Birdie
SUCH a fantastic book. I came from this having seen the film first, so I knew what to expect from the overall plot, but the book does an amazing job. It's a little slow from time to time but I like to think of it as more of a Greek tragedy, especially as far as the direction the metaphors and characterization go.
It also makes an effort to keep the scope of the world and the enormity of everything happening around them in it pretty large while still giving that sense of isolation and focus on this small group of survivors. And there are quite a few horrific or violent scenes or descriptions, but it makes conscious effort not to desensitize you to it. To make you aware of how horrified our characters are by it, and why they feel that way, further solidifying their established characteristics and personalities and also expanding on them. So the horror of it gives it a purpose instead of ONLY being to gross out and scare the reader.
I think the build up to the ending was very good. All these bits and pieces leading to the final revelation about how the world moves forward and progresses after the apocalypse, all driven by this little girl who's far too intelligent and also a little blinded by her own curiosity and the moral principles of an 'old world' that she's been so recklessly shaped with.
Overall I recommend this read, especially if you're a fan of subversion within a genre and enjoy a good post apocalyptic story. It's a little less action heavy and a lot more introspective and character driven, so if you're going into it expecting a fast-paced thrill you'll be pretty disappointed. One of those books you can spend a lot of comfortable time getting to know.
SUCH a fantastic book. I came from this having seen the film first, so I knew what to expect from the overall plot, but the book does an amazing job. It's a little slow from time to time but I like to think of it as more of a Greek tragedy, especially as far as the direction the metaphors and characterization go.
It also makes an effort to keep the scope of the world and the enormity of everything happening around them in it pretty large while still giving that sense of isolation and focus on this small group of survivors. And there are quite a few horrific or violent scenes or descriptions, but it makes conscious effort not to desensitize you to it. To make you aware of how horrified our characters are by it, and why they feel that way, further solidifying their established characteristics and personalities and also expanding on them. So the horror of it gives it a purpose instead of ONLY being to gross out and scare the reader.
I think the build up to the ending was very good. All these bits and pieces leading to the final revelation about how the world moves forward and progresses after the apocalypse, all driven by this little girl who's far too intelligent and also a little blinded by her own curiosity and the moral principles of an 'old world' that she's been so recklessly shaped with.
Overall I recommend this read, especially if you're a fan of subversion within a genre and enjoy a good post apocalyptic story. It's a little less action heavy and a lot more introspective and character driven, so if you're going into it expecting a fast-paced thrill you'll be pretty disappointed. One of those books you can spend a lot of comfortable time getting to know.