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In the Britain of a few tomorrows time, physical perfection is commonplace and self improvement has...
Lost World
8.0
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Lost World, the fourth book in the Broken World series, continues following a group of survivors...
Post Apocalyptic Apocalypse Dystopia Dystopian Zombies
New World
8.0
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New World, book five in the Broken World series, continues following a group of survivors after a...
Post Apocalyptic Apocalypse Dystopia Dystopian Zombies
ClareR (6106 KP) rated The Pharmacist in Books
Jul 24, 2022
The Pharmacist is the kind of book that I find I have to ration. I love it, but frankly the concept is terrifying. I read a lot of books about End Of Times, apocalypse, dystopia - I’m addicted, but I find I can’t stop thinking about them, and I even dreamt about The Pharmacist!
This isn’t a light read, and the dread isn’t even underlying: it’s constantly there, glowering in every paragraph, every sentence. The reader doesn’t know why these specially chosen people are all holed up in a bunker together, but something terrible, world changing, has happened.
And the claustrophobia! I could imagine the close living quarters, the smell of the not-quite-clean inhabitants, the fear of doing something to incur the wrath of the bunkers leader. Now, he’s quite some character: power mad and more than happy to use anyone to get what he wants. And although the pharmacist, Wolfe, is supplying him with ever greater supplies of drugs, she is the one who is at his mercy.
Whatever is outside the bunker is worse than what’s inside (I debate this, and would be much happier taking my chances on the outside!). And the tasks that the leader demands that Wolfe undertakes, get worse and worse.
This is an unrelentingly grim read, and I’m sure it says a whole lot about me when I say that I loved it. I looked forward - with trepidation - to reading every one of the ten instalments on The Pigeonhole.
This isn’t a light read, and the dread isn’t even underlying: it’s constantly there, glowering in every paragraph, every sentence. The reader doesn’t know why these specially chosen people are all holed up in a bunker together, but something terrible, world changing, has happened.
And the claustrophobia! I could imagine the close living quarters, the smell of the not-quite-clean inhabitants, the fear of doing something to incur the wrath of the bunkers leader. Now, he’s quite some character: power mad and more than happy to use anyone to get what he wants. And although the pharmacist, Wolfe, is supplying him with ever greater supplies of drugs, she is the one who is at his mercy.
Whatever is outside the bunker is worse than what’s inside (I debate this, and would be much happier taking my chances on the outside!). And the tasks that the leader demands that Wolfe undertakes, get worse and worse.
This is an unrelentingly grim read, and I’m sure it says a whole lot about me when I say that I loved it. I looked forward - with trepidation - to reading every one of the ten instalments on The Pigeonhole.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Throne of Glass in Books
Feb 2, 2019
Great Start to the series
It can be somewhat on parallel with Hunger Games except on a fantasy setting and sans the dystopia. Celaena is quite the character to like. She’s witty, smart, she’s got the talk and has the walk to prove it, she’s everything you like in a strong female character and more. I love her sass and overall personality.
The plot itself was good and engaging to read. There’s a mix of everything. Mystery, intrigue, action, and romance. I’d have to say it’s a little bit too much of a mix. I was really more into reading about the competition and Celaena’s skills. The mystery aspect did not really capture my attention and didn’t think it was very exciting. Sure, it did keep you guessing but it wasn’t filled with any twists and turns one might expect in a mystery. The romance was all right although I also didn’t think a love triangle was necessary in this one. (It was pretty hard to choose which one of the two were better. They both had their qualities that made them likable so I’m going to sit on the fence and be neutral on this)
I also enjoyed reading into Celaena’s and Nehemia’s friendship. I rather liked the bond they shared and Nehemia can hold her own as well so I liked how the two of them shared some common ground.
The ending was excellent and I’m going to be reading the rest of this. I hear it gets better! So I’m looking forward to getting the second.
The plot itself was good and engaging to read. There’s a mix of everything. Mystery, intrigue, action, and romance. I’d have to say it’s a little bit too much of a mix. I was really more into reading about the competition and Celaena’s skills. The mystery aspect did not really capture my attention and didn’t think it was very exciting. Sure, it did keep you guessing but it wasn’t filled with any twists and turns one might expect in a mystery. The romance was all right although I also didn’t think a love triangle was necessary in this one. (It was pretty hard to choose which one of the two were better. They both had their qualities that made them likable so I’m going to sit on the fence and be neutral on this)
I also enjoyed reading into Celaena’s and Nehemia’s friendship. I rather liked the bond they shared and Nehemia can hold her own as well so I liked how the two of them shared some common ground.
The ending was excellent and I’m going to be reading the rest of this. I hear it gets better! So I’m looking forward to getting the second.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Enclave in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This book is less dystopia and more post-apocalypse, with zombies thrown in - though they are never given that name. Though the plot focused solely on Deuce's life inside and outside the enclave, I was much more curious about the details of the world that Deuce lived in. The answers to these questions were sadly few and far between. It quickly became apparent that it was not in Deuce's nature to be inquisitive, and I was often distracted from Deuce's single-mindedness to be a Huntress. Deuce's two closest friends come from the other two groups, but little is told about these groups or the members that populated them. I was especially curious about Deuce's Breeder friend, who fathered a baby boy, but he is unfortunately removed from the plot before much development could occur.
Many loose threads are pushed aside to make way for the character of Fade, and Deuce's relationship with him. I saw much potential in Fade's character because of the potential of his backstory, but the possibilities of what he could accomplish in the enclave are wasted. In the end, despite the title of the book, the plot seems to be more about what happens Topside than saving or reforming the enclave. Plus, I know little more about the Freaks (zombies) than I did when I started the book. While the book brimmed with potential, much of the characters' potential was unrealized, and the book ended with too many loose ends and unanswered questions. While I typically love YA literature, I think this book was too juvenile for me.
Many loose threads are pushed aside to make way for the character of Fade, and Deuce's relationship with him. I saw much potential in Fade's character because of the potential of his backstory, but the possibilities of what he could accomplish in the enclave are wasted. In the end, despite the title of the book, the plot seems to be more about what happens Topside than saving or reforming the enclave. Plus, I know little more about the Freaks (zombies) than I did when I started the book. While the book brimmed with potential, much of the characters' potential was unrealized, and the book ended with too many loose ends and unanswered questions. While I typically love YA literature, I think this book was too juvenile for me.
An interesting new take on a dystopian future
What worried me the most about this book is that the dystopian future is one you can quite realistically see happening, even in our lifetime. And that’s one of the things I liked about this book, it really makes you think about the current political climate and how easily things could descend into this sort of dystopia. And it really brings out some powerful emotions - it’s amazing how angry and frustrated you can get about a fictional future.
The book itself is well written, and Jean McClellan is a fairly engaging and well developed protagonist. It’s interesting to read about the history from Jean’s point of view and share her frustration with the system and how it affects her family. There are a lot of similarities to other books about dystopian futures, like 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale, and even references some of these at times. However there are a few issues, firstly that the book plods along at a fairly decent pace but yet the ending is wrapped up so quickly in just a few paces, it’s feels very rushed and not as satisfying as I’d like. The other issue is that I’m concerned about how events unfold for Jean and how it compares to the rest of the women still suffering in silence. I feel like the book could’ve concentrated more on women who hadn’t had their counters removed, to really impact and show more about the regime.
The book itself is well written, and Jean McClellan is a fairly engaging and well developed protagonist. It’s interesting to read about the history from Jean’s point of view and share her frustration with the system and how it affects her family. There are a lot of similarities to other books about dystopian futures, like 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale, and even references some of these at times. However there are a few issues, firstly that the book plods along at a fairly decent pace but yet the ending is wrapped up so quickly in just a few paces, it’s feels very rushed and not as satisfying as I’d like. The other issue is that I’m concerned about how events unfold for Jean and how it compares to the rest of the women still suffering in silence. I feel like the book could’ve concentrated more on women who hadn’t had their counters removed, to really impact and show more about the regime.
TB
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Eleven
Book
The 11th volume in this much lauded series with incisive and genre-defining stories chosen my...
