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historianlost's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
kiramke's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Oh, I definitely read this back in the day. Bleak.
weaselweader's review
4.0
“So the history of life on Earth is … a never-ending symphony … written on nucleic acid and performed by protein.”
If you’re not fond of a science-based, technical thriller plot moved forward at high speed by an awesome number of info-dump essays on an equally awesome and disparate variety of topics then DUST is probably not a novel you’re going to enjoy. Me? I loved it – entomology; evolution and paleontology; ecology and the importance of bio-diversity; domestic terrorism; submarines, nuclear war and the operation of nuclear missile silos; extinction cycles; cloning, genetics, gene-splitting and recombinant DNA; the exploration of Saturn and its moon Enceladus; prions and mad cow disease; economics; right-wing politics and talking heads - you’ve got to admit that it would be a challenge to come up with a more diverse list than that!
The plot of DUST is simple enough to describe without wandering into spoiler territory. What happens when the world wakes up and discovers that a wide variety of its insects have catastrophically become extinct? And make no mistake! We’re not talking about the imagined joy of life without mosquitoes and black flies here. DUST hypothesizes a tumultuous cascade of terrifying possibilities up to and including global nuclear warfare piled on top of the existential threat of mankind’s biological extinction following hard on the heels of the insects. This is a story which will guarantee that a reader pays more attention to the news when topics of climate change, bio-diversity, ecology, and care for the environment reach the headlines.
On a side note pertaining urgently to today’s political environment. Pellegrino’s portrayal of the conduct of an ultra right-wing radio celebrity makes it VERY clear that conspiracy theorists, radio hosts and media stars like Alex Jones, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh are dangerous. What should be done about their lies and their fomenting of hatred, racism, and violence up to and including domestic terrorism is an open question that MUST be addressed as a matter of national survival!
Definitely recommended and happy reading.
Paul Weiss
If you’re not fond of a science-based, technical thriller plot moved forward at high speed by an awesome number of info-dump essays on an equally awesome and disparate variety of topics then DUST is probably not a novel you’re going to enjoy. Me? I loved it – entomology; evolution and paleontology; ecology and the importance of bio-diversity; domestic terrorism; submarines, nuclear war and the operation of nuclear missile silos; extinction cycles; cloning, genetics, gene-splitting and recombinant DNA; the exploration of Saturn and its moon Enceladus; prions and mad cow disease; economics; right-wing politics and talking heads - you’ve got to admit that it would be a challenge to come up with a more diverse list than that!
The plot of DUST is simple enough to describe without wandering into spoiler territory. What happens when the world wakes up and discovers that a wide variety of its insects have catastrophically become extinct? And make no mistake! We’re not talking about the imagined joy of life without mosquitoes and black flies here. DUST hypothesizes a tumultuous cascade of terrifying possibilities up to and including global nuclear warfare piled on top of the existential threat of mankind’s biological extinction following hard on the heels of the insects. This is a story which will guarantee that a reader pays more attention to the news when topics of climate change, bio-diversity, ecology, and care for the environment reach the headlines.
On a side note pertaining urgently to today’s political environment. Pellegrino’s portrayal of the conduct of an ultra right-wing radio celebrity makes it VERY clear that conspiracy theorists, radio hosts and media stars like Alex Jones, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh are dangerous. What should be done about their lies and their fomenting of hatred, racism, and violence up to and including domestic terrorism is an open question that MUST be addressed as a matter of national survival!
Definitely recommended and happy reading.
Paul Weiss
latishatr's review against another edition
4.0
Warning: do not read this or listen to the audiobook while eating. The descriptions get pretty gruesome.
mdigreg's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kateofmind's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
becxreadz's review
4.0
Liked:
*The idea of what would happen if insects suddenly died out
*A new concept that I've never read in dustopianesque stories
*The audiobook was well narrated
*Fast pace and never a dull moment
*Makes me appreciate insects more
*During quarantine time makes me appreciate that the world could be quarantined for worse reasons.
Disliked:
*Sometimes the povs would change to random characters in dire situations that I didnt really care about.
*The idea of what would happen if insects suddenly died out
*A new concept that I've never read in dustopianesque stories
*The audiobook was well narrated
*Fast pace and never a dull moment
*Makes me appreciate insects more
*During quarantine time makes me appreciate that the world could be quarantined for worse reasons.
Disliked:
*Sometimes the povs would change to random characters in dire situations that I didnt really care about.
tanyac's review
4.0
This book scared me quite a bit. Some of the early "warning signs" that are referenced in this book, are actually already happening in our world. The decline in bee and bat populations, break outs of urban mites...
The author is an incredibly learned scientist and really knows his stuff so most of the book felt perfectly plausible in a lot of ways - which made it even more scary. There were times when the scientific jargon got a bit heavy (in particular when they follow the Darwin probe) but I was ok with that for the most part.
And then they had to mention a guinea worm.... shudder.
The author is an incredibly learned scientist and really knows his stuff so most of the book felt perfectly plausible in a lot of ways - which made it even more scary. There were times when the scientific jargon got a bit heavy (in particular when they follow the Darwin probe) but I was ok with that for the most part.
And then they had to mention a guinea worm.... shudder.
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