Scan barcode
mariamj's review
It's a "heck no for me". Couldn't get past the pedophilia in this book. The first scene with the main character ( who was underaged!) and the priest turned me off completely. So gross
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism
grandgranini's review against another edition
2.0
Great concept but the characters were really annoying.
daveburton's review against another edition
4.0
Honestly, why aren't sci-fi writers treated like rock stars? Reading Life on the Preservation by Jack Skillingstead was like getting inside the brain of an alchemist. When sci-fi's broken, it's broken deeply, and intolerably. You can barely get past a page because the intricate clockwork just doesn't grind together, the whole machine quickly falls apart. In novel's like Skillingstead's, you eagerly jump to the next page. Each piece of the dance is executed with precision, perfectly timed.
Full review and more at: http://www.daveburton.com.au/blog/76sgd2mazztlkglc27x2a8ofruw5cg
Full review and more at: http://www.daveburton.com.au/blog/76sgd2mazztlkglc27x2a8ofruw5cg
leia3771's review against another edition
1.0
OMFG THIS WAS SOOOOO DEPRESSING!!! Seriously, the female main character (fmc) (see can't even remember her name) had a fucked up life from the age of 16, because of that sicko priest, and the male main character (mmc) was just . . . depressed. I don't want to read this shit! Most of the book was mmc wandering through Seattle noticing weird shit and being depressed about his life, while fmc is dealing with the crazy ass priest believing he a prophet and running the town telling everyone that fmc is evil cause he's jealous that she has a boyfriend (who is sweet but is WAY too old for her).
Then they don't even meet till 2/3 into the book and . . . I DON'T KNOW!!! I was getting so depressed and bored AND PISSED that nothing was happening that I started skimming like no tomorrow. Then it all comes down to that the people under the dome aren't even real people but androids!
Now this was dumb enough BUT IT GET'S EVEN BETTER!!! (Mr. Moviefone voice) After the big revaltion, which sucked ass, the mmc is then sent back into his body one year in the past. He then tries to get as many family and friends to movie or at least be in Seattle on the day the world ends, since he is told that their is literally nothing he can do to stop the invasion! WTF?!?!?!? He also goes to the fmc small town and woes her and tells her of the future, and is able to stop the priest from raping her. Then for a few chapters it turns into a stalker/romance book as the priest relentlessly followers her everywhere jealously as mmc takes fmc on dates.
Lastly the ending was just plain stupid! Of course it can't be a proper ending without racing toward the deadline of the world ending, BUT of course making it at the last minute to then constantly repeat the same 15 minutes over and OVER again after they arrived. THE END!
No seriously that's the end . . . I HATE THIS BOOK!
Then they don't even meet till 2/3 into the book and . . . I DON'T KNOW!!! I was getting so depressed and bored AND PISSED that nothing was happening that I started skimming like no tomorrow. Then it all comes down to that the people under the dome aren't even real people but androids!
Now this was dumb enough BUT IT GET'S EVEN BETTER!!! (Mr. Moviefone voice) After the big revaltion, which sucked ass, the mmc is then sent back into his body one year in the past. He then tries to get as many family and friends to movie or at least be in Seattle on the day the world ends, since he is told that their is literally nothing he can do to stop the invasion! WTF?!?!?!? He also goes to the fmc small town and woes her and tells her of the future, and is able to stop the priest from raping her. Then for a few chapters it turns into a stalker/romance book as the priest relentlessly followers her everywhere jealously as mmc takes fmc on dates.
Lastly the ending was just plain stupid! Of course it can't be a proper ending without racing toward the deadline of the world ending, BUT of course making it at the last minute to then constantly repeat the same 15 minutes over and OVER again after they arrived. THE END!
No seriously that's the end . . . I HATE THIS BOOK!
djwudi's review against another edition
2.0
Funny to see that two of my friends gave this one four stars, because it just did not work for me. It's obvious the author is a Seattle local, and it was fun to be able to visualize many of the places where the book sets it's action. Unfortunately, that's as interesting as this one got for me. The main character was entirely unsympathetic, the villains (the Curator and Uncle Jim) just kind of petered out, and the dual stories featured a post-apocalyptic world (and, admittedly, I'm a bit over-post-apocalyptic-ed right now) and a depressing take on Groundhog Day. I can see the appeal of some of the concepts that are played with, even if they didn't gell for me. Plus, even though it's not the author's fault, I kept getting distracted by the many typos (including one "rhe" instead of "the", which any spell checker should have flagged).
yazerk's review against another edition
4.0
Not without its shortcomings this was a pretty entertaining book to read. I really liked the idea behind the story and its execution. I found, at times, it was difficult to relate to the characters who remained somewhat distant throughout the book.
All in all it was a very entertaining read. A more detailed review will appear on Speculative Book Review blog.
All in all it was a very entertaining read. A more detailed review will appear on Speculative Book Review blog.
vylotte's review against another edition
4.0
What is identity? What makes you a person? What makes you you?
There are two stories that start the novel, first that of Ian, a stereotypical emo 20-something. He’s trying to find his place in the world but mostly wandering through the same patterns day after day. Until he realizes that it really is the same day, over and over, and he’s stuck in a dome that is protecting Seattle from … something.
The second story is of Kylie, survivor of the apocalypse and life in general, fleeing certain death for a chance at something, anything else.
This book really defies category. There are zombies and aliens and androids, cyberpunk theology meets metaphysical physics. Just when I think I’ve got a handle on it, it swoops to the left and down to the side a bit.
From the very first page I was hooked, with the whirlwind tour of some of my favorite spots in Seattle, obviously written by a native – the love shines through. I was able to visualize scenes inside the dome with clarity, though that experience is most likely just due to having been to the Lava Lounge, walking down Post Alley or prowling the bookstores on Capital Hill in person. But there were enough truly original ideas that I couldn’t pop a pre-drawn image in, I’d have to think. It transcended the hook of the repeating day motif, and doesn’t bog down in the survival aspect outside. It’s in turns cerebral and silly, monotonous and entirely fresh. The author completely nailed the ending which left me satisfied and pleased to add this to my list of books that get Seattle right.
It’s one of the nominees for the Philip K Dick award, which makes all the PKD quotes and homages a clever in joke. (http://www.philipkdickaward.org/)
There are two stories that start the novel, first that of Ian, a stereotypical emo 20-something. He’s trying to find his place in the world but mostly wandering through the same patterns day after day. Until he realizes that it really is the same day, over and over, and he’s stuck in a dome that is protecting Seattle from … something.
The second story is of Kylie, survivor of the apocalypse and life in general, fleeing certain death for a chance at something, anything else.
This book really defies category. There are zombies and aliens and androids, cyberpunk theology meets metaphysical physics. Just when I think I’ve got a handle on it, it swoops to the left and down to the side a bit.
From the very first page I was hooked, with the whirlwind tour of some of my favorite spots in Seattle, obviously written by a native – the love shines through. I was able to visualize scenes inside the dome with clarity, though that experience is most likely just due to having been to the Lava Lounge, walking down Post Alley or prowling the bookstores on Capital Hill in person. But there were enough truly original ideas that I couldn’t pop a pre-drawn image in, I’d have to think. It transcended the hook of the repeating day motif, and doesn’t bog down in the survival aspect outside. It’s in turns cerebral and silly, monotonous and entirely fresh. The author completely nailed the ending which left me satisfied and pleased to add this to my list of books that get Seattle right.
It’s one of the nominees for the Philip K Dick award, which makes all the PKD quotes and homages a clever in joke. (http://www.philipkdickaward.org/)
More...