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ClareR (5950 KP) rated Thirsty Animals in Books
Jun 25, 2023
I’m really going to have to start rationing my exposure to dystopian fiction. Although to be fair, after reading Thirsty Animals I did try to cut down the time spent in the shower (although I’m pretty sure that’s cancelled out by the marathon-length showers taken by the 19 year old). This is one of those books that is so plausible that you will be thinking about your own impact on the environment. It’s not ‘preachy’ though. It’s just the rather disturbing story of Aida’s life after she is forced to return to her home on a livestock farm (cows and sheep) when water starts to become really scarce - even in Scotland.
Until the point at which Aida goes home, Scotland is one of the last places with running water. But that is about to change.
This isn’t quite Mad Max, although when the water is switched off and people aren’t allowed to move about within Scotland, it does become pretty lawless - as Aida and her family soon find out.
Thirsty Animals is highly likely to be amongst my favourite books this year. Nothing seemed far-fetched, and the relationships were entirely believable. These were people in extremis, and no matter their behaviour, who knows how we would behave in a similar situation in order to keep ourselves and our families alive?
This is certainly a book that has kept me thinking about it for a while after having finished it.
I’m so intrigued where Rachelle Atalla will go next - I’ll certainly be reading it!
Until the point at which Aida goes home, Scotland is one of the last places with running water. But that is about to change.
This isn’t quite Mad Max, although when the water is switched off and people aren’t allowed to move about within Scotland, it does become pretty lawless - as Aida and her family soon find out.
Thirsty Animals is highly likely to be amongst my favourite books this year. Nothing seemed far-fetched, and the relationships were entirely believable. These were people in extremis, and no matter their behaviour, who knows how we would behave in a similar situation in order to keep ourselves and our families alive?
This is certainly a book that has kept me thinking about it for a while after having finished it.
I’m so intrigued where Rachelle Atalla will go next - I’ll certainly be reading it!
A Touch of Frost
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In a world where magic is outlawed, a shy 20-year-old tavern maid enlists in the military to learn...
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Hadley (567 KP) rated Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse in Books
Aug 19, 2020
From the Book of Revelations to the Road Warrior; from A Canticle for Leibowitz to the Road, storytellers have long imagined the end of the world, weaving eschatological tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity. In doing so, these visionary authors have addressed one of the most challenging and enduring themes of imaginative fiction: the nature of life in the aftermath of total societal collapse.
Overall, there were a few good stories inside this book, but some of them seemed out of place, and there were ones that were just boring or not written well (like ending the story just to make it a short story). I only recommend this book to people who absolutely love dystopian stories, but for those who are just light readers of it, I don't think you'd enjoy it.
Being that this is a review for a handful of short stories, I am only going to mention the ones I really liked.
"Salvage" by Orson Scott Card
A long time after atom bombs have destroyed most of the Earth, a young man named Deaver finds out that there may be gold hidden within a Mormon temple, and he's willing to risk everything to get it.
I loved the story, the characters, and the playful banter between them.
"Bread and Bombs" by M. Rickert
During war time, children become curious about an odd neighbor who moves in. Parents demand that their children stay away from them because the neighbor's people are the reason so many people have died.
I liked that the story is through the childrens' eyes, not the adults.
"Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" by George R. R. Martin
In the story that follows, you'll meet Greel. He is a scout of the People. He's penetrated the Oldest Tunnels, where the taletellers said the People had come from a million years ago. He is no coward, but he is afraid, and with good reason. You see, he's very used to being in the dark, but some visitors have come to the tunnels, and they've brought light with them...
I really liked the whole idea of people tunneling underground when nuclear war happens; there are not enough stories written about this!
"Never Despair" by Jack McDevitt
'Never Despair' tells the story of Chaka Milana, a woman who leaves her hometown in search of a storied place that holds the secrets of the Roadmakers, the almost-mythical builders of the concrete strips that cover the land, and the ruined cities with towers so high that a person could not ascend one in a day.
The story was so good that I wish it were a novel.
"Artie's Angels" by Catherine Wells
A post-apocalyptic society involving bicycles and young men.
This was probably my most favorite story out of the entire book!
"Inertia" by Nancy Kress
A story about the victims of a disfiguring epidemic who are interned in the modern equivalent of leper colonies.
Kress was able to make such a big picture out of very few characters, and in just a few pages. Really well-written.
"The End of the World As We Know It" by Dale Bailey
A lone survivor of an apocalypse attempts to grapple with the emotional dimension of his loss.
Just a really good story.
Overall, there were a few good stories inside this book, but some of them seemed out of place, and there were ones that were just boring or not written well (like ending the story just to make it a short story). I only recommend this book to people who absolutely love dystopian stories, but for those who are just light readers of it, I don't think you'd enjoy it.
Being that this is a review for a handful of short stories, I am only going to mention the ones I really liked.
"Salvage" by Orson Scott Card
A long time after atom bombs have destroyed most of the Earth, a young man named Deaver finds out that there may be gold hidden within a Mormon temple, and he's willing to risk everything to get it.
I loved the story, the characters, and the playful banter between them.
"Bread and Bombs" by M. Rickert
During war time, children become curious about an odd neighbor who moves in. Parents demand that their children stay away from them because the neighbor's people are the reason so many people have died.
I liked that the story is through the childrens' eyes, not the adults.
"Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" by George R. R. Martin
In the story that follows, you'll meet Greel. He is a scout of the People. He's penetrated the Oldest Tunnels, where the taletellers said the People had come from a million years ago. He is no coward, but he is afraid, and with good reason. You see, he's very used to being in the dark, but some visitors have come to the tunnels, and they've brought light with them...
I really liked the whole idea of people tunneling underground when nuclear war happens; there are not enough stories written about this!
"Never Despair" by Jack McDevitt
'Never Despair' tells the story of Chaka Milana, a woman who leaves her hometown in search of a storied place that holds the secrets of the Roadmakers, the almost-mythical builders of the concrete strips that cover the land, and the ruined cities with towers so high that a person could not ascend one in a day.
The story was so good that I wish it were a novel.
"Artie's Angels" by Catherine Wells
A post-apocalyptic society involving bicycles and young men.
This was probably my most favorite story out of the entire book!
"Inertia" by Nancy Kress
A story about the victims of a disfiguring epidemic who are interned in the modern equivalent of leper colonies.
Kress was able to make such a big picture out of very few characters, and in just a few pages. Really well-written.
"The End of the World As We Know It" by Dale Bailey
A lone survivor of an apocalypse attempts to grapple with the emotional dimension of his loss.
Just a really good story.
Clare Parrott (294 KP) rated After the Storm (KGI, #8) in Books
Nov 9, 2017 (Updated Nov 9, 2017)
Ok so I get why some people didn't like the latest adventure in the KGI series. Yes it wasn't set in so far flung place, God knows where. Killing bad guys to rescue the damsel in distress but you got to see Donovan how he really is, his passion for rescuing women and children from the clutches of evil and his longing to settle down with his own girl and play happy families just like his brothers.
Donovan for all his muscles and hardness is a pussycat really.
"Donovan wouldn't hurt a hair on your head, nor would he hurt you emotionally. He's just not wired that way"
I loved "After The Storm" it's just as good as the others in the series but just different :-)
Page 210, O.M.G that was fabulous and Rusty's story is going to be great, I can't wait for that.
For those who DNF shame on you, you missed the best bits. Oh well, your loss. <br/>
Roll on the next in the series Maya can't write fast enough for me x
Donovan for all his muscles and hardness is a pussycat really.
"Donovan wouldn't hurt a hair on your head, nor would he hurt you emotionally. He's just not wired that way"
I loved "After The Storm" it's just as good as the others in the series but just different :-)
Page 210, O.M.G that was fabulous and Rusty's story is going to be great, I can't wait for that.
For those who DNF shame on you, you missed the best bits. Oh well, your loss. <br/>
Roll on the next in the series Maya can't write fast enough for me x
Deborah (162 KP) rated My Brilliant Friend in Books
Feb 4, 2019
Simply Dull
I can't remember the last time I was so glad to finish a book, and I only finished this one as it was a book club pick - I could happily have left it at any point!
I did wonder if it was just me, but I noted plenty of Amazon reviews from other people having to read it for the same reason and having the same problems!
I'd like to put some of it down to the translation, but really my problem was that this was just DULL. Stuff happened, but I didn't feel any emotional impact from us. The beginning of the book has pages and pages of characters listed, but I didn't really care for any of them.
The beginning is also odd and doesn't get picked up on again. Mind you, there are apparently another three books in the series..... needless to say I won't be reading those! The ending was also quite abrupt.
Now I have book club to go to and don't know what to say other than it was really dull!
I did wonder if it was just me, but I noted plenty of Amazon reviews from other people having to read it for the same reason and having the same problems!
I'd like to put some of it down to the translation, but really my problem was that this was just DULL. Stuff happened, but I didn't feel any emotional impact from us. The beginning of the book has pages and pages of characters listed, but I didn't really care for any of them.
The beginning is also odd and doesn't get picked up on again. Mind you, there are apparently another three books in the series..... needless to say I won't be reading those! The ending was also quite abrupt.
Now I have book club to go to and don't know what to say other than it was really dull!
A great follow up to South!
It seems unusual to find an apocalyptic story without zombies and/ or magic these days, but I think this does it well. Instead we have the power-hungry madness of a politician-cum-scientist to contend with.
This is actually the second book in the Divided States series. You don’t need to have read the first novel, South, but it WILL make it easier to understand what’s going on in this book! The privations of the South can’t really be fully comprehended if you’ve only read this book.
I really liked this book: the descriptions of the landscapes (the North doesn’t seem to have escaped from the viruses and the aftermath of the civil war), the people and the madness of those in power, virus inflicted or not, was really well portrayed.
The ending was somewhat satisfying, and reassuringly open ended. I’m looking forward to the possibility of another book in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and honestly review.
This is actually the second book in the Divided States series. You don’t need to have read the first novel, South, but it WILL make it easier to understand what’s going on in this book! The privations of the South can’t really be fully comprehended if you’ve only read this book.
I really liked this book: the descriptions of the landscapes (the North doesn’t seem to have escaped from the viruses and the aftermath of the civil war), the people and the madness of those in power, virus inflicted or not, was really well portrayed.
The ending was somewhat satisfying, and reassuringly open ended. I’m looking forward to the possibility of another book in the series!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and honestly review.
Dana (24 KP) rated Magonia (Magonia, #1) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
Oh my goodness! This is a mix of magic, pirates, and sadness. Trust me, you will need some goddamn tissues near you when you are reading this book. It was so good! The characters are very realistic, the relationships are drawn very well, and the plot goes by very smoothly. There were only a few slow parts, but even those were good. The only thing I wished for was a little more world building. I wish we could have known more about the non main character's backgrounds and a little about the magical world and how it all works. I really recommend this book to people who like magical, piratey books. But really, if you haven't picked this book up yet, do it now. I mean, just by looking at the cover you should want to read it!! If you want to know more about the book, go to: <a href=" video</a> to watch a brief explanatory video from Epic Reads!
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Slipstream (A Crisis of Two Worlds, #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
After my playthrough of the "Mass Effect" trilogy of video games wound up as a tragically optimistic, sci-fi, gay love story; I decided to look into finding some gay sci-fi romance fiction and stumbled upon this title. I have to say I am glad I did. This book is by no means perfect; there are a few questionable character decisions and some of the dialogue just doesn't feel like something that people in the age group represented would ever actually say, but despite those flaws, this still wound up being a highly entertaining read. The romance elements are kept somewhat to a minimum, which actually works better for me, but when they do arise they are indeed pretty romantic and about 90% believable. The sci-fi / fantasy / adventure elements are more pronounced and while they can stretch credulity a bit more regularly, they were more than suitably exciting enough to allow for the requisite suspension of disbelief. It ends satisfactorily while still leaving quite a lot to be resolved in the sequel, which I can say I look forward to reading.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2400 KP) rated A Palette for Murder (Aurora Anderson Mystery #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Vista Beach is in the middle of a heatwave, and thieves are taking advantage of people leaving doors and windows open. It looks like Rory has stumbled on the aftermath of one such burglary when she finds her neighbor, Willow, dead on her kitchen floor. But the police aren’t buying robbery as a motive, and they focus on Rory’s friend Dawn as the killer. Can Rory learn the truth?
Naturally, it turns out that Willow had a number of secrets, and those kept the pages turning until we reached the end. I did figure things out a bit early, but my jaw still literally dropped at a couple of the twists along the way. The characters are good enough to make us care about the outcome, but they could still be a bit more developed. Still, this is a fun book that flew by all too quickly.
NOTE: I received an ARC.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-palette-for-murder-by-sybil.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Naturally, it turns out that Willow had a number of secrets, and those kept the pages turning until we reached the end. I did figure things out a bit early, but my jaw still literally dropped at a couple of the twists along the way. The characters are good enough to make us care about the outcome, but they could still be a bit more developed. Still, this is a fun book that flew by all too quickly.
NOTE: I received an ARC.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-palette-for-murder-by-sybil.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.