Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Ciosy zagłady by Ray Nayler

27 reviews

ehmannky's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A really well-written and well-plotted novella that probes questions on how we form our sense of self, the role of memory, the ethics of de-extinction efforts, and moral quandaries in conservation. We follow Damira, who was once a passionate elephant conservationist and is now the matriarch of a mammoth herd thanks to her consciousness being scanned and placed in a mammoth's brain, as she teaches mammoths how to be mammoths while also killing the poachers entering the preserve. The book has two human perspectives, a young and reluctant poacher and the husband of a man who paid a ton of money to legally hunt mammoths. Again, it's tightly plotted, and I really liked the look into Damira's mind as she slowly becomes more mammoth as her mental schema begins to match her new body. 
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brea's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful reflective fast-paced
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rambles's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jalexpulliamkepler's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

clever and moving. Naylor has crafted a story of interesting, sympathetic characters that truly examines so many relevant themes. My only complaint is that the prose can be a touch pretentious.
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feralratgirl's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A thought-provoking novella about climate-change, capitalist greed,  and uploading one’s consciousness into a mammoth. 

Nayler’s work as a foreign service officer and research into poaching shine through. In under 200 pages, he takes the reader through the many perspectives of those whose lives are touched by ivory poaching. The scientists, the buyers, the poachers, and some who are in between. 

I read the novella for book club and finished in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to read more of Nayler’s work.

Also, Damira should have stomped Anthony into a pulp!!!

 
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tacochelle's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The blurb calls this a eco-thriller, but that's not quite it. It's speculative fiction, a slower paced philosophical novella. It's good, but go in expecting that. It's also detailed about the poaching industry, especially what's left of the animals, so big content warning if that makes you uncomfortable. But the way the subject is approached is really complex, almost too complex for such a short book.
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prynne31's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I would have liked a different last chapter.

Also, some of the themes are much more complex than presented. However, the emotions and questions this book raises are important to ignite curiosity on those topics.
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adhesivedolphin's review against another edition

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dark informative sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I thought this was such an interesting concept and had to pick it up. It did a great job telling its story in a focused narrative that only took about 4 hours to get through. I particularly enjoyed the change in Damira over time, and how passionate she was about her cause. The themes of greed, power, environmentalism and memory and poignant and distressing. On the negative, I found the narrator for Vladimir very jarring. And while the narrative was rich, it was at time hard to follow. Overall, it was a solid read, unlike anything I've read before, but not a favourite. 
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pvp_niki's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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skbat's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Intense, layered explorations of human greed, memory, and resurrection. Made me feel feelings I didn't want to feel. 5 stars and I kinda hate it.
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