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zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
A eerie, disturbing, timeless masterpiece about life after an apocalyptic event, such as a nuclear war, which leave’s residents of a certain secluded and elite hotel isolated from and surviving what has happened. As their days are filled with meetings, meals and ever increasing scrutiny by the managers and security forces at their disposal, it becomes clear that for some it’s a prison and for others it’s their life and might as well follow it due to safety in borrowing ones head in the sand. I was impressed in that I could visualise this set in the present or future and even in the past during the Cold War era where the idea of nuclear war was much more imminent and prevalent. It’s a warning and also hope as well.
riainoc's review against another edition
3.5
A sparse, post-apocalyptic novella that is initially wonderful, packed with good writing and ideas about pandemics, nuclear fallout, and collective trauma, but ultimately crawls to a close. The start is so strong that it is worth engaging with for that alone
frschnei's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
lyraskirata's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
bloomsburybaker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Excellent. Spooky and haunting. Great for fans of John Wyndham. A great social commentary on the end of the world with some interesting psych horror thrown in.
jemmacrosland's review against another edition
3.0
My husband randomly picked this up at a bookstore a few months ago so I didn't know what I was getting into when I hauled it. But after reading another post-apocalyptic novel recently, I wanted to give this translated novella a go.
This was very thought-provoking and it definitely raised some important and interesting conflicts. However I think this novella format was just too short for such a big concept to explore and especially the ending, which felt unfinished. I didn't feel a connection with the characters but I definitely felt their fears and surmounting panic.
The main issue I had with the book was the writing which didn't feel very accessible to read, it did feel overly complicated as if it was run through a thesaurus. So I didn't feel like I fully understood some of the writing and may have missed some important plot points.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5
This was very thought-provoking and it definitely raised some important and interesting conflicts. However I think this novella format was just too short for such a big concept to explore and especially the ending, which felt unfinished. I didn't feel a connection with the characters but I definitely felt their fears and surmounting panic.
The main issue I had with the book was the writing which didn't feel very accessible to read, it did feel overly complicated as if it was run through a thesaurus. So I didn't feel like I fully understood some of the writing and may have missed some important plot points.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5