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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I went into this one with high hopes but was ultimately disappointed. While I enjoy creature features and the survival/bigfoot/apocalyptical themes, this novel suffered from 2 glaring issues:
1) Unlikeable character syndrome. There honestly was not a single character that I connected with or liked in the book. I was so detached that I felt no real sympathy for any of the deaths. I had so much animosity towards everyone that I was rooting for the bigfoots by the final act.
2) The evolution of the main character and the "devolution" of the cast was just completely unbelievable. I just can't be expected to believe that Kate evolved to the badass Brooks wanted her to be by the final attack on the town. I was completely unconvinced.
Not really a book I'd recommend. Even if you're into survival or bigfoot themes, this one is a total skip.
1) Unlikeable character syndrome. There honestly was not a single character that I connected with or liked in the book. I was so detached that I felt no real sympathy for any of the deaths. I had so much animosity towards everyone that I was rooting for the bigfoots by the final act.
2) The evolution of the main character and the "devolution" of the cast was just completely unbelievable. I just can't be expected to believe that Kate evolved to the badass Brooks wanted her to be by the final attack on the town. I was completely unconvinced.
Not really a book I'd recommend. Even if you're into survival or bigfoot themes, this one is a total skip.
'Devolution' takes Stephen King's classic pressure cooker scenario and uses it to tell a story about a sasquatch attack in the mountains of Washington State.
The pressure cooker is simple: take a group of people, cut them off from the rest of the world, introduce a threat, and watch the dynamics play out. The threat can be anything: a mysterious, monster-filled mist, hunger, crime, you name it.
In this case, the group of people are residents of an isolated, experimental community deep in the Cascades. They're cut off by an eruption of Mt. Rainier. They're attacked by a sasquatch band who see them as easy prey. And away we go.
A book like this is all in the delivery. Author Max Brooks, who wrote "World War Z," gives us memorable characters we can easily keep straight. He does an excellent job of ratcheting the tension throughout the course of the novel, concluding in a satisfying climax. Basically, he's good at writing.
Why only three stars, then? There's a tone to the book: a bitter, almost angry take on characters Brooks sees as deluded at best, stupid at worst. He writes them as comically unprepared for even the slightest perturbation of their mental construct of the perfect community, and he uses this as a commentary on the general cluelessness of urban people in general and technobros in particular. And look, I get it. I grew up in a mountain community within driving distance of a big city. Every winter, weekenders fell through our lake's ice, or got lost in the mountains, drove their cars over cliffs when the roads were icy. As a kid, I'd shake my head, pass judgment, and move on. Thing is, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm more compassionate than I used to be, and I recognize that the overwhelming majority of my town's visitors didn't fall through the ice, or get lost in the woods, or drive over cliffs.
I guess I wanted Brooks to give his characters a little more credit.
Still, this is an entertaining and well-written book. I stayed up late to finish it. If you're up for a horror novel about big, hairy monsters, "Devolution" is the book for you.
The pressure cooker is simple: take a group of people, cut them off from the rest of the world, introduce a threat, and watch the dynamics play out. The threat can be anything: a mysterious, monster-filled mist, hunger, crime, you name it.
In this case, the group of people are residents of an isolated, experimental community deep in the Cascades. They're cut off by an eruption of Mt. Rainier. They're attacked by a sasquatch band who see them as easy prey. And away we go.
A book like this is all in the delivery. Author Max Brooks, who wrote "World War Z," gives us memorable characters we can easily keep straight. He does an excellent job of ratcheting the tension throughout the course of the novel, concluding in a satisfying climax. Basically, he's good at writing.
Why only three stars, then? There's a tone to the book: a bitter, almost angry take on characters Brooks sees as deluded at best, stupid at worst. He writes them as comically unprepared for even the slightest perturbation of their mental construct of the perfect community, and he uses this as a commentary on the general cluelessness of urban people in general and technobros in particular. And look, I get it. I grew up in a mountain community within driving distance of a big city. Every winter, weekenders fell through our lake's ice, or got lost in the mountains, drove their cars over cliffs when the roads were icy. As a kid, I'd shake my head, pass judgment, and move on. Thing is, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm more compassionate than I used to be, and I recognize that the overwhelming majority of my town's visitors didn't fall through the ice, or get lost in the woods, or drive over cliffs.
I guess I wanted Brooks to give his characters a little more credit.
Still, this is an entertaining and well-written book. I stayed up late to finish it. If you're up for a horror novel about big, hairy monsters, "Devolution" is the book for you.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Great Book really speaks to how quickly society both breaks down and stands together in times of stress!
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Meh.
That’s all I got.
I quit reading at 53% because it didn’t hold my interest. Then 9ish months later my reading app reminded me I never finished it, so I decided to give it another go. I listened (staring at the 53%, because no way was I going back) and finished it while I spring cleaned the yard. Glad it’s over. It wasn’t terrible and it wasn’t good per se…just the most meh book I’ve ever read.
That’s all I got.
I quit reading at 53% because it didn’t hold my interest. Then 9ish months later my reading app reminded me I never finished it, so I decided to give it another go. I listened (staring at the 53%, because no way was I going back) and finished it while I spring cleaned the yard. Glad it’s over. It wasn’t terrible and it wasn’t good per se…just the most meh book I’ve ever read.
A fun premise that was dragged down by boring characters and lore that really wasn’t interesting. It wasn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t recommend.
34% in and I’m not invested. The audiobook narrators were awesome and were the only reason I made it this far.