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fenouil's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
woahhhh, I like the writing, the concept of the book is inriguing, the reflections made can be applied elsewhere
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Grief, Police brutality, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Genocide, and Gun violence
lizzie24601's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
DNF about 60% of the way through. This is 100% a character driven book - there is almost no plot or action at all. It is mostly about a group of Black and brown teenagers and young adults who are employed as construction stackers by an old gangster to keep them out of trouble in an apocalyptic city - but it took me nearly 100 pages to figure that out, since there is no exposition for any of the characters and it's difficult to understand who everyone is and what their relationships are.
The book is mostly comprised of descriptions of the characters' backstories or everyday life, maybe with some overarching goal going on (ex. Jonathan setting up his house or the kids from Bishop's work crew capturing the horses). The pacing is extremely slow and the jumping around in time and between characters is very confusing.
There is no plot and even very little dialogue. Honestly, the few scenes where there is dialogue feel like scenes in a play, where we're either dropped in in the middle of a conversation about nothing in particular, or one character is giving a long-winded monologue. Maybe this would've been better as a play.
Onyebuchi is definitely a skillful writer and his thesis comes through loud and clear as an important and underrepresented message, but this book will give you a headache well before reaching the end.
The book is mostly comprised of descriptions of the characters' backstories or everyday life, maybe with some overarching goal going on (ex. Jonathan setting up his house or the kids from Bishop's work crew capturing the horses). The pacing is extremely slow and the jumping around in time and between characters is very confusing.
There is no plot and even very little dialogue. Honestly, the few scenes where there is dialogue feel like scenes in a play, where we're either dropped in in the middle of a conversation about nothing in particular, or one character is giving a long-winded monologue. Maybe this would've been better as a play.
Onyebuchi is definitely a skillful writer and his thesis comes through loud and clear as an important and underrepresented message, but this book will give you a headache well before reaching the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness and Addiction
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Dementia, Police brutality, Child death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
jackelz's review against another edition
dark
Imagine it. It’s year 20XX. You have to walk around wearing a mask because the air is radioactive/carcinogenic. All the white rich people have f*cked off to space. It doesn’t seem so far off from our current reality.
Goliath critically engages with racism (including environmental racism), police violence, gentrification, the prison system, and climate crisis as those still living on Earth suffer from resource scarcity and illnesses caused by pollution.
Jonathan and his lover, David, return from space and find a place they want to fix up for themselves, inevitably participating in a post-apocalyptic form of gentrification, as more folks start taking over the houses of Black people.
Linc, a Black worker, earns a living by salvaging from old houses and stacking the bricks that will be sent to the space colony.
The narrative moves from one point of view to another, from the white returnees to the Black workers, weaving in stories of their pasts. About halfway through, though, it completely switches to two other perspectives and it threw me off at first. One is a sort of interview that details a man’s life up to the 2050’s, mixed with current (to us) events and situations he finds himself in. The other is told from the perspective of a white supremacist neo-confederate soldier on the run from a U.S. Marshall.
This book was definitely a journey, and one that I appreciated. Take your time with this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Gore, Classism, Blood, Racism, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Child abuse, Sexism, and Sexual assault
laurareads87's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Goliath is the first 2022 release I've read - I'd preordered it, having appreciated Onyebuchi's Riot Baby as well as his short fiction + interview in Short Story Club. Goliath is ambitious, far-reaching, relevant, and, as others have written in their reviews, urgent.
Goliath is a non-linear multi-POV novel that follows a range of characters living in the 2050s; Earth is heavily polluted, and many of the wealthy have departed to space stations where they continue to extract resources from the planet they poisoned. Those still living on Earth navigate imposed resource scarcity, illnesses caused by pollution, and precarious infrastructure. Goliath critically engages with racism (including environmental racism), economic exploitation, police violence, and climate crisis, and in these respects it can be a challenging read, but it is far from all despair: there is joy here, humour, community. I suspect Goliath will be one of the absolute best standout sci-fi works of the year -- highly, highly recommend.
Goliath is a non-linear multi-POV novel that follows a range of characters living in the 2050s; Earth is heavily polluted, and many of the wealthy have departed to space stations where they continue to extract resources from the planet they poisoned. Those still living on Earth navigate imposed resource scarcity, illnesses caused by pollution, and precarious infrastructure. Goliath critically engages with racism (including environmental racism), economic exploitation, police violence, and climate crisis, and in these respects it can be a challenging read, but it is far from all despair: there is joy here, humour, community. I suspect Goliath will be one of the absolute best standout sci-fi works of the year -- highly, highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Gore, Racial slurs, Violence, Classism, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexism, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment
foreverinastory's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Y'all this book fucked me up!
Hoping to reread this later this month when my audio hold comes in because I need another read to process everything this book did.
Goliath is a post-climate apocalypse story that studies several characters: the ones left behind on Earth, and the ones privileged enough to escape to the space Colonies and are now migrating back.
This book is something else y’all. And I mean this in the best way. My brain is sometimes able to sit for like 30 mins and read, but this book had me captivated. I spent around 2 hours sitting on my couch (a miracle in itself) finishing the second half of this book.
Goliath will be a challenging book for many to read, especially white readers. This book offers a hard look at the future. One that doesn’t pull any punches from the racism and anti-Blackness that is rampant in the world. I don’t say this to dissuade anyone from reading, but to be aware of what you’re getting into. This is a book that needs an open mind and one that’s willing to juxtapose the truth with what society wants us to believe.
Rep: Mainly cishet Black and Brown cast, white gay MC, achillean MC with two moms, sapphic elderly female side character.
CWs: Death, drug use/abuse, addiction, violence, murder, colonisation/re-gentrification, child death, cursing, genocide, blood, gore, gun violence, racial slurs, racism, mentions of climate disaster and mass radiation exposure. Moderate: police brutality, rape, sexual violence, suicide attempt, imprisonment, prison riot, hostage situation, kidnapping, child abuse.
Hoping to reread this later this month when my audio hold comes in because I need another read to process everything this book did.
Goliath is a post-climate apocalypse story that studies several characters: the ones left behind on Earth, and the ones privileged enough to escape to the space Colonies and are now migrating back.
This book is something else y’all. And I mean this in the best way. My brain is sometimes able to sit for like 30 mins and read, but this book had me captivated. I spent around 2 hours sitting on my couch (a miracle in itself) finishing the second half of this book.
Goliath will be a challenging book for many to read, especially white readers. This book offers a hard look at the future. One that doesn’t pull any punches from the racism and anti-Blackness that is rampant in the world. I don’t say this to dissuade anyone from reading, but to be aware of what you’re getting into. This is a book that needs an open mind and one that’s willing to juxtapose the truth with what society wants us to believe.
Rep: Mainly cishet Black and Brown cast, white gay MC, achillean MC with two moms, sapphic elderly female side character.
CWs: Death, drug use/abuse, addiction, violence, murder, colonisation/re-gentrification, child death, cursing, genocide, blood, gore, gun violence, racial slurs, racism, mentions of climate disaster and mass radiation exposure. Moderate: police brutality, rape, sexual violence, suicide attempt, imprisonment, prison riot, hostage situation, kidnapping, child abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Gore, Murder, Racism, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Rape, and Sexual violence
tonysipsandreads's review
There was a whole lot going one. Too many characters trying to tell their stories all at once. The story jumps from character to character so much, it's hard to keep track or remember what's really going on. The pace was too slow for me as well. Overall I just didn't enjoy this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
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