featherword 's review for:

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

3.75

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Really interesting concepts! I had a couple of pain points. The minutiae of fame and show business (meetings, logistics, legal procedure, tweeting, etc) feel like unnecessary speedbumps to an otherwise interesting scifi story. A lot of the humor is extremely dated and reads like a Tumblr post, so it comes across very cringy when reading it in 2025 (the main character uses words like "Crapballs" in narration, ugh, plus personally even using the name "Carl" to refer to the robots grated on me). There is a good bit of mystery that drives the story forward (even if it feels a bit spoon-fed to the reader) and many elements introduced early on become important in unexpected ways later. The main character is really interesting to read, she is flawed and in some ways insufferable, but in a way that is relatable and honest, and Hank Green's insights into humanity and optimism and public perceptions and the ways that narratives are shaped are fascinating as always. This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with a lot of questions unresolved, so i will probably read the next one.