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travelartandbookblogger's review against another edition
5.0
Klima - Deine Zeit läuft ab von David Klass ist ein tempo- und actionreicher Thriller, geschildert aus unterschiedlichen, sich abwechselnden Perspektiven, in dessen Zentrum die Rettung der Erde steht. Green Man wird der selbsternannte Retter, der mit Terroranschlägen auf Umweltverschmutzung und Ausbeutung des Planeten reagiert, genannt. Sein letztes Ziel war die Zerstörung eines Staudamms - wird er seine siebte und letzte Aktion auf einem Ölfeld noch durchführen können? Dass bei seinen Anschlägen nicht nur milliardenschwere Sachschäden entstehen, sondern auch unschuldige Menschen ihr Leben lassen müssen, macht ihn in der Umweltschützerszene zu einer kontrovers diskutierten Figur.
Ob das Leben Einzelner wichtiger als die Rettung aller ist, stellt die zentrale philosophische Frage des gesamten Romans dar. Während des Katz-und-Maus-Spiels zwischen FBI-Agent Tom Smith und Green Man stellt man sich als Leser*in des Öfteren die Frage: auf welcher Seite stehe ich? Will ich überhaupt, dass er gefasst wird? Ist Green Man Terrorist oder Held?
Mir hat es sehr gut gefallen, dass der Thriller ein so aktuelles Thema aufgreift und die verschiedenen Seiten beleuchtet. Außerdem fand ich die mehr oder weniger versteckte Kritik an Trumps Klimapolitik sehr amüsant. Wer gerne sehr gute und spannende Unterhaltung mit aktuellen Geschehnissen, die einen wirklich zum Nachdenken anregen, sucht, wird mit diesem Actionroman auf jeden Fall fündig.
Ob das Leben Einzelner wichtiger als die Rettung aller ist, stellt die zentrale philosophische Frage des gesamten Romans dar. Während des Katz-und-Maus-Spiels zwischen FBI-Agent Tom Smith und Green Man stellt man sich als Leser*in des Öfteren die Frage: auf welcher Seite stehe ich? Will ich überhaupt, dass er gefasst wird? Ist Green Man Terrorist oder Held?
Mir hat es sehr gut gefallen, dass der Thriller ein so aktuelles Thema aufgreift und die verschiedenen Seiten beleuchtet. Außerdem fand ich die mehr oder weniger versteckte Kritik an Trumps Klimapolitik sehr amüsant. Wer gerne sehr gute und spannende Unterhaltung mit aktuellen Geschehnissen, die einen wirklich zum Nachdenken anregen, sucht, wird mit diesem Actionroman auf jeden Fall fündig.
caomhin's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, this book has a political leaning and I suspect that will play a big part in how you feel about it.
So, let's start with The Green Man - not a pub in Britain, a terrorist in the USA. We join him on his sixth attack, which is why he already has a catchy media-friendly title to show his actions have been motivated by efforts to combat global warming. It's not green propaganda and doesn't deify The Green Man - he remains the bad guy, just one with a sympathetic cause. It creates a clever duality throughout the book whereby characters find that awkward space of supporting his motive whilst disagreeing with his actions. It should work even if you're not an environmentalist, although if you throw things at your TV when Greta Thunberg appears it may be a book you should pass over. If you are an environmentalist you get to squirm in the same awkward space as many of the characters. Although since you're reading a fictional book rather than news reports you won't have quite the same angst over the extremes of his actions. Which may also result in you feeling it tiptoed around important issues, but I'd argue that the book is entertainment and is therefore all the better for carefully avoiding this being a simple green manifesto.
Being a politically environmental book set in the USA the far bigger obstacle for many readers will be the President. Look, he's not named, and I don't believe it's a 100% match for the real 44th President, but it's hard not to see a lot of inspiration. I think you can enjoy it no matter who you support, but let's be blunt and say that if you have very strong opinions on the man you'll quite possibly take issue with the caricature presented here - either too kind or too mean, depending on your take. Given the general politic tone of the book I thought it a reasonably measured poking fun. Flattering? No. Harsh? No. Klass won't be appearing on the White House's Christmas card list, but he's also not going to find himself on a watchlist for anything he says. As with the green issues - maybe steer clear if any discussion of Trump gets veins popping on your forehead.
Are you still here? Congratulations on not being scared off! Yes, Klass touches on some sensitive topics, and there's no real doubt about his feelings on them, but he does avoid zealotry and, I think, finds a good tone throughout. It won't work for everyone, but I think most people can enjoy the book because there are a lot of clever aspects.
As touched upon earlier, the moralistic split about the terrorist attacks and the collateral damage. On some level, it's no more than the age-old ethical dilemma about switching a runaway train to a different set of tracks, but the context of environmental terrorism does give it an interesting perspective. You don't have to be a hardcore devotee to care about some aspect of the world around you and this essentially asks us where our tipping point is in that regard. And that's why Tom Smith is the character we can connect with. He may agree with the Green Man, but he can't accept the extremes of his actions. It's a tug of war throughout the book and delivered well. Not too angsty.
That said, not even Tom really gets much in the way of character depth. He's not completely two-dimensional, there's some interesting family backstory, but just be realistic. This is a fairly action leaning book, complete with a pretty random subplot that I guess should be called romantic since it's not like we dive into details, but it feels like a testosterone leaning distraction. Albeit a brief one. The story is tempered slightly by the action tropes. That's a personal preference really, and although I generally prefer a bit more mystery to my thrills it's not a full-on guns blazing action romp and I found it a nice enjoyable read. I did find it a little weird to keep using Green Man even after we learnt his real name though. Especially when we followed him in his more normal life. That felt like a little too much effort to pretend there was more mystery going on than there really was. But it didn't hamper my reading so not a big deal.
Overall it's a well-written book. The plot is very good and it delivers the important things well. Given the subject matter, this could've easily been a slow and stodgy read, but Klass finds the exact tone needed - a little levity and characters that give just enough to be engaging make this an enjoyable read. It may even get you thinking about your place in the world. What really makes this stand out, however, is the subtle way it bridges two seemingly remote audiences. The story and the style are an uncommon mix, but they work well and should appeal to both audiences. It may make it a hard sell to some readers, but it shouldn't. I suspect anyone curious enough to even vaguely consider this book would enjoy it. Make a chance, start with this book.
So, let's start with The Green Man - not a pub in Britain, a terrorist in the USA. We join him on his sixth attack, which is why he already has a catchy media-friendly title to show his actions have been motivated by efforts to combat global warming. It's not green propaganda and doesn't deify The Green Man - he remains the bad guy, just one with a sympathetic cause. It creates a clever duality throughout the book whereby characters find that awkward space of supporting his motive whilst disagreeing with his actions. It should work even if you're not an environmentalist, although if you throw things at your TV when Greta Thunberg appears it may be a book you should pass over. If you are an environmentalist you get to squirm in the same awkward space as many of the characters. Although since you're reading a fictional book rather than news reports you won't have quite the same angst over the extremes of his actions. Which may also result in you feeling it tiptoed around important issues, but I'd argue that the book is entertainment and is therefore all the better for carefully avoiding this being a simple green manifesto.
Being a politically environmental book set in the USA the far bigger obstacle for many readers will be the President. Look, he's not named, and I don't believe it's a 100% match for the real 44th President, but it's hard not to see a lot of inspiration. I think you can enjoy it no matter who you support, but let's be blunt and say that if you have very strong opinions on the man you'll quite possibly take issue with the caricature presented here - either too kind or too mean, depending on your take. Given the general politic tone of the book I thought it a reasonably measured poking fun. Flattering? No. Harsh? No. Klass won't be appearing on the White House's Christmas card list, but he's also not going to find himself on a watchlist for anything he says. As with the green issues - maybe steer clear if any discussion of Trump gets veins popping on your forehead.
Are you still here? Congratulations on not being scared off! Yes, Klass touches on some sensitive topics, and there's no real doubt about his feelings on them, but he does avoid zealotry and, I think, finds a good tone throughout. It won't work for everyone, but I think most people can enjoy the book because there are a lot of clever aspects.
As touched upon earlier, the moralistic split about the terrorist attacks and the collateral damage. On some level, it's no more than the age-old ethical dilemma about switching a runaway train to a different set of tracks, but the context of environmental terrorism does give it an interesting perspective. You don't have to be a hardcore devotee to care about some aspect of the world around you and this essentially asks us where our tipping point is in that regard. And that's why Tom Smith is the character we can connect with. He may agree with the Green Man, but he can't accept the extremes of his actions. It's a tug of war throughout the book and delivered well. Not too angsty.
That said, not even Tom really gets much in the way of character depth. He's not completely two-dimensional, there's some interesting family backstory, but just be realistic. This is a fairly action leaning book, complete with a pretty random subplot that I guess should be called romantic since it's not like we dive into details, but it feels like a testosterone leaning distraction. Albeit a brief one. The story is tempered slightly by the action tropes. That's a personal preference really, and although I generally prefer a bit more mystery to my thrills it's not a full-on guns blazing action romp and I found it a nice enjoyable read. I did find it a little weird to keep using Green Man even after we learnt his real name though. Especially when we followed him in his more normal life. That felt like a little too much effort to pretend there was more mystery going on than there really was. But it didn't hamper my reading so not a big deal.
Overall it's a well-written book. The plot is very good and it delivers the important things well. Given the subject matter, this could've easily been a slow and stodgy read, but Klass finds the exact tone needed - a little levity and characters that give just enough to be engaging make this an enjoyable read. It may even get you thinking about your place in the world. What really makes this stand out, however, is the subtle way it bridges two seemingly remote audiences. The story and the style are an uncommon mix, but they work well and should appeal to both audiences. It may make it a hard sell to some readers, but it shouldn't. I suspect anyone curious enough to even vaguely consider this book would enjoy it. Make a chance, start with this book.
robosquid's review against another edition
4.0
This book is really about a moral dilemma. The 'Green Man' is an environmental activist who has chosen the greater good over a few innocent deaths, by attacking six polluting and climate-harming sites at the expense of some innocent workers and others who happened to be nearby. He does have a conscience and suffers greatly for the loss of life, but has a strong belief that the end justifies the means.
Tom Smith is a newly-recruited FBI analyst who uses data and patterns to track and anticipate the Green Man's actions.
The plot is somewhat unusual in that the identity of the perpetrator and his family circumstances are known to the reader quite early on. Although the outcome is fairly predictable, the book is a very worthwhile read with good depth of characterisation, especially of Tom Smith. It might come across as a bit 'preachy' at times, but this is no bad thing and I learnt some interesting (worrying!) facts about fracking.
Tom Smith is a newly-recruited FBI analyst who uses data and patterns to track and anticipate the Green Man's actions.
The plot is somewhat unusual in that the identity of the perpetrator and his family circumstances are known to the reader quite early on. Although the outcome is fairly predictable, the book is a very worthwhile read with good depth of characterisation, especially of Tom Smith. It might come across as a bit 'preachy' at times, but this is no bad thing and I learnt some interesting (worrying!) facts about fracking.
borisfeldman's review against another edition
4.0
I suspect that David Klass is the pen name of Greta Thunberg. No doubt headed for the Nobel Prize in Literature. This is a paean to an ecoterrorist. Enjoyable, if you understand how the author is manipulating your emotions.