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shelleyanderson4127's review
adventurous
funny
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
N.K. Jemisin was the first writer to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years in a row. Her Broken Earth trilogy is marvelous, as is her City duology. As is her short story collection How Long 'til Black Future Month?
Is there nothing she cannot do? Nope. She's made her first foray into graphic novels with DC's Green Lantern, featuring superheroine Sojourner Mullein in The City Enduring, a teaming metropolis and home to three different species. My favorite is the @Ats, an artificial intelligent, digital race; but the plant race keh-Topli and the Nah are pretty interesting, too.
All three are subjected to the Emotion Exploit, which erases all emotion. But there's a drug epidemic of Switchoff, which allows people to experience their emotions. Plus a murder epidemic and a political revolution brewing.
Expect some excellent world building, smart commentary on current American politics, and the usual superhero tropes, albeit with a Black woman central stage. It's all very enjoyable, even if Green Lantern isn't usually your thing.
And did I mention NK Jemisin was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant in 2920?
philipf's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Best Green Lantern story I’ve ever read.
nelliej's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
pipsqueaky's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
jrosenstein's review
2.0
This probably would have hit with me more if I had any knowledge of the Green Lanterns, but I found the plot and the action difficult to follow. Also shockingly for Jemisin, the world-building felt a little thin.
dcommet's review
4.5
Really solid book! Great thematic dissection of power and how it's wielded, but Green Lanterns are still a bit too cop-y for me I think. The only real issue here is the books central use of "memes" in its plotting. It definitely dates the book and I think probably alienates older or younger readers, and undermines the timelessness it might have had years from now. Good book though, very well realized society and characters and power dynamics. Very fun book!
atuin's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
This was a wonderful and inventive story. It's interesting to see the green lantern ring used for more than punching and shields! I liked the main lantern a lot, and would be happy to see her again in future stories. The setting was interesting, claiming to be a utopia but with multiple aspects even before the main story kicks off letting us know all is not what it seems. The aliens are fun, with my favorite being the ai's who feed off of memes (which reminds me a lot of Naomi Kritzer's catnet A.I) and the theme of societies needing to change/improve over time to prevent disaster is poignant and all too relevant, as is the idea of powerful people doing whatever it takes to stay in power. Additionally, the artwork was engergetic, clean, and nice to look at!
angelofmine1974's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/RAfZNS9aXqo
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/RAfZNS9aXqo
Enjoy!
talentedcain's review
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75