Reviews

Invisible Things by Mat Johnson

noranne's review against another edition

3.0

Not sure that taking a microcosm of America and placing it in a strange biodome on a moon of Jupiter worked as well as it could have. This novel focused heavily on political and sociological themes, and most of it was some level of frustration or annoying at all times. And the ending didn't quite work for me.

aaaanj's review against another edition

3.0

This was a fun and breezy read. The parallels with the current state of affairs was a little heavy handed, but I still enjoyed myself.

lisagray68's review

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated

3.75

captaincrunchabunch's review

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

chloeshawe's review

2.0

I just really don’t like vague endings

that_tyler_tho's review

adventurous funny reflective 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? Yes

3.25

rocketiza's review

5.0

I was having a ho-hum time with the book until about a third of the way though all of sudden I got it and realized how rich and deep the satire was. When the light went on for me, it was terrifying.

the_old_gray_cat's review

3.0

Loved the protagonist, a scientist studying her obnoxious crewmates on a voyage to Jupiter's moons. I was less happy with the book when more of it was told from other points of view. Also, the book became for the most part a depressing story about an oppressive capitalist pseudo-democracy, skewering a political party very much like the Republicans. Living in such a society is depressing enough; I personally prefer my science fiction to be a bit less on-the-nose.

rebelqueen's review

3.0

This is a clever, but heavy handed, sci fi allegory of the polarization in the United States. The characters are not super memorable, but it’s an allegory so the point of this book is the message- some humans want power at any cost, but there is a human cost to their quest for power.

kifzervan's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5