I requested this immediately when I saw “cozy debut science fiction” and was imagining something like The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Then I reI requested this immediately when I saw “cozy debut science fiction” and was imagining something like The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Then I read the first chapter and thought it’d be A Gentleman in Moscow but in SPACE. But then I kept going, and it wasn’t quite either of these things. There’s a crew of misfits, yes. And there’s a hotel and its innerworkings, sure. But just under the surface is dystopia that permeates the story in an unnerving kind of way.
It is awesome.
I wasn’t sure about this for chapters two through maybe five because I couldn’t see where it was going and I felt thrown off that it wasn’t “cozy”, but then I was in it and I loved it and I thought it was both disturbing and heartwarming. Both tragic and uplifting.
Post-apocalyptic climate fiction reminiscent of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sil, our young protagonist, lives in The Morningside with her mothPost-apocalyptic climate fiction reminiscent of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sil, our young protagonist, lives in The Morningside with her mother, the super. They are outsiders, and her mother will not talk about their past and will not let Sil discuss their history with anyone. This is a world ravaged by climate change, and there is hope that things are getting better.
In lots of ways, the book is bleak, but it’s also about the wonder of childhood, what parents do to protect their children, and human resilience. The book tackles big topics but through an engaging narrative.
I loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House!...more
Everything that has ever begun in the history of this planet has started with one tiny change, invisible to the naked eye
Reminiscent of Emily St. John
Everything that has ever begun in the history of this planet has started with one tiny change, invisible to the naked eye
Reminiscent of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven with similar themes to Dave Eggers’s The Circle
I loved all of this. It takes you through the descent of society with a bit of mystery and intrigue, and the characters were interesting, even if they weren’t all sympathetic. I don’t mind a little heavy handedness in my apocalyptic cli-fi which is good because that was certainly present here.
This is my first Naomi Alderman book, and I’m looking forward to reading others.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster! ...more
I was sold on this one by the title alone; it's just fantastic. I hadn't read anything by Christy before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I love I was sold on this one by the title alone; it's just fantastic. I hadn't read anything by Christy before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I love time loop books, and I love apocalypse books, so I figured this would be a good one to try.
The world has stopped and is now filled with loopers: people who are stuck in time loops, reliving the same seconds, minutes or hours over and over again. The world has ended, and Coco is alone in NYC among the loopers until she discovers others like her who are not subject to loops.
This novel spans decades, tackles some big questions, but also dives deeply into the lives of Coco and others. It was really fast-paced except for a small section around the 2/3 part, but then it picked up again. I'd highly recommend this. It's innovative but also heart-wrenching.
Thank you to NetGalley and Jackson Dickert!...more
Really solid 4.5 stars. Some parts of this were an amazing 5 star read, but then sometimes it dipped a little, so I needed to average it out to 4.5 stReally solid 4.5 stars. Some parts of this were an amazing 5 star read, but then sometimes it dipped a little, so I needed to average it out to 4.5 stars
I loved the premise, I loved the characters, and I thought this one was super fun and enjoyable...more
I’m giving this kind of a surprising five stars. I loved the premise—two gladiators, Loretta Thurwar and Hamara Stacker, fight to either freedom or deI’m giving this kind of a surprising five stars. I loved the premise—two gladiators, Loretta Thurwar and Hamara Stacker, fight to either freedom or death through a near future dystopian prison system—but I also don’t generally love senseless and gratuitous violence and have a hard time reading it. But something about the way it was done here was visceral in a meaningful way that added to rather than took away from the story.
And I liked that, on top of a great work of fiction, this is a denunciation of the US prison system and how it’s driven by both systemic racism and capitalism.
This was something like Brave New World meets Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines series. There are other things I could compare it to but not without givingThis was something like Brave New World meets Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines series. There are other things I could compare it to but not without giving away some key plot points.
A traumatic event causes Proctor Bennet, a citizen of the idyllic Prospera, to notice more about the society he's in and he has questions. His serene and mostly blissful life is careens out of control as he tries to figure out what's going on.
This book took a couple of wild turns, requiring me to take a step back and consider what was happening. The story was compelling and the premise was fascinating, but four rather than five stars because I found it hard to really care about any of the characters and get invested in their choices. I was invested in finding out what was going on in Prospera but not in what happened to the people.
Some authors subtly recap the last book so you don't have to remember exactly what happened. Johnson absolutely does not do that. Maybe that's becauseSome authors subtly recap the last book so you don't have to remember exactly what happened. Johnson absolutely does not do that. Maybe that's because this isn't a direct sequel (it takes place years later and with a focus on new characters), but you are left struggling a bit if you don't remember The Space Between Worlds.
Do I wish I had reread The Space Between Worlds before starting this? 100%. Did I still love it? Also 100%.
I loved the sweeping scope of this book and how it dealt with such big, meaningful themes. Johnson makes a statement with this book: it says important things. I loved revisiting this world and these characters. I loved the politics, but I also loved all the small relationships between people.
There were times I felt that this would for sure be a five star read for me, but it just slightly missed the mark. This is a string of stories all tieThere were times I felt that this would for sure be a five star read for me, but it just slightly missed the mark. This is a string of stories all tied together, and some are much stronger than others.
Or, maybe I shouldn’t have read a book about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic.
I might have to reread this one in the future. ...more
First half of this book was gripping but really hard to read for me as a woman with a husband and young son. And then the second half was just…not. ThFirst half of this book was gripping but really hard to read for me as a woman with a husband and young son. And then the second half was just…not. There were so many interesting feminist angles that could have been explored, but most weren’t.
I think the book also suffered from being written pre-COVID and published after the pandemic started, so certain things just didn’t seem realistic anymore given what we know about how people and governments responded. ...more