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nikki_in_niagara's review against another edition
5.0
A few people stand looking up at the sky in a trance then take off walking. This oddity soon becomes prevalent in society. Hundreds and more are walking off into the countryside but meanwhile, they destroy everything in their path, razing cities to the ground. Henry and his young daughter are survivors and head to find a peaceful place to live.
I enjoyed this novella. Henry was an interesting character, as a war veteran he had experience in survival and he is a wonderful dad. The plot is eerie and depressing. Is this the end of the world or the beginning of a new one? There is great atmosphere and tension.
I enjoyed this novella. Henry was an interesting character, as a war veteran he had experience in survival and he is a wonderful dad. The plot is eerie and depressing. Is this the end of the world or the beginning of a new one? There is great atmosphere and tension.
otterkitty's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kaleymph's review against another edition
4.0
All I wanna say… I saw the ending coming, predicted it. But still wasn’t prepared. This is good.
reaperreads's review against another edition
5.0
Five totally biased stars. I'm not ashamed.
Even though I'm left with questions about the Stargazer phenomena, I still feel satisfied after reading this novella. First off, the pacing of the plot was just friggin spot on. Interspersing the narrative chapters with Reddit-like posts of other people witnessing and seeking to understand Stargazers in their neighborhoods and families was such a great idea. It adds to the suspense in a meaningful way, giving us fun-sized theories about what could be causing people to leave their homes and stand stock-still, staring at the sky, unwavering and unmoved by loved ones' attempts to snap them out of it.
Hernandez also does a fantastic job developing characters in such a short span of time. I couldn't help but feel worried for the main characters, and I could even easily imagine side characters as complete people. I believe this comes both from Hernandez's original creativity as well as his subtle nods to zombie thriller tropes. These things combined made for a well-rounded story that both people familiar and unfamiliar with the subgenre can appreciate. While this isn't about zombies, it had a similar apocalyptic feel, and the evil of humanity was more so evident in those unaffected by the Stargazer phenomena than in the Stargazers themselves. (Speaking of which, content warning for brief instance of attempted sexual assault and for threats of pedophilia.) Everything Hernandez built into the story felt like it had purpose, and it all strengthened my investment in Henry and Penny's father-daughter relationship in particular. Which, I think, really was the point.
I'm sad that Wake County Public Libraries decided against purchasing this novella because I really want more people to read it than just this lonely lil horror nerd. If anyone wants to borrow my copy, feel free to give me a shout.
Also, pay attention to the Acknowledgements. Can confirm that the metal bands Hernandez mentions are awesome.
For fans of: 28 Days Later (2002), "The Buchanan Boys Ride Again" by Gordon B. White, The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones, The Changeling by Victor LaValle, Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, and The Walking Dead (specifically season 3, I'd say...).
Even though I'm left with questions about the Stargazer phenomena, I still feel satisfied after reading this novella. First off, the pacing of the plot was just friggin spot on. Interspersing the narrative chapters with Reddit-like posts of other people witnessing and seeking to understand Stargazers in their neighborhoods and families was such a great idea. It adds to the suspense in a meaningful way, giving us fun-sized theories about what could be causing people to leave their homes and stand stock-still, staring at the sky, unwavering and unmoved by loved ones' attempts to snap them out of it.
Hernandez also does a fantastic job developing characters in such a short span of time. I couldn't help but feel worried for the main characters, and I could even easily imagine side characters as complete people. I believe this comes both from Hernandez's original creativity as well as his subtle nods to zombie thriller tropes. These things combined made for a well-rounded story that both people familiar and unfamiliar with the subgenre can appreciate. While this isn't about zombies, it had a similar apocalyptic feel, and the evil of humanity was more so evident in those unaffected by the Stargazer phenomena than in the Stargazers themselves. (Speaking of which, content warning for brief instance of attempted sexual assault and for threats of pedophilia.) Everything Hernandez built into the story felt like it had purpose, and it all strengthened my investment in Henry and Penny's father-daughter relationship in particular. Which, I think, really was the point.
I'm sad that Wake County Public Libraries decided against purchasing this novella because I really want more people to read it than just this lonely lil horror nerd. If anyone wants to borrow my copy, feel free to give me a shout.
Also, pay attention to the Acknowledgements. Can confirm that the metal bands Hernandez mentions are awesome.
For fans of: 28 Days Later (2002), "The Buchanan Boys Ride Again" by Gordon B. White, The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones, The Changeling by Victor LaValle, Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, and The Walking Dead (specifically season 3, I'd say...).
maritza_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Omg this was so damn good!!!
It’s cosmic horror with a strong mc who is a father that will protect his kid at all costs. PTSD rep, so freaking tense and dread inducing. I couldn’t sleep because of the anxiety I got; this felt real. It could totally happen. There’s also human monsters which is one of my fav horror subgenres.
It’s cosmic horror with a strong mc who is a father that will protect his kid at all costs. PTSD rep, so freaking tense and dread inducing. I couldn’t sleep because of the anxiety I got; this felt real. It could totally happen. There’s also human monsters which is one of my fav horror subgenres.
Content Warnings
Minor: Pedophilia
didyoumeanbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 Stars
I received a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Honestly, at first I really wasn't sure how I would feel about it, and I went into reading it knowing nothing except that this story was somehow related to the stars. Ultimately, I ended up enjoying this story!
The story overall was definitely interesting; I appreciated how realistic the human responses to this crisis seemed, exposing both the good and certainly the bad of humanity. As the story centers around this one family, we don't get too much investigation into what's happening with the Stargazers or information about the outside world beyond where they are specifically; I think that very much works with the lens of the story and how it is being told. We do get a solid amount of information filled in through posts on a Reddit-like forum about the Stargazers and how the chaos spreads. I also enjoyed the ending; I like that we get to speculate about some things
All of that said, this story wasn't perfect for me. I think because of how short it is as a novella (120 pages), I didn't connect with the characters emotionally as I may have if we had more time to get to know them; granted, their voices are fairly unrelatable to me, but I think more time with them and more illustrations of them as people acting and thinking and living would have helped for me. I think the writing was well done, but I unfortunately didn't connect with the style completely; I think some more detailed imagery/descriptions in certain parts and a bit more showing instead of telling about Judith and Henry's relationship would have made a difference for me. Like, it was good writing, but I was aware that I was reading until almost the very end, when I got more immersed & invested into the story. However, given this is a novella, I don't think any of that is 100% necessary for the piece--it would just be my personal preference as a reader.
I received a copy of this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. Honestly, at first I really wasn't sure how I would feel about it, and I went into reading it knowing nothing except that this story was somehow related to the stars. Ultimately, I ended up enjoying this story!
The story overall was definitely interesting; I appreciated how realistic the human responses to this crisis seemed, exposing both the good and certainly the bad of humanity. As the story centers around this one family, we don't get too much investigation into what's happening with the Stargazers or information about the outside world beyond where they are specifically
Spoiler
(except Henry saying they don't really have countries anymore)Spoiler
For instance: Penny in the backyard looking up at lights, followed by the post from the failed stargazer; was Penny too a failed Stargazer, no longer needed since who/whatever is coming was already there and Earth was made ready for them (as is alluded to before with the pest/house-buying metaphor, it seems the Stargazers are preparing the Earth for its new tenants)?All of that said, this story wasn't perfect for me. I think because of how short it is as a novella (120 pages), I didn't connect with the characters emotionally as I may have if we had more time to get to know them; granted, their voices are fairly unrelatable to me, but I think more time with them and more illustrations of them as people acting and thinking and living would have helped for me. I think the writing was well done, but I unfortunately didn't connect with the style completely; I think some more detailed imagery/descriptions in certain parts and a bit more showing instead of telling about Judith and Henry's relationship would have made a difference for me. Like, it was good writing, but I was aware that I was reading until almost the very end, when I got more immersed & invested into the story. However, given this is a novella, I don't think any of that is 100% necessary for the piece--it would just be my personal preference as a reader.
ghostthereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
georgesreads's review against another edition
2.0
Stargazers by LP Hernandez was by my estimate simply ok. I’ve certainly read worse but this definitely left me wanting a little bit more. The story just didn’t flow properly and I was left with a multitude of questions at the end. Not fun cliff-hanger questions, just confusion.
Stargazers is the first instalment in Sadie Hartmann’s “My Dark Library,” series. It is a story in which everyday people begin to stare dumb-founded into the sky for hours at a time. No obvious connection between them, no sense of the weather or temperature. They just stare. Meanwhile, American and Chinese naval ships begin to sink, in what appears to be the most obvious and large-scale form of sabotage since pearl harbour. Amidst the national sense of fear and chaos, is one family. The central plot is interwoven with Reddit posts. I enjoyed these as they provided an alternate perspective on the situation and did so in a way I imagine to be accurate.
This had promise. Weird aliens with massive mouths and saucers for eyes try and take over the planet? Yes please. For me though the execution just let it down a little. I would’ve liked at least a tiny little bit of closure about why the aliens invaded? If you enjoyed Wanderers by Chuck Wendig you may enjoy this, but in my opinion this is just an underwhelming shortened version.
Please remember all views here are my own. I appear to be the minority, don’t let me discourage you from picking this up and giving it a go… it’s only short.
Stargazers is the first instalment in Sadie Hartmann’s “My Dark Library,” series. It is a story in which everyday people begin to stare dumb-founded into the sky for hours at a time. No obvious connection between them, no sense of the weather or temperature. They just stare. Meanwhile, American and Chinese naval ships begin to sink, in what appears to be the most obvious and large-scale form of sabotage since pearl harbour. Amidst the national sense of fear and chaos, is one family. The central plot is interwoven with Reddit posts. I enjoyed these as they provided an alternate perspective on the situation and did so in a way I imagine to be accurate.
This had promise. Weird aliens with massive mouths and saucers for eyes try and take over the planet? Yes please. For me though the execution just let it down a little. I would’ve liked at least a tiny little bit of closure about why the aliens invaded? If you enjoyed Wanderers by Chuck Wendig you may enjoy this, but in my opinion this is just an underwhelming shortened version.
Please remember all views here are my own. I appear to be the minority, don’t let me discourage you from picking this up and giving it a go… it’s only short.
tarainez's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 stars, but I rounded up. This was impactful. I also like that the reader won’t fully understand wtf is going on. It made it deeply unsettling and more realistic. My theory is aliens