Scan barcode
caseythereader's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Sexual content
picotly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Torture, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child death
Tough read but doesn't feel gratuitous.nittiotvaan's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Torture, Police brutality, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pandemic/Epidemic
belovedsnail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Torture, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
nekoshka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Classism
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Content warnings: extreme and graphic depictions of war (inc use of both biological and chemical weapons), torture, blood/gore, violence (inc against civilians and children), death
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and War
booknug's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Child death and War
alina_leonova's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Characters
The main character is Dietz, and since I wasn't sure about their gender until the end of the book, and I don't know if that was meant this way or I just missed it (i totally could have missed it), I won't reveal it here either, just in case. Dietz enlists in the army after losing their family to the Martian attack. They are a bitter but caring person who wants to protect the people they love. The character arc is very compelling, as the reader gets to observe the gradual change of Dietz's beliefs and goals as they discover more and more information about the war. There are also quite a lot of people they serve with, and sometimes I got lost as to who was who, but the author did a great job keeping track of them, considering the nature of the story.
Plot
The plot is so original and fascinating! It's non-linear, all of the events happen out of order as time travel is involved. It requires a lot of skill to pull off something like that, and Kameron Hurley did it brilliantly.
World-building
The world-building is done just right to be immersive. The world is ruled by six big corporations, and people are divided into a class system: citizens, who have the most privileges, access to health care and best living conditions, residents, who have only some of the privileges and ghouls, who basically have no rights. It's possible but extremely tough to move into a higher class, and joining the army is the only way for ghouls like Dietz. Citizenship is, in fact, belonging to a certain corp, not a country. The corps control access to information and posses advanced technology, the most impressive of which is probably their ability to turn people into light and send them anywhere in the world at the speed of light.
Impressions
I couldn't put the book down! There is so much in it that I liked: the plot twists, the complexity and ingenuity of its structure, the clever observations about human nature, the intimate first person narration, the flawed protagonist who gets a chance to grow, the criticism of some of the real-world issues, the originality. It's a great and well-written story, but what made it stand out most was the way it was told.
The book explores the meaninglessness and cruelty of war, poses the questions about inequality, class system, capitalism, exploitation, manipulation and brainwashing. It's gory, which I think is suitable for a story about war, and at the same time human connection and taking care of each other are a crucial part of it. I really enjoyed the author's style and her unique voice.
You might enjoy the book if you like military and time travel sci-fi, mind-bending thrillers, non-linear stories and don't mind gore / violence / death.
Check out my website about sci-fi by women and non-binary authors for book reviews, lists, interviews, short stories and more.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Violence
hello_cori's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Death of parent
spoth's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Medical content