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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Meta. A very abstract monologue in a dystopian world. Makes you think and kreis enough hidden to foster your fantasy. A little bit too much 60s „honor in despair“ expectations from the main character for my taste.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
I saw the foreword was written by Jeff Vandermeer and knew I had to read this short book. This minuscule novel. This novella, if you will.
Humans are used to stories revolving around the horrors or societal collapse. I took an entire course in college about post-apocalyptic fiction, myself. What was unique about this story wasn’t the radio-activeness of it all but of what’s missing from the narrative — namely, an actual societal collapse. Concealed, until the end.
The guests staying in Termush had secured their spots in the hotel in case of natural disaster years prior. They have untold stores of food and do their best to avoid looking inward (“we meet no one’s eye and therefore do not need to think about ourselves”). What they see outside has stayed relatively unchanged; this however is just as harrowing as what their imaginations conjure about the world beyond their bubble. The ocean laps gently at their fortress and engulfs the world regardless. Radioactivity is in the air, soaking countless particles that move, unencumbered by borders or futile protective measures, through the air.
What is preferred: a quick death, an explosion and dust and skin sloughing off and internal bleeding? Or being a frog in a pot, wondering if the water is getting that much hotter or if it’s all in your head?
Eventually, good ol’ human paranoia and primal instincts take over. People outside the bubble realize what treasures they could uncover. Those inside of Termush, staring wide-eyed at their 12 gaunt guests — a clear manifestation of their fears, not of death but of mutilation and change — feel bound and restless. They escape into the ocean not only to survive the coming mob but to save what’s left of their sanity.
It turns out Termush wasn’t the paradise they thought they wanted. The world has a nasty habit of creeping into your delusions. People plan, God laughs.
This is my type of horror: no blood and guts, just people feeling maladjusted and unmoored. A creeping, invisible dread followed by heart-stopping fear. But beneath it, relief: the horrors have found you, and you are no longer fighting an invisible enemy. Dying just kills you, whereas an unnamed fate strips you to the bone. I can't decide which one I'd rather have.
TLDR; A thought-provoking exploration of what it means to survive catastrophe
sad
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:
Complicated