pixe1's review against another edition
2.0
"The 100" but with less context and more plot holes. This seemed like a YA novel that was violent on the level of GoT, with only a semblance of plot. And I'd go so far to say that the ending is such a massive cliffhanger that it's not even a full novel because absolutely nothing is resolved. The whole thing made me roll my eyes and left me less than interested in the sequel(s).
caroleheidi's review against another edition
5.0
I had my eye on this for a long time before I read it - Twitter went mad over it and it sounded awesome. Then I saw James Smythe was in the line up for YALC and Amazon Kindle had it on a one-day 99p sale so I snapped it up with every intention to read it before YALC.
Life got in the way of meeting that target but after hearing James Smythe talk on a panel at YALC, I bumped it straight up my reading list again. If he wrote like he spoke, it was definitely going to be my kind of book.
Way Down Dark lived up to what I hoped for it. A dystopian future, humans in space scraping a living as best they can, surviving in a place with no sunlight or windows, endlessly waiting for the day the Australia could return to Earth and they could start again.
It was dark and gritty. Life on the Australia was terrifying - endless engine noise, limited food, no natural light, the best and the worst of humanity trapped together with no escape but death. Symbolised by The Pit at the bottom of the ship where everything unwanted got dumped and everything dropped over the gantry barrier ended up. It didn't take too much imagination to bring up the horror of The Pit - the smell, the darkness of indistinct shapes, the fear this brought with it.
The whole ship, Australia, was beautifully described and was practically a character in the book itself. Constantly changing whilst staying the same, full of violence and love in equal measure, a place of death and a place of life and peace. Smythe's writing captured the spirit of the ship in the same way he captured the spirit of the characters and this world building was one of my favourite things about the whole story.
The best thing about Way Down Dark was the sudden twist - I didn't see it coming at all. I thought I had it all figured out and was settled in for the ride and then suddenly Smythe whipped the floor out from under me and changed the goalposts. It was brilliant. And horrifying.
If you like a book that is dark, has a main character full of passion and ferocity, is full of twists and turns and delves into all the things that make people human - the good and the bad - then Way Down Dark is for you.
I have book two, Long Dark Dusk, firmly on my wish list for when I have read enough books to allow myself to buy new ones!
Life got in the way of meeting that target but after hearing James Smythe talk on a panel at YALC, I bumped it straight up my reading list again. If he wrote like he spoke, it was definitely going to be my kind of book.
Way Down Dark lived up to what I hoped for it. A dystopian future, humans in space scraping a living as best they can, surviving in a place with no sunlight or windows, endlessly waiting for the day the Australia could return to Earth and they could start again.
It was dark and gritty. Life on the Australia was terrifying - endless engine noise, limited food, no natural light, the best and the worst of humanity trapped together with no escape but death. Symbolised by The Pit at the bottom of the ship where everything unwanted got dumped and everything dropped over the gantry barrier ended up. It didn't take too much imagination to bring up the horror of The Pit - the smell, the darkness of indistinct shapes, the fear this brought with it.
The whole ship, Australia, was beautifully described and was practically a character in the book itself. Constantly changing whilst staying the same, full of violence and love in equal measure, a place of death and a place of life and peace. Smythe's writing captured the spirit of the ship in the same way he captured the spirit of the characters and this world building was one of my favourite things about the whole story.
The best thing about Way Down Dark was the sudden twist - I didn't see it coming at all. I thought I had it all figured out and was settled in for the ride and then suddenly Smythe whipped the floor out from under me and changed the goalposts. It was brilliant. And horrifying.
If you like a book that is dark, has a main character full of passion and ferocity, is full of twists and turns and delves into all the things that make people human - the good and the bad - then Way Down Dark is for you.
I have book two, Long Dark Dusk, firmly on my wish list for when I have read enough books to allow myself to buy new ones!
crystal6's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
I'm reading books on the Arthur C Clarke's award shortlist.
This book was a quick read, with a different interesting setting. A large generation ship going away from a crumbing earth. The passengers are split in various groups/gangs.
There is very little world building and the heroine is sometime unbelievable, I was left with lots of questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book.
I'm reading books on the Arthur C Clarke's award shortlist.
This book was a quick read, with a different interesting setting. A large generation ship going away from a crumbing earth. The passengers are split in various groups/gangs.
There is very little world building and the heroine is sometime unbelievable, I was left with lots of questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book.
cassie_the_weird's review against another edition
3.0
Meh.
I tried to love it, but I just didn't care. About any of it.
And I still have no idea what the ship's layout actually looked like...
Though the last third of the book was better than the first two thirds, I probably won't be continuing this series.
I tried to love it, but I just didn't care. About any of it.
And I still have no idea what the ship's layout actually looked like...
Though the last third of the book was better than the first two thirds, I probably won't be continuing this series.
mjmoore's review against another edition
4.0
Way Down Dark is published in July, but I’d been begging the publishers for an early copy for a long time. I’d read The Machine by the same author, and I was interested to see what James would do with a YA book.
Chan lives on a large spaceship, which was sent away from a dying Earth hundreds of years ago. The ship is now not fairing much better, not only is it physically falling apart, but the society within has become dangerous and violent, with various gangs.
Chan has learnt to take care of herself, she knows her way around most of the ship, and knows which parts to avoid. As a particularity violent gang attempts to take over more of the ship, things start to change.
Just as I thought I had a grasp on the book, something unexpected happens, and everything changes drastically. I’m not going to go into that, and I hope other reviewers stay clear too.. it’s s turning point in the book which I want everyone to discover for themselves!
Personally, I found the final part of the book to be a little rushed, and I struggled with some of the information being given. This is part of a trilogy, and I wonder if this part could have finished at a slightly different, earlier part. It is rather a cliffhanger ending, but that can’t really be avoided.
Despite these slight negatives, the strength of this book is in it’s fast paced storyline, and the darkness of life on the ship. It’s a cliché, but it’s a book which you literally won’t want to put down, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where James is going to take the story in part two.
Highly recommended!
Chan lives on a large spaceship, which was sent away from a dying Earth hundreds of years ago. The ship is now not fairing much better, not only is it physically falling apart, but the society within has become dangerous and violent, with various gangs.
Chan has learnt to take care of herself, she knows her way around most of the ship, and knows which parts to avoid. As a particularity violent gang attempts to take over more of the ship, things start to change.
Just as I thought I had a grasp on the book, something unexpected happens, and everything changes drastically. I’m not going to go into that, and I hope other reviewers stay clear too.. it’s s turning point in the book which I want everyone to discover for themselves!
Personally, I found the final part of the book to be a little rushed, and I struggled with some of the information being given. This is part of a trilogy, and I wonder if this part could have finished at a slightly different, earlier part. It is rather a cliffhanger ending, but that can’t really be avoided.
Despite these slight negatives, the strength of this book is in it’s fast paced storyline, and the darkness of life on the ship. It’s a cliché, but it’s a book which you literally won’t want to put down, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where James is going to take the story in part two.
Highly recommended!
deadwolfbones's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting ideas and admirably(?) dark for a YA novel, but the action is repetitive and unimaginative. A lot more could have been done with the environment of the ship, and the big reveal is well-trodden ground. Reminded me a lot of Brian Aldiss's Non-Stop.
foreveryoungadult's review against another edition
Graded By: Mandy C.
Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Natalie Imbruglia
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Grim Future
Anti-Bonus Factor: Insane Gangs
Relationship Status: Likely Not MFEO
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Montell Jordan
BFF Charm: Natalie Imbruglia
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Talky Talk: Grim Future
Anti-Bonus Factor: Insane Gangs
Relationship Status: Likely Not MFEO
Read the full book report here.
miametro's review against another edition
5.0
You know those books that you buy and then can't stop reading and it's 2am and your eyes are tired and your cat is annoyed that the light from your Kindle is keeping him awake but you have to keep reading because you MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENED! ?
Way Down Dark is one of those books. I've said it before and I'll say it again, James Smythe is an absolutely phenomenal writer who only seems to be getting better with each new release. Visceral and punchy, his books are regularly chock full of despair (such darkness! Much agony!) but also just enough redemption to keep you from falling headfirst into the pit, making for fast paced, relatable but spine-chilling books. The real continued success of Smythe's writing is his ability to create distant worlds that are just close enough to the bone to have you feeling a little scared for our future. The characters in his books live in the darkness of the alternate timelines, for sure and I wouldn't want it any other way.
His first YA offering (and part one of a trilogy) Way Down Dark had me enthralled, captivated and frightened in equal measures, which is exactly the ratio I want in my books. For fans of Stephen King, The Hunger Games and Journey into Space by Toby Litt (and for, y'know, fans of great books in general) Way Down Dark is an absolute must read.
More please!
Way Down Dark is one of those books. I've said it before and I'll say it again, James Smythe is an absolutely phenomenal writer who only seems to be getting better with each new release. Visceral and punchy, his books are regularly chock full of despair (such darkness! Much agony!) but also just enough redemption to keep you from falling headfirst into the pit, making for fast paced, relatable but spine-chilling books. The real continued success of Smythe's writing is his ability to create distant worlds that are just close enough to the bone to have you feeling a little scared for our future. The characters in his books live in the darkness of the alternate timelines, for sure and I wouldn't want it any other way.
His first YA offering (and part one of a trilogy) Way Down Dark had me enthralled, captivated and frightened in equal measures, which is exactly the ratio I want in my books. For fans of Stephen King, The Hunger Games and Journey into Space by Toby Litt (and for, y'know, fans of great books in general) Way Down Dark is an absolute must read.
More please!
ellemo1's review against another edition
4.0
This was actually a pleasant surprise - I went in with low expectations and came out rather pleased with how it turned out.
It felt very The 100 but with a unique twist on the whole thing and I have to say I probably enjoyed it a bit more than my limited experience with The 100 books (and I've watched like 3 episodes of the show so I can't really say anything about it yet).
It managed to catch me off guard with a few of the plot twists within it, apart from one... which was only because of my suspicious nature being able to see everything that could possibly go wrong.
The protagonist was amiable, and her actions for the most part were understandable.
I loved the hint of romance! Despite the books I usually read being quite heavy on the romantic content, this was just a very refreshing change. I do want to see however where that particular part of the story goes... especially after that ending!
My rating: 3.5 /5 Stars
FULL REVIEW TO COME
It felt very The 100 but with a unique twist on the whole thing and I have to say I probably enjoyed it a bit more than my limited experience with The 100 books (and I've watched like 3 episodes of the show so I can't really say anything about it yet).
It managed to catch me off guard with a few of the plot twists within it, apart from one... which was only because of my suspicious nature being able to see everything that could possibly go wrong.
The protagonist was amiable, and her actions for the most part were understandable.
I loved the hint of romance! Despite the books I usually read being quite heavy on the romantic content, this was just a very refreshing change. I do want to see however where that particular part of the story goes... especially after that ending!
My rating: 3.5 /5 Stars
FULL REVIEW TO COME