disconightwing's review
4.0
I suppose a book review isn't technically the right place to get into a "books written by guys vs. books written by girls" discussion, but I'm going to do it anyway. Once in high school, my class was given two passages from a popular book series with multiple authors, one written by a male and one written by a female, and we were asked which one wrote which passage. There wasn't anything wrong with either of them, and based on the passages we were given, almost the whole class agreed that we'd want to read both novels. But the woman's passage was centered on descriptions of the clothes, the people, and the horses. The guy's passage didn't give us any description of the horses or the people, but I had a perfect image of the sword the hero carried.
It's just that our brains are wired differently, and that's fine. For the most part, I don't think that a serious reader of any sex would have a problem reading a book authored by a differnt sex. But with that in mind, I walked away from this novel thinking that it's definitely more of a "guy's story" than a girl's. I can't give you a very specific description of Danny Boy at all, other than that he has red hair and he's probably pale considering that he's called "Danny Boy" and it just sounds Irish, but I can tell you that he doesn't have as much pubic hair as the other boys, that he is uncomfortable with the size of his sex organs, that he's embarrassed by having to get naked, and that one of his friends told him not to let his testicles touch the concrete floor, but that it wasn't a problem anyway because it was so cold he didn't think they'd reach.
Maybe that's how young teen boys talk to each other. I wouldn't know, considering that I'm not one. But this kid is unquestionably jailbait and I feel like a creep.
Now that that's out of the way, I devoured this book. Seriously, it was very well thought out, and it kept me guessing. I wanted to finish this book as quickly as possible, even though there were typos and formatting errors and usually that kind of thing annoys me. I wanted to finish this book even though between the title and the description, you can kinda figure out what's going to happen. Even though I felt like a creep. Even though it was written with revolving points of view, which is hard to write and even harder to enjoy. I'm not saying these things didn't get on my nerves, but I am saying I enjoyed the story enough that it didn't stop me from plowing through.
I feel like I can't discuss much of the plot at all without spoiling something, so the very basic outline is that young boys wake up on a supposedly uninhabited island with very limited memories. They're cared for, fed, sent to classes, and kept happy and busy. They're also all criminals or some other form of miscreants, and each boy has an older man called an "Investor" who is responsible for the primary happiness or what have you of each boy. Unfortunately, all of the Investors are unquestionably creepy, which somewhat detracted from my enjoyment of the book. (I kind of kept holding my breath for rape to happen. It didn't, thankfully; I walked away feeling disgusting enough without having to witness the rape of an underage boy.) The Investors are supposedly trying to rehabilitate the criminal boys, though it's pretty obvious that's the furthest thing from their minds, since their rehabilitation involves stripping them naked and locking them in a freezing room for two days with needles in their brains.
There is one boy, Reed, who refuses to submit to the needle torture because he has dreams of a girl (the only girl in the entire novel) who tells him to resist. He doesn't have the first clue to whom he might be, as the boys have to "discover" their memories by submitting to the needle treatment that he's refusing, but he has the vague idea that the girl is real and that he loves her, or loved her at one point, and the feeling is strong enough to strengthen his resolve.
There is another boy, Danny, called "Danny Boy" through the novel, that arrives on the island in the beginning of the book and it's through him that we discover what's going on. Danny Boy is a bit smarter than the average bear, and he figures out from the first moment of waking up that something's not right. He doesn't resist the needle, though, and he meets the girl that Reed's dreaming about. Because of that, he and Reed become something like friends.
I've already said that I feel like the plot and storyline were very well done. Something that really irritates me while I'm reading is a copout, and I honestly didn't feel like there were any in this novel. When characters figured something out, it was mostly in a believable way. I say "mostly" because there is some suspension of disbelief here, but that happens when you read science fiction or books where the premise revolves around sticking a needle in your brain. Through your skull. So I mean, yeah, there are some things that happen that, when I look at them in a real-world context, make me want to laugh. But within the context of the world in the novel, they make sense.
There were some typos and some formatting errors. I remember at least one instance (near the end) where Danny Boy was learning something about Reed but kept reading "Danny" on the page anyway. Being an X-Men person, I have an automatic knee-jerk reaction when someone types "rouge" when they meant to type "rogue" and I saw that one too (though admittedly it had nothing to do with mutants). For the most part, I saw a lot of unnecessary line breaks (as in, the middle of a sentence) and they're really what threw me off and out of the story. The formatting issue is what really annoyed me the most and is honestly probably what's mostly keeping me from giving this a five-star review. And I feel just a little bit like I'm being unfair, because I don't know where to place the blame for that. The other reasons are the creepy feelings that I'm still trying to work past, and the revolving POV issue, which wasn't poorly done, it just makes it harder to identify with any character.
I can get really nitpicky with books, so if this I the worst I have to complain about, it's a good thing in my opinion. I checked Amazon, and this is 99 cents for kindle, and I would have paid that without batting an eyelash. GET ON THIS, KINDLE PEOPLE.
(I got this book for free from Shut Up & Read.)
It's just that our brains are wired differently, and that's fine. For the most part, I don't think that a serious reader of any sex would have a problem reading a book authored by a differnt sex. But with that in mind, I walked away from this novel thinking that it's definitely more of a "guy's story" than a girl's. I can't give you a very specific description of Danny Boy at all, other than that he has red hair and he's probably pale considering that he's called "Danny Boy" and it just sounds Irish, but I can tell you that he doesn't have as much pubic hair as the other boys, that he is uncomfortable with the size of his sex organs, that he's embarrassed by having to get naked, and that one of his friends told him not to let his testicles touch the concrete floor, but that it wasn't a problem anyway because it was so cold he didn't think they'd reach.
Maybe that's how young teen boys talk to each other. I wouldn't know, considering that I'm not one. But this kid is unquestionably jailbait and I feel like a creep.
Now that that's out of the way, I devoured this book. Seriously, it was very well thought out, and it kept me guessing. I wanted to finish this book as quickly as possible, even though there were typos and formatting errors and usually that kind of thing annoys me. I wanted to finish this book even though between the title and the description, you can kinda figure out what's going to happen. Even though I felt like a creep. Even though it was written with revolving points of view, which is hard to write and even harder to enjoy. I'm not saying these things didn't get on my nerves, but I am saying I enjoyed the story enough that it didn't stop me from plowing through.
I feel like I can't discuss much of the plot at all without spoiling something, so the very basic outline is that young boys wake up on a supposedly uninhabited island with very limited memories. They're cared for, fed, sent to classes, and kept happy and busy. They're also all criminals or some other form of miscreants, and each boy has an older man called an "Investor" who is responsible for the primary happiness or what have you of each boy. Unfortunately, all of the Investors are unquestionably creepy, which somewhat detracted from my enjoyment of the book. (I kind of kept holding my breath for rape to happen. It didn't, thankfully; I walked away feeling disgusting enough without having to witness the rape of an underage boy.) The Investors are supposedly trying to rehabilitate the criminal boys, though it's pretty obvious that's the furthest thing from their minds, since their rehabilitation involves stripping them naked and locking them in a freezing room for two days with needles in their brains.
There is one boy, Reed, who refuses to submit to the needle torture because he has dreams of a girl (the only girl in the entire novel) who tells him to resist. He doesn't have the first clue to whom he might be, as the boys have to "discover" their memories by submitting to the needle treatment that he's refusing, but he has the vague idea that the girl is real and that he loves her, or loved her at one point, and the feeling is strong enough to strengthen his resolve.
There is another boy, Danny, called "Danny Boy" through the novel, that arrives on the island in the beginning of the book and it's through him that we discover what's going on. Danny Boy is a bit smarter than the average bear, and he figures out from the first moment of waking up that something's not right. He doesn't resist the needle, though, and he meets the girl that Reed's dreaming about. Because of that, he and Reed become something like friends.
I've already said that I feel like the plot and storyline were very well done. Something that really irritates me while I'm reading is a copout, and I honestly didn't feel like there were any in this novel. When characters figured something out, it was mostly in a believable way. I say "mostly" because there is some suspension of disbelief here, but that happens when you read science fiction or books where the premise revolves around sticking a needle in your brain. Through your skull. So I mean, yeah, there are some things that happen that, when I look at them in a real-world context, make me want to laugh. But within the context of the world in the novel, they make sense.
There were some typos and some formatting errors. I remember at least one instance (near the end) where Danny Boy was learning something about Reed but kept reading "Danny" on the page anyway. Being an X-Men person, I have an automatic knee-jerk reaction when someone types "rouge" when they meant to type "rogue" and I saw that one too (though admittedly it had nothing to do with mutants). For the most part, I saw a lot of unnecessary line breaks (as in, the middle of a sentence) and they're really what threw me off and out of the story. The formatting issue is what really annoyed me the most and is honestly probably what's mostly keeping me from giving this a five-star review. And I feel just a little bit like I'm being unfair, because I don't know where to place the blame for that. The other reasons are the creepy feelings that I'm still trying to work past, and the revolving POV issue, which wasn't poorly done, it just makes it harder to identify with any character.
I can get really nitpicky with books, so if this I the worst I have to complain about, it's a good thing in my opinion. I checked Amazon, and this is 99 cents for kindle, and I would have paid that without batting an eyelash. GET ON THIS, KINDLE PEOPLE.
(I got this book for free from Shut Up & Read.)
aashkevr's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book!
I mean, it was different. It was different than the dozens of books that one might read, one after another, storylines and characters blending together. I will remember it distinctly long after more popular novels have drifted away.
I read a review that implied that the book was meant for young people, and boys in particular - but I don't think that's necessarily true. I can imagine my 15 year old brother reading this book and enjoying it, but I can't say that he would take the same things away from it as I would. Books are rarely "meant for" a particular age, I think. It has more to do with what various ages tend to get from interaction with the book.
The characters in this story are faced with some very important, very existentially interesting dilemmas. They ask questions about the nature of identity and about the supremacy of the mind. Of particular interest is the character who haunts the Nowhere, but partially for reasons I shouldn't divulge. Memory is also explored - are people more than their memories? And can a memory have life? If a dream feels like reality, is it? Even the concept of being lost in Foreverland is *really* interesting!
Honestly, I think I could write a pretty impressive philosophy paper on this one. But that makes it sound boring, which it wasn't. The book was an excellent read, and one that I didn't want to be away from for long. I thought about it when I wasn't reading. I tried to guess what would happen. At one point I got teary for one of the characters. It's compelling fiction, but also thought-provoking literature.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes cerebral fiction.
I mean, it was different. It was different than the dozens of books that one might read, one after another, storylines and characters blending together. I will remember it distinctly long after more popular novels have drifted away.
I read a review that implied that the book was meant for young people, and boys in particular - but I don't think that's necessarily true. I can imagine my 15 year old brother reading this book and enjoying it, but I can't say that he would take the same things away from it as I would. Books are rarely "meant for" a particular age, I think. It has more to do with what various ages tend to get from interaction with the book.
The characters in this story are faced with some very important, very existentially interesting dilemmas. They ask questions about the nature of identity and about the supremacy of the mind. Of particular interest is the character who haunts the Nowhere, but partially for reasons I shouldn't divulge. Memory is also explored - are people more than their memories? And can a memory have life? If a dream feels like reality, is it? Even the concept of being lost in Foreverland is *really* interesting!
Honestly, I think I could write a pretty impressive philosophy paper on this one. But that makes it sound boring, which it wasn't. The book was an excellent read, and one that I didn't want to be away from for long. I thought about it when I wasn't reading. I tried to guess what would happen. At one point I got teary for one of the characters. It's compelling fiction, but also thought-provoking literature.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes cerebral fiction.
danicapage's review
4.0
My review appeared on my blog Taking it One Page at a Time.
Disclaimers: I received a electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Intense. Brilliantly written. Dramatic. Suspenseful. Those are all words that come to mind when thinking about this novel.
I started into this novel not really knowing what to expect. It had been a long time since I read the synopsis, because it unfortunately took a long time to get to this one. But the second I started reading this, I was hooked.
Tony did a great job at creating characters and a world that intrigued me from the get-go. One of my favorite characters was Reed. I was drawn to him from the moment he was introduced.
This novel was darker than I expected but thoroughly addicting. I couldn't stop turning the pages with this one. I kept trying to figure out the plot, but the ending left me surprised. I love books that can do that. I feel so often I read a book and know exactly what is going to happen. This book was not like that--it kept me guessing until the very end.
This novel was a compelling read from a great writer. The character development was fantastic, the plot line engaging, and the writing fantastic. If you like dystopian novels/sci-fi (The Starters, etc), then read this one.
In Summary: A read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely a fresh book in the dystopian market.
Warnings/Side-notes: Some swearing and a little on the dark side, but thoroughly clean other than that. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
The Wrap-up: A novel that I'm thrilled that I read. It was an enjoyable read that like I said I recommend to any dystopian fans. And I absolutely adore the cover, great choice on changing it.
Love,
Danica Page
Disclaimers: I received a electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: Intense. Brilliantly written. Dramatic. Suspenseful. Those are all words that come to mind when thinking about this novel.
I started into this novel not really knowing what to expect. It had been a long time since I read the synopsis, because it unfortunately took a long time to get to this one. But the second I started reading this, I was hooked.
Tony did a great job at creating characters and a world that intrigued me from the get-go. One of my favorite characters was Reed. I was drawn to him from the moment he was introduced.
This novel was darker than I expected but thoroughly addicting. I couldn't stop turning the pages with this one. I kept trying to figure out the plot, but the ending left me surprised. I love books that can do that. I feel so often I read a book and know exactly what is going to happen. This book was not like that--it kept me guessing until the very end.
This novel was a compelling read from a great writer. The character development was fantastic, the plot line engaging, and the writing fantastic. If you like dystopian novels/sci-fi (The Starters, etc), then read this one.
In Summary: A read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely a fresh book in the dystopian market.
Warnings/Side-notes: Some swearing and a little on the dark side, but thoroughly clean other than that. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
The Wrap-up: A novel that I'm thrilled that I read. It was an enjoyable read that like I said I recommend to any dystopian fans. And I absolutely adore the cover, great choice on changing it.
Love,
Danica Page
guinness74's review
2.0
Sort of a "Matrix meets the Body Snatchers" sort of science-fiction. It was an easy read and there were some interesting characters, but it wasn't one of the better written books I've read. It also seemed to take a long time getting to the end.
booksenvogue's review
5.0
I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.
Excuse me people. I’m having an old folk moment. I need to tell a quick story to express how I feel:
When I was little, I used to watch wrestling with my Great Grandmother (We called her “Big Ma”.) She is by far the oldest person I’ve ever known and feared by all. She was an axe wielding very tough cookie of a lady. (Seriously, no joke) Any who, she never cried! (Even when she chopped her big toe off one day chopping wood.) She was always eerily clam. In fact the only thing that would get her hyped was when we watched wrestling. She would yell at the screen telling them to stop hurting our beloved Ric Flair. When I would change the station, she’d make me change it back. A few times she may even have been on the edge of tears, but just couldn’t look away.
This book was like the Flame....Mother-flipping GEORGEOUS, WOOOOOO! From the moment I picked it up, things looked bad.....I mean real bad. This book seriously freaked me out. I never expected a YA book to be so terrifying. I’m a self-proclaimed “know-it-all” and the fact that I couldn’t guess the events of this book scared me shitless. Yet, I could not look away. Like Peter Pan meets Tim Burton!
Imagine being this little boy waking up in a strange bed with a strange elderly old man staring down at you. Yeah he grinning and being all extra nice; but you don’t know who you are. You’re at this camp of all boys. Each has an elderly old man assigned to them. Nobody knows who they are and is just doing what they’re told without question.....getting needles stuck in their head. AGAIN....FREAKED ME OUT!
The words in this book were tangible! The characters were hopeless. I was hopeless. They were confused. I was confused. They didn’t know what was going on. Heck, I was reading it, and I didn’t even know. The author did an excellent job of keeping the reader in suspense. When things started to unravel and reveal themselves...Whoa-mama! Thanks to this book, I now fear old people! Here’s another book, I have no problem rating as “EPIC”!
Excuse me people. I’m having an old folk moment. I need to tell a quick story to express how I feel:
When I was little, I used to watch wrestling with my Great Grandmother (We called her “Big Ma”.) She is by far the oldest person I’ve ever known and feared by all. She was an axe wielding very tough cookie of a lady. (Seriously, no joke) Any who, she never cried! (Even when she chopped her big toe off one day chopping wood.) She was always eerily clam. In fact the only thing that would get her hyped was when we watched wrestling. She would yell at the screen telling them to stop hurting our beloved Ric Flair. When I would change the station, she’d make me change it back. A few times she may even have been on the edge of tears, but just couldn’t look away.
This book was like the Flame....Mother-flipping GEORGEOUS, WOOOOOO! From the moment I picked it up, things looked bad.....I mean real bad. This book seriously freaked me out. I never expected a YA book to be so terrifying. I’m a self-proclaimed “know-it-all” and the fact that I couldn’t guess the events of this book scared me shitless. Yet, I could not look away. Like Peter Pan meets Tim Burton!
Imagine being this little boy waking up in a strange bed with a strange elderly old man staring down at you. Yeah he grinning and being all extra nice; but you don’t know who you are. You’re at this camp of all boys. Each has an elderly old man assigned to them. Nobody knows who they are and is just doing what they’re told without question.....getting needles stuck in their head. AGAIN....FREAKED ME OUT!
The words in this book were tangible! The characters were hopeless. I was hopeless. They were confused. I was confused. They didn’t know what was going on. Heck, I was reading it, and I didn’t even know. The author did an excellent job of keeping the reader in suspense. When things started to unravel and reveal themselves...Whoa-mama! Thanks to this book, I now fear old people! Here’s another book, I have no problem rating as “EPIC”!
hostile17's review
4.0
Exciting and hard to put down! I guessed a few of the twists, but still thoroughly enjoyed the story. The sequel looks even better!
casmith512's review
3.0
I'm not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical about Bertauski's The Annihilation of Foreverland when I first came across it. I've been compiling quite a few free self-published Kindle reads - mostly YA sci-fi/fantasy like this - to fill up the breaks at work and most have been complete flops. But this series starter was a pleasant surprise.
The Annihilation of Foreverland follows Danny Boy, who wakes up on an island full of young boys like himself with no memory and no sense of his surroundings. Within his first week living in this tropical paradise, Danny discovers he is a computer genius, meets a loner named Reed who has a secret, and is thrust into a virtual reality simulation that defies everything he thought possible. As he begins to uncover the mystery surrounding how and why he was brought to the island, Danny Boy's sense of reality begins to slip and soon, no one on the island is safe.
The premise might sound a bit blase for those who have watched Lost or read Lord of the Flies, but Bertuski takes a unique approach with his work, creating interesting and compelling circumstances for his characters to cope with. I was constantly chomping at the bit to know what happens next, and the pace did not disappoint. There were definitely gaps, both in terms of plot and Bertuski's use of infotech as a world-building tool - not that I know much about that kind of stuff to begin with, which is why a slightly more scientific approach to the sci-fi portions of the work would have been appreciated. With that being said, I appreciate the way Bertuski uses this story to tap into a larger conversation about the value of human life and the direction that our contemporary obsession with technology may be taking us.
While I do think this book could be a fair standalone, I look forward to jumping right into book two and three of the series.
The Annihilation of Foreverland follows Danny Boy, who wakes up on an island full of young boys like himself with no memory and no sense of his surroundings. Within his first week living in this tropical paradise, Danny discovers he is a computer genius, meets a loner named Reed who has a secret, and is thrust into a virtual reality simulation that defies everything he thought possible. As he begins to uncover the mystery surrounding how and why he was brought to the island, Danny Boy's sense of reality begins to slip and soon, no one on the island is safe.
The premise might sound a bit blase for those who have watched Lost or read Lord of the Flies, but Bertuski takes a unique approach with his work, creating interesting and compelling circumstances for his characters to cope with. I was constantly chomping at the bit to know what happens next, and the pace did not disappoint. There were definitely gaps, both in terms of plot and Bertuski's use of infotech as a world-building tool - not that I know much about that kind of stuff to begin with, which is why a slightly more scientific approach to the sci-fi portions of the work would have been appreciated. With that being said, I appreciate the way Bertuski uses this story to tap into a larger conversation about the value of human life and the direction that our contemporary obsession with technology may be taking us.
While I do think this book could be a fair standalone, I look forward to jumping right into book two and three of the series.
cassie_the_weird's review
5.0
Ok, so it's 1am, and I've just finished. I started yesterday afternoon and I only took 1 break.
WOW!
It was amazing.
That's all I can really say. It started creeping me out (in a good way) by page 15 and it didn't stop until it all started coming together. I haven't read a book that's affected me like this in a long time. I loved it.
WOW!
It was amazing.
That's all I can really say. It started creeping me out (in a good way) by page 15 and it didn't stop until it all started coming together. I haven't read a book that's affected me like this in a long time. I loved it.
vodaas's review
2.0
As much as I would like to agree with everyone's comments on this book, I just could not find it in me to like it. I felt that it was lacking something. For me, I could not really emphathize with the characters...there was little to go on with the kids. I think this book could have been so much more, it had a nice premise which is one of the reasons I picked this book up. There was some confusion for me as well with the narration and breaks between paragraphs. Many of the voices blended together and at times it was hard to distinguish who was talking.
Also, Reed...why bring him up and not develop his character further. There was little to go on and I felt as if he started off strong, but the reader got very little out of him, except for small glimpses.
I wanted to like this book, I really did, but it just fell short for me.
Also, Reed...why bring him up and not develop his character further. There was little to go on and I felt as if he started off strong, but the reader got very little out of him, except for small glimpses.
I wanted to like this book, I really did, but it just fell short for me.
wilczynska's review
3.0
This is a clever story. I enjoyed it, even if it wasn't what I was expecting from the description.