tfelmey's review against another edition
4.0
Better that WWZ
I waited to start this one, as it has been on my list for a while. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. A great post apocalyptic story twisted with lore.
I waited to start this one, as it has been on my list for a while. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. A great post apocalyptic story twisted with lore.
lpip's review against another edition
4.0
Couldn’t stop listening! I loved the realistic feel of this audiobook. BUT even if a person could find time to write alllll those journal entries while trying to protect their community from sasquatches, why wouldn’t she ALSO write a note in that journal before she escaped to the woods? I just can’t get in line with the logic that she might still be alive. Sorry!
stupidpiscesguy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
3.75
dorothy_shack's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
jgstewart87's review against another edition
2.0
The story felt rushed. The characters were one dimensional and just stereotypes.
One character knows everything there is to know and exactly what to do all the time
One character serves as the foil to this person, constantly just saying the opposite of what the first character says.
Typical "oh we're falling out of love but real adversity brings us together" character.
The main character is Mary Sue for the reader's self insert
Then the child which of course serves as a major plot point for bravery at some point
The diary style was kind of jarring because it just didn't really work in this. Why was the main character writing a journal in the middle of so much chaos?
It was an easy enough read and short, so that's fine, but I was disappointed
One character knows everything there is to know and exactly what to do all the time
One character serves as the foil to this person, constantly just saying the opposite of what the first character says.
Typical "oh we're falling out of love but real adversity brings us together" character.
The main character is Mary Sue for the reader's self insert
Then the child which of course serves as a major plot point for bravery at some point
The diary style was kind of jarring because it just didn't really work in this. Why was the main character writing a journal in the middle of so much chaos?
It was an easy enough read and short, so that's fine, but I was disappointed
cascadienne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
brettpet's review against another edition
2.0
Devolution is a difficult book to recommend because it's too long to be a pulpy horror read and too dumb to think of as a character drama (which it definitely paints itself as). I went into this book hoping for something schlocky and entertaining, but the first half of the book is such a drag. Character motivations are all over the place when the catalyst of the book occurs, with people instantly going into long-term survival planning because they...might get stuck in traffic during the evacuation from the volcanic eruption zone? The book's insistence on trying to get you to care about rich people starting a vegetable garden or manage resources feels pointless, which is a shame given the interesting setting. Characters are barely developed in the first half of the book aside from Mostar, and there's some weird shoe-horning of an IDF connection later in the book. There's one really confusing character decision where someone becomes obsessed with .
My major issue with this book boils down to Brooks' writing style which uses lots of fragmented sentences. The book's journal entries typically read like this:
"I walked over to X's house. The air was chilly. I thought I heard something scary from the woods. But it was just a bird!"
This gives the protagonist an incredibly juvenile and rapid-fire way of processing her group's situation, which presents an inconsistent tone compared to the book's horror elements. I was hoping Brooks' writing style had developed since reading The Zombie Survival Guide when I was in middle school, but this feels about the same level.
Spoiler
their elliptical over the two weeks to the point where they forget to eat and lose all self-sufficiencyMy major issue with this book boils down to Brooks' writing style which uses lots of fragmented sentences. The book's journal entries typically read like this:
"I walked over to X's house. The air was chilly. I thought I heard something scary from the woods. But it was just a bird!"
This gives the protagonist an incredibly juvenile and rapid-fire way of processing her group's situation, which presents an inconsistent tone compared to the book's horror elements. I was hoping Brooks' writing style had developed since reading The Zombie Survival Guide when I was in middle school, but this feels about the same level.
echarp's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rebeccatc's review against another edition
5.0
I've always thought of "Big Foot" sightings as just amusing and silly, but this book turns those stories into something horrific. Like his earlier novel World War Z, the book is told in a journalistic style with a collection of sources and interviews, but there are fewer of them and I found it more readable without so many different names and perspectives to keep straight. Most of the story is told by the recovered journal of Kate, a young married woman who joined the experimental Greenloop community shortly before the Rainier eruption that forces its members into an isolated survival mode. Her personal account shows her development from someone full of anxiety and insecurity into a woman determined not only to survive but to save others. The other sources provide background on primate behavior and earlier "Sasquatch" encounters, as well as explaining what was happening in the outside world away from Greenloop's remote location. It was scary enough to give me nightmares after finishing it, but also raised interesting questions about how different people react and adapt in a dangerous situation. Does Kate evolve into someone willing to do what it takes to survive, or does she devolve? I used this for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge prompt: Book with a Map. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐