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amynbell's review
5.0
This book reads a bit like if you mixed up the implausible science of the television show "Fringe" with the odd scenarios that only kinda-sorta of make logical sense in the television show "Doctor Who". The book was interesting enough to sit down and read in only a couple of sittings. However, when I tried to explain the plot (ending and all) to my husband, I wasn't able to tell it in a sensical way. Sometimes, though, it's the books that are tied together by such loose and elusive threads that are the most interesting because they're not so completely predictable and have a nice dreamlike quality to them.
Imagine a time in the future, when everyone is so plugged into their cell phones and other electronic devices as to lead a nearly zombie-like existence in the real world. It's probably not that difficult to imagine, is it? And then imagine that everyone you knew suddenly doesn't recognize you. Not your friends, not your family ... nobody. Now it becomes obvious that the world is operating with different rules than the ones that you thought it operated under. And stranger things begin to happen. People disappear and the rules for getting from Point A to Point B have changed, too. Luckily, you're not the only person this has happened to. But why?
This was definitely one of my more interesting and unique reads this year. I'd highly recommend it for those who like bizarre dystopian tales. However, I've noticed that a lot of readers didn't like it at all. So I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea.
Imagine a time in the future, when everyone is so plugged into their cell phones and other electronic devices as to lead a nearly zombie-like existence in the real world. It's probably not that difficult to imagine, is it? And then imagine that everyone you knew suddenly doesn't recognize you. Not your friends, not your family ... nobody. Now it becomes obvious that the world is operating with different rules than the ones that you thought it operated under. And stranger things begin to happen. People disappear and the rules for getting from Point A to Point B have changed, too. Luckily, you're not the only person this has happened to. But why?
This was definitely one of my more interesting and unique reads this year. I'd highly recommend it for those who like bizarre dystopian tales. However, I've noticed that a lot of readers didn't like it at all. So I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea.
chloesumner1317's review
4.0
First, let me say that this book is a big spew of social commentary. So if you don't like social commentary books, this is definitely not for you.
The premise for the world in which the characters live in is that it is New York City after an incident called Big Black, which caused this 4 block section of the city to be destroyed and have a dome placed over it. Everyone lives on "cells" which does everything-calls, videochats, pays for food/drinks, orders for you, GPS unit, the whole shebang. Everyone is very isolated from each other and I always pictured the weather being very gray, though that may have had something to do with the cover.
The two main characters are Mal, a foster kid trying to find his brother Tommy in Brooklyn, and Laura, a suburban college-bound girl from Long Island whose parents just can't remember her one day. There is also a focus on Mike, an inner city teacher, and Dave Remak, a corporate analyst of the Global Dynamic.
This book is not light. You've got quite a bit of theory to chew on dispersed throughout the book. There was the enclosed space on infinite loop, the Global Dynamic, and other pieces which requires you to really think about how this world reflects upon our own.
That being said, the theory is really what is driving this story. Yes, Mal, Laura, Mike, Tommy, Annie, and all of the other characters have compelling back stories, but their main purpose is to deliver this author's view on the world: Hopelessness is catching-don't let it catch you.
I really did like it, but I eat up theory like this.
The premise for the world in which the characters live in is that it is New York City after an incident called Big Black, which caused this 4 block section of the city to be destroyed and have a dome placed over it. Everyone lives on "cells" which does everything-calls, videochats, pays for food/drinks, orders for you, GPS unit, the whole shebang. Everyone is very isolated from each other and I always pictured the weather being very gray, though that may have had something to do with the cover.
The two main characters are Mal, a foster kid trying to find his brother Tommy in Brooklyn, and Laura, a suburban college-bound girl from Long Island whose parents just can't remember her one day. There is also a focus on Mike, an inner city teacher, and Dave Remak, a corporate analyst of the Global Dynamic.
This book is not light. You've got quite a bit of theory to chew on dispersed throughout the book. There was the enclosed space on infinite loop, the Global Dynamic, and other pieces which requires you to really think about how this world reflects upon our own.
That being said, the theory is really what is driving this story. Yes, Mal, Laura, Mike, Tommy, Annie, and all of the other characters have compelling back stories, but their main purpose is to deliver this author's view on the world: Hopelessness is catching-don't let it catch you.
I really did like it, but I eat up theory like this.
skundrik87's review
2.0
pretty boring. pretty preachy. the loved ones of some people forget they exist and it was an evil corporation that did it. not really interesting.
tamaraniac's review
1.0
Originally posted: http://tamaraniac.tumblr.com/post/89269955289/mini-reviews-hero-and-those-that-wake
This book was my bane for months. The beginning was just so slow that I would set it right back down again after a chapter. I must have read the first few chapters twenty times. Eventually I pushed my way through, and while it does get better later, I wouldn’t say it’s really worth it.
The beginning part (150 pages or so) is very nonsensical. It hops around to different people but nothing really happens. The ending is interesting and thoughtful and has a little bit of action, but that itself is still slow and hard to get through.
It’s a lot like what I consider to be “old” sci-fi (The Foundation Trilogy for example) without the classical or cultural significance. But it’s not a bad book, just a slow one, so if you like the look of it go ahead. You could like it.
This book was my bane for months. The beginning was just so slow that I would set it right back down again after a chapter. I must have read the first few chapters twenty times. Eventually I pushed my way through, and while it does get better later, I wouldn’t say it’s really worth it.
The beginning part (150 pages or so) is very nonsensical. It hops around to different people but nothing really happens. The ending is interesting and thoughtful and has a little bit of action, but that itself is still slow and hard to get through.
It’s a lot like what I consider to be “old” sci-fi (The Foundation Trilogy for example) without the classical or cultural significance. But it’s not a bad book, just a slow one, so if you like the look of it go ahead. You could like it.
pegahe's review
2.0
Those That Wake has the appearance of a book about zombies but, you should know, it isn't. The book is instead about helplessness and fighting it.
To be honest, after finishing the last page my reaction was "What happened?" I was thoroughly confused. I couldn't really grasp the concept Jesse Karp was using so many things had me puzzled. I read one passage three or four times and still didn't understand what was going on. Maybe someone else will understand or there could have been better explanations. You had to pay very very close attention to understand what was going on and I honestly wasn't willing to put that much effort in a book I had hoped would entertain me.
The characters... What can I say? I didn't actively like any of them. I thought they ranged from "I hate them" to "normal." I just couldn't seem to connect with them or what they did. For example, the "romance." It didn't make sense. It wasn't needed. Does all it take for love to appear is a girl to see a guy? There wasn't any foreplay. No one ever questioned their feelings. They just felt protective from the start. I couldn't understand it.
The world building wasn't really amazing. I couldn't tell if this world was supposed to be a near future or an advanced future. They referenced 9/11 so it could be near but based on how people were so technologically advanced I really don't know. We were told people never looked up from screens. Besides a few events, I couldn't really picture the New York in Those That Wake.
You may have gotten the impression I wasn't too impressed by Those That Wake,but there were good things. A lot of cool stuff happened like Laura being forgotten and having to deal with that. The characters' backgrounds were also interesting. Those That Wake make you want to stop using the Internet and testing all the time and instead look around the world. It also raises awareness of media's influences.
This book wasn't the book for me. I couldn't get into it, I didn't find myself liking the characters, the plot confused me... Definitely not for me. I'm sure someone else may enjoy this book. If Sci-fi with conspiracies against media and corporations is your thing, you'll probably like this. 2 stars,
**
To be honest, after finishing the last page my reaction was "What happened?" I was thoroughly confused. I couldn't really grasp the concept Jesse Karp was using so many things had me puzzled. I read one passage three or four times and still didn't understand what was going on. Maybe someone else will understand or there could have been better explanations. You had to pay very very close attention to understand what was going on and I honestly wasn't willing to put that much effort in a book I had hoped would entertain me.
The characters... What can I say? I didn't actively like any of them. I thought they ranged from "I hate them" to "normal." I just couldn't seem to connect with them or what they did. For example, the "romance." It didn't make sense. It wasn't needed. Does all it take for love to appear is a girl to see a guy? There wasn't any foreplay. No one ever questioned their feelings. They just felt protective from the start. I couldn't understand it.
The world building wasn't really amazing. I couldn't tell if this world was supposed to be a near future or an advanced future. They referenced 9/11 so it could be near but based on how people were so technologically advanced I really don't know. We were told people never looked up from screens. Besides a few events, I couldn't really picture the New York in Those That Wake.
You may have gotten the impression I wasn't too impressed by Those That Wake,but there were good things. A lot of cool stuff happened like Laura being forgotten and having to deal with that. The characters' backgrounds were also interesting. Those That Wake make you want to stop using the Internet and testing all the time and instead look around the world. It also raises awareness of media's influences.
This book wasn't the book for me. I couldn't get into it, I didn't find myself liking the characters, the plot confused me... Definitely not for me. I'm sure someone else may enjoy this book. If Sci-fi with conspiracies against media and corporations is your thing, you'll probably like this. 2 stars,
**
scaraquin's review
3.0
Sometime in the near future, a power plant explosion takes out four city blocks, and plunges New York City into darkness. When the lights are turned back on, the city has suffered from extreme violence and crime, and the spirit of its people is destroyed. Full of fear and despair, they take refuge in technology. They walk looking down at the screens of their cells, avoid all contact with each other, and phase out the world around them. Corporations, in their eternal quest for profit, find ways to feed off of this growing despair. Their technology provide safety, and their products provide temporary happiness.
Two teenagers have grown up in opposite parts of this society. Laura has lived under the loving protection of her parents, until the day when all knowledge of her is wiped from the minds of everyone she knows. For the first time in her life, she is alone. Mal, on the other hand, has always been alone. Continually moving from foster home to foster home, he is in a continual fight with life itself. On the same night as Laura looses her parents, Mal receives a phone call from his older brother, who then mysteriously goes missing.
When the pair meet each other, they realize that their problems are connected, and that they stem back to the force of despair controlling society. They are joined by Mike Boothe, and old teacher, who discovered a door in his school’s basement that disappeared after he closed it, and Jon Remak, a government agent sent to find out why there was a sudden increase in desperate acts in the neighborhoods surrounding Boothe’s school. Together, the four start understanding the forces put into motion by the profit-seeking corporations, and those of a despair that has grown so strong that it takes on a tangible form.
The main characters, Laura and Mal, are easy to connect with, and their backgrounds and motives are very well explained. Their love for each other is more subdued than in other teen novels, but they draw strength from it nonetheless. The other two characters, Boothe and Remak, are also interesting, but not as well explained. In a world where despair has the strength to overpower people’s minds, we are never certain if they are on the same side as the teens.
The basis of this story is very interesting, and portrays a harrowing, yet feasible image of our future society. It’s not hard to look at ourselves now and envision a world where people prefer to interact with technology, rather than with real people. It is, however, also fairly complicated. Passages that explain the state of society are very long, and include a lot of scientific terminology both real and invented. You can read it and get a general gist of what is going on, but would have a very hard time trying to explain it to anyone else. For instance, one of the most important ideas to understand is the importance of memes. Memes are cultural ideas that pass through and become part of a culture as everyone is exposed to them. The corporations, with their power over technology, managed to control what memes people had access to, and ensured that their own products remained on everyone’s mind. In order to keep control over people’s minds, they had to instill in them a sense of hopelessness. Hence, the general gloominess of this futuristic society. Explanations such as this, coupled with the speed at which many events occur often leaves you confused with certain turn of events. The ending, for instance, goes by extremely quickly, leaving you somewhat unsatisfied with the information you have as you finish the story. Perhaps the sequel will explain things better.
Two teenagers have grown up in opposite parts of this society. Laura has lived under the loving protection of her parents, until the day when all knowledge of her is wiped from the minds of everyone she knows. For the first time in her life, she is alone. Mal, on the other hand, has always been alone. Continually moving from foster home to foster home, he is in a continual fight with life itself. On the same night as Laura looses her parents, Mal receives a phone call from his older brother, who then mysteriously goes missing.
When the pair meet each other, they realize that their problems are connected, and that they stem back to the force of despair controlling society. They are joined by Mike Boothe, and old teacher, who discovered a door in his school’s basement that disappeared after he closed it, and Jon Remak, a government agent sent to find out why there was a sudden increase in desperate acts in the neighborhoods surrounding Boothe’s school. Together, the four start understanding the forces put into motion by the profit-seeking corporations, and those of a despair that has grown so strong that it takes on a tangible form.
The main characters, Laura and Mal, are easy to connect with, and their backgrounds and motives are very well explained. Their love for each other is more subdued than in other teen novels, but they draw strength from it nonetheless. The other two characters, Boothe and Remak, are also interesting, but not as well explained. In a world where despair has the strength to overpower people’s minds, we are never certain if they are on the same side as the teens.
The basis of this story is very interesting, and portrays a harrowing, yet feasible image of our future society. It’s not hard to look at ourselves now and envision a world where people prefer to interact with technology, rather than with real people. It is, however, also fairly complicated. Passages that explain the state of society are very long, and include a lot of scientific terminology both real and invented. You can read it and get a general gist of what is going on, but would have a very hard time trying to explain it to anyone else. For instance, one of the most important ideas to understand is the importance of memes. Memes are cultural ideas that pass through and become part of a culture as everyone is exposed to them. The corporations, with their power over technology, managed to control what memes people had access to, and ensured that their own products remained on everyone’s mind. In order to keep control over people’s minds, they had to instill in them a sense of hopelessness. Hence, the general gloominess of this futuristic society. Explanations such as this, coupled with the speed at which many events occur often leaves you confused with certain turn of events. The ending, for instance, goes by extremely quickly, leaving you somewhat unsatisfied with the information you have as you finish the story. Perhaps the sequel will explain things better.
violetam's review
3.0
I really liked the book. I would've rated it 4 out of 5, but I felt that it had some spots that could have been better. It took me a bit to figure out the plot and what it was about because it kept on switching from one person's point of view to another's. It was a bit confusing, but as soon as I read more into the book I slowly got what the book was about. It's books like this one that make me cautious about how much time I spend in the internet and using technology, but the effect wears off after a few days.