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A review by yuck1209
We Are the Crisis by Cadwell Turnbull
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reflecting on this book, it’s kind of an unusual pick for me in that it’s not as character-driven as other reads I gravitate towards. What I find interesting about it is its depiction of large scale social change through the actions of small groups or initiatives.
On the one hand, it made me think of Emergent Strategy or A Half-Built Garden, both of which feel like optimistic interpretations of enacting change at both a micro and macro level.
On the other, the fact that the story focuses so much on a brewing conflict stoked by shadow organizations (which some of our characters struggle to decipher or are perilously caught between) feels insidious when applied to our own society.
However… as democratic as we purport to be, there are plenty of instances where the will of a minority group overrides popular opinion. With that in mind, I think the inclusion of Alex and the parallel with intelligence ops was an inspired choice.
I thought the heavy emphasis on co-ops was also an interesting thread throughout. In a time where more people recognize capitalism as a harmful, oppressive system that enables inequities, it makes sense that monsters and other marginalized groups would need to seek other methods for communal and economic support.
I rated it somewhat lower than the first book since it’s very much setting up the finaleand it ends on a cliffhanger .
On the one hand, it made me think of Emergent Strategy or A Half-Built Garden, both of which feel like optimistic interpretations of enacting change at both a micro and macro level.
On the other, the fact that the story focuses so much on a brewing conflict stoked by shadow organizations (which some of our characters struggle to decipher or are perilously caught between) feels insidious when applied to our own society.
However… as democratic as we purport to be, there are plenty of instances where the will of a minority group overrides popular opinion. With that in mind, I think the inclusion of Alex and the parallel with intelligence ops was an inspired choice.
I thought the heavy emphasis on co-ops was also an interesting thread throughout. In a time where more people recognize capitalism as a harmful, oppressive system that enables inequities, it makes sense that monsters and other marginalized groups would need to seek other methods for communal and economic support.
I rated it somewhat lower than the first book since it’s very much setting up the finale