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A review by sipping_tea_with_ghosts
Morte by Robert Repino
4.0
What I expected...
What I got:
When I picked up this book, I honestly expected it to be a parody. It was being sold for $10 and even had that price be a part of the artwork itself, fashioned as a medallion that comes up in the story. Instead of a rollicking sci-fi adventure with talking animals and perhaps a goofy war story, I was given a compelling and well built post-war story about what happens after ants evolve to take over the world and orchestrate the sentience of domestic animals and wildlife. Humanity is being wiped out and the world is being slowly rebuilt and disassembled over and over, but to protagonist Mort(e), that doesn't matter, all he wants is to find his old friend who disappeared as the apocalypse began.
I do have to put a content warning when it comes to this book however. Even as an avid horror fan, there were plenty of instances of gore and creepy concepts that unnerved me at points, or prompted an exaggerated ew or two. If the mention of and the like is too much for you, then I'd probably skip this one. It doesn't come up often, but it is often detailed.
If you can get past the absurdity of the concept and troubling matters above, I'd seriously recommend this book. Mort(e) is a great protagonist and the worldbuilding is much more detailed than I expected. The beginning 50 pages is a little slow but after that mark it becomes a fast paced adventure with even some endearing moments in-between.
What I got:
When I picked up this book, I honestly expected it to be a parody. It was being sold for $10 and even had that price be a part of the artwork itself, fashioned as a medallion that comes up in the story. Instead of a rollicking sci-fi adventure with talking animals and perhaps a goofy war story, I was given a compelling and well built post-war story about what happens after ants evolve to take over the world and orchestrate the sentience of domestic animals and wildlife. Humanity is being wiped out and the world is being slowly rebuilt and disassembled over and over, but to protagonist Mort(e), that doesn't matter, all he wants is to find his old friend who disappeared as the apocalypse began.
I do have to put a content warning when it comes to this book however. Even as an avid horror fan, there were plenty of instances of gore and creepy concepts that unnerved me at points, or prompted an exaggerated ew or two. If the mention of
Spoiler
animal cruelty, suicide, body horror, dead babiesIf you can get past the absurdity of the concept and troubling matters above, I'd seriously recommend this book. Mort(e) is a great protagonist and the worldbuilding is much more detailed than I expected. The beginning 50 pages is a little slow but after that mark it becomes a fast paced adventure with even some endearing moments in-between.