man in a world that's everything I expect it to be in the not so distant future.
It's always dangerous for me to read books set in post-apocalyptic times, because they always mess with my head, but it's Klune so of course I had to read it. I say this in most of my Klune reviews but I just never cease to be amazed at his versatility. All his books, wether stand-alones or series, are so different from each other while still retaining that something, that quality that just makes it so enjoyable.
This book was different from other thing's I've read from Klune, not only in that it's so dark, but also because it has so little dialogue in comparison. It conveys Cavalo's voice so clearly and convincingly it's spooky. What I don't get is how people have tagged this as a romace above, for example, dystopian scifi. Did we read the same book? I expect Crisped + Sere might fit that description a little better, but the romance was more an afterthought in this one than the focus of the plot. In my not so humble opinion.
I have to say though, I'm not sure wheter or not I can read Crisped as soon as I get it. I think I'll have to brace myself first, because I can just smell the tears that will be in my future. Just let it not be Bad Dog. Or SIRS. Or Lucas. Or Cavalo. Just kill Patrick and the rest of his loonies, right? Why not make this a fairy tale, eh? Please?
It's always dangerous for me to read books set in post-apocalyptic times, because they always mess with my head, but it's Klune so of course I had to read it. I say this in most of my Klune reviews but I just never cease to be amazed at his versatility. All his books, wether stand-alones or series, are so different from each other while still retaining that something, that quality that just makes it so enjoyable.
This book was different from other thing's I've read from Klune, not only in that it's so dark, but also because it has so little dialogue in comparison. It conveys Cavalo's voice so clearly and convincingly it's spooky. What I don't get is how people have tagged this as a romace above, for example, dystopian scifi. Did we read the same book? I expect Crisped + Sere might fit that description a little better, but the romance was more an afterthought in this one than the focus of the plot. In my not so humble opinion.
I have to say though, I'm not sure wheter or not I can read Crisped as soon as I get it. I think I'll have to brace myself first, because I can just smell the tears that will be in my future. Just let it not be Bad Dog. Or SIRS. Or Lucas. Or Cavalo. Just kill Patrick and the rest of his loonies, right? Why not make this a fairy tale, eh? Please?
natureofreading's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I only read this because I'm a fan of TJ Klune, but it is outside my normal book choices. It's a little too dark for me, but I'm still reading the next book...
thepmreader's review against another edition
4.0
Bad Dog deserves 5/5 stars.
I don't think I really followed much of what happened in this book but I couldn't put it down either. Everyone in this book is on the verge of losing their sanity and as a reader it feels a bit like you are too as you progress through the book.
I don't think I mind if all the humans don't make it out alive in the second book as long as Bad Dog and SIRS are okay.
I don't think I really followed much of what happened in this book but I couldn't put it down either. Everyone in this book is on the verge of losing their sanity and as a reader it feels a bit like you are too as you progress through the book.
I don't think I mind if all the humans don't make it out alive in the second book as long as Bad Dog and SIRS are okay.
ultrashawn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
3.0