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madlenka's review against another edition
4.0
Recenze: http://ineedstoriestolive.blogspot.cz/2014/04/vyborne-sci-fi-pod-200-stran.html
sausome's review
3.0
This was a tricky book to find, because the ARC is titled "Human 0.4" but I found it eventually.
Anyway, this was a pretty cool book in it's premise and execution. Essentially, this group of people is hypnotized at a ho-hum county talent show, and they wake up to a world with people who have been ... reprogrammed or something. The people they knew, i.e. parents, know who they are, but act in a zombified sort of way and Kyle, the narrator, continually points out that there's this sort of intangible "not-rightness" about the people and the place they once knew.
The story itself is told in quite an interested layout, in that we are reading the transcripts of a multiple-cassette-tape recording from Kyle, who is supposed to be from the distant past, and telling his story of what happened for "the future population". You get a sense that the current world is highly technologically advanced, and has studied this recording to the point of academic, theoretical, papers, etc. Every so often, the 'current world narrators' insert a box defining a presumably archaic concept, i.e. "cassette tape". Even the act of writing down the occurrence in book form is explained, as if the current population has no use for actual hard-copy reading.
All-in-all a good book, will recommend to the younger teen grouping (10/11/12/13/14 perhaps?) when it comes out at the bookstore I work at.
Anyway, this was a pretty cool book in it's premise and execution. Essentially, this group of people is hypnotized at a ho-hum county talent show, and they wake up to a world with people who have been ... reprogrammed or something. The people they knew, i.e. parents, know who they are, but act in a zombified sort of way and Kyle, the narrator, continually points out that there's this sort of intangible "not-rightness" about the people and the place they once knew.
The story itself is told in quite an interested layout, in that we are reading the transcripts of a multiple-cassette-tape recording from Kyle, who is supposed to be from the distant past, and telling his story of what happened for "the future population". You get a sense that the current world is highly technologically advanced, and has studied this recording to the point of academic, theoretical, papers, etc. Every so often, the 'current world narrators' insert a box defining a presumably archaic concept, i.e. "cassette tape". Even the act of writing down the occurrence in book form is explained, as if the current population has no use for actual hard-copy reading.
All-in-all a good book, will recommend to the younger teen grouping (10/11/12/13/14 perhaps?) when it comes out at the bookstore I work at.
jbolwerk8's review
3.0
Fairly predictable, a simpler dystopian book. There were even a couple of grammar errors...
simonrtaylor's review
3.0
That is how to write a follow-up.
Bosch returns in The Last Coyote. He’s suspended following a violent altercation with Lieutenant Harvey ‘Ninety-Eight’ Pounds and is ordered onto a course of therapy as the alternative to being fired outright. While on gardening leave, he investigates the one case he finally has the time (if not authority) for: his mother’s murder.
Which element of genius should we start with? Let’s go with the therapy. It comes at the perfect time for a number of reasons. First, Bosch has been increasingly volatile throughout the series, which now peaks with him finally thumping Pounds and throwing him through his office window. As you do. There had to be a peak to the culmination of maverick recklessness, and this is it. Potentially, it could set Bosch in an entirely new direction, but not before he really pushes his luck with more bad behaviour.
More broadly, it’s a great pace change for the series. After three novels of Bosch slogging his guts out for LAPD, it’s refreshing to strip away all of his official duties and really get down to the nitty gritty of the character. Through his therapist, Carmen Hinojos, Bosch is forced to answer tough questions about his raison d’etre, his problem with authority and his maverick behaviour. It’s a treat to really explore the fascinating character that is Harry Bosch, and Hinojos is a tough-love foil who really shines in their set pieces.
During the suspension, Bosch tackles his mother’s homicide. It’s been a shadow over him since the series began, and though it’s surprising that a resolution is sought so early, it does feel like the natural time. It’s a case as twisty-turny as the best of them, and no amount of smugness is justified because something, somewhere will shock you. And nothing – I mean, nothing – will prepare you for the mother of all shocks during the course. Connelly pulls off his most audacious twist yet, and boy do the shockwaves hurt.
To nobody’s surprise, Sylvia is history as of page one. She is replaced by painter-turned-coital red shirt Jasmine Corian who has a few secrets of her own. The little page time she has removes Harry from his failed attempt at domesticity and her presence could be a very complicating factor in what is otherwise a very complicated life for Harry. Whether she returns for book six is yet to be seen, however her underlying darkness could prove interesting.
Perhaps the bigger upheaval for Harry is actually the loss of his home in an earthquake that took place between The Concrete Blonde and The Last Coyote. Symbolic of his security, and a really nice setting for us to hang out as readers, it’s gutting to see it destroyed.
A spectacular plot brings out the best in Bosch, Irvin Irving and guest star Carmen Hinojos, making for an unputdownable page turner that is brilliant right to the end.
Bosch returns in The Last Coyote. He’s suspended following a violent altercation with Lieutenant Harvey ‘Ninety-Eight’ Pounds and is ordered onto a course of therapy as the alternative to being fired outright. While on gardening leave, he investigates the one case he finally has the time (if not authority) for: his mother’s murder.
Which element of genius should we start with? Let’s go with the therapy. It comes at the perfect time for a number of reasons. First, Bosch has been increasingly volatile throughout the series, which now peaks with him finally thumping Pounds and throwing him through his office window. As you do. There had to be a peak to the culmination of maverick recklessness, and this is it. Potentially, it could set Bosch in an entirely new direction, but not before he really pushes his luck with more bad behaviour.
More broadly, it’s a great pace change for the series. After three novels of Bosch slogging his guts out for LAPD, it’s refreshing to strip away all of his official duties and really get down to the nitty gritty of the character. Through his therapist, Carmen Hinojos, Bosch is forced to answer tough questions about his raison d’etre, his problem with authority and his maverick behaviour. It’s a treat to really explore the fascinating character that is Harry Bosch, and Hinojos is a tough-love foil who really shines in their set pieces.
During the suspension, Bosch tackles his mother’s homicide. It’s been a shadow over him since the series began, and though it’s surprising that a resolution is sought so early, it does feel like the natural time. It’s a case as twisty-turny as the best of them, and no amount of smugness is justified because something, somewhere will shock you. And nothing – I mean, nothing – will prepare you for the mother of all shocks during the course. Connelly pulls off his most audacious twist yet, and boy do the shockwaves hurt.
To nobody’s surprise, Sylvia is history as of page one. She is replaced by painter-turned-coital red shirt Jasmine Corian who has a few secrets of her own. The little page time she has removes Harry from his failed attempt at domesticity and her presence could be a very complicating factor in what is otherwise a very complicated life for Harry. Whether she returns for book six is yet to be seen, however her underlying darkness could prove interesting.
Perhaps the bigger upheaval for Harry is actually the loss of his home in an earthquake that took place between The Concrete Blonde and The Last Coyote. Symbolic of his security, and a really nice setting for us to hang out as readers, it’s gutting to see it destroyed.
A spectacular plot brings out the best in Bosch, Irvin Irving and guest star Carmen Hinojos, making for an unputdownable page turner that is brilliant right to the end.
spiderkitten's review
3.0
Human.4 opens with us 'listening' to an old cassette recording made by the main character of the story, a teenage boy named Kyle. Through Kyle and the additional text inserted by 'the author' of the text we learn that at some point in the past there were a group of people known as the naught point fours. We don't really discover what this means until near the end of the book, but if you're thinking what you are thinking it might be, then you are probably right. It was a little predictable in that way.
I thought the novel was a good read but lacked the depth of something that might have been aimed at older readers. The characters were likeable, though a bit naive. The setting wasn't really gone into in a lot of detail, and aside from the main characters, there wasn't really a lot of getting to know people. I got the impression that the novel was merely a setup for the rest of the series. It might have been better as a short story or a prequel.
That said, I'll probably read the next book in the series.
I thought the novel was a good read but lacked the depth of something that might have been aimed at older readers. The characters were likeable, though a bit naive. The setting wasn't really gone into in a lot of detail, and aside from the main characters, there wasn't really a lot of getting to know people. I got the impression that the novel was merely a setup for the rest of the series. It might have been better as a short story or a prequel.
That said, I'll probably read the next book in the series.
anindanr_'s review against another edition
3.0
I'm giving this book 3,5 stars.
I really enjoyed the plot twist and the ending of the book, the whole concept of the book is amazing and really makes you think. But when I read the book (especially the first half), I really just want to put it down because it was just so slow and only give me (the reader) too little information to understand and even get interested in what's going on. The book took the long and complicated way to make everyone (The characters and the reader) understand the situation. There's also a slight romance in here which I found unnecessary and forgettable.
I really enjoyed the plot twist and the ending of the book, the whole concept of the book is amazing and really makes you think. But when I read the book (especially the first half), I really just want to put it down because it was just so slow and only give me (the reader) too little information to understand and even get interested in what's going on. The book took the long and complicated way to make everyone (The characters and the reader) understand the situation. There's also a slight romance in here which I found unnecessary and forgettable.
bak8382's review
4.0
When Kyle is hypnotized during a magic show he wakes to find a totally different world than the one he left. Everyone he's known his entire life are acting strange. He and the three other people who were hypnotized seem to be the only ones unaffected. What has happened to everyone around him, and will it finally get him to?
The story is told from Kyle's perspective using cassette tapes, the twist being it has been found many years in the future. There are funny side notes as the editor debates what Kyle means by certain things, and it appears Kyle's story has been analyzed and debated by many people. This is a fast-paced quick read that raises some interesting questions . . .
The story is told from Kyle's perspective using cassette tapes, the twist being it has been found many years in the future. There are funny side notes as the editor debates what Kyle means by certain things, and it appears Kyle's story has been analyzed and debated by many people. This is a fast-paced quick read that raises some interesting questions . . .
greergreer's review
5.0
Futuristic, dystopian book with a crazy good story line. If humans were actually instruments for alien upgrades. What if not all humans were able to upgrade and they were in a constant state of being in an analog form? Does that mean that the ghosts and spooks are actually the humans that were not able to take past upgrades?
whisperedaria's review
5.0
Really good! Starts out compelling and just gets better! Switching between times gives just enough foreshadowing that you're not tricked into believing this is your typical alien-theory book. FANTASTIC read!