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infinitespeculation's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
echotechne's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.75
senisomar's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
readingslump_'s review
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Extremely confused but it was still pretty good. Definitely need to re-read this, because I feel like I do not understand majority of the book but still really enjoyed it.
dobeesquared's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderfully structured. At first, I thought it wasn't nearly as good a book as The Long Dry. In the end, I changed my mind.
lene_kretzsch's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
bookcrazyblogger's review against another edition
3.0
I’m not a fan of short stories, novellas or poetry books. I don’t get them, I don’t like them and I just don’t vibe with them. In order to break me out of my hating game, I decided to up my reading. So I got Stillicde. In this future world, water is a commodity you pay for and it’s all due to an unnamed corporation. The water comes through on what’s known as a water train, although recently there’s been less and less water, causing the higher ups to quite literally lasso an iceberg, meant to be tied up in the middle of the city and begun to use as pure water to sell. Protestors begin marching against the “Ice-Dock,” as it’s called, because it means they need to give up their homes. The novel specifically focuses on individual lives who become entwined as the protests and day wears on. From an environmental point of view, I thought this book was extremely fascinating because, based on science, we’re very close to water becoming a commodity and in some countries, it already is. It was fascinating to see how everything affected people’s lives, down to the minute detail. I thought the writing was well done-polished, yet still relatively easy to read. I still don’t like short stories though.
callum_mclaughlin's review
3.0
Set in an unnervingly believable dystopian future, the climate crisis means water is now commodified; the vast armoured trains that transport it around the country often attacked by frustrated, displaced citizens. Though not hugely plot driven, we move between various perspectives, gaining insight into the new normal, and the persistence of love, loss, and the will to survive when it feels like hope is lost.
Initially, I felt this series of linked short stories existed in a frustrating state of flux; each piece neither stand-alone nor connected enough for the book to be entirely certain whether it was indeed a collection of shorts or simply a fragmented novel. We spend such little time with certain characters that it was hard to form an emotional connection to them, but as others begin to recur, disparate viewpoints weave together in a satisfying way that cleverly brings the overarching narrative full circle.
In all, I'd describe this as a book of great ideas peppered with moments of real promise that never quite comes together to capitalise on the power of its potential. That said, Jones’s signature spare yet powerful prose is present throughout, and I was left curious once again to see what he will write next.
Thank you to the publisher for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Initially, I felt this series of linked short stories existed in a frustrating state of flux; each piece neither stand-alone nor connected enough for the book to be entirely certain whether it was indeed a collection of shorts or simply a fragmented novel. We spend such little time with certain characters that it was hard to form an emotional connection to them, but as others begin to recur, disparate viewpoints weave together in a satisfying way that cleverly brings the overarching narrative full circle.
In all, I'd describe this as a book of great ideas peppered with moments of real promise that never quite comes together to capitalise on the power of its potential. That said, Jones’s signature spare yet powerful prose is present throughout, and I was left curious once again to see what he will write next.
Thank you to the publisher for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
bookbint's review against another edition
3.0
It's a quiet story broken into many shorter stories.
The calf was my favourite part, unusual yet impacting what those would do if water became more of a commodity.
Thoughtful and with a slow impact, I'm sure to move back to moments in this at times.
The calf was my favourite part, unusual yet impacting what those would do if water became more of a commodity.
Thoughtful and with a slow impact, I'm sure to move back to moments in this at times.
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
4.0
It is the near future, not that far from where we are now, a place where water has become a scarce commodity
The city demands water, it is bought in on The Water Train and guarded by man and machine against sabotage.
Dry rivers mean that there is not enough water. Icebergs are calved and dragged south. A new Ice Dock is planned and then expanded, it will evict more people than was first thought. The city tenses as the protests start.
In this stark new world, people are trying to live; a marksman whose wife is dying, a woman meeting a lover. A man collecting limpets off the rocks, a boy looking for his brother who is searching for his dog.
All are uncertain about this bleak future.
This short dystopian novella is quite something. Jones writes with surgical precision, twelve short chapters fill in more detail about the harshness of this place through the eyes of his characters. He paints an outline sketch of a society that is on a knife-edge between surviving and failing, whilst still have very human and believable characters.
I thought it was a stunning book and I love the cover too. It has a sense of urgency in the writing. I think because it was conceived for radio first, and the limits of time in that medium, both constrain and liberate his writing.
The city demands water, it is bought in on The Water Train and guarded by man and machine against sabotage.
Dry rivers mean that there is not enough water. Icebergs are calved and dragged south. A new Ice Dock is planned and then expanded, it will evict more people than was first thought. The city tenses as the protests start.
In this stark new world, people are trying to live; a marksman whose wife is dying, a woman meeting a lover. A man collecting limpets off the rocks, a boy looking for his brother who is searching for his dog.
All are uncertain about this bleak future.
This short dystopian novella is quite something. Jones writes with surgical precision, twelve short chapters fill in more detail about the harshness of this place through the eyes of his characters. He paints an outline sketch of a society that is on a knife-edge between surviving and failing, whilst still have very human and believable characters.
I thought it was a stunning book and I love the cover too. It has a sense of urgency in the writing. I think because it was conceived for radio first, and the limits of time in that medium, both constrain and liberate his writing.