Joanna

🎧 Audiobook

The concept of this story was great. Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t.

First, the good:

The best parts were about where people go when they disappear, why and how; it was enjoyable and imaginative, and the mystery surrounding those who return kept my interest.

The author did also ponder many consequences of the sudden absence of large portions of the planet’s human population. Such as the effect on climate change and its knock on effects in human behaviour - not necessarily what we might expect.

But mostly, the bad:

The characters were surface level, the plot kept wandering around to uninteresting side characters and stories, the writing was flat, and I struggled to care what happened. If the MMC was a side character, I wouldn’t miss them if they were killed off.

There was also an undertone to this book that just kept me continually annoyed. I can’t decide if it was the tone the audiobook narrator set, or if it was the writing. It was kind of… smug, I guess. The MMC tells the story in first person and comes off as a young smart arse guy who thinks he’s the main character in everyone’s story. I do not want to be plunged into the mind of such an asshat.

And one more general annoyance - WHY do so many people/authors only think humans important. There was barely a mention here about the impact on ecology, fauna and flora after the disappearance of human populations. I don’t get how this human-only thinking works, but I’m pretty tired of it.

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3/5 for narration by Dan John Miller.

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Thank you to the publisher, RBMedia, and NetGalley for the advance audio review copy. All opinions are my own.

At first I enjoyed this dystopia told in first person AI-perspective, but the first half of the book quickly became tedious. The second half is mostly better.

Each chapter is its own story of how an AI entity becomes more than its intended purpose. Unfortunately, the first half of the book just reads as lazy story concepts centring discontented men whining about how hard they’ve got it, so their AI takes over in a humanly selfish way, modelling itself on its owner. The second half is more interesting, with AI embodying societal uses such as currency. The best and most moving chapter was the last one about embedded neural AI that accompanies a person with dementia.

This could have been a really interesting take on AI speculative fiction. The writing itself is fine but not particularly inspiring given it feels we’re on the cusp of such AI concepts becoming reality.

Thank you Zachary Mason, Grove Atlantic, and NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I enjoy the fascinating gothic oddities of nineteenth century black and white illustrations, but this didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It felt a bit too modern and playful, rather than old and creepy. Perhaps it didn’t help to view the digital copy; the hardcopy is said to be completely black with gilt cover, more of a dark vibe.

Nevertheless, Porcelli clearly has a passion for this style and his illustrations are detailed and thoughtful. This would be a suitable addition to any library leaning toward the macabre curiosities or fantastical creatures.

And if I had to pick, my favourite oddity would be Rickworms that live in a rock. What delightful little weirdos!

Thank you Ronald Porcelli, Familius, and NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This is an atmospheric tome of word treasures; A beautifully illustrated love letter to our world, its ever changing aspects, and the words humans use to describe it; A collection of words from across cultures that describe who we are and where we live in ways that are rooted in their linguistic birthplace; A lexigraphic celebration of our planet and our connections to everything and everyone who shares it.

Each page has a word or two and their meanings, and is accompanied by beautiful artwork by the author. Often Sanders has included moving historical, environmental or social context. Language is so closely tied to how, where and why we live; Sanders does an admirable job in giving these words the depth and weight they deserve.

This is more of a meditative coffee table book to dip in and out of, though you could just as easily read from cover to cover.

Thank you Ella Frances Sanders, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital advance review copy. All opinions are my own.