I have to admit that I am not the target audience for this book series. I read it for a project I'm having my students do over natural disasters. ThisI have to admit that I am not the target audience for this book series. I read it for a project I'm having my students do over natural disasters. This one didn't really make the cut because the natural disaster isn't really discussed as more than a few sentences about how it destroyed everything. This is more of a teenage girl romance. There is a lot of hearts breaking and "I can't live without you"s. The story alternates points-of-view throughout the series, though this book is all from Cecelia's POV. She is a weak character who expects a boy to save her and really makes me afraid for the female sex. They are one week into this disaster after an enormous earthquake destroys everything when the book starts and we don't really know much about how they survived before this. After one week, the characters are already so jaded and focused on survival that they pass by a seven-year-old and abandon him and also some old ladies and an Italian couple. It is inconceivable that people could be this jaded this soon. Then later they profess how much they love children and want to help others. And I'm surprised that no one else has thought of this snow shelter. And why does it even exist? Does Denver have a bunch of snow shelters that only house 20 people? It is short, so at least I didn't spend too much time on it. But I added a star since I know some middle to high schoolers that might enjoy them....more
My mom read this one and I had to read it after I saw her review. She didn't go on about how good it was, but that it should be read. I feel like the My mom read this one and I had to read it after I saw her review. She didn't go on about how good it was, but that it should be read. I feel like the main theme of the book--we simply aren't prepared for a catastrophe that takes away all of our technology--is spot on and utterly true, but reading the book felt like a lecture. It felt like a grandpa who is always telling the 'youngsters' about how they did it when he was a kid. It felt like a love letter to the good old days. The main character even has some decided sexist views and dismisses them as "just how I was raised." There was more than a little nostalgia for the "good ol' days"--which weren't good for a lot of people.
I think it is true that we need to know how to be more self-sufficient and grow our food and know how to fix things. I agree that the kinds of skills valued in this kind of post-apocalyptic world are the ones looked down on now. As the guy from the poor part of the county said:
You folks up here in Black Mountain always kinda looked down on us in Swannanoa--maybe because we was poorer. But that poorness makes us worth more now.
I usually love post-apocalyptic books and movies, but my least favorite part of them is when people are killing each other--I much prefer them to be killing zombies or something. Since the apocalypse this time comes in the form of EMP--which doesn't kill anyone right off (except for people kept alive by machines)--there were millions of people left. It soon deteriorated into horrible cannibal gangs and cults. That is not my cup of tea. (view spoiler)[It was obvious to me that the two idiots had to die, and I figured that Jennifer would, too. Which was terrible and made me horribly sad even though I braced myself for it. (hide spoiler)] I agree with my mom that it was wretched, but has a message that should interest those who want to survive something like this. I don't think that I would be cut out for it. I will continue to hope that the lights stay on....more
I enjoyed the story and will read the sequel. I thought the premise was new and intriguing. It's one of many 'people have destroyed the Earth and now I enjoyed the story and will read the sequel. I thought the premise was new and intriguing. It's one of many 'people have destroyed the Earth and now human civilization is vastly different' plotted books, but I it was fresh enough to be interesting. I adored Chess and the gang. ...more
This book was absolutely made for my husband and I. It had all of our favorites--geeky science fiction stuff, real science, dystopia, 80's trivia, vidThis book was absolutely made for my husband and I. It had all of our favorites--geeky science fiction stuff, real science, dystopia, 80's trivia, video games, and a cool mystery to solve. I was hooked through the whole thing. There are several steps in the solving of the puzzle that the players are trying to figure out, so there are little victories and losses all through the book to keep you excited. The protagonist makes some predictable bad choices, but he is a teenage boy. There is some violence and death in the book and some references to sexual habits of teenage boys, so I think this is YA and up. Wil Wheaton read the audiobook and I enjoyed it. ...more
I was kept interested in this book and kept reading to the end, but it was a hard journey full of things I really didn't want to read about. There wasI was kept interested in this book and kept reading to the end, but it was a hard journey full of things I really didn't want to read about. There was a bit too much information on the child trafficking process and graphic description of genetically engineered creatures and their fates. The mystery and the back-and-forth-in-time storyline were intriguing though and kept me reading when I might have bowed out of a lesser book. I feel like I know Crake a bit too well after this book and like I don't know anything at all about Oryx. She was too good at lying and I still don't know if anything she did was real! Our protagonist, Jimmy the Snowman, truly grew up in a society that had reached the pinnacle of haves/ have-nots and total desensitization toward sex and violence. With such powers of manipulation of the environment, it is not surprising that it ended the way it did. I think Atwood painted a pretty realistic vision of a possible future.
Prayer had broken out.
That line made me smile. It's such a good description of a mass of people whose world is falling down around their ears.
In a world that is suddenly running out of petroleum, war and famine and horrible things start happening. But there is still time for teenagers to be In a world that is suddenly running out of petroleum, war and famine and horrible things start happening. But there is still time for teenagers to be spoiled and angsty about their love lives. Don't worry! There is a very convenient perfect hideout available. The pacing is crazy and unrealistic. The characters are all weak and totally not living in reality. The girls worry about their appearance a little too much. (I can't wear a life vest/ glasses in front of the cute boy!) One girl is totally in love with one of the boys and then hears him make a "deep" statement and is surprised as she thought he didn't have any depth. Then why did she love the guy! I have to think that we are more prepared now than these people were in 10 years for the fossil fuel shortages they faced. Their recovery into a shiny, happy town all working together seemed a little fast. I am someone who worries about the future shortages and climate change and would ostensibly be a perfect audience for this book, but I found it overly preachy and the science was weak. The book took a star hit when GMO vegetables were found to be causing malnutrition. sheesh....more
I read this to see if I could include it in a natural disaster book selection for my middle school students. It turned out to be just a little too mucI read this to see if I could include it in a natural disaster book selection for my middle school students. It turned out to be just a little too much for them, but 14 and up should love it. The premise is the eruption of the supervolcano under Yellowstone. It does the whole ash covered sky, winter in the summer time, no food, good people and terrible people thing, but it happens in a very well-written way. I think one of my favorite parts was Darla. She is a heck of a girl. It's nice to see such an inspiring fierce female character in an action role. Together, she and Alex made a great team. Beware of the sometimes descriptive scenes of violence and an implied rape. People are shown at their worst in places....more
I didn't like this as much as the first book of the series. It was so depressing. The ending left much to be desired in my opinion. I just hate the faI didn't like this as much as the first book of the series. It was so depressing. The ending left much to be desired in my opinion. I just hate the fact that (view spoiler)[ the new world is just as bad as the old one and even though different people are in charge and there is no tech, everything is the same. The stupid council was kidding themselves. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, the theme of the novel seems to be:
You can't reboot humanity.
Every revolution believes it can return something that had been lost, but nothing is ever the same. The only thing that endures are people.
No matter what happens and who is in charge, the world seems to be mostly the same.
Syd is a great character. We read this in our Middle School's book club and the author came to visit us as well. Proxy is the scary story of what clasSyd is a great character. We read this in our Middle School's book club and the author came to visit us as well. Proxy is the scary story of what class war can lead to in a future run amok. When debt is incurred by babies and used to control them for their entire lives, making a better life for yourself is impossible. The world is divided into haves and have-nots and there is nothing anyone can do to change that--except Syd. Poor Syd has a burden hidden in his blood that may end up saving the world, but will he live through it! I loved Syd's pragmatism and good heart. He has been through enough to harden it, but he remains a good and gentle person.
I liked the way that characters were shown seeing things from new perspectives. They started out clueless in a very "Let them eat cake" sort of way, but had their eyes opened to realities for other people. This is the kind of book everyone who knows a spoiled child would like them to read. :)...more
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