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A review by helynalc
World Running Down by Al Hess
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I'm so happy this book caught my attention on twitter! The blurb sounded just like my kind of thing and after I was lucky enough to receive an ARC, the novel did not disappoint at all.
It's strange to say this about a book featuring a sort of dystopian future about the "leftovers" of humanity after the rich had ransacked the planet, gotten on their spaceships, and f*cked off to another star system, and which mostly plays out in a desert, neo-Salt Lake City and shows off salt pirates and AIs that look like giant eyeballs, but the novel is...cozy and cute. And hopeful. Not in a preachy or sugarcoating way, but in a very human manner. Valentine, the scavenger, was a character I immediately felt for, and rooted for. His wish was so simple and so complicated at the same time: to finally become who he wanted to be, to have enough money to get into a city where he would have the medical resources to make his transition. Throw in a romance with a gentle AI also trying to find his way, then a plotline about androids gaining sentience, and you have...something special. On this of ruined, abandoned Earth which still sports rough class differences, cruelty, and oppression (not humanity's best qualities), here is a tale of acceptance, kindness, and fighting for each other. And yes, it seems hopeless sometimes and not everything is so straightforward and we mess up all the time, even when we want the best for each other, but we have to try. Stay and grow and bloom among the desert ruins. And make mixtapes for each other and stuff.
If anything, I just wanted more. But the story was satisfying, the writing evocative, and the world of the book something that will stay with me for a long time.