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soops's review against another edition
4.5
smart engaging and funny. i thought the characters had a lot of depth and i really liked resaint's point of view chapters. environmental speculative fiction! cool and interesting and unique. i'm not sure i like epilogue 2 as much i liked the rest of the book, but i found it thought provoking nonetheless.
i also really liked how unlikeable the point of view characters were! or more like how uninterested they were in having the "audience" like them or agree with them. they felt like people who had their own goals and ambitions and their actions flowed very naturally from their philosophies.
i also really liked how unlikeable the point of view characters were! or more like how uninterested they were in having the "audience" like them or agree with them. they felt like people who had their own goals and ambitions and their actions flowed very naturally from their philosophies.
anakuu's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mbp_918's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Another reviewer said something to the effect of "this is the most light-hearted book about species extinction that you'll ever see." Yes. That was the problem.
I see a clever wordsmith here, but not a novelist, at least not this time. We have two very drab lead characters, and B dislikes A. That's OK, so did I.
I see a plot that started with a few keystone ideas, led out two leads into difficulty, and then apparently pantsed it from there, wrapping it up hastily when the page count reached target.
The lead-up to the ending was tolerable, I suppose, but I was skipping great gobs of text by that point, because everything has proceeded SO slowly for SO long. And then Ned did that thing to that character, WTF, and then offered us two alternate endings, neither very satisfactory.
Perhaps it's my fault that I didn't grasp what was going on with the spindrifters, because it seemed for a while that they could be more interesting than the title fish.
Also, the computers we were shown for 400 pages were not even a hint of what we got in the last section. Enough that it felt like cheating. As if Karin had said "oh, didn't I tell you I can fly?" as she soared out of the 60-foot pit of spikes and poison.
I fear this book tried to do too many things and ended up doing none of them well.
I see a clever wordsmith here, but not a novelist, at least not this time. We have two very drab lead characters, and B dislikes A. That's OK, so did I.
I see a plot that started with a few keystone ideas, led out two leads into difficulty, and then apparently pantsed it from there, wrapping it up hastily when the page count reached target.
The lead-up to the ending was tolerable, I suppose, but I was skipping great gobs of text by that point, because everything has proceeded SO slowly for SO long. And then Ned did that thing to that character, WTF, and then offered us two alternate endings, neither very satisfactory.
Perhaps it's my fault that I didn't grasp what was going on with the spindrifters, because it seemed for a while that they could be more interesting than the title fish.
Also, the computers we were shown for 400 pages were not even a hint of what we got in the last section. Enough that it felt like cheating. As if Karin had said "oh, didn't I tell you I can fly?" as she soared out of the 60-foot pit of spikes and poison.
I fear this book tried to do too many things and ended up doing none of them well.
patrickjturnbull's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-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
4.5
dcfelk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Really enjoyed once I got into it. Akin to The Body Scout.
ember93's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
anouckm's review against another edition
3.0
What if you read a book about the people who feel like they know things because of their status in society? Then you would be reading this book - I cannot stand rich people assuming truths just because those truths make life easier / more exciting for them.
The book would have been better with a stronger understanding of what entropy (and thermodynamics as a whole) is and how A.I. works. I’m so done with technology as a “mystical” thing - just idiotic.
If you want to read a really funny satire please read the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and leave this book on the shelves.
The book would have been better with a stronger understanding of what entropy (and thermodynamics as a whole) is and how A.I. works. I’m so done with technology as a “mystical” thing - just idiotic.
If you want to read a really funny satire please read the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and leave this book on the shelves.
ktbananas's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
3.25
satire of environmental policy and how it might play out. At times ridiculous this story demonstrates that even those of us who care are ineffective in preventing the worst. It’s those with money/power who decide our collective fate. Dark, funny and sad all at once.