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quinn_12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
everybody's review against another edition
3.0
This book was far blunter in stating political opinion than its predecessor. It was very obvious when the plot just functions as a backdrop to talk about political ideas.
While I think most of the first book's arguments were very hard to dispute as they, for the most part, just pointed out observable social dynamics in an engaging way, this book sticks its neck out way further in its political discussion and makes a few controversial assumptions.
Beyond its extended social discussion, this book felt very much like a repetition of the first book but with classically raised stakes. This is something I loved about the first book. While there were a lot of ominous global events going on, the plot itself didn't have concrete stakes beyond individual people's well-being. This book felt a lot more formulaic in comparison.
Andy's struggle very much felt like a repetition of the pitfalls of having power and influence but in a far less nuanced way than April had in the first book.
The entire book was very blunt about its messages and left little to be discovered by the reader.
It also had far less moral ambiguity. The entire plot became a rather black and white affair very quickly.
While a lot of the tools the author used in his first book were quite novel and worked very well, a lot of them were overused in this book. Too much of a good thing and all that. One that was particularly noticeable was the unreliable narrator. Despite it not being used for an actual twist this time, the constant back and forth got old fast. "Now I am going to tell you everything, just kidding, I left this out but now I am going to be entirely honest, got you, I'll amend this other thing now, entirely out of order, etc."
While I think most of the first book's arguments were very hard to dispute as they, for the most part, just pointed out observable social dynamics in an engaging way, this book sticks its neck out way further in its political discussion and makes a few controversial assumptions.
Beyond its extended social discussion, this book felt very much like a repetition of the first book but with classically raised stakes. This is something I loved about the first book. While there were a lot of ominous global events going on, the plot itself didn't have concrete stakes beyond individual people's well-being. This book felt a lot more formulaic in comparison.
Andy's struggle very much felt like a repetition of the pitfalls of having power and influence but in a far less nuanced way than April had in the first book.
The entire book was very blunt about its messages and left little to be discovered by the reader.
It also had far less moral ambiguity. The entire plot became a rather black and white affair very quickly.
While a lot of the tools the author used in his first book were quite novel and worked very well, a lot of them were overused in this book. Too much of a good thing and all that. One that was particularly noticeable was the unreliable narrator. Despite it not being used for an actual twist this time, the constant back and forth got old fast. "Now I am going to tell you everything, just kidding, I left this out but now I am going to be entirely honest, got you, I'll amend this other thing now, entirely out of order, etc."
keebie_eebie's review against another edition
3.0
Slow start, but brings to light the importance of humanity in crisis.
vaenadal's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed the first book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, and I thought it was written well. But this one was better. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor had a more complex plot, but it was handled really well. For structural reasons that make sense, we mostly read the story from April's perspective in book one, but I think in this one the story benefited from being told from her friends' perspectives. Also, the "sci" part in "sci fi" took a huge leap forward in this book and I thought that Hank developed the Altus technology, and the problems with the Altus technology, really well.
And as an aside that won't matter to anyone else, my name is Val and my favorite color is green, so I really appreciated the island of Val Verde existing. :)
I can't claim to be a hardcore Nerdfighter, but I've seen Hank and John's videos and I've seen some of their Crash Course videos and from everything I've watched, this book felt like the distilled essence of Hank Green. It was really good and I hope he writes more novels in the future.
And as an aside that won't matter to anyone else, my name is Val and my favorite color is green, so I really appreciated the island of Val Verde existing. :)
I can't claim to be a hardcore Nerdfighter, but I've seen Hank and John's videos and I've seen some of their Crash Course videos and from everything I've watched, this book felt like the distilled essence of Hank Green. It was really good and I hope he writes more novels in the future.
nookkickdraw's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jaevro's review against another edition
Spent a lot of time with this book and I feel it’s the kind of book that deserves a reread down the line. Lots of larger themes to revisit within the relatable characters and quips. Namely,
• The human experience is about being flawed, empathetic, and within the communities we create
• AI and social media are a forever looming threat for our modern world and change 1) the way our brains function & 2) the playing field for power concentration
• Humans love to feel valuable and to glean meaning from our lives, many ways to do this involve connecting with each other
I found myself relating to April in ways I didn’t expect, in all her impulsivity and sense of self-importance. I guess that makes me human.
I love Hank’s details that feel so full of life— the monkey, the potato, the books. The way the book suspends realities in these ways is unexpected and fun. His foundation with science and finance goes in wonderfully, making the world so much more immersive.
• The human experience is about being flawed, empathetic, and within the communities we create
• AI and social media are a forever looming threat for our modern world and change 1) the way our brains function & 2) the playing field for power concentration
• Humans love to feel valuable and to glean meaning from our lives, many ways to do this involve connecting with each other
I found myself relating to April in ways I didn’t expect, in all her impulsivity and sense of self-importance. I guess that makes me human.
I love Hank’s details that feel so full of life— the monkey, the potato, the books. The way the book suspends realities in these ways is unexpected and fun. His foundation with science and finance goes in wonderfully, making the world so much more immersive.
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Despite jumping in at almost the exact moment that the first book end, I found the ramp up for this one to be slightly slower. It was a complicated plot/premise that took what we knew in the first book and expanded it and turned it slightly sideways so we saw it differently. The story was again told through multiple viewpoints, but the seams weren't quite as perfect.
I tore through the second half of the book and enjoyed every moment of the wonky and complicated plot. This book expects a lot of you but you can easily enjoy the ride without "getting" every detail.
The audio version had a really nice epilogue by the author and very interesting conversation interpreting some of the things that Hank was trying to get across in the book. I think I liked the book more for listening to the interview.
I tore through the second half of the book and enjoyed every moment of the wonky and complicated plot. This book expects a lot of you but you can easily enjoy the ride without "getting" every detail.
The audio version had a really nice epilogue by the author and very interesting conversation interpreting some of the things that Hank was trying to get across in the book. I think I liked the book more for listening to the interview.
cissaschell's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
I took over a year to finish it and I'm happy that I eventually finished reading. I like the characters, and I like how it is a fiction that talks about the real world, kinda makes me a little preoccupied that we will actually get controlled by Carl's brother and we won't even know.