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bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
I'm pretty perplexed by this book's high overall rating. It's not bad, but it's prone to a lot of sins that make it a chore to read at times. Spoilers ahead.
For one, rather than showing the reader what happens during a big, crucial plot point, the story often picks up afterward, with Mike recapping the events for us. The first time this happened, I was willing to give the book the benefit of the doubt, but then it happened other times and it became a real annoyance to me.
While I did find the survival aspects of the tale really compelling, I found the overall plot far-fetched to the point of stretching my suspension of disbelief. A lot of very convoluted things happen, which are summarized at the end of the book, and I found this quite annoying as well.
The characters in this book are given to a lot of philosophical discussions. A LOT of them. Thsi isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but it never rang true with me here. I felt too much like the author had a big point he wanted to make, so he had the characters toss around some debates to help illustrate those points.
Because of these debates, this book takes a long, long time to kick off. I became a lot more invested when disaster struck and the pace started picking up, but I found the beginning sections a long slog.
All in all, this just wasn't for me.
For one, rather than showing the reader what happens during a big, crucial plot point, the story often picks up afterward, with Mike recapping the events for us. The first time this happened, I was willing to give the book the benefit of the doubt, but then it happened other times and it became a real annoyance to me.
While I did find the survival aspects of the tale really compelling, I found the overall plot far-fetched to the point of stretching my suspension of disbelief. A lot of very convoluted things happen, which are summarized at the end of the book, and I found this quite annoying as well.
The characters in this book are given to a lot of philosophical discussions. A LOT of them. Thsi isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but it never rang true with me here. I felt too much like the author had a big point he wanted to make, so he had the characters toss around some debates to help illustrate those points.
Because of these debates, this book takes a long, long time to kick off. I became a lot more invested when disaster struck and the pace started picking up, but I found the beginning sections a long slog.
All in all, this just wasn't for me.
jennrocca's review against another edition
2.0
* contains a tiny spoiler - not bad - but a tiny one - in paragraph 2 *
I waffled between 2 stars and 3. It's a survival story and I typically like those. I don't even mind if they are a little unrealistic. I'm OK with the premise that the entire internet collapsed due to cyber attack(s) (or whatever) and that all other forms of communications failed. I'm OK with the fact that people were completely isolated and falling apart in a snow-pocalypse Manhattan. That's fine. But there was a periodic tone of preachiness or sermonizing that was very annoying. I felt like the author was squeezing in moral lessons that really pulled me out of the story line and made me feel disgust.
Also (small spoiler coming) the women are completely useless characters until, literally, the last two chapters.
It had some neat plot points, some great insights into people and how they organize in disasters. It had great integration of technology and *lack* of technology. But the preachy overtones left me cold and distant. Not as bad as "One Second After" - but close.
I waffled between 2 stars and 3. It's a survival story and I typically like those. I don't even mind if they are a little unrealistic. I'm OK with the premise that the entire internet collapsed due to cyber attack(s) (or whatever) and that all other forms of communications failed. I'm OK with the fact that people were completely isolated and falling apart in a snow-pocalypse Manhattan. That's fine. But there was a periodic tone of preachiness or sermonizing that was very annoying. I felt like the author was squeezing in moral lessons that really pulled me out of the story line and made me feel disgust.
Also (small spoiler coming) the women are completely useless characters until, literally, the last two chapters.
It had some neat plot points, some great insights into people and how they organize in disasters. It had great integration of technology and *lack* of technology. But the preachy overtones left me cold and distant. Not as bad as "One Second After" - but close.
andiemags53's review against another edition
4.0
Whoa nelly!!! That book was intense, and a bit terrifying. To think that everything in that story could actually happen. It freaks me out! It was a great read!
drebus's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
seattle_jeff's review
3.0
Makes you think about our dependence on technology and what would happen if the internet and power systems went down. It dragged on a little too much with detailing every day's events, though.
richardazia's review against another edition
4.0
Nice to change genre and story telling every few books.
the_enobee's review against another edition
3.0
This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun TEOTWAWKI book. I felt like the last quarter of the book was a bit of a letdown, which I can't really get into without spoilers. Even though I had that feeling, the entire book was readable and engrossing and I would read this author again.
h3dakota's review against another edition
3.0
The premise was great, the tech piece was awesome. Liked most of the characters, though some were annoying. The ending felt a bit rushed though. Also, I don't think New York would quite devolve in that manner that quickly - it would take a little bit longer for it to reach the state it does in the story. But, I have to say, the story kept me hooked.