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A review by em_reads_books
Sherwood Nation by Benjamin Parzybok
3.0
I don't think I've ever come across an apocalypse story quite like this, that focuses on politics and logistics, or is as much about how people help as hurt one another when things collapse.
This is sort of the opposite of the more common loner survivalist or oppressive regime apocalypse narratives. Instead you get the collective working together story, and all the individual weirdos with their own obsessive projects involved in building a new society (apocalypse for nerds, maybe). Not to mention the main character who's been thrust into leadership and out of her element, and learns fast how far brains and idealism get her - I loved seeing how she reacted to her instant fame and every new thing that came up as a result. There were plenty of moments in reading this when I thought "oh dang, this is just so cool." And it was meaty, too - I could see getting into hours of discussion in a book club or, even, a poli-sci class.
On the other hand I never really *enjoyed* reading it. It always felt more like "ok, gotta keep reading to see what happens," as opposed to "can't wait to get back to my book!" There's really nothing bad or dry about the prose, so maybe that's just me? Just moved slow instead of flowing naturally and pulling me along with it.
This is sort of the opposite of the more common loner survivalist or oppressive regime apocalypse narratives. Instead you get the collective working together story, and all the individual weirdos with their own obsessive projects involved in building a new society (apocalypse for nerds, maybe). Not to mention the main character who's been thrust into leadership and out of her element, and learns fast how far brains and idealism get her - I loved seeing how she reacted to her instant fame and every new thing that came up as a result. There were plenty of moments in reading this when I thought "oh dang, this is just so cool." And it was meaty, too - I could see getting into hours of discussion in a book club or, even, a poli-sci class.
On the other hand I never really *enjoyed* reading it. It always felt more like "ok, gotta keep reading to see what happens," as opposed to "can't wait to get back to my book!" There's really nothing bad or dry about the prose, so maybe that's just me? Just moved slow instead of flowing naturally and pulling me along with it.