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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The premise of Blackfish City is intriguing, but unfortunately, I never really found myself immersed in the story. Most of the characters were interesting, but I often felt that just when I’d gotten into their POV it was time to change to someone else’s, or to the info-dump chapters. I was also a bit confused about the timeline: sometimes it felt like the events of “the old world” happened several hundred years ago, but then a character would talk about things that happened in modern New York only 40-50 years ago. This confusion is probably due to me not constantly paying full attention to the audiobook narrator though.
The nanobonder concept was kind of cool, but it also raised some questions about consent and exploitation of the bonded animals. I’d like to read a story set entirely in one of their villages for a more in-depth exploration of these questions. The ending was a bit underwhelming and felt rushed; some important aspects were kind of glossed over and the scientific explanation didn’t really feel believable.
The city’s setting – floating in the Arctic circle, reliant on geothermal heating – was unique and cool, but its gritty atmosphere felt kind of like any generic post-apocalyptic city on the brink of destruction. I feel like those types of stories have been told before and that it would’ve been more interesting to hear about how it was built up instead.
The nanobonder concept was kind of cool, but it also raised some questions about consent and exploitation of the bonded animals. I’d like to read a story set entirely in one of their villages for a more in-depth exploration of these questions. The ending was a bit underwhelming and felt rushed; some important aspects were kind of glossed over and the scientific explanation didn’t really feel believable.
The city’s setting – floating in the Arctic circle, reliant on geothermal heating – was unique and cool, but its gritty atmosphere felt kind of like any generic post-apocalyptic city on the brink of destruction. I feel like those types of stories have been told before and that it would’ve been more interesting to hear about how it was built up instead.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm so glad I read this. This was a surprise 5 star read right at the end of the year. I picked it up as an audio book just because I didn't have one going. I put this on my list a while ago and I just now got around to it. I loved the narrator, and the way each character was depicted. I loved the world so much. The hints of what happened and the normal way that life just moves on for most people was intoxicating. By the end, I felt myself wanting more, trying to reach past the boundaries of the book and into the world. I loved the characters and their hidden connections. I loved that everything made sense and that I feel like I should have seen everything coming. I'm so glad I got to read this and finish off the year strong.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.3/5
"Whatever she had come to Qaanaaq to accomplish, her face gave no hint of whether it would be bloody or beautiful or both."
A steampunk city in a dystopian future, replete with orcamancers, a narrator in the wind, and a young adult with ambitions to be a crime boss. There are more characters sure, but their POVs seem all over the place until the world building is firmly in place and 30-40% of the book is read upto.
Blackfish City was a hell of a ride! The city of Qaanaaq was a rude reminder that human greed will never be sated, not even when the climate change has left more than half the world submerged. Did I mention that the story is fantastic and I eventually warmed up to the unexpected 'Ohana' vibe of the book?!
"Whatever she had come to Qaanaaq to accomplish, her face gave no hint of whether it would be bloody or beautiful or both."
A steampunk city in a dystopian future, replete with orcamancers, a narrator in the wind, and a young adult with ambitions to be a crime boss. There are more characters sure, but their POVs seem all over the place until the world building is firmly in place and 30-40% of the book is read upto.
Blackfish City was a hell of a ride! The city of Qaanaaq was a rude reminder that human greed will never be sated, not even when the climate change has left more than half the world submerged. Did I mention that the story is fantastic and I eventually warmed up to the unexpected 'Ohana' vibe of the book?!
Spoiler
However that ending was very anti climatic, definitely not up my alley.
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 ⭐️
Bit of a slow start, but I loved the inclusivity and range of the characters!
Bit of a slow start, but I loved the inclusivity and range of the characters!
I struggled to get through this book. I found it difficult to engage with for entertainment. From the awkwardness of parsing Soq's chapters* to the fact that no matter what it tries to present itself as, Blackfish City is a weirdly maudlin (and a little self-loathing) superhero story set in a dreamlike, fantastic now.
Like good sci-fi it tries to show an absurd and distorted picture of what, who, and where we are. Like bad sci-fi, it can't deliver its message effectively because it refuses to explore what it's set up; Blackfish City can't quite get up to dreaming big. There are neat ideas buried in this book, none of them getting to the surface without talking heads to show the way for those of us too stupid to figure it out.
I wanted to like it a lot, it had so much potential, but it never got out of its own way. Sam Miller is a talented hand with prose, though, and his skill at it is ultimately what kept me to the end.
Like good sci-fi it tries to show an absurd and distorted picture of what, who, and where we are. Like bad sci-fi, it can't deliver its message effectively because it refuses to explore what it's set up; Blackfish City can't quite get up to dreaming big. There are neat ideas buried in this book, none of them getting to the surface without talking heads to show the way for those of us too stupid to figure it out.
I wanted to like it a lot, it had so much potential, but it never got out of its own way. Sam Miller is a talented hand with prose, though, and his skill at it is ultimately what kept me to the end.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes