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lorpu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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? N/A
5.0
matruck's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
ohclaire's review against another edition
4.75
I was surprised at how accessible the writing style was! Fascinating and unfortunately, real. Also as a Californian I was really drawn to the second half of the book's depictions of Norcal, and the hope of surviving there.
khanyamanqoba's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
nclcaitlin's review against another edition
3.25
2024: it is the end of the world and everyone is descending into madness and desperation. Outside the wall lies chaos.
Chronicled by diary entries from a fifteen-year old girl called Lauren who is disillusioned with her father’s obsessed on with religion, this book offers a bleak, dark look at a very possible future even if it is off by a few years.
Lauren’s voice shines through and offers stark observations on the life and people around her. Interestingly, she has hyperempathy syndrome meaning she feels what she sees others feeling or what she believes they feel. Even to the degree that she used to bleed if she saw blood.
Without persistence, what remains is an enthusiasm of the moment.
Without adaptability, what remains may be channeled into destructive fanaticism. Without positive obsession, there is nothing at all.
It seems common for Butler’s book to always have a really dark and shocking factor. Lots of rape, murder, drugs, torture, prostitution…. Whilst it’s extremely graphic, it also makes sense for the world she was trying to imagine.
However,
Very minor spoiler:
However, my main ick for this book was having Lauren have sec with a 57-year old man who reminded her of her father.
I felt this was an amalgamation of many books I’ve already read. Perhaps I am doing a disservice to Butler as she was the leading author in this, however I think my expectations were set to high based on others reviews.
My grandmother left a whole bookcase of old science fiction novels. The company-city subgenre always seemed to star a hero who outsmarted, over threw, or escaped "the company." I've never seen one where the hero fought like hell to get taken in and underpaid by the company. In real life, that's the way it will be. That's the way it is.
The ending felt extremely abrupt and lacklustre. I know it’s a duology, but I won’t be continuing based on some reviews with similar drawbacks as me.
Chronicled by diary entries from a fifteen-year old girl called Lauren who is disillusioned with her father’s obsessed on with religion, this book offers a bleak, dark look at a very possible future even if it is off by a few years.
Lauren’s voice shines through and offers stark observations on the life and people around her. Interestingly, she has hyperempathy syndrome meaning she feels what she sees others feeling or what she believes they feel. Even to the degree that she used to bleed if she saw blood.
Without persistence, what remains is an enthusiasm of the moment.
Without adaptability, what remains may be channeled into destructive fanaticism. Without positive obsession, there is nothing at all.
It seems common for Butler’s book to always have a really dark and shocking factor. Lots of rape, murder, drugs, torture, prostitution…. Whilst it’s extremely graphic, it also makes sense for the world she was trying to imagine.
However,
Very minor spoiler:
However, my main ick for this book was having Lauren have sec with a 57-year old man who reminded her of her father.
I felt this was an amalgamation of many books I’ve already read. Perhaps I am doing a disservice to Butler as she was the leading author in this, however I think my expectations were set to high based on others reviews.
My grandmother left a whole bookcase of old science fiction novels. The company-city subgenre always seemed to star a hero who outsmarted, over threw, or escaped "the company." I've never seen one where the hero fought like hell to get taken in and underpaid by the company. In real life, that's the way it will be. That's the way it is.
The ending felt extremely abrupt and lacklustre. I know it’s a duology, but I won’t be continuing based on some reviews with similar drawbacks as me.
alphabetstickers's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.5
fedak's review against another edition
4.0
Less bleak than “The Road” but not by much and this clearly influenced that latter work. Much enjoyed the dystopian near future view of post climate change California.
Didn’t much care for the B story of the protagonist starting her own religion and the poetry and philosophical discussions that surrounded it.
Didn’t much care for the B story of the protagonist starting her own religion and the poetry and philosophical discussions that surrounded it.
gabmeti's review against another edition
4.0
I was so invested in the story until she started a relationship with a 57 year old man. The more it continued the less I could really lose myself in the story.
thepurplepages's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting narrative of a dystopian version of the Earth. Butler, whose story is set only a few years ahead of our time (maybe five), seemed to get a lot of things right (especially the climate change). I was not a huge fan of the narrator, however. I feel as if by reading a book through a first person POV we are supposed to like, support, and take their side. So for the first few chapters, I defended Lauren in my head. It wasn't until I was about a third of the way through the book that I realized I felt her to be very hypocritical and it sort of ruined the book for me. All in all, Butler is a very talented writer, but I will not be searching for the sequel.
vmwierz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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