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A review by discarded_dust_jacket
World Running Down by Al Hess
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This book came out of left field and absolutely blew me away. I knew within the first 30 pages that I was going to love it, and after that I just couldn’t put it down.
I have such a soft spot for A.I. characters, and Osric is so precious and gentle it makes my heart ache. The relationship between him and Valentine is so damn sweet. I would never have expected a Mad Max-style dystopian desert road trip story to be so charming, compassionate, and hopeful.
Not to mention it’s so well-written! And the author’s illustrations of the characters at the front of the book are phenomenal!
My ONLY criticisms are that it could’ve benefitted from some diversity, and the positive representation of the Mormon church made me slightly uncomfortable, especially given that in the afterword, the author states that he wishes for each of his books to be a “safe space for queer readers”—an enormous percentage of which suffer from religious trauma.
But who knows? Maybe that was intentional, like writing a supportive and inclusive religious experience into the story was meant to be a form of healing. I could understand that. All in all, it’s not like I think it severely detracted from the quality of the book. I still rated it 4.75⭐️!
I have such a soft spot for A.I. characters, and Osric is so precious and gentle it makes my heart ache. The relationship between him and Valentine is so damn sweet. I would never have expected a Mad Max-style dystopian desert road trip story to be so charming, compassionate, and hopeful.
Not to mention it’s so well-written! And the author’s illustrations of the characters at the front of the book are phenomenal!
My ONLY criticisms are that it could’ve benefitted from some diversity, and the positive representation of the Mormon church made me slightly uncomfortable, especially given that in the afterword, the author states that he wishes for each of his books to be a “safe space for queer readers”—an enormous percentage of which suffer from religious trauma.
But who knows? Maybe that was intentional, like writing a supportive and inclusive religious experience into the story was meant to be a form of healing. I could understand that. All in all, it’s not like I think it severely detracted from the quality of the book. I still rated it 4.75⭐️!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Kidnapping and Trafficking