Scan barcode
A review by abetterjulie
After the Flare by Deji Bryce Olukotun
2.0
DNF at page 227/296. Yes, that's right. I gave up right near the end.
Things I liked -
The premise is great, and truly the reason I bought my copy. I love the idea of something mysterious and ancient being disturbed by advancing and necessary technology. That tension of old and new!
The tech is bonkers; none of it makes sense, but it's FUN. And I love it when authors make guesses about future-tech. It's one of the best parts of the genre.
So why did I quit?
While the tech was fun and joyful, the way it was presented was awkward and info-dumpy. All the seams showed. This was true of the plot as well. I was willing to look past this, even the meandering, frustrating bits like having an astrolabe described in great detail to an engineer. I was trusting it would improve, but instead more mess just kept piling up. Everything was fine until Chapter 18, and then all those loose threads tangled so hard I couldn't see my way past them. Nothing made sense anymore, not the timeline or the protagonist's job or any of it. I found myself stopping every paragraph to vent my frustration, and that meant it was time to let it go.
I felt like that raccoon washing cotton candy.
It's too bad because I think Olukotun had all the parts, but maybe an editor wasn't able to help him pull it into a tangible shape. Maybe he was trying to do too much in too small a space? I *wanted* to read what he was trying to communicate, but I got lost in the weeds - and maybe he did too.
Things I liked -
The premise is great, and truly the reason I bought my copy. I love the idea of something mysterious and ancient being disturbed by advancing and necessary technology. That tension of old and new!
The tech is bonkers; none of it makes sense, but it's FUN. And I love it when authors make guesses about future-tech. It's one of the best parts of the genre.
So why did I quit?
While the tech was fun and joyful, the way it was presented was awkward and info-dumpy. All the seams showed. This was true of the plot as well. I was willing to look past this, even the meandering, frustrating bits like having an astrolabe described in great detail to an engineer. I was trusting it would improve, but instead more mess just kept piling up. Everything was fine until Chapter 18, and then all those loose threads tangled so hard I couldn't see my way past them. Nothing made sense anymore, not the timeline or the protagonist's job or any of it. I found myself stopping every paragraph to vent my frustration, and that meant it was time to let it go.
I felt like that raccoon washing cotton candy.
It's too bad because I think Olukotun had all the parts, but maybe an editor wasn't able to help him pull it into a tangible shape. Maybe he was trying to do too much in too small a space? I *wanted* to read what he was trying to communicate, but I got lost in the weeds - and maybe he did too.