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meggie82461's review against another edition
4.0
It’s great to live free of the other sheep until you hear the wolves howl.
4.5 stars...
...this is a very quick read, exciting and terrifying, but not always for the reason you think. Sure, the creatures were scary, but that’s all they were: creatures. What is scarier to me is what can happen to humans when faced with just a little adversity. How some can thrive, while others shrivel up and wilt away. How others can turn into predators, while a few wait impatiently for death. A major theme in this story is how we see our present through the lens of our past. Well, I’ve lead a charmed life. I have zero interest in any sort of leisure activity that doesn’t come with the promise of electricity. In my world, “camping” means sleeping in a tent in my backyard so I can go inside to get food, go to the bathroom, and charge my cell phone.
In other words, I’m fully aware that if I were isolated in nature, I wouldn’t survive a week. The difference between me and these people, though? I know that about myself, and I would never test fate. I will always live in the city. I don’t need to become one with nature to appreciate it. I already do.
In other words, self-awareness can be the most effective form of self-preservation, and at least I have an abundance of that
4.5 stars...
...this is a very quick read, exciting and terrifying, but not always for the reason you think. Sure, the creatures were scary, but that’s all they were: creatures. What is scarier to me is what can happen to humans when faced with just a little adversity. How some can thrive, while others shrivel up and wilt away. How others can turn into predators, while a few wait impatiently for death. A major theme in this story is how we see our present through the lens of our past. Well, I’ve lead a charmed life. I have zero interest in any sort of leisure activity that doesn’t come with the promise of electricity. In my world, “camping” means sleeping in a tent in my backyard so I can go inside to get food, go to the bathroom, and charge my cell phone.
In other words, I’m fully aware that if I were isolated in nature, I wouldn’t survive a week. The difference between me and these people, though? I know that about myself, and I would never test fate. I will always live in the city. I don’t need to become one with nature to appreciate it. I already do.
In other words, self-awareness can be the most effective form of self-preservation, and at least I have an abundance of that
hgatfield's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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
Really fun & interesting format and topic for a horror novel. Would love more books live this.
noragrace89's review against another edition
Dnf at 50%
The main actress in the audiobook ruined the whole thing, I can’t listen to another whiny word
The main actress in the audiobook ruined the whole thing, I can’t listen to another whiny word
rereader33's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, this was incredible. Incredibly difficult to read but incredibly rewarding.
I someone were to ask me to summarize this novel, I would say, "humans are stupid, they've always been stupid, and they will continue to be stupid because that's how we've evolved".
No joke, the sheer amount of stupidity and denial on showcase as this tragedy unfolds is horrifying but completely realistic. But it's because humans have become so coddled and entitled that they think they can keep taking and doing whatever they please, and when nature bitch slaps them back to reality, only THEN do they think to act. And by that point, it's often too late.
The characters living at Greenloop may seem perfectly casted for this story, but despite how unrealistic it may seem that you vegans, an arrogant intellectual, and a literal war survivor, each is integral to pushing Brooks's agenda. That being humans who've never encountered a serious threat (like most of the village) are dismissive or even condescending towards one who has (Mostar) and won't listen to them if they suggest fighting back against a natural predator. They think, "oh! She's just being dramatic because of her past, the animals won't harm us if we don't harm them," when ordinarily that'd be the case, but after a natural disaster nature isn't going to place nice or spare other's feelings. It's hard to say what the root cause of this thinking is and the novel doesn't completely discuss it, but it's dangerous thinking regardless.
It may seem like this book and I are shitting on humans and their incompetence, and yes we are, but it's because like so many other novels this is a wake up call. Humans have become so coddled by technology, but technology is only moving to enhance comfort at the expense of security. Greenloop was supposed to be the ultimate yuppie, privileged, upper class dream: becoming one with nature! Technology pushing the green agenda! Limited food to reduce waste! Yoga and meditation to reduce stress! Life away from the hostile, chemical-ridden cities! Well, that's all well and good, but what happens if, say, a volcano erupts that pushes animals away from their natural food chain, leading them to a village of pampered adults with nothing protecting them? Oh, and what if Sasquatch were real and preyed on them after losing their food supply? What you get is a massacre that could have been easily avoided of the creator of Greenloop had entertained the thought that there could be danger present in the wild. Because, you know, nature is SO peaceful and SO harmonious *rolls eyes*.
These are probably the same people who you'd see in the news having been mauled by a lion at the zoo because they fell in after leaning too far over the barrier to get a fucking picture. Dipshits.
I could go on about how this book perfectly tackles human incompetence in the face of danger, especially with nature, but this would be a fucking essay and I don't have time to write that much. Suffice to say, this was a well-thought out, well-written novel that pits humans against nature in a realistic and disturbing way.
I someone were to ask me to summarize this novel, I would say, "humans are stupid, they've always been stupid, and they will continue to be stupid because that's how we've evolved".
No joke, the sheer amount of stupidity and denial on showcase as this tragedy unfolds is horrifying but completely realistic. But it's because humans have become so coddled and entitled that they think they can keep taking and doing whatever they please, and when nature bitch slaps them back to reality, only THEN do they think to act. And by that point, it's often too late.
The characters living at Greenloop may seem perfectly casted for this story, but despite how unrealistic it may seem that you vegans, an arrogant intellectual, and a literal war survivor, each is integral to pushing Brooks's agenda. That being humans who've never encountered a serious threat (like most of the village) are dismissive or even condescending towards one who has (Mostar) and won't listen to them if they suggest fighting back against a natural predator. They think, "oh! She's just being dramatic because of her past, the animals won't harm us if we don't harm them," when ordinarily that'd be the case, but after a natural disaster nature isn't going to place nice or spare other's feelings. It's hard to say what the root cause of this thinking is and the novel doesn't completely discuss it, but it's dangerous thinking regardless.
It may seem like this book and I are shitting on humans and their incompetence, and yes we are, but it's because like so many other novels this is a wake up call. Humans have become so coddled by technology, but technology is only moving to enhance comfort at the expense of security. Greenloop was supposed to be the ultimate yuppie, privileged, upper class dream: becoming one with nature! Technology pushing the green agenda! Limited food to reduce waste! Yoga and meditation to reduce stress! Life away from the hostile, chemical-ridden cities! Well, that's all well and good, but what happens if, say, a volcano erupts that pushes animals away from their natural food chain, leading them to a village of pampered adults with nothing protecting them? Oh, and what if Sasquatch were real and preyed on them after losing their food supply? What you get is a massacre that could have been easily avoided of the creator of Greenloop had entertained the thought that there could be danger present in the wild. Because, you know, nature is SO peaceful and SO harmonious *rolls eyes*.
These are probably the same people who you'd see in the news having been mauled by a lion at the zoo because they fell in after leaning too far over the barrier to get a fucking picture. Dipshits.
I could go on about how this book perfectly tackles human incompetence in the face of danger, especially with nature, but this would be a fucking essay and I don't have time to write that much. Suffice to say, this was a well-thought out, well-written novel that pits humans against nature in a realistic and disturbing way.
the_wanlorn's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy shit this was so good I devoured it. I haven't devoured a book in years. Amazing. Loved it. Perfection.
mairead_parade's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Didn’t grab me as much as WWZ and I struggled with suspension of disbelief for the journal premise (how/when is she writing this in such detail) but Brooks remains very good at world building.
kayay's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
nikkijazzie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
chelseatm's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I loved this book. It's well researched and exciting. I loved how the author paired the fiction and non-fiction and created a real viseril sense of reality. If you liked the style of World War Z, I'd highly recommend this one. Love it!