tiredreaper's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
snekmint's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
maddieden's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
chris_davies's review against another edition
3.0
I found this a serviceable romp, although it never really hits the heights that Adam Roberts is capable of. The writing is rather plain, which made me wonder if his heart was really in it. Maybe it was an attempt to echo the style of Jules Verne, but it didn't work for me.
However, it does move along at a decent pace, and the premise was good enough to keep me reading in order to find out what on (or off) earth was going on. There's a sort of twist near the end regarding the name of one of the characters, which I saw coming a mile off. The ending also left me disappointed.
I wonder if I might have enjoyed this more if I'd read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea immediately beforehand? I did feel as though there might have been nods and winks to the earlier novel that I was completely missing. Fans of Jules Verne may have a completely different experience.
There is an illustration at the end of each chapter. I like this idea and it was one of the things that drew me to this book. The illustrations are okay, but nothing special and they did little to elevate the book in the way I'd hoped. Certainly not in the same class as the likes of Brian Selznick. Finally, the proof reading of this book (I have the hardback version) is atrocious. There are many typos, some of which are very significant (at one point a 'dead' character appears to get involved again!) Very sloppy work by the publishers.
Overall, this is not a bad book, and it might even be a good one for fans of Verne. But Adam Roberts is capable of much, much better.
However, it does move along at a decent pace, and the premise was good enough to keep me reading in order to find out what on (or off) earth was going on. There's a sort of twist near the end regarding the name of one of the characters, which I saw coming a mile off. The ending also left me disappointed.
I wonder if I might have enjoyed this more if I'd read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea immediately beforehand? I did feel as though there might have been nods and winks to the earlier novel that I was completely missing. Fans of Jules Verne may have a completely different experience.
There is an illustration at the end of each chapter. I like this idea and it was one of the things that drew me to this book. The illustrations are okay, but nothing special and they did little to elevate the book in the way I'd hoped. Certainly not in the same class as the likes of Brian Selznick. Finally, the proof reading of this book (I have the hardback version) is atrocious. There are many typos, some of which are very significant (at one point a 'dead' character appears to get involved again!) Very sloppy work by the publishers.
Overall, this is not a bad book, and it might even be a good one for fans of Verne. But Adam Roberts is capable of much, much better.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
4.0
A fun spin of another story with a remarkably similar title. Once again Adam Roberts cleverly spins his own story around an already established tale. This read very much like a book written in the era of Jules Verne and the story unfolded in that pulpy style. I wasn't always on board with every direction the story took, but did enjoy the ride, though the ending didn't work for me, unfortunately. Some fun artwork that adds to the gravitas of the story.
megselyane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Mental illness, Confinement, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Blood, Medical content, and Racism
Minor: Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Excrement
eldritchscholar's review
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.25
domiriel's review
4.0
Simple and straightforward yet an interesting read. Overall somewhat predictable but at times thought-provoking, it was, overall, an enjoyable book.
Unlike other reviewers, I did not find it either long nor strange (stranger than Adam Roberts' other books, at any rate). The intractions among characters in the Plongeur are what one would expect in this kind of "close-environment stressful situation" type story, but the things happening outside the submarine were enough to keep me interested. Granted, this kind of appeal wouldn't have sufficed to keep me interested if the novel had twice the length, but for its size it worked ok.
The ending is stranger, but the solipsistic nature of it all was foreshadowed throughout the book so it was by no means a jarring end.
Unlike other reviewers, I did not find it either long nor strange (stranger than Adam Roberts' other books, at any rate). The intractions among characters in the Plongeur are what one would expect in this kind of "close-environment stressful situation" type story, but the things happening outside the submarine were enough to keep me interested. Granted, this kind of appeal wouldn't have sufficed to keep me interested if the novel had twice the length, but for its size it worked ok.
The ending is stranger, but the solipsistic nature of it all was foreshadowed throughout the book so it was by no means a jarring end.