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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I can tell it was originally serialized, somewhat of a repetitive writing style and more POV switches than were valuable. Thought the silo world building was pretty good. Good old fashioned earnest politics, and our Mary Sue: Jules propel the plot along.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of the wave of books made possible via Amazon's self-publishing platform and popularized via word of mouth and grass roots popular acclaim.
Could have been titled "Mary Sue in the Fallout Vault". :) There was absolutely nothing original here- the post apocalyptic setting is a shameless copy of the Fallout video game's vaults. (Which wasn't particularly original to begin with).
The characters are standard hero archetypes. Despite that it was a thoroughly enjoyable and fast paced read. Though for something that spanned 500 pages we should have gotten something better in the way of character development or world building.
Could have been titled "Mary Sue in the Fallout Vault". :) There was absolutely nothing original here- the post apocalyptic setting is a shameless copy of the Fallout video game's vaults. (Which wasn't particularly original to begin with).
The characters are standard hero archetypes. Despite that it was a thoroughly enjoyable and fast paced read. Though for something that spanned 500 pages we should have gotten something better in the way of character development or world building.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've learned that I don't care for most science fiction unless certain conditions are met (more like not met), in which case I really love it; they are summarized well in David Mitchell's introduction to Ursula K Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness:
"Le Guin does not resort to evil masterminds or dystopian states needing to be overthrown by a plucky band of misfits. The true antagonists are very human bigotry, politicking, and the harshness of the Gethenian climate. Future tech plays a minimal role in Le Guin's science fiction, and there is no exotic alien megafauna. Genly Ai is no Luke Skywalker, no Star Trek captain, no Doctor Who. He is an unarmed man out of his political and cultural depth, at the mercy of events he rarely, or barely, grasps."
This book really works in that "science fiction without being too made up" lane, and it's immediately clear; a premise that could be cliche (post nuclear humanity lives in dystopian shelter) instead grabbed me by the throat (WHY do the cleaners always end up cleaning? Oh that's why! Wait... WHAT!?!) The main characters are not hero's path heroes but also aren't plucky misfits. The true antagonists are more believable and terrifying than a lizard king with his wormhole ray gun.
It's a touch longer than I think it needs to be, but makes sense given it started as 5 novellas. There is a shade of "questionably believable dystopian ruler motivations" here, but those are easier to swallow when the current president wants to annex Canada and Greenland by force. I thought it was entertaining, and original, and awesome.
"The short term rage to be sated at the end of a barrel was too easy to act on. Staving off extinction required something else; something with more vision, something impossibly patient."
"Le Guin does not resort to evil masterminds or dystopian states needing to be overthrown by a plucky band of misfits. The true antagonists are very human bigotry, politicking, and the harshness of the Gethenian climate. Future tech plays a minimal role in Le Guin's science fiction, and there is no exotic alien megafauna. Genly Ai is no Luke Skywalker, no Star Trek captain, no Doctor Who. He is an unarmed man out of his political and cultural depth, at the mercy of events he rarely, or barely, grasps."
This book really works in that "science fiction without being too made up" lane, and it's immediately clear; a premise that could be cliche (post nuclear humanity lives in dystopian shelter) instead grabbed me by the throat (WHY do the cleaners always end up cleaning? Oh that's why! Wait... WHAT!?!) The main characters are not hero's path heroes but also aren't plucky misfits. The true antagonists are more believable and terrifying than a lizard king with his wormhole ray gun.
It's a touch longer than I think it needs to be, but makes sense given it started as 5 novellas. There is a shade of "questionably believable dystopian ruler motivations" here, but those are easier to swallow when the current president wants to annex Canada and Greenland by force. I thought it was entertaining, and original, and awesome.
"The short term rage to be sated at the end of a barrel was too easy to act on. Staving off extinction required something else; something with more vision, something impossibly patient."
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
I stopped to reading at about 75%. The pacing was too slow and I had a hard time maintaining my momentum and progress in the book. The book felt too long, I wish it focused more on a smaller set of characters.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No