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arkham's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
ajlark25's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the political intrigue that was in here, but it was too shallow. Not much got fleshed out (characters and history). It seems like this could have been a great political sci-fi like The Long Price Quartet, but it lacked the attention to detail and depth. The alternating first person viewpoints were frustrating, but not the end of the world. I might check out the next in the series from the library if I don’t have anything else to read, but I’m likely done with this one
jenabrownwrites's review against another edition
3.0
Whenever I get the chance to read a post-apocalyptic Science Fiction novel, I am all in. Add in a gritty noir vibe reminiscent of a 1940's detective novel and there's absolutely no way I can say no.
We find ourselves in a future version of our world. I'm not sure where the exact setting is supposed to be, but I suspect Scotland or thereabouts. Knowledge of the location isn't a requirement to enjoy the story, or at least it wasn't for me.
And its a good story. Dark but compelling, with a plot that pulls you into turning page after page needing to know what happens next.
We alternate between two main characters, Henraek and Walleus. They both used to fight for the rebels and now work for a group, the Tathadann, who overtook the area years back. Henraek is a broken man, forced to work for the people he hates, after losing his wife and son to the war.
Walleus is a bit more complicated. He has secrets, dark secrets, that leave you guessing his true loyalties and motivations all the way to the end. More on him later.
I really liked how creative the story was, and how complex the characters were. I imagine in any place taken over by a regime that rules in ruthless and totalitarian ways, the day to day lives of those citizens would be anything but black and white. People are never all good or all bad, or at least, rarely. The author does a good job capturing the complexity of this struggle.
If you love a gritty, dark novel you will enjoy this book. I think if you like anything 1940's detective noir, you will also really enjoy the narration.
I give the book 3 out of 5 stars.
This book was provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven't read this book yet, DO NOT READ FURTHER**
I gave this book only three stars, because while I was gripped by the story, it could have been stunning.
There were two pieces of the plot that I wish had been developed a bit more. The first is what really drew me in to the book. Memory theft.
Henraek's job in the Tathadann is stealing memories from people. You can then insert these memories into various viewers and watch them. He's given a list daily and he goes about his job trying not to think about what he's actually doing. He must not feel too bad though, because he always take an extra vial to sell to the black market.
This is an interesting side plot. The people who buy memories on the black market and become addicted to them. These junkies are mentioned multiple times throughout the book, and one junkie in particular comes back again and again, but there isn't any discovery over who he is or why he's relevant. I think maybe he was just an example of how desperate and alone these people can become chasing lost memories, but this leads me to more questions not answered. Why do they become addicted to the memories? What memories are they chasing? How could anyone's random memories lead to such addiction, especially people who want to relive memories of lost, loved ones? It wasn't exactly clear to me and I would have LOVED to see this more developed.
Back to the memory theft. These memories are drained and the people are left as empty shells. Alive but gone. Which raised some questions. There isn't really any mention of what happens to these shells after they've been robbed. We witness him engaging in this theft twice, and he simply places coal over their eyes, and leaves them. The coal is mentioned as important, a signal of something, but again, I have no idea what. Maybe it isn't important, but it felt like a loose end to me.
The memories are stored by the Tathadann, but we don't really see why, what they're looking for, or even why specific people are targeted. I also would think if there was still a rebellious faction in this city, that the outrage of people hollowed out and stolen would cause more of an outrage than the book implied. There really is no mention of it, other than the disgust generated towards addicts. If the addicts themselves are so repulsive, shouldn't the creators of the addiction also be reviled? ESPECIALLY if it left these shells of people all over the place?
This underdeveloped piece of plot is even more important because of Henraek's girlfriend, Emeriann. Her husband was also killed in the last rebel battle. And we find Henraek stealing the memories of her dead husbands grandfather in the beginning. He then goes BACK and steals the fathers later on. He is conflicted about this, but takes them anyway. Fine, he's doing his job, but what about Emeriann? She's part of the new rebellion and expresses disgust over addicts, yet nothing is EVER mentioned about her in-laws or her new boyfriend's role in creating these addicts? Or again, these shells of people left all over the city? I just didn't buy it. She is willing to die for the rebel cause, yet loves a man who is responsible for so much that she hates?
The second piece of plot I wish was developed more was Walleus himself.
Walleus was the original traitor. He's the one who we are led to believe gave the Tathadann the information they needed to take down the rebels. This information led to massive deaths, including the death of Henraek's wife and son. I felt it was a stretch that Henraek continued to view Walleus as a friend. He knew of his betrayal, knew that he was forced into submission, and yet still continues to view the guy as his friend? Because they grew up together? I don't buy it. I would have liked a more treacherous relationship with both of them scheming to undo the other. That would have felt more realistic to me.
The other issue with Walleus, is why he turned in the first place? We find out that he actually has Henraek's son, and is raising him, telling the boy his parents are dead. His desire to keep the child as his own plays a major role in why he stays, but why turn in the first place? Other than belief that the rebellion was doomed and he needed to survive. Henraek himself, eludes to Walleus' confusing nature, but the narration doesn't really give us more depth in that regard.
We also learn that Walleus has a mutated son, born with deformities including scaled skin, flippers for hands and the inability to talk in more than clicks. I found it odd that mention of this defect or mutation wasn't examined more. This seems like something major. Is this the only child like this? Where did it come from? Again, why don't we see more mention of other characters with these issues?
There were other things about Walleus I didn't like. He's described as being fat, his large stomach is mentioned multiple times, in various ways. Yet this guy is also then described as being able to take out men younger, stronger and more in shape because he has field and fighting experience? Skills like that don't just happen because you could once do them. And, yes, experience will work in your favor in any fight, but it doesn't guarantee it.
Overall, I felt that as one of the two main protagonists, he needed development and consistency. I felt like the author was trying to make him more human, more relatable, more sympathetic. Instead, we was a confusing character.
My other issue, and it is mild, was the language. Don't get me wrong, I am not a reader that frills at the presence of a curse word in a book. I think swearing, especially in a society like this, often needs to happen to make the characters and dialogue believable. My problem is that the swearing itself is what usually felt unbelievable.
Do you remember when you were young, and swearing was new? So you did it all the time? Or when you thought it would make you seem tough, or angry, or grownup? I do. And that's how the swearing felt to me. New. Or, like it was added in because it should be there. Not because it naturally belonged. A few times it felt like it was there for pure shock value alone. A minor complaint, I know, but I consider myself a refined user of explicative words, and hate to see them mistreated in any way.
I will say, the strength of the plot made me overlook these complaints. I did roll my eyes a few times at repetitive phrases (I could never read the words 'reptilian part of the brain' again and be completely happy), but I continued to turn the pages. I genuinely wanted to know what happens next. There was tension and unsolved mystery. I love when authors add a bit of a Shakespearean twist of 'information known too late', and this was blended in towards the end.
In all, I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away. Which is disappointing, because honestly, I feel like this book had major potential to be a show stopper. A few developments and details would have easily taken it from three to five stars.
We find ourselves in a future version of our world. I'm not sure where the exact setting is supposed to be, but I suspect Scotland or thereabouts. Knowledge of the location isn't a requirement to enjoy the story, or at least it wasn't for me.
And its a good story. Dark but compelling, with a plot that pulls you into turning page after page needing to know what happens next.
We alternate between two main characters, Henraek and Walleus. They both used to fight for the rebels and now work for a group, the Tathadann, who overtook the area years back. Henraek is a broken man, forced to work for the people he hates, after losing his wife and son to the war.
Walleus is a bit more complicated. He has secrets, dark secrets, that leave you guessing his true loyalties and motivations all the way to the end. More on him later.
I really liked how creative the story was, and how complex the characters were. I imagine in any place taken over by a regime that rules in ruthless and totalitarian ways, the day to day lives of those citizens would be anything but black and white. People are never all good or all bad, or at least, rarely. The author does a good job capturing the complexity of this struggle.
If you love a gritty, dark novel you will enjoy this book. I think if you like anything 1940's detective noir, you will also really enjoy the narration.
I give the book 3 out of 5 stars.
This book was provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD! If you haven't read this book yet, DO NOT READ FURTHER**
I gave this book only three stars, because while I was gripped by the story, it could have been stunning.
There were two pieces of the plot that I wish had been developed a bit more. The first is what really drew me in to the book. Memory theft.
Henraek's job in the Tathadann is stealing memories from people. You can then insert these memories into various viewers and watch them. He's given a list daily and he goes about his job trying not to think about what he's actually doing. He must not feel too bad though, because he always take an extra vial to sell to the black market.
This is an interesting side plot. The people who buy memories on the black market and become addicted to them. These junkies are mentioned multiple times throughout the book, and one junkie in particular comes back again and again, but there isn't any discovery over who he is or why he's relevant. I think maybe he was just an example of how desperate and alone these people can become chasing lost memories, but this leads me to more questions not answered. Why do they become addicted to the memories? What memories are they chasing? How could anyone's random memories lead to such addiction, especially people who want to relive memories of lost, loved ones? It wasn't exactly clear to me and I would have LOVED to see this more developed.
Back to the memory theft. These memories are drained and the people are left as empty shells. Alive but gone. Which raised some questions. There isn't really any mention of what happens to these shells after they've been robbed. We witness him engaging in this theft twice, and he simply places coal over their eyes, and leaves them. The coal is mentioned as important, a signal of something, but again, I have no idea what. Maybe it isn't important, but it felt like a loose end to me.
The memories are stored by the Tathadann, but we don't really see why, what they're looking for, or even why specific people are targeted. I also would think if there was still a rebellious faction in this city, that the outrage of people hollowed out and stolen would cause more of an outrage than the book implied. There really is no mention of it, other than the disgust generated towards addicts. If the addicts themselves are so repulsive, shouldn't the creators of the addiction also be reviled? ESPECIALLY if it left these shells of people all over the place?
This underdeveloped piece of plot is even more important because of Henraek's girlfriend, Emeriann. Her husband was also killed in the last rebel battle. And we find Henraek stealing the memories of her dead husbands grandfather in the beginning. He then goes BACK and steals the fathers later on. He is conflicted about this, but takes them anyway. Fine, he's doing his job, but what about Emeriann? She's part of the new rebellion and expresses disgust over addicts, yet nothing is EVER mentioned about her in-laws or her new boyfriend's role in creating these addicts? Or again, these shells of people left all over the city? I just didn't buy it. She is willing to die for the rebel cause, yet loves a man who is responsible for so much that she hates?
The second piece of plot I wish was developed more was Walleus himself.
Walleus was the original traitor. He's the one who we are led to believe gave the Tathadann the information they needed to take down the rebels. This information led to massive deaths, including the death of Henraek's wife and son. I felt it was a stretch that Henraek continued to view Walleus as a friend. He knew of his betrayal, knew that he was forced into submission, and yet still continues to view the guy as his friend? Because they grew up together? I don't buy it. I would have liked a more treacherous relationship with both of them scheming to undo the other. That would have felt more realistic to me.
The other issue with Walleus, is why he turned in the first place? We find out that he actually has Henraek's son, and is raising him, telling the boy his parents are dead. His desire to keep the child as his own plays a major role in why he stays, but why turn in the first place? Other than belief that the rebellion was doomed and he needed to survive. Henraek himself, eludes to Walleus' confusing nature, but the narration doesn't really give us more depth in that regard.
We also learn that Walleus has a mutated son, born with deformities including scaled skin, flippers for hands and the inability to talk in more than clicks. I found it odd that mention of this defect or mutation wasn't examined more. This seems like something major. Is this the only child like this? Where did it come from? Again, why don't we see more mention of other characters with these issues?
There were other things about Walleus I didn't like. He's described as being fat, his large stomach is mentioned multiple times, in various ways. Yet this guy is also then described as being able to take out men younger, stronger and more in shape because he has field and fighting experience? Skills like that don't just happen because you could once do them. And, yes, experience will work in your favor in any fight, but it doesn't guarantee it.
Overall, I felt that as one of the two main protagonists, he needed development and consistency. I felt like the author was trying to make him more human, more relatable, more sympathetic. Instead, we was a confusing character.
My other issue, and it is mild, was the language. Don't get me wrong, I am not a reader that frills at the presence of a curse word in a book. I think swearing, especially in a society like this, often needs to happen to make the characters and dialogue believable. My problem is that the swearing itself is what usually felt unbelievable.
Do you remember when you were young, and swearing was new? So you did it all the time? Or when you thought it would make you seem tough, or angry, or grownup? I do. And that's how the swearing felt to me. New. Or, like it was added in because it should be there. Not because it naturally belonged. A few times it felt like it was there for pure shock value alone. A minor complaint, I know, but I consider myself a refined user of explicative words, and hate to see them mistreated in any way.
I will say, the strength of the plot made me overlook these complaints. I did roll my eyes a few times at repetitive phrases (I could never read the words 'reptilian part of the brain' again and be completely happy), but I continued to turn the pages. I genuinely wanted to know what happens next. There was tension and unsolved mystery. I love when authors add a bit of a Shakespearean twist of 'information known too late', and this was blended in towards the end.
In all, I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow me away. Which is disappointing, because honestly, I feel like this book had major potential to be a show stopper. A few developments and details would have easily taken it from three to five stars.
sarah1984's review against another edition
29/12 - My main complaint was the fact that I found the two points of view indistinguishable from each other. I'd be reading and suddenly question what was happening because it seemed wrong for the character whose head I thought we were in, I'd flip back to the beginning of the chapter to check which character I was actually reading and it would turn out that I was reading Henraek's side when I'd thought it was the other guy (can't remember his name). To further confuse and frustrate me the political situation was so complicated I couldn't keep it straight in my head (even know I remember nothing about it, except that it was too complicated).
So by the time I got to page 63 and I haven't picked it up in over a week, I tried to remember what was happening and other than knowing I hadn't been enjoying myself I could barely remember more of the plot than what we're told on the back cover. I have many other books to read, so why would I keep torturing myself with one that's not working for me? Well, I'm not going to anymore, this is going back to the library.
So by the time I got to page 63 and I haven't picked it up in over a week, I tried to remember what was happening and other than knowing I hadn't been enjoying myself I could barely remember more of the plot than what we're told on the back cover. I have many other books to read, so why would I keep torturing myself with one that's not working for me? Well, I'm not going to anymore, this is going back to the library.
jonknightknighthunterbooks's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Were this a movie it would be a made for TV SyFy special, but not one of the good ones. Paper thin world building, an under-developed central conceit and burly men being angsty and beating each other up. An okay way to spend a few hours, but go in eyes open.
craigwallwork's review
4.0
I have to say this isn’t a book I would normally read. If I picked it up at the book store and read the blurb I may have put it back on the shelf and walked out. That’s not a reflection on the writing, which is strong, but more personal preference. I’m not really into science fiction (I’m very picky about sci-fi in general), and having too many names thrown at me too early on leaves me disorientated, especially names that are not commonplace. But I’ve read books by Korpon before and know him to be a great writer, so I pushed on. And I’m glad I did. Korpon has a brilliant way of creating worlds and characters that are so edgy and fully formed you can’t help but get immersed. Told via two perspectives, Henreak and Walleus, you’re introduced to a city politically scared by oppression and war. Henreak is a memory thief battling his own demons and the loss of his wife and child. And its in his character I found the true heart of the book to lie. Stripping away echoes of Blade Runner (noir/sci-fi) and 1984, at its core this is a simple story of a man pursing the ghosts of his family, mourning them, and realising (much later in in the novel) the weight of being a father. This is something that will resonant with parents, and for that alone it’s worthy of your time. Korpon never takes his heel of your throat throughout this novel, creating a rich dystopian landscape for his characters to walk around, and while there are elements of noir sewn through the historical tapestry, this to me is more about loss and the scars that hold a heart together. Recommended.
skjam's review
3.0
Once upon a time, the Morrigan brothers formed a group called Tathadann to make Eitan City a refuge from the Resource Wars that were killing the planet. But then one of them betrayed the other, and the Tathadann became dictators. Now it was their turn to be the establishment that young Henraek and Walleus rebelled against. The Struggle had some victories, but eventually Walleus defected. In his rage, Henraek started a riot in which his wife and child died.
Now Henraek is a shell of his former self, drafted into stealing memories from political targets for the Tathadann (and selling the ones they don’t need on the black market. His new lover’s an artist, and may still be actively working with the Struggle. Walleus is an intelligence operative for the city’s bosses, though not as well treated as once he was. His ambitious underling Grieg is incompetent at the actual job, but might be better at backstabbing.
Then Henraek comes across a memory of his wife that suggests she wasn’t killed in a riot at all. He starts investigating, despite Walleus warning him off. Walleus does, after all, care about his old friend…and has secrets he must keep at any cost.
This is a book about people who have been betrayed and are betraying; almost everyone has secrets they’d rather other people didn’t know. The setting seems to be a future Ireland, but is vague enough that it might not be. The landscape and environment have been permanently altered by the Resource Wars, and there’s been mass memory tampering.
If we presume that it’s Ireland, then the Struggle seems to evoke the Troubles and the terrorism and oppression of those dark times. I am not expert on the subject, so cannot say how respectful this story is to that inspiration. The social divide is more political than religious (people who support the ruling party live in a nicer part of town and have some luxuries; people the ruling party don’t like can’t even get clean water.)
Neither of the main characters is likable; Henraek is resentment and revenge-driven almost 24/7, while Walleus is more calculated but just as self-centered. Some of the other characters come off a bit better, but we are talking terrorists and the secret police (who are pretty similar.)
As might be expected, there’s a lot of violence and some rough language.
The writing is okay, but not gripping and I have no interest in following the further story of the surviving characters.
Now Henraek is a shell of his former self, drafted into stealing memories from political targets for the Tathadann (and selling the ones they don’t need on the black market. His new lover’s an artist, and may still be actively working with the Struggle. Walleus is an intelligence operative for the city’s bosses, though not as well treated as once he was. His ambitious underling Grieg is incompetent at the actual job, but might be better at backstabbing.
Then Henraek comes across a memory of his wife that suggests she wasn’t killed in a riot at all. He starts investigating, despite Walleus warning him off. Walleus does, after all, care about his old friend…and has secrets he must keep at any cost.
This is a book about people who have been betrayed and are betraying; almost everyone has secrets they’d rather other people didn’t know. The setting seems to be a future Ireland, but is vague enough that it might not be. The landscape and environment have been permanently altered by the Resource Wars, and there’s been mass memory tampering.
If we presume that it’s Ireland, then the Struggle seems to evoke the Troubles and the terrorism and oppression of those dark times. I am not expert on the subject, so cannot say how respectful this story is to that inspiration. The social divide is more political than religious (people who support the ruling party live in a nicer part of town and have some luxuries; people the ruling party don’t like can’t even get clean water.)
Neither of the main characters is likable; Henraek is resentment and revenge-driven almost 24/7, while Walleus is more calculated but just as self-centered. Some of the other characters come off a bit better, but we are talking terrorists and the secret police (who are pretty similar.)
As might be expected, there’s a lot of violence and some rough language.
The writing is okay, but not gripping and I have no interest in following the further story of the surviving characters.
aasplund's review
3.0
Walleus and Henraek were part of the revolution, but that's over now and they both have moved to working for the government that defeated everything they fought for. Now, when there's another chance for rebellion, each man must decide what his priorities are and his position in the new fight.
I'm not entirely sure what to think of this book.
Overall, I really really enjoyed it. It was an interesting dystopian sci-fi thriller and I easily got caught up in the story and the world. It intrigued me and I really enjoyed seeing this perspective of a possible future.
A few strong points:
1) A fascinating plot. There was so much going on in this book, but it worked really well overall. There were some really complex connections between many characters and it gave the book an interesting depth. I really liked that aspect of it.
2) A well-built world. The author obviously had thought this world and history out quite a bit and that made it a rewarding read. The world was unique, with new technology and ideas, and I really loved being exposed to all that. It felt like traveling to a new place.
3) The alternating narrations. The story is told by Walleus and Henraek and it was interesting to see their different perspectives and opinions side by side. The most interesting part to me was that one of them would know something the other wouldn't and the readers' knowledge of that information completely changed the way the book was read. The way this was told was brilliant and worked fabulously.
But it wasn't perfect. I do have a few complaints:
1) The story was sometimes confusing. The author obviously had a great idea of what was happening where and to who, but as a reader, it was difficult to get pushed into this book without any background. It felt a little like coming halfway through a party and missing everything that had lead up to the current party game or conversation. I could piece together most of the story, but I still felt like I was missing bits and pieces of it and that was frustrating sometimes.
2) The narratives weren't different enough. While Walleus and Henraek were very different characters, the way they narrated didn't differ much. It would get a bit confusing switching between chapters and sometimes I'd have to go back to the chapter heading to make sure I knew who was narrating currently. I loved the alternating, but they were written too similarly.
Overall, this was a really fun book and I recommend it to sci-fi readers, especially those who love dystopian futures.
I'm not entirely sure what to think of this book.
Overall, I really really enjoyed it. It was an interesting dystopian sci-fi thriller and I easily got caught up in the story and the world. It intrigued me and I really enjoyed seeing this perspective of a possible future.
A few strong points:
1) A fascinating plot. There was so much going on in this book, but it worked really well overall. There were some really complex connections between many characters and it gave the book an interesting depth. I really liked that aspect of it.
2) A well-built world. The author obviously had thought this world and history out quite a bit and that made it a rewarding read. The world was unique, with new technology and ideas, and I really loved being exposed to all that. It felt like traveling to a new place.
3) The alternating narrations. The story is told by Walleus and Henraek and it was interesting to see their different perspectives and opinions side by side. The most interesting part to me was that one of them would know something the other wouldn't and the readers' knowledge of that information completely changed the way the book was read. The way this was told was brilliant and worked fabulously.
But it wasn't perfect. I do have a few complaints:
1) The story was sometimes confusing. The author obviously had a great idea of what was happening where and to who, but as a reader, it was difficult to get pushed into this book without any background. It felt a little like coming halfway through a party and missing everything that had lead up to the current party game or conversation. I could piece together most of the story, but I still felt like I was missing bits and pieces of it and that was frustrating sometimes.
2) The narratives weren't different enough. While Walleus and Henraek were very different characters, the way they narrated didn't differ much. It would get a bit confusing switching between chapters and sometimes I'd have to go back to the chapter heading to make sure I knew who was narrating currently. I loved the alternating, but they were written too similarly.
Overall, this was a really fun book and I recommend it to sci-fi readers, especially those who love dystopian futures.
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