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libreroaming's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 really. The story is split between the "real" world of the Bahamas and a future realm called Pangaia. Neither are fully developed except as exotic background. This felt slight and fable-like, not one of Cooper's stronger works
rainbowrocky's review
4.0
I read this book in order to fulfill the Nnedi Okorafor (a work in Afrofuturism centering a complex and advanced society) prompt for Blackathon 2020 Team Sci-Fi. It's been sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust for at least a decade and I've been toting it around all these years knowing that one day I would read it. And I'm glad I finally did!
For a middle grade book starring an autistic-spectrum main protagonist, I think it was well written and progressive for its time. I don't have autism myself so I don't know how accurate the portrayal is, but I didn't find it overtly stereotypical or offensive. The centering of Bahamian culture in a sci-fi novel was certainly a wonderful change of pace from the usual Anglo-American perspective I see in this genre of fiction. Again as to how accurate it is I'm unsure, as I'm not Bahamian myself, but in the Author's Note at the end Susan Cooper cues into the research she did for the novel.
To the plot itself, I enjoyed the concept of a rift between worlds, one polluted by the sins of man and the other on its way to becoming so. The Greenwar cult had an interesting twist at the end, all in a matter of interpreting a prophecy wrong. The deification of Gaia was a wonderful touch. I'm pagan myself and celebrate Gaia as an all encompassing natural force. It was really interesting to see that explored, in a work of sci-fi no less. The exploration of the world Lou and Trey hail from was well written as well. There wasn't a dull moment on the island of Lucaya, and the fight for their land was one I was up in arms for.
Each character was well rounded and has their purpose. I do wish we could have connected with the Greenwar revolutionaries more, especially Bryn, so that the twist at the end could have been all the more awestriking. That part of the book fell flat for me because of this. My favorite character was probably Grand, for all his knowledge he imparts upon the boys and the sense of home that oozes from his writing. When Trey talks about him you can really feel the love and admiration he had for him, and I'm glad Grand played such a big role in the story.
The atmosphere and descriptions kind of fell flat for me as well, but as it's a middle grade book I understand why the author held back. Lucaya and especially Long Pond Cay are well written and the nature scenery scenes there were some of my favorite parts, but when we got to what Pangaia looked like I had a hard time imagining it.
All in all a great read! I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a quick and easy read and likes sci-fi without all the complicated twists and turns that might come with it.
For a middle grade book starring an autistic-spectrum main protagonist, I think it was well written and progressive for its time. I don't have autism myself so I don't know how accurate the portrayal is, but I didn't find it overtly stereotypical or offensive. The centering of Bahamian culture in a sci-fi novel was certainly a wonderful change of pace from the usual Anglo-American perspective I see in this genre of fiction. Again as to how accurate it is I'm unsure, as I'm not Bahamian myself, but in the Author's Note at the end Susan Cooper cues into the research she did for the novel.
To the plot itself, I enjoyed the concept of a rift between worlds, one polluted by the sins of man and the other on its way to becoming so. The Greenwar cult had an interesting twist at the end, all in a matter of interpreting a prophecy wrong. The deification of Gaia was a wonderful touch. I'm pagan myself and celebrate Gaia as an all encompassing natural force. It was really interesting to see that explored, in a work of sci-fi no less. The exploration of the world Lou and Trey hail from was well written as well. There wasn't a dull moment on the island of Lucaya, and the fight for their land was one I was up in arms for.
Each character was well rounded and has their purpose. I do wish we could have connected with the Greenwar revolutionaries more, especially Bryn, so that the twist at the end could have been all the more awestriking. That part of the book fell flat for me because of this. My favorite character was probably Grand, for all his knowledge he imparts upon the boys and the sense of home that oozes from his writing. When Trey talks about him you can really feel the love and admiration he had for him, and I'm glad Grand played such a big role in the story.
The atmosphere and descriptions kind of fell flat for me as well, but as it's a middle grade book I understand why the author held back. Lucaya and especially Long Pond Cay are well written and the nature scenery scenes there were some of my favorite parts, but when we got to what Pangaia looked like I had a hard time imagining it.
All in all a great read! I recommend it to anyone who's looking for a quick and easy read and likes sci-fi without all the complicated twists and turns that might come with it.
funsized327's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lieslindi's review against another edition
I don't think Cooper succeeded in combining the two threads of her story, and I was amused by the star thing because I thought while reading Dark Is Rising that the belt buckles, all being findable within a reasonable daily radius of a child on his feet, was the weakest element of that story. But it was amusing to read it following Amy Plum's After the End and Lauren Groff's Arcadia, and it's an important story for kids to read. Also I don't think I've read a book set in the Bahamas since Alvin's Swap Shop.
singinglight's review against another edition
3.0
I described this to a co-worker as a multicultural environmental fantasy set in the Bahamas. Which is a fairly accurate description, but doesn’t capture the wonderful oddness of this. Cooper is familiar with the Bahamas which helps to ground the story and to keep it from feeling exploitative.
arbieroo's review against another edition
1.0
What makes a high fantasy realm appear real? Myth, legend, traditions and history. These may not be the whole story but they make a huge difference. Take Earthsea and Middle Earth; I've never come across a complaint that these places don't seem real, despite magic, dragons and kings who come from obscurity into their inheritances. Both have songs, poems, languages and history that merges into myth and legend...just like our world.
THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY
See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/334995/post
THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN CURTAILED IN PROTEST AT GOODREADS' CENSORSHIP POLICY
See the complete review here:
http://arbieroo.booklikes.com/post/334995/post
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