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ntembeast's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
So it's been several years since I've read this book, but it was a real pleasure diving back into it again. I wanted to read it again because after finishing The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer, I had told my partner that this book had a very similar story arc to that book. So we both decided to pick this one up again after finishing that one. And man, despite the flaws throughout this book, it's just as good as I remember it concept-wise.
I'll be honest, I can overlook weak characters or little character development for really good plot or concepts in a book. Thankfully, this book didn't majorly suffer from bad character development, but it was weaker than it could have been. Some characters definitely stood out more than the others, while a decent half of them had only a minute amount of development in comparison. Such is the flaw of a book that focuses more on the plot of the story and the world rather than the characters themselves, so that's understandable. I do have one major complaint related to the characters though, besides the heteronormativity and mild misogyny spotting the book here and there, and that's that the dialogue doesn't always have a character associated with it. So, for instance, you'll have someone talking, but the author would never say who was talking. It took away perfectly good opportunities for the author to use those conversations to develop the characters further, while also adding unnecessary confusion to the reading. So points deducted for that.
However, the main thing I remembered about this book, to repeat myself, were the concepts and the worldbuilding, and I've got to say that they still remain the strongest part of the story to me. While the characters were fine, I didn't fall in love with any of them or grow particularly attached to any of them because there was a lack of depth and opportunity. But the world that they lived in? Now that was fascinating to read about. Were there some douchebag comments about the poor and some disgusting instances of ableism? Yes. But for the time it was written in, it also had some decent commentary about the state of a world where we've fucked up the planet to the point where everything is crumbling and we've created both a dependency on robotic workers and an overpopulation issue at the same time, and what do you do with those unwanted babies that grow up to be groups of lay-abouts because the government said "Fuck you; you're useless to us/robots already do a better job than you ever will"? It's a fascinating futuristic dystopian to explore, and the concept of how that government would run, how they would try to handle an issue like that creatively is so much fun to think about. And the introduction of The Game, the playing of it, the realization that comes from "winning" it? All those things are just fun, and it's the reason why I still think this book stands the test of time for me despite all the problems I can see cropping up from the time period the author wrote this in. I have no idea if the author has grown and improved since then, but this story at least is a solid one, even with all its problematic moments. Thankfully, the moments don't define it, even if they are terrible.
Definitely the kind of story you want to read with an awareness of the biases of the time that influenced them, but a good one nonetheless. It's still got a place on my bookshelf, and I'll always think fondly back on it, for all its flaws. If you're into futuristic dystopian sci-fi books that border on middle grade to YA range, give this one a shot. It's worth it for the creativity of the concepts at least. If it had been written with more character development and depth, less problematic things sprinkled throughout, this would have been an absolute blast of a book. But I appreciate it nonetheless for what it is. Hope you enjoy it half as much as I did if you do pick it up. It's worth a read at least.
I'll be honest, I can overlook weak characters or little character development for really good plot or concepts in a book. Thankfully, this book didn't majorly suffer from bad character development, but it was weaker than it could have been. Some characters definitely stood out more than the others, while a decent half of them had only a minute amount of development in comparison. Such is the flaw of a book that focuses more on the plot of the story and the world rather than the characters themselves, so that's understandable. I do have one major complaint related to the characters though, besides the heteronormativity and mild misogyny spotting the book here and there, and that's that the dialogue doesn't always have a character associated with it. So, for instance, you'll have someone talking, but the author would never say who was talking. It took away perfectly good opportunities for the author to use those conversations to develop the characters further, while also adding unnecessary confusion to the reading. So points deducted for that.
However, the main thing I remembered about this book, to repeat myself, were the concepts and the worldbuilding, and I've got to say that they still remain the strongest part of the story to me. While the characters were fine, I didn't fall in love with any of them or grow particularly attached to any of them because there was a lack of depth and opportunity. But the world that they lived in? Now that was fascinating to read about. Were there some douchebag comments about the poor and some disgusting instances of ableism? Yes. But for the time it was written in, it also had some decent commentary about the state of a world where we've fucked up the planet to the point where everything is crumbling and we've created both a dependency on robotic workers and an overpopulation issue at the same time, and what do you do with those unwanted babies that grow up to be groups of lay-abouts because the government said "Fuck you; you're useless to us/robots already do a better job than you ever will"? It's a fascinating futuristic dystopian to explore, and the concept of how that government would run, how they would try to handle an issue like that creatively is so much fun to think about. And the introduction of The Game, the playing of it, the realization that comes from "winning" it? All those things are just fun, and it's the reason why I still think this book stands the test of time for me despite all the problems I can see cropping up from the time period the author wrote this in. I have no idea if the author has grown and improved since then, but this story at least is a solid one, even with all its problematic moments. Thankfully, the moments don't define it, even if they are terrible.
Definitely the kind of story you want to read with an awareness of the biases of the time that influenced them, but a good one nonetheless. It's still got a place on my bookshelf, and I'll always think fondly back on it, for all its flaws. If you're into futuristic dystopian sci-fi books that border on middle grade to YA range, give this one a shot. It's worth it for the creativity of the concepts at least. If it had been written with more character development and depth, less problematic things sprinkled throughout, this would have been an absolute blast of a book. But I appreciate it nonetheless for what it is. Hope you enjoy it half as much as I did if you do pick it up. It's worth a read at least.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Classism, Police brutality, and Animal death
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Misogyny
noxnight's review against another edition
4.0
Classic. Moves quickly with a simple, exciting storyline and a fantastic and thought-provoking twist. Read and reread again.
mindsplinters's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Premise-wise, this is a hit with an interesting twist at the end. However, it definitely is something that should be read in 4th grade or something (maybe earlier). At that age, you don't notice things like flat characters, too many characters, or annoying narrators. You're just there for the plot and the description which this book delivers on. You have a chillingly possible dystopia where unemployment is sky high because of robot workers. You have the Government trying to keep things under control. You have complacency. You have groups of people pitted against each other but outside forces in order to keep the ones on top up there. You have Mad Max, The Capital, Fifth Element fashion sense. You have teens freshly graduated, so hopeful, confronted with the mess of the world and absolutely no control of their own lives. Solid bones.
I'm just gonna say it, though. I'm a few decades past 4th grade and my brain has become cluttered with things like work stuff or the lyrics to SmashMouth's All Star so there is no way I'm going to keep TEN teen characters straight unless you give me definite personalities. Too many by far (except you need at least that many when the twist happens) and far too sketchily drawn out to be useful or even to be sympathetic towards. I don't even remember all of their names and the ones I do remember? Rich - pompous jerkface. Scylla - very tolerable and positive and sweet. Alden - bitchy bitter chemist. Benta - farm girl, short end of the stick. Lisse - narrator, the most fluffy headed and often whiny creature ever. And other names of some sort. Oh, wait. Katie knows karate. I think.
I'm just gonna say it, though. I'm a few decades past 4th grade and my brain has become cluttered with things like work stuff or the lyrics to SmashMouth's All Star so there is no way I'm going to keep TEN teen characters straight unless you give me definite personalities. Too many by far (except you need at least that many when the twist happens) and far too sketchily drawn out to be useful or even to be sympathetic towards. I don't even remember all of their names and the ones I do remember? Rich - pompous jerkface. Scylla - very tolerable and positive and sweet. Alden - bitchy bitter chemist. Benta - farm girl, short end of the stick. Lisse - narrator, the most fluffy headed and often whiny creature ever. And other names of some sort. Oh, wait. Katie knows karate. I think.
naysh's review against another edition
2.0
The book was okay, but could have been much better. It was built on a good idea, but the story itself wasn't that good. Though it had a strong foundation, I found that I just did not like the writing style.
rainmisoa's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
I picked up this book because my partner said that it was something that left an impression on them when they were a kid. And seeing as it has similar elements of the last book I read, I thought it was the perfect time to read it.
It was a pretty okay book. I liked the concepts of the book quite a bit. The execution could have been better. The world was rather interesting. I like the dystopian setting. A future where the unemployment rate is through the roof is quite believable to me. It's happening right now. What I liked learning about was how this future government was planning to "solve" this crisis. Turns out it ain't good. Shocker.
However, that's pretty much where all the good stuff ends. The writing in this book was decent except when it came to dialogue. There were never any indications to who was speaking at any given time. It went from one character speaking to the next without any mention of who was speaking. Most of the time I had no idea who was in a certain conversation.
Another problem this book had was weak character development. Most of them were interchangeable. And, honestly, I didn't really care about any of them. Except Brad. He was one of the very few characters who was capable and likable. Unlike Lisse, the main character. She constantly whined, cried, screamed at the drop of a hat, and added nothing to the group to help them survive any of their struggles. She was such a pointless character, which is a shame since we're following her POV.
There are also moments where this book shows its age. There's ableism, racism, and the book focuses on a world of heteronormativity to a fault which took me out of the experience entirely. I refuse to believe that people can be paired off that way so "perfectly" for the future. No.
Like I said earlier, I liked the book. I just wish there was room for the characters to live and breathe and grow. And that a lot of its primitive worldview wasn't present. Otherwise, it's an okay read with an interesting world. I'm still glad I read it.
It was a pretty okay book. I liked the concepts of the book quite a bit. The execution could have been better. The world was rather interesting. I like the dystopian setting. A future where the unemployment rate is through the roof is quite believable to me. It's happening right now. What I liked learning about was how this future government was planning to "solve" this crisis. Turns out it ain't good. Shocker.
However, that's pretty much where all the good stuff ends. The writing in this book was decent except when it came to dialogue. There were never any indications to who was speaking at any given time. It went from one character speaking to the next without any mention of who was speaking. Most of the time I had no idea who was in a certain conversation.
Another problem this book had was weak character development. Most of them were interchangeable. And, honestly, I didn't really care about any of them. Except Brad. He was one of the very few characters who was capable and likable. Unlike Lisse, the main character. She constantly whined, cried, screamed at the drop of a hat, and added nothing to the group to help them survive any of their struggles. She was such a pointless character, which is a shame since we're following her POV.
There are also moments where this book shows its age. There's ableism, racism, and the book focuses on a world of heteronormativity to a fault which took me out of the experience entirely. I refuse to believe that people can be paired off that way so "perfectly" for the future. No.
Like I said earlier, I liked the book. I just wish there was room for the characters to live and breathe and grow. And that a lot of its primitive worldview wasn't present. Otherwise, it's an okay read with an interesting world. I'm still glad I read it.
alanahcw's review against another edition
5.0
This would have been an all-time favourite if I had read this when I was younger - such a great story!
ntembeast's review against another edition
5.0
This book, is absolutely a fantastic read! The writing style is so easy and clear that you flow right through the book and are sucked into it before you even know it! Everything runs so smoothly! It's amazing how well Monica Hughes makes this book run, and I have only the highest compliments for her. It's a short book as well! Under two hundred pages which makes it an even easier task to go through swiftly, but the pace is never rushed, even though you can read it within a few hours if you're a fast reader or even not so quick! On top of that, Monica Hughes has a GREAT talent for bringing you right into the situation. The book and its characters are IMMENSELY relate-able. The situation is twisted of course to match the future year, yet even though this book is categorized as Science Fiction, there are only a few mild elements to it that really brings about that feel, which makes it not wholly an alien landscape. You have the school they go to, you have the idea of being assigned jobs by the government, and then the concept of being dictated where to live. It all has a very Dystopian air about it, which is probably the stronger of the two elements in the book. But it mingles it so very well that you don't even pay much attention to either. They serve as only the mild sparks of the unusual that make this book a really interesting read! Plus, even with these elements, the book never strays too far from the impossible, even at the surprise twist towards the end! (Don't worry. This review will remain Spoiler Free, I promise.)
The story is set in the future, during a time period where almost every job has been replaced by robots. Not too unusual a scenario, but even if this makes it familiar, it also makes it easy to relate to. When a batch of kids fresh from high school end up as the Permanently Unemployed, you're sitting right there thinking, "Well great! We get to stay in one place, with this amount of money, for the REST of our BORING lives! Wonderful!" It's enough to play on the emotions of any self-respecting individual! And then, (Warning, corny line coming up) everything changes when they get introduced to The Game. Since that itself is a spoiler, I won't tell you what it is. *Smiles* However! It's enough to get these kids crazy involved with it, since heck! ANYTHING is better than this slum life they're FORCED to live because the entire Government has them in lock-down until they DIE. You get this enormous sense of the unfairness of this corrupt, slowly degrading world, and you feel even worse because you know that there's not a stinking thing you can do about it. It brings about a vivid feeling of imprisonment in not just these kids, freshly raised with all this knowledge! And now no where to use it...but in the reader as well.
And speaking of the kids! These characters are AWESOME. They're so smart and they work so well together, and even when they have fights and disagreements, you GET what they're going through, because you would probably feel the same way if you were in their shoes! Plus, the main character, Lisse? She's awesome. She comes off as such a quiet type, but she has her moments of speaking out and stating her thoughts aloud (as well as in narrative, which is really great to read) and mingling them with those of her friends. What Monica does is takes all these different people and uses them to create every single side of the argument possible, and you feel so easily bounced back from one to the other that you don't even mind when you're not quite sure who's speaking, because what they say makes so much SENSE. It's a book that plays on your emotions more than anything, and it's a great ride. Because it's also fun! You've got a lot of seriousness in it, but the bond of this band of teenagers is so tight that everything you go through feels...well, normal! And not in the boring normal way either, but in the way that makes you feel like you're right in there with them, going through the same things they are. It's a great way of being carried along in the story, and I know that if you don't agree with one of the characters, you'll find yourself echoing the thoughts and words of one of the others. That's what Lisse's job is throughout the book. She's the one that we get to relate to, and who sets the scene for us. It's because of her that our emotions begin to fuse with those of the people around us in the story, since we're seeing it from Lisse's point of view. And that's the key to really enjoying this book! Because we get to know Lisse's thoughts, it evokes in us a lot of corresponding ideas until we're just as deep in as the rest of them.
Plus, this book's got that GREAT twist at the end. Considering it's such an EASY book to fall into, and it really does carry that sense of normality and relate-ability to it, when you get thrown for that big loop at the end, you're just as stunned as the rest of them. In my opinion, that's what makes this such a great and really fun book to read! You know it's Sci-Fi and Dystopian, but you forget all that in the fact that it's also really, really, really personal! Monica Hughes herself said it in the book! It's about the subtlety of the story. You get so drawn in, you can conceive of the situation they're in with the government and living situations, because it's something that CAN happen to OUR world and US. And because of that, when you DO get the twist at the end, you're shocked! Because after everything being so easy to relate to, you've suddenly been thrown a curve ball you couldn't have seen coming if you were as involved with the characters and their thoughts as I was! And sure, you probably could figure it out, but that's not the magic of this book. Its true wonder is revealed when you give up your own thoughts and just get captured in the book itself, in the characters and in their thoughts and arguments. When you flow right along with them, when you go through their troubles and their attempts to survive and learn, you get so into their situation that the ending does take you by surprise and it's AWESOME for it!
This is truly a great story. Simple and fun, easy to read and filled with enjoyable, intelligent characters of all kinds! It's the kind of story you like to pick up and read because it's just a blast to be taken along for the ride! I would recommend this story definitely for the Sci-Fi minded Dystopian lovers. It's not top-full of one over the other, but it's a great story to read just for enjoyment's sake! And it's so easy to read and enjoy that I don't see why anyone shouldn't read it! Go on and have some fun! It's worth the trip if you're willing to let loose and let the story take you. Try it out! I hope you'll be amazed! Maybe that's just the child in me though? It's definitely not over-complex, and it's also a typical middle-school book I'd say. But there's nothing wrong with enjoying a simple read for the sake of enjoyment itself. *Smiles* I think if you have an open mind, and read this book seeking to enjoy it, you will. And that's a good enough reason to pick it up and try!
The story is set in the future, during a time period where almost every job has been replaced by robots. Not too unusual a scenario, but even if this makes it familiar, it also makes it easy to relate to. When a batch of kids fresh from high school end up as the Permanently Unemployed, you're sitting right there thinking, "Well great! We get to stay in one place, with this amount of money, for the REST of our BORING lives! Wonderful!" It's enough to play on the emotions of any self-respecting individual! And then, (Warning, corny line coming up) everything changes when they get introduced to The Game. Since that itself is a spoiler, I won't tell you what it is. *Smiles* However! It's enough to get these kids crazy involved with it, since heck! ANYTHING is better than this slum life they're FORCED to live because the entire Government has them in lock-down until they DIE. You get this enormous sense of the unfairness of this corrupt, slowly degrading world, and you feel even worse because you know that there's not a stinking thing you can do about it. It brings about a vivid feeling of imprisonment in not just these kids, freshly raised with all this knowledge! And now no where to use it...but in the reader as well.
And speaking of the kids! These characters are AWESOME. They're so smart and they work so well together, and even when they have fights and disagreements, you GET what they're going through, because you would probably feel the same way if you were in their shoes! Plus, the main character, Lisse? She's awesome. She comes off as such a quiet type, but she has her moments of speaking out and stating her thoughts aloud (as well as in narrative, which is really great to read) and mingling them with those of her friends. What Monica does is takes all these different people and uses them to create every single side of the argument possible, and you feel so easily bounced back from one to the other that you don't even mind when you're not quite sure who's speaking, because what they say makes so much SENSE. It's a book that plays on your emotions more than anything, and it's a great ride. Because it's also fun! You've got a lot of seriousness in it, but the bond of this band of teenagers is so tight that everything you go through feels...well, normal! And not in the boring normal way either, but in the way that makes you feel like you're right in there with them, going through the same things they are. It's a great way of being carried along in the story, and I know that if you don't agree with one of the characters, you'll find yourself echoing the thoughts and words of one of the others. That's what Lisse's job is throughout the book. She's the one that we get to relate to, and who sets the scene for us. It's because of her that our emotions begin to fuse with those of the people around us in the story, since we're seeing it from Lisse's point of view. And that's the key to really enjoying this book! Because we get to know Lisse's thoughts, it evokes in us a lot of corresponding ideas until we're just as deep in as the rest of them.
Plus, this book's got that GREAT twist at the end. Considering it's such an EASY book to fall into, and it really does carry that sense of normality and relate-ability to it, when you get thrown for that big loop at the end, you're just as stunned as the rest of them. In my opinion, that's what makes this such a great and really fun book to read! You know it's Sci-Fi and Dystopian, but you forget all that in the fact that it's also really, really, really personal! Monica Hughes herself said it in the book! It's about the subtlety of the story. You get so drawn in, you can conceive of the situation they're in with the government and living situations, because it's something that CAN happen to OUR world and US. And because of that, when you DO get the twist at the end, you're shocked! Because after everything being so easy to relate to, you've suddenly been thrown a curve ball you couldn't have seen coming if you were as involved with the characters and their thoughts as I was! And sure, you probably could figure it out, but that's not the magic of this book. Its true wonder is revealed when you give up your own thoughts and just get captured in the book itself, in the characters and in their thoughts and arguments. When you flow right along with them, when you go through their troubles and their attempts to survive and learn, you get so into their situation that the ending does take you by surprise and it's AWESOME for it!
This is truly a great story. Simple and fun, easy to read and filled with enjoyable, intelligent characters of all kinds! It's the kind of story you like to pick up and read because it's just a blast to be taken along for the ride! I would recommend this story definitely for the Sci-Fi minded Dystopian lovers. It's not top-full of one over the other, but it's a great story to read just for enjoyment's sake! And it's so easy to read and enjoy that I don't see why anyone shouldn't read it! Go on and have some fun! It's worth the trip if you're willing to let loose and let the story take you. Try it out! I hope you'll be amazed! Maybe that's just the child in me though? It's definitely not over-complex, and it's also a typical middle-school book I'd say. But there's nothing wrong with enjoying a simple read for the sake of enjoyment itself. *Smiles* I think if you have an open mind, and read this book seeking to enjoy it, you will. And that's a good enough reason to pick it up and try!
kerri_stolberg's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Characters weren’t super dimensional and the writing overall was very YA, I liked the theme but the ending was not amazing
kveramead's review against another edition
4.0
It was fascinating to read this in 2017, knowing that it was written well before a lot of the dystopian YA novels had really kicked off. It's a very fast read, and while the plot and character development feel a bit lacking in some moments, I think it's also important to remember that this was written a few decades ago, and would almost certainly have been approached differently in some areas (especially with the cast of characters) and expanded had it been written in the day and age of The Hunger Games/Divergent trilogy, etc.
lindsayreads21's review against another edition
I read this book in high school and remember it being a really good read. It's got mystery, sci-fi, fantasy and everything else that I love in a book.