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twistinthetale's review against another edition
4.0
Makepeace lives in a harsh, unforgiving landscape where strategies for survival are the predominant consideration . This is a book that slowly reveals many secrets about Makespeace's life and history. I loved the revelations: never knowing what I might discover as I delved deeper into the book. Well worth the journey.
oanh_1's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent; survivor's tale after the apocalypse (what happened? We don't know because the protagonist doesn't know). About society re-building and the nostalgia for pre-collapse development. Interestingly, posits aeroplanes as the most glorious of human inventions (as did Station Eleven, which I read in the same sitting).
idealpigment92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
wildeaboutbooks's review against another edition
3.0
My expectations were perhaps a bit too high coming into this novel. Having recently read Peter Heller's The Dog Stars (and enjoyed the heck out of it), I had hoped that Far North would have a similar feel but with more emphasis on the thoughts and emotions from a woman's perspective. Far North accomplished the latter but missed the mark on the former.
I want my apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels to toss my emotions around like an orca whale with a seal in its mouth. I want to laugh and cry and feel lost and lonely. I want to appreciate the small everyday miracles and minor victories. I want to cautiously hesitate between fear and celebration when another human enters the story. I want to feel a renewed appreciation for what I currently take for granted on a daily basis.
Far North was adequate but not exemplary. The main character was strong and tough, a no-nonsense gal who had learned to survive in a cold and unemotional fashion. But until the very last bit of the book, her dispassionate attitude seeped into every sentence. Being alone in the desolate landscape of Siberia can be pretty unremarkable without a little narrative dazzle thrown in. There were a few unique plot details, but they were just kind of tossed out there, like Frisbees lobbed into an empty park with no one to catch them.
This one gets a rating of two and a half “meh”s from me.
I should admit that my experience listening to this book was marred by the fact that one of the last few chapters of the book was incorrectly placed within the file queue so that it downloaded out of order. (No, I’m not going to admit user error on this one. It’s an audio e-book: it should download in perfect order each and every time.) There was a brief, puzzling moment when the main character is being held by captives and then is suddenly riding a horse all by her lonesome again. But I guess I wasn’t invested enough in the story for it to bother me all that much. What DID bother me was that after hearing the end credits and musical fade-out and looking forward to adding another notch in my “books-I’ve-read” belt, I discovered the long lost chapter explaining how the main character had eluded her captors. It’s hard to muster the enthusiasm to finish just one more chapter when you’ve already started the inner debate of what to read next.
I want my apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels to toss my emotions around like an orca whale with a seal in its mouth. I want to laugh and cry and feel lost and lonely. I want to appreciate the small everyday miracles and minor victories. I want to cautiously hesitate between fear and celebration when another human enters the story. I want to feel a renewed appreciation for what I currently take for granted on a daily basis.
Far North was adequate but not exemplary. The main character was strong and tough, a no-nonsense gal who had learned to survive in a cold and unemotional fashion. But until the very last bit of the book, her dispassionate attitude seeped into every sentence. Being alone in the desolate landscape of Siberia can be pretty unremarkable without a little narrative dazzle thrown in. There were a few unique plot details, but they were just kind of tossed out there, like Frisbees lobbed into an empty park with no one to catch them.
This one gets a rating of two and a half “meh”s from me.
I should admit that my experience listening to this book was marred by the fact that one of the last few chapters of the book was incorrectly placed within the file queue so that it downloaded out of order. (No, I’m not going to admit user error on this one. It’s an audio e-book: it should download in perfect order each and every time.) There was a brief, puzzling moment when the main character is being held by captives and then is suddenly riding a horse all by her lonesome again. But I guess I wasn’t invested enough in the story for it to bother me all that much. What DID bother me was that after hearing the end credits and musical fade-out and looking forward to adding another notch in my “books-I’ve-read” belt, I discovered the long lost chapter explaining how the main character had eluded her captors. It’s hard to muster the enthusiasm to finish just one more chapter when you’ve already started the inner debate of what to read next.
suffolkbadger's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Dystopian near future real world novel explores a world somewhat broken down, the dark ages following the collapse of the Roman empire come to mind. Written in the first person, story doesn't have a great deal happening so for me a bit disappointed.
trout_lily's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Picked this out from a random lineup up of recommend books.
Cormac McCarthy-esque, post apocalyptic story with surprising reveals that the author doles out with time and at the right moments. What I loved about it was that you just weren't sure when this is supposed where to be. The setting and the time lend itself to a feeling of a spanning of history in one moment in time. It's well done. I was wonderfully surprised by it.
Cormac McCarthy-esque, post apocalyptic story with surprising reveals that the author doles out with time and at the right moments. What I loved about it was that you just weren't sure when this is supposed where to be. The setting and the time lend itself to a feeling of a spanning of history in one moment in time. It's well done. I was wonderfully surprised by it.
greenblack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thebigness's review against another edition
4.0
The editor/ proofreader should be fired from a cannon into the sun. The book is littered with typos to the point where it was distracting and disruptive of the story being told. Now to the story itself:
while it is certainly not the greatest post apocalyptic novel I've read it had a lot of charm and some different ideas regarding the end of things as we know them. some cliches crept in throughout the story but this by no means made it a bad read. I liked that leading lady though her name and the reason behind it seemed like a flimsy excuse for a character with an odd name.
This novel does an excellent job of skirting around the issue that brought about mankind's doom so that you stay rooted in the present of the story. The end of the book also kind of suggests why it isn't important to know what happened. That being said there were some repetitive sections of people pining for the good ol' days that got kind of dry.
Overall I enjoyed this and would suggest it if you're looking for a different end of days book.
while it is certainly not the greatest post apocalyptic novel I've read it had a lot of charm and some different ideas regarding the end of things as we know them. some cliches crept in throughout the story but this by no means made it a bad read. I liked that leading lady though her name and the reason behind it seemed like a flimsy excuse for a character with an odd name.
This novel does an excellent job of skirting around the issue that brought about mankind's doom so that you stay rooted in the present of the story. The end of the book also kind of suggests why it isn't important to know what happened. That being said there were some repetitive sections of people pining for the good ol' days that got kind of dry.
Overall I enjoyed this and would suggest it if you're looking for a different end of days book.
womanonajourney's review against another edition
3.0
A good story but so depressing. I like a little more hope and joy in a book.
spudnugs96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0