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A review by thepurplebookwyrm
Extremophile by Ian Green
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would when I started it!
● The plot had good pacing, maintained mostly evenly throughout.
● There were distinct character voices for each POV, though it's arguable whether all of said POVs were strictly necessary from a narrative standpoint.
● The 'biopunk' motif/vibes blended very well with the "ecoterrorism" plot, or sub-plot (depends on how you look at it I suppose). I was vaguely reminded of the movie The East, which I enjoyed at the time I watched it. The world-building was decent overall; at the very least, it was what it need to be to keep me going with the story and its stakes. Nice bits of writing about cellular and molecular biology; skirted with but never fully dove into info-dumping.
● Honestly decent, and emotionally touching theming on Nature, its intrinsic value, humanity's place within the Web of Life, and hope in the face of overwhelming, negative odds – especially as it relates to ecocide and our looming self-destruction (honestly point for not having to deal with yet another nihilistic tale).
My eyes watered at the end of this one, which is definitely not something I expected when I picked it up, free of charge, at World Con last Summer! It was solidly good, and certainly an encouraging start to this reading year. 🙂
● The plot had good pacing, maintained mostly evenly throughout.
● There were distinct character voices for each POV, though it's arguable whether all of said POVs were strictly necessary from a narrative standpoint.
● The 'biopunk' motif/vibes blended very well with the "ecoterrorism" plot, or sub-plot (depends on how you look at it I suppose). I was vaguely reminded of the movie The East, which I enjoyed at the time I watched it. The world-building was decent overall; at the very least, it was what it need to be to keep me going with the story and its stakes. Nice bits of writing about cellular and molecular biology; skirted with but never fully dove into info-dumping.
● Honestly decent, and emotionally touching theming on Nature, its intrinsic value, humanity's place within the Web of Life, and hope in the face of overwhelming, negative odds – especially as it relates to ecocide and our looming self-destruction (honestly point for not having to deal with yet another nihilistic tale).
My eyes watered at the end of this one, which is definitely not something I expected when I picked it up, free of charge, at World Con last Summer! It was solidly good, and certainly an encouraging start to this reading year. 🙂
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror