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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
This book is short and simply written. It's also incredibly compelling. I read it in one sitting. However, I find it hard to divulge anything about the plot other than than what you may be able to read in the book's synopsis.
The dialogue gets rather heady in the latter third of the novella--especially for young adult fiction--but if you can get through those pages the pay off is more than worth it. I had some inkling as to what was happening to our protagonist, but I was still mesmerized.
There was one one page I read four times. It starts off very subtle and then...
When you get to it, you'll know what I mean. Highly recommended.
The dialogue gets rather heady in the latter third of the novella--especially for young adult fiction--but if you can get through those pages the pay off is more than worth it. I had some inkling as to what was happening to our protagonist, but I was still mesmerized.
There was one one page I read four times. It starts off very subtle and then...
When you get to it, you'll know what I mean. Highly recommended.
This book was a lot of fun. It was a breeze to read through, and offered some fun ideas. As I read I found the narrative structure a little simple, but I think it played well once I had read to the ending.
Genesis, a philosophical post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel, follows a young girl named Anax, who is being examined to join her society’s elite leadership organization. Although she is a young adult, this story, thankfully, does not fall into the YA category. Anax is selected to relate the historical tale of the infamous Adam, a rebel who appeared early in this society’s past, and her future as a prestigious and fucking powerful member of this society will be based on her performance. This is a absolute blur of a novel, weighing in at only 150 pages. But what Beckett lacked in sheer content, he definitely made up for in quality. His novel delves into age old questions such as the meaning of life, spirituality, souls, and our origins. It also pushes into current times with highly interesting conversations about artificial intelligence and other similar shit. This book is the type that leaves you with interesting topics to bring up around your nerdy/artsy/religious friends.
"My brain is far bigger than that of a bumblebee."
"My circuitry is far more sophisticated than that of an automatic door."
"My circuitry is far more sophisticated than that of an automatic door."
Huh. For a super quick read, this book will leave you pondering. It's tough to really review without spoilers, but I'll say that it creates a vision of dystopian future quickly and easily through the space of a four hour narrative.
The format of Genesis is one of the things that makes it so unique: when we meet Anax, she is beginning her entrance exam to The Academy. All her hopes for the future rest on her acceptance, so these four hours are the ones she has spent the last several years training for. Her topic of expertise? Adam, a critical figure in the history of the island Republic, one around whom both controversy and conspiracy theory swirl. We learn about the our earth's destruction (in the very near future for us) and re-creation through Anax as she answers her exam questions. She is forced to deconstruct her own assumptions and sift through everything she's ever been taught about history. We learn what has happened subsequently to our earth through the context of Anax's examination. Very cool.
Genesis is a book that will take your brain to the limit - the ethical questions, especially are abounding as we learn about Adam and part he played in the final war. I loved how it made me think, how it made me question and choose sides. Anax is such a sympathetic character, with feelings so much like mine (on an ethical level, anyway), that I loved hearing her interpretation of the events I was learning about. While sometimes the philosophical conversations got a bit...circular, they were pointed and really, made me think more every single time. I'm STILL thinking about it. What is it inside me that makes me human, what is worth protecting? Could I explain my own love of being human, if I had to? How do we determine, as a society, who gets to have "free will" and how shall we determine who gets to help make choices for all of us?
Books like this are why I love to read. With a slam-bang ending and a clear expectation that we are on this ride as much as Anax, this is one that I want to read and discuss. Great piece of work.
Genesis is a book that will take your brain to the limit - the ethical questions, especially are abounding as we learn about Adam and part he played in the final war. I loved how it made me think, how it made me question and choose sides. Anax is such a sympathetic character, with feelings so much like mine (on an ethical level, anyway), that I loved hearing her interpretation of the events I was learning about. While sometimes the philosophical conversations got a bit...circular, they were pointed and really, made me think more every single time. I'm STILL thinking about it. What is it inside me that makes me human, what is worth protecting? Could I explain my own love of being human, if I had to? How do we determine, as a society, who gets to have "free will" and how shall we determine who gets to help make choices for all of us?
Books like this are why I love to read. With a slam-bang ending and a clear expectation that we are on this ride as much as Anax, this is one that I want to read and discuss. Great piece of work.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I know it's widely appreciated, but I'm not sure why. For a book that espouses 'show don't tell,' the first third of the book is all tell. Bonus points for an ending I wasn't expecting.
It is perhaps impossible to describe this book without spoiling it: let it suffice, then, to say that the work serves as a cyberpunk My Ishmael for the new young adult market. I had to give the book a moment before it grabbed me--the start gives only a glimpse of the journey and destination. The writing is occasionally dull and descriptive, but enduring through it I found myself unable to put the book down until I reached the ending.