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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very well written, I was STRESSED
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Definitely a great read if you were a fan of Brooks' World War Z. Really intriguing mockumentary/found footage style narrative, and a great cast of characters.
I listened to this as an audiobook, and it's the 4th book that I've listened to. I do not know if it's the medium or the voice actor or the writing, but I'm not sure if the experience was as positive as it might have been had I read it myself.
Having grown up in the PNW- done lahar drills, wondered what would happen if Rainier erupted, poked my nose into the Bigfoot phenomenon- this book really hit home for me. A lot of the topics from sustainable housing to the tech boom and failed startups are things that I know plenty about, if not involved in, and this book was pretty accurate with every one of them. Even Bigfoot- the signs, the lore, the history and so on- the book referenced a few interviews and accounts that I knew of from previous study. So, research and accuracy wise, this book was a blast, and did a great job setting up how a such a disaster could occur. Five stars for that.
The storytelling on the other hand may not have been the best approach to telling this particular story, though I do see why the author used the investigative journalism method. While I could follow what was happening and appreciated the other viewpoints, I do think that switching back and forth between the POVs and first person and third person was a bit clunky. Every time it happened I was reminded that I was reading a book in the sense that the foundation of the story didn't blend in with the story itself, so every time we backed out from a particular scene and switched to something else, I was reminded of it.
Three things bothered me about this book.
One- For the first half of the book, the main character was borderline hysterical. I understand it from the point of character development, and I understand it as the sort of individual who might find themselves in this situation, but I did not relate with them at all. That, plus the fact that I was listening to the audiobook(and the voice actress was very good) made my blood pressure rise and I almost stopped listening several times due to how annoying and frustrating it was.
Two- Bamboo is not native to the Pacific Northwest. It is established that it was planted in the community, and while that's convenient for the story, it's a bit awkward to have a section of the book titled 'How to make a bamboo spear' and have that be a key aspect of the book moving forwards when once the area is left, there will be no more bamboo. There are a variety of tree types to choose from in the PNW for spear making- this one point is the singular part where I feel the author didn't do their research. Because...
Three- The end of the book- with the implication that the main character and her protoge begin hunting bigfoots(feet?)- does not remotely hold up to scrutiny. Firstly in that it was now winter, and it was established that there were almost no winter clothes in the community. That's on top of their admitted ignorance of survival skills. Secondly, if the two women only ate bigfoot meat for the remainder of their trip, they would suffer from protein poisoning and die. Third, throughout the book, I want to say an average of two people died for every one bigfoot killed- meaning they could get maybe one before both having their guts torn out. Fourth, almost every spear that was made broke while fighting, and she couldn't make more because BAMBOO is not native to the PNW. That, along with every spear tip being made of a premade knife and not being a simple fire hardened tip or glass knapped blade, means that their greatest weapon will last maybe two encounters. Fifth, the greatest strength of the people was their numbers and their environment. Taking off after the creatures- into their environment where they have the advantage in both numbers and familiarity with environment- just doesn't work.
The ending simply whiffs the landing. Maybe if there were a few more seeds of competency planted or skills learned by the petite woman who just moved from California the the PNW where she's never been before, I could believe that she was becoming the huntress. Maybe learning about tracking, stalking, sneaking up on wild animals while being mindful of the wind, learning how to set traps, how to make natural cordage, how to survive in sub zero temperatures. How to utilize her strengths (intellect) rather than weaknesses (physical strength). If all those had been implied and set up properly, I would have loved it. But they were not, and the ending simply does not work.
I absolutely saw and understood where the author was going with all this, but it missed a few crucial steps, and was lesser for it. I love the concept and the setup- the ideas and the study behind it-but the execution simply missed the mark.
Decent book. Would recommend. Not sure if I would read it again, unless to pick apart and identify why it didn't work in further detail.
Having grown up in the PNW- done lahar drills, wondered what would happen if Rainier erupted, poked my nose into the Bigfoot phenomenon- this book really hit home for me. A lot of the topics from sustainable housing to the tech boom and failed startups are things that I know plenty about, if not involved in, and this book was pretty accurate with every one of them. Even Bigfoot- the signs, the lore, the history and so on- the book referenced a few interviews and accounts that I knew of from previous study. So, research and accuracy wise, this book was a blast, and did a great job setting up how a such a disaster could occur. Five stars for that.
The storytelling on the other hand may not have been the best approach to telling this particular story, though I do see why the author used the investigative journalism method. While I could follow what was happening and appreciated the other viewpoints, I do think that switching back and forth between the POVs and first person and third person was a bit clunky. Every time it happened I was reminded that I was reading a book in the sense that the foundation of the story didn't blend in with the story itself, so every time we backed out from a particular scene and switched to something else, I was reminded of it.
Three things bothered me about this book.
One- For the first half of the book, the main character was borderline hysterical. I understand it from the point of character development, and I understand it as the sort of individual who might find themselves in this situation, but I did not relate with them at all. That, plus the fact that I was listening to the audiobook(and the voice actress was very good) made my blood pressure rise and I almost stopped listening several times due to how annoying and frustrating it was.
Two- Bamboo is not native to the Pacific Northwest. It is established that it was planted in the community, and while that's convenient for the story, it's a bit awkward to have a section of the book titled 'How to make a bamboo spear' and have that be a key aspect of the book moving forwards when once the area is left, there will be no more bamboo. There are a variety of tree types to choose from in the PNW for spear making- this one point is the singular part where I feel the author didn't do their research. Because...
Three- The end of the book- with the implication that the main character and her protoge begin hunting bigfoots(feet?)- does not remotely hold up to scrutiny. Firstly in that it was now winter, and it was established that there were almost no winter clothes in the community. That's on top of their admitted ignorance of survival skills. Secondly, if the two women only ate bigfoot meat for the remainder of their trip, they would suffer from protein poisoning and die. Third, throughout the book, I want to say an average of two people died for every one bigfoot killed- meaning they could get maybe one before both having their guts torn out. Fourth, almost every spear that was made broke while fighting, and she couldn't make more because BAMBOO is not native to the PNW. That, along with every spear tip being made of a premade knife and not being a simple fire hardened tip or glass knapped blade, means that their greatest weapon will last maybe two encounters. Fifth, the greatest strength of the people was their numbers and their environment. Taking off after the creatures- into their environment where they have the advantage in both numbers and familiarity with environment- just doesn't work.
The ending simply whiffs the landing. Maybe if there were a few more seeds of competency planted or skills learned by the petite woman who just moved from California the the PNW where she's never been before, I could believe that she was becoming the huntress. Maybe learning about tracking, stalking, sneaking up on wild animals while being mindful of the wind, learning how to set traps, how to make natural cordage, how to survive in sub zero temperatures. How to utilize her strengths (intellect) rather than weaknesses (physical strength). If all those had been implied and set up properly, I would have loved it. But they were not, and the ending simply does not work.
I absolutely saw and understood where the author was going with all this, but it missed a few crucial steps, and was lesser for it. I love the concept and the setup- the ideas and the study behind it-but the execution simply missed the mark.
Decent book. Would recommend. Not sure if I would read it again, unless to pick apart and identify why it didn't work in further detail.
2.5-3 ***
This book was SO boring in the beginning. Not a single character was likeable at first. It moved at a snails pace and was confusing. And then it started picking up, but it did that slowly as well. Things started coming together. You get a really in depth glimpse into Sasquatch lore, which is fascinating. And then. Well, it is called a massacre right there on the front cover isn’t it? And , it’s a lot. Gruesome, gristly details. But you know what? Even with the completely unsatisfactory ending and the graphic scenes in the later quarter of the book, the author was making point, sharing a message. And we got it. Expounded upon it, discussed this book for over an hour. Excellent talking piece. Definitely makes you think.
This book was SO boring in the beginning. Not a single character was likeable at first. It moved at a snails pace and was confusing. And then it started picking up, but it did that slowly as well. Things started coming together. You get a really in depth glimpse into Sasquatch lore, which is fascinating. And then. Well, it is called a massacre right there on the front cover isn’t it? And , it’s a lot. Gruesome, gristly details. But you know what? Even with the completely unsatisfactory ending and the graphic scenes in the later quarter of the book, the author was making point, sharing a message. And we got it. Expounded upon it, discussed this book for over an hour. Excellent talking piece. Definitely makes you think.