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wordsofclover's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In the same vein as Max Brooks’ World War Z, Devolution tells us the story from another near apocalypse and close monster encounter from a first-hand perspective. We follow the journal of Katie, who has recently moved to a sustainable eco-community called Greenloop near Mt Rainier. The rather cult like feel of her new community actually soothes Katie but soon things get crazy when Mt Rainier erupts, the small group are cut off from the normal world and they end up preyed upon by man-like beasts from the nearby forest.
I didn’t know what to expect from a ‘Bigfoot’ horror novel but I ended up really enjoying this and flying through it. This was very fast paced and engaging - and each new journal entry of Katie’s brought another rather terrifying Sasquatch encounter into reality.
I did find it slightly fast-paced at times in terms of it didn’t take a long time at all between Mr Rainier’s eruption and the Sasquatch horror to rein down on Greenloop though I understand that this also was due to incorporating the reality of real help finding Greenloop, as well as experimenting with the amount of time it can take to really change a person’s psyche from hunted to hunter.
I also agree with some other reviews I’ve seen that I would have liked more character exploration or deep dive into Tony and Yvette as it felt like they were going to have a bigger part to play as antagonists when things went south as I was a bit disappointed that they just went a bit mad in the end instead. I loved Mostar and how her background was revealed as well as her encouragement of Katie and Dan - and how Dan’s mojo came back as he suddenly had a purpose again and seemed to find out who he really was as did Katie.
So I really enjoyed this - it was fast paced and punchy with just another gore and violence to make your stomach flip but unable to take your eyes away from the page!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder
chriszlol's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.0
cotylynn's review against another edition
4.0
I highly recommend this production. Brooks has the ability to shove you into the world they have created, and the emotions the characters experience will represent your own during the reading. This author has the ability to make you believe in what they write and follow rabbit-holes to further research their writing. It's wonderful.
jenni28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
Yeah - it was good fun, I suppose?
The audiobook was well read/acted and I enjoyed the story, and what more can you really ask for?
The characters, some of them grated on me a little. I did like the style of it being someone's diary and then flashing forward in time to various people commenting on the events. Stylistically very good and entertaining. Just wasn't mind-blowing..!
I'm maybe being unfair and unconsciously comparing this to World War Z, which I read and loved, so maybe treating this more harshly than it deserves.
Worth your time for a bit of entertainment, but nothing to write home about.
The audiobook was well read/acted and I enjoyed the story, and what more can you really ask for?
The characters, some of them grated on me a little. I did like the style of it being someone's diary and then flashing forward in time to various people commenting on the events. Stylistically very good and entertaining. Just wasn't mind-blowing..!
I'm maybe being unfair and unconsciously comparing this to World War Z, which I read and loved, so maybe treating this more harshly than it deserves.
Worth your time for a bit of entertainment, but nothing to write home about.
martydah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
ozzyf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
The climax of this story was fun, albeit very far fetched, when some normal, anxiety ridden woman becomes a badass sadquatch slayer overnight, but it was fun. The first 95% of the story was very slow and boring. It was an absolute chore to read.
adrienne_l's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up for re-readability
I never would have thought I would love a book about Bigfoot, but this is an intelligent and compelling read.
Devolution is a found footage-y novel, as it is told through diary entries and interviews. The siege on the residents of Greenloop is pretty horrifying, but Brooks also has a lot to say here about the hypocrisy of people who pat themselves on the back as eco warriors, while having no true knowledge of the wilderness and the natural world. As national park service Senior Ranger Josehphine Schell, whose sections make up my favorite parts of Devolution, says, "Those poor bastards didn't want a rural life. They expected an urban life in a rural setting. They tried to adapt their environment instead of adapting to it." There is also commentary on the lack of resilience and preparedness in the face of catastrophes, both on the part of individuals and the government.
At the start of the book, I honestly was thinking that the privileged, arrogant people of the Greenloop community deserved what was, inevitably, coming for them (I mean, not a single one of them had a shovel or a hammer in their smart homes!). But as the story progressed and a few of the characters, including our MC Kate Holland, grew in the face of their struggles ("adversity introduces us to ourselves," as one character paraphrases Albert Einstein), I cared about what they were going through and I feared for them as they overcame their personal limitations and the limitations of their community to show bravery and ingenuity against impossible odds and overwhelming terror. I deducted a half star for the end, which was a bit too over the top, and seemed out of tune with the rest of the book, but this was an excellent, enjoyable read.
They all want to live "in harmony with nature" before some of them realize, too late, that nature is anything but harmonious.
I never would have thought I would love a book about Bigfoot, but this is an intelligent and compelling read.
Devolution is a found footage-y novel, as it is told through diary entries and interviews. The siege on the residents of Greenloop is pretty horrifying, but Brooks also has a lot to say here about the hypocrisy of people who pat themselves on the back as eco warriors, while having no true knowledge of the wilderness and the natural world. As national park service Senior Ranger Josehphine Schell, whose sections make up my favorite parts of Devolution, says, "Those poor bastards didn't want a rural life. They expected an urban life in a rural setting. They tried to adapt their environment instead of adapting to it." There is also commentary on the lack of resilience and preparedness in the face of catastrophes, both on the part of individuals and the government.
At the start of the book, I honestly was thinking that the privileged, arrogant people of the Greenloop community deserved what was, inevitably, coming for them (I mean, not a single one of them had a shovel or a hammer in their smart homes!). But as the story progressed and a few of the characters, including our MC Kate Holland, grew in the face of their struggles ("adversity introduces us to ourselves," as one character paraphrases Albert Einstein), I cared about what they were going through and I feared for them as they overcame their personal limitations and the limitations of their community to show bravery and ingenuity against impossible odds and overwhelming terror. I deducted a half star for the end, which was a bit too over the top, and seemed out of tune with the rest of the book, but this was an excellent, enjoyable read.
They all want to live "in harmony with nature" before some of them realize, too late, that nature is anything but harmonious.
timnorman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
domydoo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25