abutchstargazer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
juju8j's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
gusiakos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
samohtj's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book had a lot of promise: slow-burn, dark, creepy, body-horror sci-fi, gay angst, it definitely had a lot going for it. But unfortunately, I just did not enjoy the experience. I heard some people compare this to The Martian (which I also did not like), and that should have been my first clue. Much like that book, it focuses a lot on the technical details of the situation – navigating the cave, maintaining the suit, managing resources – at the cost of style and reflection. The route Gyre takes is so convoluted, branching in three dimensions, looping and doubling back, that I hope to God the print version comes with a map – it was absolutely impossible to follow as an audiobook. The blurb also lists it as for fans of Annihilation, which I also just recently read, and I would firmly disagree. This is a book where a hundred things happen, and so few of them have any meaning. (As opposed to Annihilation, where maybe three things happen, and they're all monumentallly significant). I found a lot of the conflict between Em and Gyre to be, for lack of better terms, lame and contrived, and didn't enjoy the constant mistrust and self-sabotage that only served to send the main character deeper into the cave for a few more pages. This book is much too long for the story it's telling, and says little besides, and does not make use of the science fiction setting in a way that I found interesting. Sad to say I didn't like it, and doubt I'll read more by this author.
gheron's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
smolo1993's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Emotional abuse
crochanqueen13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Brilliant survival horror with diverse characters. Going to recommend this to everyone!
echoes01's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mihi00292's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
xentrrix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0