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A review by shilohskye
The Rewilding: A story of Mammalæ origins by Erdbok
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
You might like this book if your:
-enjoy cyberpunk stuff
-are interested in bizarre AI concepts
-are up for a darker tone
-enjoy a fast paced, shorter tale
The Rewilding is a fast-paced and mysterious cyberpunk thriller that follows Anna, a young anthropomorphic fox who is taken from the wild and held prisoner for unknown reasons. As Anna attempts to understand the new world around her, the reader attempts to understand why she is being held and experimented upon, and what her captor's plans are for her. It makes for a very intriguing tale--one where the nature of this world, the characters, and their motivations are revealed slowly and deliberately. Combined with short, staccato sentence structure for most of the book, it makes for some really engaging and fast paced material.
What really struck me about this book, and what will likely keep it in my mind, is how well done the themes of restricted bodily autonomy, mourning, and manipulation are. There are so many gut wrenching moments here, and Anna's character development as an innocent and ignorant victim of those moments was extremely effective, and often sickening. It made me contemplate the cruelty that's so prevalent in the world and its people, and I think the book earns plenty of points for provoking such thought.
The writing can be a bit of a mixed bag. The biggest example of this comes from an inconstent tone. Much of the story is beautifully dismal, subtly emotional, and anxiety-inducing, but halfway through, for about 50 pages, it suddenly becomes a meta action comedy. Then it returns to that original tone to finish out the book. It was one of the most jaring things I've read in quite a while, and sadly not in a good way (although I certainly can't say it wasn't memorable). Some sections also seem like they could have been cut without taking away from the story, but again I can't say I didn't enjoy reading them. I hope the writer looks into correcting this in their next book, because if they do I think they'll be able to write something pretty legendary.
Altogether a mixed bag with regards to writing and story, but one that leaves a big effect nonetheless, and is unlike anything else I've read this year.
-enjoy cyberpunk stuff
-are interested in bizarre AI concepts
-are up for a darker tone
-enjoy a fast paced, shorter tale
The Rewilding is a fast-paced and mysterious cyberpunk thriller that follows Anna, a young anthropomorphic fox who is taken from the wild and held prisoner for unknown reasons. As Anna attempts to understand the new world around her, the reader attempts to understand why she is being held and experimented upon, and what her captor's plans are for her. It makes for a very intriguing tale--one where the nature of this world, the characters, and their motivations are revealed slowly and deliberately. Combined with short, staccato sentence structure for most of the book, it makes for some really engaging and fast paced material.
What really struck me about this book, and what will likely keep it in my mind, is how well done the themes of restricted bodily autonomy, mourning, and manipulation are. There are so many gut wrenching moments here, and Anna's character development as an innocent and ignorant victim of those moments was extremely effective, and often sickening. It made me contemplate the cruelty that's so prevalent in the world and its people, and I think the book earns plenty of points for provoking such thought.
The writing can be a bit of a mixed bag. The biggest example of this comes from an inconstent tone. Much of the story is beautifully dismal, subtly emotional, and anxiety-inducing, but halfway through, for about 50 pages, it suddenly becomes a meta action comedy. Then it returns to that original tone to finish out the book. It was one of the most jaring things I've read in quite a while, and sadly not in a good way (although I certainly can't say it wasn't memorable). Some sections also seem like they could have been cut without taking away from the story, but again I can't say I didn't enjoy reading them. I hope the writer looks into correcting this in their next book, because if they do I think they'll be able to write something pretty legendary.
Altogether a mixed bag with regards to writing and story, but one that leaves a big effect nonetheless, and is unlike anything else I've read this year.