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katieivey's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
sentient_meat's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
richardwells's review
3.0
Here's a hugely ambitious family saga beginning on the plains of Kansas in 1873 and ending on the plains of Mars in 2073 that is as uneven as it is long. The story tracks the ecological disasters of our planet to the point where the Pacific Ocean is brushing up against the Rocky Mountains, and the Earth is not so much vanishing as it's drowning. We get to spend time on buffalo hunts, and homesteads, in a sunken New Orleans with buildings connected by rope walkways and ladders, in a hippy new Earth commune that funds a rocket to Mars (how, we don't know,) and on the Mars colony where a new breed of "human" is being born. The fiction is as unlikely as the science, and a good number of pages are worth skimming, if not skipping entirely, but there are characters, and set pieces worth the price of admission, and a premise that kept me going.
Honestly, I picked it up because I was searching for something to read, and read it through for the same reason. It's a first book, and I have hope for the author because it's truly imaginative, but I'll think twice.
Honestly, I picked it up because I was searching for something to read, and read it through for the same reason. It's a first book, and I have hope for the author because it's truly imaginative, but I'll think twice.
scorpiobookfairy's review against another edition
I was starting to feel like it wasn't going to go anywhere, so I checked some reviews. Enough people said the ending got weird and wasn't satisfying that I decided not to continue.
peishantb's review
3.0
This is an unusual book. There's plenty of ugliness in the story. There are some tender moments and beauty in it too. I do love how the stories were told, and I love how the characters were developed. I read it, and I finished it without picking up another book in the duration, which is a rare feat for me these days and is a testament to the writing. Some books are written for pure enjoyment. Thrill ride, fluffy cotton candy like fun, or something silly to let the readers escape reality for however long the book lasted. Some books are written to provoke thoughts or to examine a theme. It may be about survival, or family dynamics, or about hope. It was clear that this book does not belong in the first camp, but I also can't quite tell what theme it's meant to explore. Is it human resilience? The effect of climate change? The want to survive? This is also not a comforting book. It unsettles. Maybe that's the purpose?
There is a supernatural thread that ran throughout the story, but I don't think it's needed. It's not a story about "the chosen one", and the "prophecy" has no import. Take it away and the story still flows. Great writing nonetheless.
There is a supernatural thread that ran throughout the story, but I don't think it's needed. It's not a story about "the chosen one", and the "prophecy" has no import. Take it away and the story still flows. Great writing nonetheless.
carbonnanoman's review
5.0
Really loved the writing in this one. A sci-fi story about generations of a family set to the backdrop of climate disaster. Trigger warning for child abuse.