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teenlibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
I just finished reading Survival Colony 9.
It was ok.
pros: guy main character, no romance, memory issues that hold the key to the problem, plot flashbacks.
Cons: super slow plot that didn't get interesting to me until the last 3rd. The last 3rd was confusing though very active. It was almost too bleak a setting for me to possibly imagine 2 weeks into their future (it was set a 2 generations in after all-world war destroyed resources). The colony's survival always seemed bleak and that each day was a struggle to survive, but then there'd be a 3 days working on a project and I'd wonder how they would get further water.
The Skaldi (the bad creatures/guys) were never really clear what they were/weren't-even in the denouement. There was a lot of running from them, talks about different victims' remains or lack thereof.
I just didn't gel with it like other books in this genre.
It was ok.
pros: guy main character, no romance, memory issues that hold the key to the problem, plot flashbacks.
Cons: super slow plot that didn't get interesting to me until the last 3rd. The last 3rd was confusing though very active. It was almost too bleak a setting for me to possibly imagine 2 weeks into their future (it was set a 2 generations in after all-world war destroyed resources). The colony's survival always seemed bleak and that each day was a struggle to survive, but then there'd be a 3 days working on a project and I'd wonder how they would get further water.
The Skaldi (the bad creatures/guys) were never really clear what they were/weren't-even in the denouement. There was a lot of running from them, talks about different victims' remains or lack thereof.
I just didn't gel with it like other books in this genre.
meganlh's review against another edition
3.0
I DID IT!!! I’ve picked up this book about a million times and have never been able to finish it. I feel like I’ve just finished a five year marathon. Overall the ending wasn’t as great as I would have hoped but an interesting read overall. It’s not my usual cup of tea but I dug the change of pace
goddessbelle's review against another edition
3.0
Not going to lie, I was pretty much bored and skimming through the pages for half the book. I had very conflicting feelings about Survival Colony 9 - I really wanted to know what was happening next, but I was really also bored and sleepy at the same time.
Nothing much happens during the first quarter of the book. While I understand that it was so set the premise and background of the story, I thought it could have been more concise, because the days where they loitered around just went on and on. I'm a danger and action kind of person, so the book didn't actually grip me hard till the second half, where the real intense part kicked in.
Also, I found the "romance" between Querry and Korah absolutely unneccessary. There was no point to it, it didn't help the plot progress, nor did it add any value to Survival Colony 9.
Not the best book I've read this year either, but good enough I guess.
Nothing much happens during the first quarter of the book. While I understand that it was so set the premise and background of the story, I thought it could have been more concise, because the days where they loitered around just went on and on. I'm a danger and action kind of person, so the book didn't actually grip me hard till the second half, where the real intense part kicked in.
Also, I found the "romance" between Querry and Korah absolutely unneccessary. There was no point to it, it didn't help the plot progress, nor did it add any value to Survival Colony 9.
Not the best book I've read this year either, but good enough I guess.
booknurd's review against another edition
5.0
THERE ARE ALIENS AMONG US!
Survival Colony 9 was a very tough book to read because it felt so real. This book is about Querry Genn as he tries to fit and survive in the colony that he somehow got accepted into. The problem is that he doesn’t remember anything from the past six months, including who he is. Being an outcast is tough for him as the other members scorn and pick on him. The only leverage that protects him is his father, the leader of Survival Colony 9 but at times he isn’t always on his side.
Laman, Querry’s father is possibly the most serious and unemotional character (besides Aleka) I have read and it was fascinating. All he did was keep a straight face that would never give way to emotion. There was hardly moments where he let it slip and you had to guess, right along with Querry, what his intentions were. It was a pretty fun guessing game.
Survival Colony 9’s members are always on the run from these strange changelings (people that change their appearance at will)/ aliens named Skaldi and boy are they creepy. They are a severe threat to the group because they are clever and can blend in by pretending, although not always effective, to be the person they killed. After a hideous war broke out and forced people to form colonies, the Skaldi joined in to claim citizens and helped the population diminish. Somehow Querry is connected to the aliens and he needs to remember why so that his colony survives. So. Much. Pressure.
Bellin did a great job at capturing people who are always in danger and how desperate they are to save resources and at times what they choose may not be right but in the long run, it is to help lives. One example that I can think of was when resources were running low and everyone was preparing to evacuate, Laman instructed that everyone throw their personal items (items from the past and that defines them) to allow room for food and such. It was a raw moment because you have people who are attached to objects and are being forced to just give it up. The whole story takes place in a dessert type setting and Bellin tries his best to make you very thirsty and even feel dirty with sand all over you. If you enjoy novels about people on the run from monsters and aliens, check this piece of work out.
Survival Colony 9 was a very tough book to read because it felt so real. This book is about Querry Genn as he tries to fit and survive in the colony that he somehow got accepted into. The problem is that he doesn’t remember anything from the past six months, including who he is. Being an outcast is tough for him as the other members scorn and pick on him. The only leverage that protects him is his father, the leader of Survival Colony 9 but at times he isn’t always on his side.
Laman, Querry’s father is possibly the most serious and unemotional character (besides Aleka) I have read and it was fascinating. All he did was keep a straight face that would never give way to emotion. There was hardly moments where he let it slip and you had to guess, right along with Querry, what his intentions were. It was a pretty fun guessing game.
Survival Colony 9’s members are always on the run from these strange changelings (people that change their appearance at will)/ aliens named Skaldi and boy are they creepy. They are a severe threat to the group because they are clever and can blend in by pretending, although not always effective, to be the person they killed. After a hideous war broke out and forced people to form colonies, the Skaldi joined in to claim citizens and helped the population diminish. Somehow Querry is connected to the aliens and he needs to remember why so that his colony survives. So. Much. Pressure.
Bellin did a great job at capturing people who are always in danger and how desperate they are to save resources and at times what they choose may not be right but in the long run, it is to help lives. One example that I can think of was when resources were running low and everyone was preparing to evacuate, Laman instructed that everyone throw their personal items (items from the past and that defines them) to allow room for food and such. It was a raw moment because you have people who are attached to objects and are being forced to just give it up. The whole story takes place in a dessert type setting and Bellin tries his best to make you very thirsty and even feel dirty with sand all over you. If you enjoy novels about people on the run from monsters and aliens, check this piece of work out.
icameheretoread's review against another edition
4.0
The problem, for me, at this point is that I have read so many dystopian novels that they all start to read and feel the same. Survival Colony Nine is different. It's dark and desolate and is not a fluffy romance disguised as a survival story. It is a survival story that features an unknown enemy and an unreliable narrator who has lost his memory. What came to mind when reading it was not other novels (although it has a Wool feel to it) but two TV shows: Falling Skies (for obvious reasons) and Battlestar Galactica (for less obvious reasons). This is a fight the humans can't win. Staying alive for one more day seems to be the daily goal. It's fifty years after the initial attacks and humans are reduced to a nomadic way of life. The main concerns are water and food. There is very little hope in this story. I really enjoyed it, and couldn't wait to see where it went next. That said, there are a lot of unanswered questions about many of the main characters. I'm not sure if they are setting up a series, because I could see companion novels featuring other colonies.