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kindadopish's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
airforcesister's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kage_nz's review against another edition
1.0
This book had a fascinating premise that kept me reading to the end despite it being written by what felt like a 12 year old boy. I have not read anything else by this author and I don't know how this ended up on my to read list, but his writing style is painfully simple. Additionally, there was not a single character with a redeeming quality the entire book.
lisawreading's review against another edition
5.0
Presenting... the book that will make you scared of your moisturizer.
What better book for getting in the holiday spirit than a terrifying yet farcical tale of the end of the world -- not an apocalypse caused by climate catastrophe or nuclear war, but rather by a beauty product run amok.
In Extreme Makeover, main character Lyle thinks he's come up with a promising product that can prompt the body to amp up collagen to repair wrinkled skin. Cool, right? As the executives' eyes gleam with greed, they encourage Lyle to rush to market before their competition gets wind of this amazing new product -- which works because of DNA manipulation, plasmids and retroviruses, in a way that Lyle himself doesn't fully understand. Wait, the FDA won't approve what's basically a gene therapy formulation? No worries, package it as an herbal treatment and move all corporate manufacturing and business headquarters offshore.
As the initial test subjects begin to show some truly horrifying results, Lyle comes to realize that what he made had implications way beyond what was expected. And while the corporate executives push it further and further to rake in huge profits, Lyle still somewhat naively believes that his new creation, ReBirth, can be used for good.
As the product is first introduced to the public, then distributed through the black market, and ultimately ends up everywhere, the terrifying, world-changing results become more and more obvious. Some of the developments are chilling, some (including the accidental creation of thousands of Lyles) are so awful that it's actually funny.
And of course, there's corporate corruption and world domination to consider. As ReBirth starts appearing everywhere, it quickly becomes a global catastrophe -- with some considering it a religious opportunity, Homeland Security considering it a terrorist threat, and ultimately, the UN coming to realize its potential use as a weapon of mass destruction.
Reading Extreme Makeover is incredibly addictive, and weird, and utterly fun. You want to laugh at the ridiculousness of what's going on, and yet, given the billions that people pour into buying consumer cosmetics products every year, is it really THAT far-fetched to think that people will pay thousands of dollars for the chance at a younger, healthier, more beautiful body? And hey, no need for pesky gym memberships or diets or surgery! So what if it means your own genetic code will be overwritten by someone else's? Isn't it worth it?
After all, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG??? (Cue ominous soundtrack...)
This is the most absurd apocalypse I've encountered yet. The end of life on earth as we know it -- brought on by hand lotion? Really?
But accept that, and go along for the ride. Extreme Makeover is cleverly constructed, with a chronology that includes a countdown to the end of the world at the start of each chapter. The wide-ranging cast of characters includes Lyle, the NewYew executives plus the head honchos at their competitors' headquarters, squads of security goons, all sorts of shady street ReBirth dealers, a religious guru, United Nations delegates, and so many more. And then, of course, as the story progresses, you have not only the characters we've come to know already, but various ReBirth-created versions of them as well.
While the outcomes are frightening, some of the scenarios still managed to make me laugh -- the idea of someone spraying someone with lotion suddenly is the scariest thing you might encounter. A teen bringing ReBirth into school is practically as dangerous as one bringing a loaded gun. Celebrities are stalked not for photos, but for their DNA. It's crazy, but it all makes sense in the claustrophobic depiction of a world gone mad.
I really enjoyed the heck out of Extreme Makeover. It's fast-paced, cynical, funny, and terrifying; the concept has a core of ridiculousness, but like any doomsday scenario, there's enough in there to make us all very, very afraid. After all, take out the fact that a hand lotion is responsible for the chaos, and it's like any other apocalyptic tale, where a new technology with the power to make positive changes is ultimately transformed into a tool for unlimited power.
If you enjoy your apocalypses with a touch of humor and relatable real-world characters, check out Extreme Makeover. I promise you, you haven't read about an end-of-the-world quite like this one before!
This review also appears at Bookshelf Fantasies.
What better book for getting in the holiday spirit than a terrifying yet farcical tale of the end of the world -- not an apocalypse caused by climate catastrophe or nuclear war, but rather by a beauty product run amok.
In Extreme Makeover, main character Lyle thinks he's come up with a promising product that can prompt the body to amp up collagen to repair wrinkled skin. Cool, right? As the executives' eyes gleam with greed, they encourage Lyle to rush to market before their competition gets wind of this amazing new product -- which works because of DNA manipulation, plasmids and retroviruses, in a way that Lyle himself doesn't fully understand. Wait, the FDA won't approve what's basically a gene therapy formulation? No worries, package it as an herbal treatment and move all corporate manufacturing and business headquarters offshore.
As the initial test subjects begin to show some truly horrifying results, Lyle comes to realize that what he made had implications way beyond what was expected. And while the corporate executives push it further and further to rake in huge profits, Lyle still somewhat naively believes that his new creation, ReBirth, can be used for good.
As the product is first introduced to the public, then distributed through the black market, and ultimately ends up everywhere, the terrifying, world-changing results become more and more obvious. Some of the developments are chilling, some (including the accidental creation of thousands of Lyles) are so awful that it's actually funny.
And of course, there's corporate corruption and world domination to consider. As ReBirth starts appearing everywhere, it quickly becomes a global catastrophe -- with some considering it a religious opportunity, Homeland Security considering it a terrorist threat, and ultimately, the UN coming to realize its potential use as a weapon of mass destruction.
Reading Extreme Makeover is incredibly addictive, and weird, and utterly fun. You want to laugh at the ridiculousness of what's going on, and yet, given the billions that people pour into buying consumer cosmetics products every year, is it really THAT far-fetched to think that people will pay thousands of dollars for the chance at a younger, healthier, more beautiful body? And hey, no need for pesky gym memberships or diets or surgery! So what if it means your own genetic code will be overwritten by someone else's? Isn't it worth it?
After all, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG??? (Cue ominous soundtrack...)
This is the most absurd apocalypse I've encountered yet. The end of life on earth as we know it -- brought on by hand lotion? Really?
But accept that, and go along for the ride. Extreme Makeover is cleverly constructed, with a chronology that includes a countdown to the end of the world at the start of each chapter. The wide-ranging cast of characters includes Lyle, the NewYew executives plus the head honchos at their competitors' headquarters, squads of security goons, all sorts of shady street ReBirth dealers, a religious guru, United Nations delegates, and so many more. And then, of course, as the story progresses, you have not only the characters we've come to know already, but various ReBirth-created versions of them as well.
While the outcomes are frightening, some of the scenarios still managed to make me laugh -- the idea of someone spraying someone with lotion suddenly is the scariest thing you might encounter. A teen bringing ReBirth into school is practically as dangerous as one bringing a loaded gun. Celebrities are stalked not for photos, but for their DNA. It's crazy, but it all makes sense in the claustrophobic depiction of a world gone mad.
I really enjoyed the heck out of Extreme Makeover. It's fast-paced, cynical, funny, and terrifying; the concept has a core of ridiculousness, but like any doomsday scenario, there's enough in there to make us all very, very afraid. After all, take out the fact that a hand lotion is responsible for the chaos, and it's like any other apocalyptic tale, where a new technology with the power to make positive changes is ultimately transformed into a tool for unlimited power.
If you enjoy your apocalypses with a touch of humor and relatable real-world characters, check out Extreme Makeover. I promise you, you haven't read about an end-of-the-world quite like this one before!
This review also appears at Bookshelf Fantasies.
ahlisa's review
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Took off .25 of a star for how uncomfortably written Susan was in the first part, though I understand at least some of that must have been an unreliable narrator type situation. Also took off an additional .25 star for the ending, which was fine but oddly not that amazing. There were some really nice gems in the middle of the book that felt so poignant, so horrific, but so absolutely satisfying, so I was surprised that the ending was just kind of...meh.
But overall I really enjoyed this book. I had a hard time putting it down. Some of the humor was borderline Whedonesque (in which everyone had some snarky thing to say and sometimes the whackiness of it undercut the seriousness of the scene) but it was personally right up my alley. That plus the absurdity of the whole thing, the relentless pessimism and hopelessness, the action, the pacing - all of it felt perfect to me. At 39% I found myself thinking, "I'm not even halfway through! How the hell could this possibly get any worse than it is now?" and boy did it.
Also for anyone who might be put off by how unanimously unlikable the protagonist seems to be based on the votes/ratings, for what it's worth, I ended up having some sympathy for Lyle here and there and to be totally honest there were times where I felt like I probably wouldn't have made any better decisions than him if I were in his shoes. He's a very flawed and human character, but not in a way that made me get too fed up with him.
It will be a long time before I feel ready to reread this book, but I do think this has become one of my all-time favorites.
But overall I really enjoyed this book. I had a hard time putting it down. Some of the humor was borderline Whedonesque (in which everyone had some snarky thing to say and sometimes the whackiness of it undercut the seriousness of the scene) but it was personally right up my alley. That plus the absurdity of the whole thing, the relentless pessimism and hopelessness, the action, the pacing - all of it felt perfect to me. At 39% I found myself thinking, "I'm not even halfway through! How the hell could this possibly get any worse than it is now?" and boy did it.
Also for anyone who might be put off by how unanimously unlikable the protagonist seems to be based on the votes/ratings, for what it's worth, I ended up having some sympathy for Lyle here and there and to be totally honest there were times where I felt like I probably wouldn't have made any better decisions than him if I were in his shoes. He's a very flawed and human character, but not in a way that made me get too fed up with him.
It will be a long time before I feel ready to reread this book, but I do think this has become one of my all-time favorites.
blairconrad's review against another edition
2.0
A very interesting concept, and I enjoyed how Mr. Wells (or Mrs. Wells, according to the acknowledgements) thought up many interesting ramifications for ReBirth. However the overall story and characters left me flat. I felt no particular affection for any of the people, and there was almost no tension in the story. I think the latter problem was augmented by the chapter headings, "xxx days until the end of the world"; I mean it really kills the "how's this going to turn out?" motivation for reading.
neighbor_reads's review against another edition
1.0
An excellent premise with a terrible pacing problem.
I loved the first section of this book. It's a brilliant premise for satire of our beauty-obsessed, consumer culture that values appearance over, well, everything. The subtle humor was great. Each chapter is a countdown to the impending "end of the world".
And it goes on
And on.
I started skimming through the middle of this book. Then I gave up and skipped to the end section, last 50 pages. I honestly felt that I didn't miss much. The countdown to the end of the world was a massive let down. Then the final ending was "meh".
I really wanted to love this book, but the pacing was the ultimate problem.
I loved the first section of this book. It's a brilliant premise for satire of our beauty-obsessed, consumer culture that values appearance over, well, everything. The subtle humor was great. Each chapter is a countdown to the impending "end of the world".
And it goes on
And on.
I started skimming through the middle of this book. Then I gave up and skipped to the end section, last 50 pages. I honestly felt that I didn't miss much. The countdown to the end of the world was a massive let down. Then the final ending was "meh".
I really wanted to love this book, but the pacing was the ultimate problem.
routergirl's review against another edition
3.0
Plot was definitely interesting. Kept me turning pages. Characters well done, even when they became other characters. The thing is - it went on way too long. Like a solid SNL skit that then falls into beating the proverbial dead horse, I started struggling in the last quarter of this. I started wishing the world would end already. The ending, though, almost made it worth it.
ripdakiii's review against another edition
4.0
citando a el meme de Doctor Strange
Aaaaaaa es demasiada falopa
fuera de joda es tan random y falopa que todavía no puedo llegar a descifrar si me gustó
Aaaaaaa es demasiada falopa
fuera de joda es tan random y falopa que todavía no puedo llegar a descifrar si me gustó
kaylielongley's review against another edition
3.0
Dan Wells certainly took his time with this one, carving out a baffling story wherein a makeup chemist accidentally makes burn lotion that clones DNA. This may seem like an idea-driven book at first, but it's the first read in a while that kept me fairly engaged with plenty of twists and turns, due in part to its random plot points. The jaded reality of Extreme Makeover's sometime-in-the-future New York is especially poignant when said scientist, Lyle, a rich white male who helplessly seeks goodness, ultimately creates a human race of himself. The lotion falls into the wrong hands, and soon everyone wants to become a celebrity. The government uses it as a mass weapon, and a black market forms. This manipulation of power, from all levels, is made even more obvious by the fact that each chapter counts down the days until the end of the world. I liked this book but didn't love it due to the fact that the science felt plausible yet I could never fully understand Lyle's (or anyone's) motivations. It's not really about Lyle, as he doesn't even understand how the lotion works, and he sort of falls into conflict. Instead, there's a lot of social commentary on identity, in realizing no one is truly unique, regardless of chromosomes or status.