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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Nothing like the movie at all but honestly real good
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautiful prose, engaging plot, thought-provoking themes, unreliable narrator - all hallmarks of a great book in my opinion!
Some specific praises:
Characters: Despite never knowing their names, I saw myself in a lot of these characters and connected with nearly all of them in some way. I think this is an amazing feat for such a short book whose plot relies on de-humanizing the characters.
Writing: One thing I respect in a sci-fi book is when the author takes the leap and explicitly describes whatever unfathomable, other-worldly things are at the heart of the mystery. This type of writing is often inherently trippy and disorienting, which could be why other reviewers have complained about feeling confused. However, I found myself enthralled by these descriptions of the unknown, particularly the section where the Biologist encounters the Crawler. This (combined with the fact that this is a series) is also why I wasn’t disappointed by the ending. Vandermeer clearly did not leave certain things unanswered out of laziness or lack of creativity.
Some specific praises:
Characters: Despite never knowing their names, I saw myself in a lot of these characters and connected with nearly all of them in some way. I think this is an amazing feat for such a short book whose plot relies on de-humanizing the characters.
Writing: One thing I respect in a sci-fi book is when the author takes the leap and explicitly describes whatever unfathomable, other-worldly things are at the heart of the mystery. This type of writing is often inherently trippy and disorienting, which could be why other reviewers have complained about feeling confused. However, I found myself enthralled by these descriptions of the unknown, particularly the section where
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was okay. I don't think I'll be continuing the series, though.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced