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okevamae's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
I read this immediately after finishing Project Hail Mary, which in retrospect was a mistake. I tried my best not to compare the two, but it was inevitable, and I think The Effort suffered in the comparison.
This book reminded me somewhat of Station Eleven. This is not just because of the Apocalyptic premise, but it also comes from the narrative style: alternating POVs that take place before and during the world ending, showing us how our characters got to their present situation and shedding light on their backgrounds. The main difference is that the narratives in The Effort are less intertwined, and the post-apocalyptic portions all come at the end, rather than being interspersed. Also, Station Eleven is more literary in tone. I think The Effort was also trying for a literary feel, but it doesn’t quite manage it.
Something about the pacing of the book didn’t sit right. The scenes themselves are relatively slow-paced, but at the same time, the timeline moves very rapidly. It feels like things happen quickly “off-screen” but fairly slowly “on-screen.” The result was that the book felt like too much story crammed into too few pages.
Even with the uneven pacing, the book manages to ratchet up the tension as society unravels and civilization devolves into chaos. Although this happens mostly in the background, the book does a great job of portraying how fragile society is and how easily the institutions we depend on could fall apart. In this, it reminded me a lot of The Road. However, although things do get VERY dark, it refrains from wallowing in the same unrelenting bleakness as The Road. There is always a kernel of hope for most of the characters, whether that hope is The Effort itself or the simple connection between two people which keeps them from giving up. That enduring hope in the face of impending doom was what ultimately kept me reading.
The ending felt abrupt and left me unsatisfied. The lack of resolution for certain key characters was the most unsatisfying aspect. I'm not the type of reader who needs everything tied up in a neat bow, but the fact that they didn't get any kind of resolution left a bad taste in my mouth.
I'd say this is a pretty good book, but it let me down at the end. It's worth reading, but I don't know that I'd want to revisit it, if that makes sense.
3.5 stars
I read this immediately after finishing Project Hail Mary, which in retrospect was a mistake. I tried my best not to compare the two, but it was inevitable, and I think The Effort suffered in the comparison.
This book reminded me somewhat of Station Eleven. This is not just because of the Apocalyptic premise, but it also comes from the narrative style: alternating POVs that take place before and during the world ending, showing us how our characters got to their present situation and shedding light on their backgrounds. The main difference is that the narratives in The Effort are less intertwined, and the post-apocalyptic portions all come at the end, rather than being interspersed. Also, Station Eleven is more literary in tone. I think The Effort was also trying for a literary feel, but it doesn’t quite manage it.
Something about the pacing of the book didn’t sit right. The scenes themselves are relatively slow-paced, but at the same time, the timeline moves very rapidly. It feels like things happen quickly “off-screen” but fairly slowly “on-screen.” The result was that the book felt like too much story crammed into too few pages.
Even with the uneven pacing, the book manages to ratchet up the tension as society unravels and civilization devolves into chaos. Although this happens mostly in the background, the book does a great job of portraying how fragile society is and how easily the institutions we depend on could fall apart. In this, it reminded me a lot of The Road. However, although things do get VERY dark, it refrains from wallowing in the same unrelenting bleakness as The Road. There is always a kernel of hope for most of the characters, whether that hope is The Effort itself or the simple connection between two people which keeps them from giving up. That enduring hope in the face of impending doom was what ultimately kept me reading.
The ending felt abrupt and left me unsatisfied. The lack of resolution for certain key characters was the most unsatisfying aspect.
Spoiler
I was expecting to get at least one more scene with Amy and Love, and was hoping Ben would come around at least long enough to find out about his victory. I felt like he was set up as the hero of the book, if there was one, but his storyline petered out and we didn't get any sort of resolution. I’m not sure if I’m meant to understand that everyone not explicitly mentioned as surviving is dead, or what.I'd say this is a pretty good book, but it let me down at the end. It's worth reading, but I don't know that I'd want to revisit it, if that makes sense.
teresaalice's review against another edition
3.0
Okay-ish? as far as dystopian fiction goes. If that’s even the correct category for a novel that takes place mostly in the here and now and slightly after.
marissa2843's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alyshadeshae's review against another edition
5.0
Holy Nokley... I didn't know what to expect going into this book other than "it's got space stuff and that's why the bookstore is doing an event with this book and 'The Mission' from David W. Brown together" and that this one was fiction.
I love this book. It's amazing! And after watching the book discussion between David and Claire (and Michelle at the beginning and end) last night, I have to agree that it's hopeful. In spite of the overwhelming feeling of despair throughout the book.
The book event/discussion is here: https://youtu.be/zu2qraiDp2E
I love this book. It's amazing! And after watching the book discussion between David and Claire (and Michelle at the beginning and end) last night, I have to agree that it's hopeful. In spite of the overwhelming feeling of despair throughout the book.
The book event/discussion is here: https://youtu.be/zu2qraiDp2E
caleb_tankersley's review against another edition
5.0
Compelling, suspenseful, and prescient. This book surprised me in the best way.
spinstah's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this, but there are a lot of side plots in this novel, and I think it suffered for that. I expected the main side plot to tie into the action, and it never did. It was tied up, but not all of them were, and that kind of bugged me. I think chopping some of those out to devote more time to the central characters would have improved it a lot. But like I said, I did enjoy it and I found it a pretty absorbing and quick read.
em_harring's review against another edition
2.0
Uhhh this book wasn't it. The blurb had me intrigued, and I do love a good "can this rag tag group come together to save Earth" story, but the execution of the narrative just wasn't it for me.
The pacing of this novel is all over the place. It felt like a 500 page novel, but without the depth of a 500 page novel. There were *so* many POVs (some of which didn't make sense and only popped up once 80% of the way through the novel, but then we never circle back to the 'main' POVs at the end of the novel...make it make sense). The book either needed less POVs or it needed to be longer.
It also felt like two different narratives smushed into one book. For a majority of the time, we follow the space team and then the crew on the ship Healy. It would have been a stronger novel (and led to stronger characters) if just one of these narratives had been followed.
Also, as an Indigenous person (though not of Latin American descent), I do agree that Indigenous ways of living are the most sustainable, and the points that were made were good points, but felt a bit...weird. There was some odd exoticization there that made me uncomfortable.
The pacing of this novel is all over the place. It felt like a 500 page novel, but without the depth of a 500 page novel. There were *so* many POVs (some of which didn't make sense and only popped up once 80% of the way through the novel, but then we never circle back to the 'main' POVs at the end of the novel...make it make sense). The book either needed less POVs or it needed to be longer.
It also felt like two different narratives smushed into one book. For a majority of the time, we follow the space team and then the crew on the ship Healy. It would have been a stronger novel (and led to stronger characters) if just one of these narratives had been followed.
Spoiler
For example, when the couple leave the ship, we literally never see them again until they are mentioned in the epilogue. Like...what happened to them? Why don't we get to see that journey?Also, as an Indigenous person (though not of Latin American descent), I do agree that Indigenous ways of living are the most sustainable, and the points that were made were good points, but felt a bit...weird. There was some odd exoticization there that made me uncomfortable.
christajls's review against another edition
4.0
When a dark comet (eight kilometers in size) is spotted hurtling towards Earth Benjamin Schwartz, manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies knows what a catastrophic threat it is. Ben flies to French Guiana to assemble an international counteraction team. At the same time, onboard a polar icebreaker, another group takes in the beauty of the Arctic (potentially for the last time) while avoiding the mass hysteria taking over the rest of the planet.
Together, these men and women must fight to survive in an unknown future with no rules and to neutralize the greatest threat the world has ever seen. Their mission is codenamed The Effort.
This story is haunting and compelling and part of that is the way the chapters shift perspectives between the people in French Guiana, the Arctic, and third parties across the globe. It’s fascinating to see how different people would react to this unthinkable situation. But be warned this book is dark. I’d like the believe humanity would rise to the occasion but unfortunately, the pandemic has shown us not everyone would. There’s looting, assaults, murder, and when things look really bad cannibalism. Despite this, (or maybe because of this) The Effort will keep you hanging on every page and shows us the best and the worst of society in our darkest moments.
Together, these men and women must fight to survive in an unknown future with no rules and to neutralize the greatest threat the world has ever seen. Their mission is codenamed The Effort.
This story is haunting and compelling and part of that is the way the chapters shift perspectives between the people in French Guiana, the Arctic, and third parties across the globe. It’s fascinating to see how different people would react to this unthinkable situation. But be warned this book is dark. I’d like the believe humanity would rise to the occasion but unfortunately, the pandemic has shown us not everyone would. There’s looting, assaults, murder, and when things look really bad cannibalism. Despite this, (or maybe because of this) The Effort will keep you hanging on every page and shows us the best and the worst of society in our darkest moments.