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dejaghoul's review against another edition
4.0
Collapse is not a book in the traditional sense, but an academic essay from the future that recounts the downfall of western civilization. It's non-fiction at heart, though, so most of the essay is spent recounting recent history of climate change rather than filling out the gory details of the apocalypse (a bit of a shame, really, since the whole thing is very well researched and I'm sure a fleshed-out version of the apocalypse scenario would be excellent and scary).
The ideas presented here are really smart and interesting—the takedown of climate change denial obviously forms the basis of the book, but it also critiques and satirizes current scientific culture, neoliberalism, capitalism and communism, and corporate involvement in politics. It's got a great sort of wry humor running through it, and the future it predicts is frightening because of how plausible it seems.
The main downside is the writing style is rather dry, and requires a decent amount of concentration to get through. It can also be difficult if you aren't familiar with all the concepts (I wasn't, and found myself struggling in a couple sections), but the text does a pretty good job explaining things for the most part.
Regardless of the occasionally frustrating writing, though, I really enjoyed this smart little novelette and the questions it poses. Definitely recommended!
The ideas presented here are really smart and interesting—the takedown of climate change denial obviously forms the basis of the book, but it also critiques and satirizes current scientific culture, neoliberalism, capitalism and communism, and corporate involvement in politics. It's got a great sort of wry humor running through it, and the future it predicts is frightening because of how plausible it seems.
The main downside is the writing style is rather dry, and requires a decent amount of concentration to get through. It can also be difficult if you aren't familiar with all the concepts (I wasn't, and found myself struggling in a couple sections), but the text does a pretty good job explaining things for the most part.
Regardless of the occasionally frustrating writing, though, I really enjoyed this smart little novelette and the questions it poses. Definitely recommended!
lmccarls's review against another edition
5.0
This doesn't even feel like fiction, and the bits about the future already feel like fact. It doesn't place blame on any single ideology, because it's not about placing blame on someone -- it's about identifying all the little things that we didn't realize created a culture of inaction.
transmortalinjection's review against another edition
3.0
Questionable use of a Chinese boogeyman: “the West must pick up the slack if it doesn’t want to lose to ~environments authoritarianism~!” But there’s an excellent critique of statistical significance.
jhoffmann's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
deborama's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting idea but the finished product is a little bit disappointing.
eabourland's review against another edition
5.0
While this is fiction, a letter from a chastened future written by a regretful scholar, it is based on solid and modern science, and forms a candid appraisal of the deleterious effect of media, fear, and money on sound decision-making. A brief, ominous, well-crafted story you can read in one sitting. It's enjoyable as a good SF yarn, yet the outcome it describes, given world policy on anthropogenic climate change, is plausible and even likely.
Well, enjoy.
Well, enjoy.