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scheu's review against another edition
2.0
It was not my bag. I think that I was expecting something entirely different - so probably other readers should do their research first!
sara_va's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing writer - in nonfiction, has turned his phenomenal storytelling talent to fiction with the same quality and success.
mschlat's review
2.0
It's a pre-(and not post-)apocalyptic novel about some Princeton undergrads, most of whom who have left the school, gathered in a geodesic dome, ingested drugs to give them a sense of the impending doom and their place in it, turned from liberal arts pursuits to more survival-based studies (pharmacology, energy generation, martial arts, ...), and adopted superhero personas and costumes as part of a JLA-type community.
And if any of that gives you pause, if you have any concerns about issues of privilege popping up, if you have any qualms about what might happen when drop-out college students form a communal society, I'd suggest giving this a bye. Note that Nemett's writing is teeming with inventiveness and I would happily try a second fiction work from him, but I was ready for this book to be over about 75 pages before the ending. There's a frustrating (albeit intentional) aura of naivete in our protagonist (David Fuffman, aka "BusinessMan") that extends to the whole book, in that you are simultaneously grappling with serious world-ending issues and sophomoric approaches to life. I never felt that that struggle resolved nicely, and I tired of the naivete.
And now, some additional semi-snarky commentary (with spoilers).......
1) The book is set in the 2020's, and climate change is producing massive floods and storms. But Nemett feels the need to introduce an additional crisis: something is wrong with the very fabric of space and time in that we are losing seconds days by day. Or we think that might be happening. Nemett puts hints about the crisis in the background throughout the first third of the book, but never explains it. Our cult leader, Mathias, was involved in the initial research that "discovered" the problem and states that June 6th is the Null Point when humanity will be... well, somethinged. But by the end of the novel, we find it's all a ruse. How Mathias and others convinced the world this might be a problem is never explained. But this is the driving apocalypse of the book, not climate change, not the deaths of millions climate change brings, not the bombing of Jerusalem that happens in the background, but a faux end-of-the-world that passes and brings us back to some semblance of normality.
2) Because this book is often a paean to normality. At the end, what saves the college students? Their parents. What brings David a sense of closure? His family and his family to be. Yes, the world may be ending, but the novel appears to assert that the world is always ending and we're okay if we just have those close to us. That's a fine sentiment, but not what I expected from a book with pull quotes comparing it to the "dangerous feel of early Don DeLillo" or Pynchon or Neal Stephenson.
And if any of that gives you pause, if you have any concerns about issues of privilege popping up, if you have any qualms about what might happen when drop-out college students form a communal society, I'd suggest giving this a bye. Note that Nemett's writing is teeming with inventiveness and I would happily try a second fiction work from him, but I was ready for this book to be over about 75 pages before the ending. There's a frustrating (albeit intentional) aura of naivete in our protagonist (David Fuffman, aka "BusinessMan") that extends to the whole book, in that you are simultaneously grappling with serious world-ending issues and sophomoric approaches to life. I never felt that that struggle resolved nicely, and I tired of the naivete.
And now, some additional semi-snarky commentary (with spoilers).......
1) The book is set in the 2020's, and climate change is producing massive floods and storms. But Nemett feels the need to introduce an additional crisis: something is wrong with the very fabric of space and time in that we are losing seconds days by day. Or we think that might be happening. Nemett puts hints about the crisis in the background throughout the first third of the book, but never explains it. Our cult leader, Mathias, was involved in the initial research that "discovered" the problem and states that June 6th is the Null Point when humanity will be... well, somethinged. But by the end of the novel, we find it's all a ruse. How Mathias and others convinced the world this might be a problem is never explained. But this is the driving apocalypse of the book, not climate change, not the deaths of millions climate change brings, not the bombing of Jerusalem that happens in the background, but a faux end-of-the-world that passes and brings us back to some semblance of normality.
2) Because this book is often a paean to normality. At the end, what saves the college students? Their parents. What brings David a sense of closure? His family and his family to be. Yes, the world may be ending, but the novel appears to assert that the world is always ending and we're okay if we just have those close to us. That's a fine sentiment, but not what I expected from a book with pull quotes comparing it to the "dangerous feel of early Don DeLillo" or Pynchon or Neal Stephenson.
vonneguts's review against another edition
4.0
This was a delightfully surprising novel. Part White Noise, part Fight Club, part Avengers: Infinity War.
Using superheros, cults, magnetic personalities, and really average ones, Adam Nemett carves a kryptonite spear through millennial intellectualism, fatalism, and generational feuds all while reaming incredibly readable to those of us who roll their eyes when those words come up in conversation.
****Below be spoilers****
One more thing I want to congratulate this novel on is being written in 3rd person. Perspective matters a lot for a novel like this. When you tackle very real and consequential issues like sexual assault on campus it really helps that our narrator can take a firm stance without compromising the gray morality of our characters. Calling out our protagonist when he utterly fails to do the right thing.
While it doesn't always come togeather it never flies apart. 3rd person novel that commits to going off the rails, it's interesting and feels new very refreshing. Check it out you will have a good time.
Using superheros, cults, magnetic personalities, and really average ones, Adam Nemett carves a kryptonite spear through millennial intellectualism, fatalism, and generational feuds all while reaming incredibly readable to those of us who roll their eyes when those words come up in conversation.
****Below be spoilers****
One more thing I want to congratulate this novel on is being written in 3rd person. Perspective matters a lot for a novel like this. When you tackle very real and consequential issues like sexual assault on campus it really helps that our narrator can take a firm stance without compromising the gray morality of our characters. Calling out our protagonist when he utterly fails to do the right thing.
While it doesn't always come togeather it never flies apart. 3rd person novel that commits to going off the rails, it's interesting and feels new very refreshing. Check it out you will have a good time.
mike_trigg's review against another edition
5.0
Really liked this book. A little dark and dystopian but, in many ways, hopeful. A thought-provoking narrative that explores what happens when normal societal norms dissolve -- and the acute stress (and susceptibility?) current twenty-somethings feel about their future. Perfect comp for my next novel, BURNER.
goodluckmak's review against another edition
3.0
The characters are insufferable but the premise is great .
zombiewilhelm's review against another edition
2.0
It was decently written, but overall, just not my type of book.
charlie1000r's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed the the first parts of this book, but the middle and end really floundered, and overall I thought it was pretty sophomoric and way too narco-centric. I’m baffled that someone could attend college and come out the other side still believing that college students could make compelling subjects for a novel, even one as imaginative as this. Although my overall impression of the book was negative, its prose was really excellent; Nemett is certainly gifted, and I look forward to reading his future works.
sarahjsnider's review against another edition
3.0
The cover blurb compares this to Don Delillo, but that's a mistake. It deals with the kinds of end-of-days disasters that Delillo would but the focus is mostly on personal relationships and insecurities. And that's a fine choice and an interesting one, but it made it a little hard to feel the sense of urgency that the characters seem to be faced with. There was also a point when things were coming to a climax and I thought, "Wait, these are a bunch of 19-year-olds." That also made it hard to really take seriously.
dannafs's review
Truthfully, I have no idea how I ended up adding this book to my Want to Read shelf. This is not my type. I did read 60+ pages, which held a lot of clever lines. Despite the wit, I couldn’t persist. Or didn’t want to.