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kjgross's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
Protecting nature and strong male ego wrapped up in a western adventure.
twas's review against another edition
4.0
Part battle-plan for enterprising monkey-wrenchers, part satire, part environmentalist manifesto, part action novel. I love Abbey's sense of humor. His elaborately well-laid plans are commendable, his characters are gritty and tangible, and his love affair with the desert is obvious. Definitely enjoyable, should be required reading for environmental students.
classicbookreader's review against another edition
2.0
Sentence structure confuses me sometimes that i had to reread a few lines.
Too detailed on things i do not have interest.
But i kinda taught me a little about rapelling, surviving too.
Too detailed on things i do not have interest.
But i kinda taught me a little about rapelling, surviving too.
drinkingpondscum's review against another edition
3.0
Damn. I wished I liked this more than I did because it has so many elements that I love—radical politics, intra-group dynamics, 70s enviromentalism, terrorism, the american southwest—but honestly I found Abbey’s style to be kinda obnoxious. He’s clearly a good writer with an immense vocabulary, and there are sections that are gorgeous, but the man has an obsession with jargon filled lists which makes some chapters absolutely interminable. It’s not helped by the fact that a lot of the jokes fall completely flat, although there are a few bangers here and there. The characters are fun but not super compelling and the plot is fine but padded with a lot of fluff. I liked the ending I guess. It’s alright.
leep's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
madtnation's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
fetterov's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This one took me a while to really latch onto, but in the end it turned out to be an enjoyable read. I grew to really like the main characters and enjoyed their interactions moreso than the long descriptions of nature (which make my eyes glaze over as I have a hard time visualizing such complex scenes in my head) or destruction of property (this book is a not-so-subtle guide to environmentalist destruction!). Overall, it was a fun read, but not the most engaging work of fiction on my bookshelf.
mcribsy13's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
ollie_lee's review against another edition
3.0
I am not a big fan of Edward Abbey's writing style. I would have enjoyed this book more if it were not for the long winded descriptions of the desert and the round about conversations that seem to go no where.
Now for the parts I did like, the characters were wonderful and horrible at the same time. They had this umbrella view that what they were doing was right and justified under the guise of Eco-terrorism but in actuality they were just assholes that like to blow shit up. That was my view anyway and I completely endorse it.
I did not really care for the racist and misogynistic remarks but you have to remember that this was published in 1975. That still doesn't make it right.
One thing I started doing towards the end of the story that I recommend you try if your going to read this book is to look up the locations that Edward Abbey describes. There are no amount of words to show you how beautiful this country really is.
Now for the parts I did like, the characters were wonderful and horrible at the same time. They had this umbrella view that what they were doing was right and justified under the guise of Eco-terrorism but in actuality they were just assholes that like to blow shit up. That was my view anyway and I completely endorse it.
I did not really care for the racist and misogynistic remarks but you have to remember that this was published in 1975. That still doesn't make it right.
One thing I started doing towards the end of the story that I recommend you try if your going to read this book is to look up the locations that Edward Abbey describes. There are no amount of words to show you how beautiful this country really is.