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A review by binarybuns
Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus by Caitlin Schneiderhan
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
[SPOILERS AHEAD] Objectively, this is a well-written book that felt like the author had a decent grasp on Eddie’s voice. Many times throughout reading, I found myself smiling or even laughing at the quips that she had written for him — reacting similarly to when Eddie was first introduced to us on screen. It was nice to have him back for a short while.
However, my main problem with this book lies in the fact that it’s incredibly depressing to read. I bought and started reading Flight of Icarus the day it came out (Oct 31st 2023) and didn’t finish it until April 14th 2024. It sounds pathetic, but I genuinely couldn’t read this book for the longest time because it kept making me sad. It’s full of plot points where good things are dangled in front of Eddie, only to be ripped out from under his nose at the last second. On top of that, everyone is against him (this was somewhat to be expected with how season four went) but to an unnatural degree. So many authority figures despise him solely because of who his father is and blatantly blame Eddie for things that aren’t his fault. One adult even blackmails him into dropping out of school after convincing Eddie that he’s the reason all his friends get tortured by the popular kids and that he won’t amount to anything in life anyway! The misery never ends and it’s just so hard to read while knowing this character’s ultimate fate. As someone who connected with Eddie and found comfort in his character, I was hoping to get some closure and find peace after the grief of losing him but honestly this just made me more upset about all of what happened.
I will say that I loved the exploration of minor characters like the Hellfire Club, getting to see Eddie interact with them and witness the kind of relationship he had with them all was really nice to see. I loved Ronnie’s character and felt like she was a perfect addition to Eddie’s story. She’s the kind of person he needed in his life, so I’m glad she was included. Unfortunately, Paige fell a little flat for me. This could be attributed to the fact that Eddie’s feelings for her come across as very superficial (she’s a pretty girl who pays attention to him and offers him a chance at the life he’s always wanted) and therefor it doesn’t seem like he really makes an effort to get to know her outside of what she’s doing for him (which in itself feels a little out of character, but again: Eddie is going through a lot in this book so I can’t fault him completely). I just don’t feel like I knew anything about Paige outside of her job, so I didn’t really care for the ‘situationship’ that she and Eddie had going on nor did I feel much sympathy towards her when their plans fell through and she expressed dismay over being let down. At that point in the story, Eddie had seemingly lost everything important to him and Paige’s reaction just felt insensitive (which, again, I can’t blame her for because their relationship felt so superficial to me. There aren’t a lot of moments that I can point to where it felt like either of them really cared for the other, unfortunately).
This was certainly an ambitious endeavour that had insanely high expectations from the fanbase, so all things considered I think the author did a good job under that kind of social pressure. It’s a decent book that does its job of entertaining you, but it’s not a book that I’ll be picking back up and rereading anytime soon (but maybe one day, when the loss no longer stings!)
However, my main problem with this book lies in the fact that it’s incredibly depressing to read. I bought and started reading Flight of Icarus the day it came out (Oct 31st 2023) and didn’t finish it until April 14th 2024. It sounds pathetic, but I genuinely couldn’t read this book for the longest time because it kept making me sad. It’s full of plot points where good things are dangled in front of Eddie, only to be ripped out from under his nose at the last second. On top of that, everyone is against him (this was somewhat to be expected with how season four went) but to an unnatural degree. So many authority figures despise him solely because of who his father is and blatantly blame Eddie for things that aren’t his fault. One adult even blackmails him into dropping out of school after convincing Eddie that he’s the reason all his friends get tortured by the popular kids and that he won’t amount to anything in life anyway! The misery never ends and it’s just so hard to read while knowing this character’s ultimate fate. As someone who connected with Eddie and found comfort in his character, I was hoping to get some closure and find peace after the grief of losing him but honestly this just made me more upset about all of what happened.
I will say that I loved the exploration of minor characters like the Hellfire Club, getting to see Eddie interact with them and witness the kind of relationship he had with them all was really nice to see. I loved Ronnie’s character and felt like she was a perfect addition to Eddie’s story. She’s the kind of person he needed in his life, so I’m glad she was included. Unfortunately, Paige fell a little flat for me. This could be attributed to the fact that Eddie’s feelings for her come across as very superficial (she’s a pretty girl who pays attention to him and offers him a chance at the life he’s always wanted) and therefor it doesn’t seem like he really makes an effort to get to know her outside of what she’s doing for him (which in itself feels a little out of character, but again: Eddie is going through a lot in this book so I can’t fault him completely). I just don’t feel like I knew anything about Paige outside of her job, so I didn’t really care for the ‘situationship’ that she and Eddie had going on nor did I feel much sympathy towards her when their plans fell through and she expressed dismay over being let down. At that point in the story, Eddie had seemingly lost everything important to him and Paige’s reaction just felt insensitive (which, again, I can’t blame her for because their relationship felt so superficial to me. There aren’t a lot of moments that I can point to where it felt like either of them really cared for the other, unfortunately).
This was certainly an ambitious endeavour that had insanely high expectations from the fanbase, so all things considered I think the author did a good job under that kind of social pressure. It’s a decent book that does its job of entertaining you, but it’s not a book that I’ll be picking back up and rereading anytime soon (but maybe one day, when the loss no longer stings!)