Reviews

The Original by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal

ddeenik's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

cardeee's review against another edition

5.0

I have to say this short novel was very fast-paced but thrilling at the same time.
I would have loved if the ending had a cliffhanger to engage in more of the story, but for a short oaces novel, it ticked all boxes.

catrad's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rossbm's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A fun, short, read. Quick action.

Audiobook had music, which was fun at times, other times stupid.

Some sort of post scarcity utopia/dystopia. Main character's main hobby/occupation was "orange carver" lol.

 Cliffhanger ending...

meganwest's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

beanrash's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

4.0

Clones and sci-fi and corrupt governments. Leaves a lot unanswered to ponder, yet still a satisfying ending. 

misfitmoxie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

thefantasynerd93's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Enjoyment 10/10
Concept 10/10
Execution 10/10
Writing 8/10
Plot & Logic 9/10
Pacing & Structure 10/10
Atmosphere 10/10
Characters 8/10
Intrigue 10/10
World Building 10/10
Audio Performance 9/10

Rating: 4.71/5

zhra's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

5.0

WHAT AN AMAZING NOVELLA. Read this book without reading the summary!

I downloaded this on audio before a plane ride without knowing anything more than I like both of these authors (Brandon Sanderson AND Mary Robinette Kowal, I also adore Julia Whelan as a narrator - she is so talented.).

What a joy ride it was from the first intense sentence to the final scenes. The main character wakes up not knowing anything in their world and we discovered it together. I felt like I was stepping through the world with her and adored having each curtain torn away at as we raced to figure out the next thing.

I listened to it again IMMEDIATELY as I wanted to catch all the little things I knew these authors must of tucked away in the story.