Thom reviewed Amatka by Karin Tidbeck
Review of 'Amatka' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The dystopia of 1984 was recognizable - 13 hours, two-way video screens, but nothing "new". This book has more "new", and much of it feels arbitrary - and not all of it is explained.
We read science fiction and expect something we can connect with. If not told otherwise, we expect the main characters to be human, resembling ourselves. When a character has to "name" something, because if they don't it dissolves, this reader would like to know why in the end. Or perhaps this is a metaphor which I didn't understand.
This story pictures a moment in the collapse of the colony. Prior moments are mentioned; nothing here is seen as improving. The conflicts are mostly internal, inevitable. Perhaps this is another metaphor. The ending didn't help, leaving the reader only slightly more informed than when they started.
Looking forward to a new book, something in a shade other …
The dystopia of 1984 was recognizable - 13 hours, two-way video screens, but nothing "new". This book has more "new", and much of it feels arbitrary - and not all of it is explained.
We read science fiction and expect something we can connect with. If not told otherwise, we expect the main characters to be human, resembling ourselves. When a character has to "name" something, because if they don't it dissolves, this reader would like to know why in the end. Or perhaps this is a metaphor which I didn't understand.
This story pictures a moment in the collapse of the colony. Prior moments are mentioned; nothing here is seen as improving. The conflicts are mostly internal, inevitable. Perhaps this is another metaphor. The ending didn't help, leaving the reader only slightly more informed than when they started.
Looking forward to a new book, something in a shade other than gray.