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hobbes199's review
3.0
This is the edited version of the full review which can be found at If These Books Could Talk
I always feel that reading a book should feel like a marathon, not a sprint; you want to set off at a nice leisurely pace, settling down into a deep narrative and plot that will keep you going for the 3-400 pages. What you don’t want is the equivalent of Usain Bolt, zooming off at the sound of the starter’s pistol, and getting exhausted by the first turn. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what you get with Carrie Patel’s début novel ‘The Buried Life’.
Patel starts off right in the middle of the action, and it really doesn’t let up, which makes the slump it hits about half-way even more annoying; it’s almost as if she had all the ideas, World-building, and characterisation (which are all superb) mapped out, but only for the first half, after which she completely loses momentum. Characters start making stupid decisions that make no sense and go against what’s been established, the World building suffers from too much superlative descriptions and the plot seems to just go off on a tangent.
Patel also falls foul of way too many narrative tropes – ‘What-If?’ scenarios,shock silly reveals, and an open ending (naturally paving the way for the second book) that really make you wonder how much of a hand the editor had in this. Along with the constant superlatives (honestly, sometimes less is more) and the forced, unnatural language style it’s hard to believe that someone at some point didn’t say “Look…You’re suffocating the characters and diluting the plot!”
The second book in the ‘Buried Life’ series is due out in July 2015 (yes…that quickly) and I will probably give it a look as I was genuinely fascinated by the world Patel had created, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I find that the two books together, if edited down, made one really good book. I really wanted to like this, but it ended up being just incredibly frustrating.
I always feel that reading a book should feel like a marathon, not a sprint; you want to set off at a nice leisurely pace, settling down into a deep narrative and plot that will keep you going for the 3-400 pages. What you don’t want is the equivalent of Usain Bolt, zooming off at the sound of the starter’s pistol, and getting exhausted by the first turn. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what you get with Carrie Patel’s début novel ‘The Buried Life’.
Patel starts off right in the middle of the action, and it really doesn’t let up, which makes the slump it hits about half-way even more annoying; it’s almost as if she had all the ideas, World-building, and characterisation (which are all superb) mapped out, but only for the first half, after which she completely loses momentum. Characters start making stupid decisions that make no sense and go against what’s been established, the World building suffers from too much superlative descriptions and the plot seems to just go off on a tangent.
Patel also falls foul of way too many narrative tropes – ‘What-If?’ scenarios,
The second book in the ‘Buried Life’ series is due out in July 2015 (yes…that quickly) and I will probably give it a look as I was genuinely fascinated by the world Patel had created, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I find that the two books together, if edited down, made one really good book. I really wanted to like this, but it ended up being just incredibly frustrating.
abookishtype's review
3.0
The city of Ricoletta is built mostly underground. Few dare to venture above ground, even though whatever disaster drove people into their caves has passed. The city streets (tunnels) are safe, patrolled regularly by the city guard. The city council makes sure the trains run on time and that the food arrives as scheduled. The status quo is shockingly disturbed one morning when a historian is murdered in what is supposed to be the safest place in Ricoletta. Carrie Patel's The Buried Life begins as a murder mystery, but becomes something much larger.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
macthekat's review
4.0
Read my full review: http://wp.me/p40HVI-Ey
Love the setting and the two protagonists. The book actually had me thinking about real world politics and power dynamics. At the same time it was entertaining and a page turner... I don't often read books in less than two days.
Well plotted and it kept me guessing, without any of the renewals feeling like it wasn't earned.
If you are in the mood for a political steampunk thriller, I recommend this.
Love the setting and the two protagonists. The book actually had me thinking about real world politics and power dynamics. At the same time it was entertaining and a page turner... I don't often read books in less than two days.
Well plotted and it kept me guessing, without any of the renewals feeling like it wasn't earned.
If you are in the mood for a political steampunk thriller, I recommend this.
darwinstoffees's review
3.0
I couldn't really decide on the rating, but I bumped it to 3 stars based on the fact that I did finish it and didn't hate it. I really just didn't get it. There were about three things going on with regard to plot arcs. Some seemed to mean very little and the big one to me about why they were underground in the first place was never even touched.
I think that is why I was leaning toward a 2 star at first. I don't need the whole story in one go, but at least give me a hint. Tell me what people think about why they are underground even if it's just misleading. This whole book could have taken place in an above ground setting without changing anything and the story would have been just the same.
I think that is why I was leaning toward a 2 star at first. I don't need the whole story in one go, but at least give me a hint. Tell me what people think about why they are underground even if it's just misleading. This whole book could have taken place in an above ground setting without changing anything and the story would have been just the same.
leah_reads's review
3.0
*Received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you Angry Robot Books*
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I was so, so excited for this book. During my time at Angry Robot Books, Carrie's book was one of the ones that were up for acquisitions and I backed it 100%. Having read the first five chapters I had to know more about Malone and Jane. I had to find out what was going on in Ricoletta and what the hell the project Prometheus was. Gaslight novels aren't something that I'm overly familiar with but I was hooked on Carrie's writing style and this world that she'd built. Ricoletta is a city that lives below ground level and I couldn't wait to see how this all played out.
I really enjoyed this book, the only problem I had with it was that it was a little slow. I felt like it was a little jumpy in places and I found it difficult to follow where it was all going. When things were finally revealed it started to make more sense, but it wasn't the book that I thought it was going to be. This doesn't mean it wasn't an enjoyable book. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the second. With some of the twists and turns that the ending took, it would be impossible not to. I'm intrigued to find out what happens to these characters and how things are going to play out following Prometheus.
Although I had a few issues with the book, I still found it to be a really gritty and exciting read. I loved both of the protagonists - some pretty kickass females - and I loved the fact that they were so human. They had flaws but still managed to be courageous and strong. I'm definitely intrigued for the next book. This was a lovely debut and it made for a nice easy read. I'd definitely recommend it as something a little different; a mixture of crime and steampunk, something new from Angry Robot and well worth a read!
morgandhu's review against another edition
3.0
Carrie Patel's The Buried Life is an interesting, though flawed, debut novel. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world, in which cities have gone underground and technology has regressed to 18th century levels - trains but no cars or dirigible, nothing steampunkish here in terms of a more developed science built on earlier forms of technology. We are not told anything about the nature of the cataclysm, nor of the time that has passed since it occurred. We do learn quickly that what knowledge has survived is heavily controlled - history is a state secret, some literature of the past is freely available while some is fiercely repressed, and science seems strangely absent. In the city of Recoletta, absolute power seems to rest in an unelected Council, and class distinctions, based on wealth and power, are rigid.
This is a cautionary tale about power, secrecy, censorship and corruption, masquerading as a post-apocalyptic political thriller with murder and mayhem in great supply. It is strong on character and the trappings of a ripping good detective mystery, but doesn't quite manage to bind its disparate goals and narratives together. The solution to the mystery arrives too piecemeal and without appropriate emphasis and completeness for the mystery reader to be happy, and the deeper narrative about how power and resistance too often share the same mistakes seems too slightly woven into the story.
And it is disappointing that in the end, one of the characters that seemed to be a hero was seduced by the sweetness of power - though one might hope that there would be a sequel in which said hero regains the moral clarity needed to look beyond it.
Some good ideas and interesting characters, but not quite satisfying. Still, I'd like to see the story begun here developed further.
This is a cautionary tale about power, secrecy, censorship and corruption, masquerading as a post-apocalyptic political thriller with murder and mayhem in great supply. It is strong on character and the trappings of a ripping good detective mystery, but doesn't quite manage to bind its disparate goals and narratives together. The solution to the mystery arrives too piecemeal and without appropriate emphasis and completeness for the mystery reader to be happy, and the deeper narrative about how power and resistance too often share the same mistakes seems too slightly woven into the story.
And it is disappointing that in the end, one of the characters that seemed to be a hero was seduced by the sweetness of power - though one might hope that there would be a sequel in which said hero regains the moral clarity needed to look beyond it.
Some good ideas and interesting characters, but not quite satisfying. Still, I'd like to see the story begun here developed further.
ianjsimpson's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Angry Robot for this pre-release review copy.
http://theforgottengeek.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/the-buried-life-by-carrie-patel/
http://theforgottengeek.wordpress.com/2014/07/21/the-buried-life-by-carrie-patel/
helensbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Did the editor fall asleep and miss the first part of this book? The writing has a lot of errors and things that don't make sense. The action isn't always coherent and descriptions often felt awkward. Conversations aren't logical in that it's like the characters aren't replying to each other but to something that's going on in their heads we haven't seen.
Then suddenly, about 120 pages in, it gets so much better it's like a different book. There's still the odd thing that doesn't quite fit and makes me feel like I'm having a brain stutter but I can actually read normally instead of having to spend 2 minutes a page flicking backwards and forwards.
I was really enjoying it but then the plot switches gears at the end and turns around on itself. I'm not sure how I felt about the way it ended. There are a lot of what feels like plot holes - how did the councillor know to direct Liesl towards the Sato murders? And what use is a spy when everyone and their Mum knows that he's a spy?
There's a lot of good ideas in here and I liked the plot and the characters. I always enjoy a good murder investigation but there were too many coincidences in it for it to feel truly convincing.
Liesl would probably have been my favourite character if we'd just had a bit more info about her. I liked that she was closed off and I can identify with that myself but I just needed a bit more about her to fully connect with her. She came across as robotic and I couldn't pick up on the reasons for her actions, especially at the end.
Most disappointing for me was that the blurb suggested that this would be a dark steampunk style story but that doesn't come across at all. I struggled to picture the underground world and I just didn't feel the atmosphere. I found that I had to imagine a typical Victorian city that's not underground to be able to follow the story and carry on reading. The steampunk elements were non-existent but they did make a rather lovely cover!
The author definitely has a lot of imagination and I can see that there is potential. The writing improved massively throughout the book and I'm interested enough that I want to see where the story goes next. But it needs more atmosphere. If more time was spent on worldbuilding and creating an atmosphere that lived up to the blurb then I could have forgiven the story being a bit up and down.
Then suddenly, about 120 pages in, it gets so much better it's like a different book. There's still the odd thing that doesn't quite fit and makes me feel like I'm having a brain stutter but I can actually read normally instead of having to spend 2 minutes a page flicking backwards and forwards.
I was really enjoying it but then the plot switches gears at the end and turns around on itself. I'm not sure how I felt about the way it ended. There are a lot of what feels like plot holes - how did the councillor know to direct Liesl towards the Sato murders? And what use is a spy when everyone and their Mum knows that he's a spy?
There's a lot of good ideas in here and I liked the plot and the characters. I always enjoy a good murder investigation but there were too many coincidences in it for it to feel truly convincing.
Liesl would probably have been my favourite character if we'd just had a bit more info about her. I liked that she was closed off and I can identify with that myself but I just needed a bit more about her to fully connect with her. She came across as robotic and I couldn't pick up on the reasons for her actions, especially at the end.
Most disappointing for me was that the blurb suggested that this would be a dark steampunk style story but that doesn't come across at all. I struggled to picture the underground world and I just didn't feel the atmosphere. I found that I had to imagine a typical Victorian city that's not underground to be able to follow the story and carry on reading. The steampunk elements were non-existent but they did make a rather lovely cover!
The author definitely has a lot of imagination and I can see that there is potential. The writing improved massively throughout the book and I'm interested enough that I want to see where the story goes next. But it needs more atmosphere. If more time was spent on worldbuilding and creating an atmosphere that lived up to the blurb then I could have forgiven the story being a bit up and down.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I need to start this off by saying that I really liked this book. The characters were vivid and I enjoyed the ideas behind it. It's because I liked it that I wished some of the other elements had been stronger, particularly the setting and the sense of place; it takes place primarily underground, with journeys to the surface being exceptional outings, but I never really got a feel for that which is unfortunate because that's one of the most interesting ideas.
pers's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the premise for this book, but remain baffled and bemused by the author's decision to tell us almost nothing about one of the two protagonists, while giving us a detailed background - childhood and home life - for the other.