carlgunter's review
5.0
Enjoyed the multiple POVs and seeing each character from different perspectives. I related to Tom/Shadow right from the start. Having lived through depression and being a person who is, in general, an idealist, his journey felt real, even if there is more of it to come. Second to me were Storm and Thorn. There is something about their rage that reflects the times we live in now. I want to see more of Thorn's arc going forward, but that is clearly planned given the preview of book 2. I have to say, Stella is super annoying, in an entertaining way, and I laughed every time I was in her head. I look forward to more prick and preppy confrontations and more? The worlds are vast, loved what I saw, want too see more. Thank you SFBookClub for a copy of the book.
artcheyne's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The existential dread feels real and appropriate given the advancements in AI. The contrast between a young Tom and the Shadow he becomes is well executed so is the trauma he experiences. The strength of this book are the unique characters and their relationships and the themes explored. The girls are a lot of fun, and the queer romance an excellent representation on how to write LGBTQI characters right. The themes confronted could easily go wrong and fall into tropes, but they never do. Yes, some of the characters struggle with life, but the underlining thread that pulls this series forward is one of hope and idealism. I liked how the world building is connected with the characters and their traits, and look forward to exploring more of Spiral Worlds and its history. My only complaint is that It's a series starter, however based on book one I trust the author to answer the questions that remain open regarding the past and the five days remaining until the end of the worlds. I liked the narrative structure a lot. It''s unusual, but starting in the middle of the history and going back to fill the gaps added more weight to the backstory as we already know how things will end up.
andyshaw's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy Guacamole. Ma! Send help. I just finished this book and I'm now 100% convinced that we live in a simulation and that our Universe is emotional and manipulative. Now I need to take a poetry course so that I can control it.
Roses are red, violets are blue, this book is so believable, it will scare the living daylights out of you.
Hi Sibyl! Bye Sibyl!
Roses are red, violets are blue, this book is so believable, it will scare the living daylights out of you.
Hi Sibyl! Bye Sibyl!
tracymerrel's review
5.0
Unanimity by Alexandra Almeida is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of human nature and the evolution of consciousness.
The novel is a masterful exploration of the themes of individuality, freedom, and conformity. Almeida has crafted a believable and compelling world that is both familiar and alien. The technology and the AI specifically is both intriguing and terrifying, and the author does a great job of exploring its implications.
The characters in Unanimity are well-developed and relatable. Shadow is a relatable protagonist who is not afraid to question authority and challenge the status quo. His journey into depression is both inspiring and heartbreaking. The other characters are equally well-written and add depth to the story. The relationships between the characters are also well-crafted and add to the emotional impact of the novel. Particularly the relationship between Shadow and Storm.
One of the most striking aspects of Unanimity is its writing style. Almeida has a beautiful and poetic way of describing the world and the characters. The language is rich and evocative, and the author has a talent for creating imagery that stays with the reader long after the book is finished. The pacing of the story is also well-done, with a steady build-up of tension that keeps the reader engaged.
In conclusion, Unanimity by Alexandra Almeida is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of human nature and the evolution of consciousness. The story is set in a number of believable and compelling worlds, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. The writing is beautiful and evocative, and the pacing of the story is well-done. This is a novel that will stay with the reader long after it is finished, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction, philosophical fiction, and thought-provoking literature.
The novel is a masterful exploration of the themes of individuality, freedom, and conformity. Almeida has crafted a believable and compelling world that is both familiar and alien. The technology and the AI specifically is both intriguing and terrifying, and the author does a great job of exploring its implications.
The characters in Unanimity are well-developed and relatable. Shadow is a relatable protagonist who is not afraid to question authority and challenge the status quo. His journey into depression is both inspiring and heartbreaking. The other characters are equally well-written and add depth to the story. The relationships between the characters are also well-crafted and add to the emotional impact of the novel. Particularly the relationship between Shadow and Storm.
One of the most striking aspects of Unanimity is its writing style. Almeida has a beautiful and poetic way of describing the world and the characters. The language is rich and evocative, and the author has a talent for creating imagery that stays with the reader long after the book is finished. The pacing of the story is also well-done, with a steady build-up of tension that keeps the reader engaged.
In conclusion, Unanimity by Alexandra Almeida is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of human nature and the evolution of consciousness. The story is set in a number of believable and compelling worlds, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. The writing is beautiful and evocative, and the pacing of the story is well-done. This is a novel that will stay with the reader long after it is finished, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction, philosophical fiction, and thought-provoking literature.
amysaint's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What can I say, I loved Shadow and Storm relationship and the creativity of this book. Couldn't help to cheer for Thorn and Stella for their badassery. More please!
alexwilbourne's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sfbookclub's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Utterly original and well drawn characters. Can't wait for Parity and the rest of the series.
bookishjessashley's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a wonderful series so far. The ideas and world-building are well presented, and they’re fun to read about. Alexandra establishes excellent and intriguing characters and builds on them throughout. I loved the way that the narrative spirals around, introducing elements and showing how they work later, and how we learn more about the characters and the world via the past sections, and how those sections tally with the “present-day” narrative within the worlds. An epic found family story.
gabrielwarren's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book includes a range of differing characters that were a lot of fun to discover more about. I thought the characters and their development was very well done. They all had very distinct ways of thinking and talking. I loved reading about all of them, and some I loved to hate which was fun. The writing was fairly easy to read and flowed well. The world is really fascinating. The different levels of Down Below/Spiral Worlds and all the various ways that they came about and exist are really cool to think about. I really found a lot of the ideas incredibly creative and engaging as concepts and loved the way that this alternate reality had totally reshaped humanity. I enjoyed seeing the Up Above world change throughout the years during the flashbacks and how the world Down Below evolved Up Above in the present. As far as plot, it felt cohesive and nothing ever felt out of place. Questions were introduced and then they were later answered, for the most part. I can't wait to read Parity.
azrah786's review
3.25
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with a copy of the book for a blog tour with The Write Reads Tours in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, suicidal ideation, suicide, death, death of parent, animal cruelty, war, alcohol/alcoholism, addiction, mental illness, cursing, sexual content, homophobia
--
Unanimity, the thrilling first instalment of the Spiral Worlds series introduces us to a future variant of the world where an augmented reality programme has been created to help make life better on Earth. Two young minds – renowned screenwriter Thomas Astley-Byron and AI expert Henryk Nowak – created Down Below/Spiral Worlds to put humans through simulations that allow them to come face to face with the consequences of their actions, particularly those of the unsavoury kind, and the success of the technology gave the two programmers a God like status.
However, 40 years on – a fair few years since the dismal nature of the work has led to the demise of both Tom and Harry – they have been revived as their digital personas in order to stop the metaverse they have created from collapsing and destroying humanity.
With a cast of morally ambiguous characters, technology that is equally fascinating and frightening and some thought-provoking social commentary this is a fast paced and engaging story. Though it takes some time to get to grips with fully understanding the world and the predicament that the characters are facing, Almeida’s does really well at weaving a dual timeline narrative. We follow a present timeline that in this first book of the series takes place over 1 day and then chapters which lay out the past, spanning over decades and catching us up on how the characters have got to where they are.
Tom/Shadow is the principal protagonist that everything revolves around however, we follow 5 other key players too whose lives intertwine with his. The narration is ambitious with how many threads there are to follow and I will say that this made the story a little confusing at first especially with the chapters taking place in the present. We’re immediately thrown into the mix and there are a lot of names and shifting loyalties to get accustomed too but the more you read the more interesting each of these characters get.
That being said I didn’t feel like I was able to fully connect to any of the characters as despite the bouts of action and stakes of the present timeline keeping things flowing everything taking place over 1 day didn’t allow for much character development. Everyone’s decision making and motivations seemed nonsensical and some relationships that were present in the book definitely felt stronger and more fleshed out than others.
What I did really enjoy though was the concepts behind the technology, and the worldbuilding that brought it all together thus I was hooked by the chapters set in the past. The author’s background in technology really shines through but I was just as intrigued by the ethical discussions and deliberation on morality that comes into the story.
All in all this was an entertaining read that nicely sets the pieces on the gameboard for the greater “save the day” plot that is to come.
Final Rating – 3.25/5 Stars
**I was provided with a copy of the book for a blog tour with The Write Reads Tours in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, suicidal ideation, suicide, death, death of parent, animal cruelty, war, alcohol/alcoholism, addiction, mental illness, cursing, sexual content, homophobia
--
Unanimity, the thrilling first instalment of the Spiral Worlds series introduces us to a future variant of the world where an augmented reality programme has been created to help make life better on Earth. Two young minds – renowned screenwriter Thomas Astley-Byron and AI expert Henryk Nowak – created Down Below/Spiral Worlds to put humans through simulations that allow them to come face to face with the consequences of their actions, particularly those of the unsavoury kind, and the success of the technology gave the two programmers a God like status.
However, 40 years on – a fair few years since the dismal nature of the work has led to the demise of both Tom and Harry – they have been revived as their digital personas in order to stop the metaverse they have created from collapsing and destroying humanity.
With a cast of morally ambiguous characters, technology that is equally fascinating and frightening and some thought-provoking social commentary this is a fast paced and engaging story. Though it takes some time to get to grips with fully understanding the world and the predicament that the characters are facing, Almeida’s does really well at weaving a dual timeline narrative. We follow a present timeline that in this first book of the series takes place over 1 day and then chapters which lay out the past, spanning over decades and catching us up on how the characters have got to where they are.
Tom/Shadow is the principal protagonist that everything revolves around however, we follow 5 other key players too whose lives intertwine with his. The narration is ambitious with how many threads there are to follow and I will say that this made the story a little confusing at first especially with the chapters taking place in the present. We’re immediately thrown into the mix and there are a lot of names and shifting loyalties to get accustomed too but the more you read the more interesting each of these characters get.
That being said I didn’t feel like I was able to fully connect to any of the characters as despite the bouts of action and stakes of the present timeline keeping things flowing everything taking place over 1 day didn’t allow for much character development. Everyone’s decision making and motivations seemed nonsensical and some relationships that were present in the book definitely felt stronger and more fleshed out than others.
What I did really enjoy though was the concepts behind the technology, and the worldbuilding that brought it all together thus I was hooked by the chapters set in the past. The author’s background in technology really shines through but I was just as intrigued by the ethical discussions and deliberation on morality that comes into the story.
All in all this was an entertaining read that nicely sets the pieces on the gameboard for the greater “save the day” plot that is to come.
Final Rating – 3.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Mental illness, Death, Blood, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Cursing, and Homophobia
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