berrypatch 's review for:

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

4.75

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Imagine a world where the prescence of God is indisputable. When humanity leaves earth, they are met by God in their darkest hour, or a Real equivalent of God, who helps them fight what might as well be Hell. When the forces of good and evil are plain and morality stops holding water, what else matters but justice and absolution? The protagonist of the story is the Messiah, a chosen warrior of God who communes with an omnipotent being who delivers her tools to stop a dark plague transforming humans into eldrich monsters. This story takes the one-dimensional view of a villain and blows it up tenfold; Misery's life is just and rational, but her humanity abandons her in a way that is wonderful to read. She did nothing wrong, and everything. I loved her story, it's a powerful take on faith and what it means to pursue an ineffable plan blindly. Neon Yang is an incredible author, they have a skill with words that's interesting and complex while not getting in the way of how the story is told. The way they imagine their societies and the thought they put into their characters is like nothing I've seen from other authors. This book was a joy to read and a fascinating take on the human condition. Nothing is what it seems.