Reviews

Astonishing, mesmerizing, and deeply unsettling work of sci-fi. Set in an alternate 1990s in the midst of a technologically induced apocalypse, a young woman travels across California for an unknown purpose. A richly layered story of personal struggle during global crisis. Highly recommend reading in one slow sitting and absorbing everything.

thatoneguyjm's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

crosar259's review

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dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

klagge's review against another edition

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3.0

Boy, is this a weird book. I found it browsing at Books Inc. in Berkeley, and was drawn to the photorealist art style with weird mech wreckage in a 1990s California landscape. The art is truly amazing and worthwhile on its own; indeed, I think I might have enjoyed it more as a stand-alone art book. The accompanying text tells the story of Michelle and Skip making a road trip through a sort of post-apocalyptic hellscape of California that reminded me a lot of the setting in "Parable of the Sower." Most of the economy seems to have been given over to supporting an immersive virtual reality simulation, kind of like in "Ready Player One" except much heavier. Meanwhile, there has been a drone-based war that has left a lot military wreckage all over the place. The story is pretty well written, but is just a little dark for me.

stephpf's review

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4.5

Loved it. I don't know that a ebook was the best way to view the pictures so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a physical copy.

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