John

Very disappointing.

The writing is simply bad. Grant wanted to play with the sexual tension between the main characters (adopted bro and sis) and failed to walk the line. The result is not smart but discordant. Not to mention that Sean's character is pretty wooden/tropey in general (tbf, part of the blame here lies with the audiobook narrator, who gave him a grade school bully sneer). The plot twist was ‘foreshadowed' with floodlights and a marching band. Many turns of phrase were used repeatedly and boringly. The politics and message of the book never rose above CNN level ‘analysis'—seriously, the book takes national politics at face value. It's difficult to think of something which would make me take you less seriously except, well, the main message of the book, which is that Truth exists out there as something journalists can go and discover when no one else (even those being paid to secure a hazard zone 20 years into an apocalypse) can. Not to mention that the action scenes are pretty weak. There are no hordes, there's no looting/survival, there's maybe 2 hand to hand encounters with zeds, and no cool weapons. I mean come on, she introduced fire trucks with flamethrower/pesticide hoses and we didn't get to see them used??

Also sad that Berkeley cameo'd as its least inspired and most obvious form, replete with villainous Repubs. We are NOT more paranoid than Nowhere, NV, and we have way less guns. The highways are already clogged to hell as it is. The bay area would be toast.

I finished the book because I need to get rolling on my goal, but perhaps that was the wrong move.

5 stars because the writer both understood the assignment perfectly and undertook it with commendable diligence. A really quick read which doesn't feel like it leaves much out. Engaging but also thorough when it counts.

Excellent historical fiction (emphasis on both words), but it got a bit tiring towards the end

(Very much spoilers cause all I talk about is the ending)

Really good book but 4 stars because the author didn't stick the landing at the end. And because this book is prudish about sex despite being proffered as an example of an LGBTQ+ book by my local bookstore.

Muir's command of writing is good but less so of scene and especially worldbuilding. It's like she thought we'd be impatient with anything extended, or she hadn't come up with it yet. Or maybe none of it will matter since the characters will all have Lycter-level godpowers going forward and much of what's said here will be irrelevant.

The ending felt fresh and unexpected despite my reservations. I have a feeling a lot of that will be undone at some point, but, still, a GOOD undying necromancer Emperor? Okay, let's see how this one goes

The more I think about it, the more holes I poke. It was fine! The pace was great! The ending was rather good and rather bad at the same time! I'll give the benefit of the doubt.

Jeff Guinn seems to think it is his responsibility to report with extreme facticity, even when (especially when) the topic is as profoundly wrong as Jonestown. However, I do fear that this left something out. And by the time of the massacre it felt like the book had run out of steam. The aftermath/discussion section was woefully short, which is a shame since the rest of the book was so even. Once it began to leave the realm of historical fact, Guinn balked. So I guess I'd say this was a great read, but it might be bad to be your only read on Jonestown, and at least for myself it likely will be.