58 lines
7 KiB
JavaScript
58 lines
7 KiB
JavaScript
var __defProp = Object.defineProperty;
|
|
var __getOwnPropDesc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor;
|
|
var __getOwnPropNames = Object.getOwnPropertyNames;
|
|
var __hasOwnProp = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;
|
|
var __export = (target, all) => {
|
|
for (var name in all)
|
|
__defProp(target, name, { get: all[name], enumerable: true });
|
|
};
|
|
var __copyProps = (to, from, except, desc) => {
|
|
if (from && typeof from === "object" || typeof from === "function") {
|
|
for (let key of __getOwnPropNames(from))
|
|
if (!__hasOwnProp.call(to, key) && key !== except)
|
|
__defProp(to, key, { get: () => from[key], enumerable: !(desc = __getOwnPropDesc(from, key)) || desc.enumerable });
|
|
}
|
|
return to;
|
|
};
|
|
var __toCommonJS = (mod) => __copyProps(__defProp({}, "__esModule", { value: true }), mod);
|
|
var stdin_exports = {};
|
|
__export(stdin_exports, {
|
|
default: () => _2020_11_08_an_absolutely_remarkable_thing,
|
|
metadata: () => metadata
|
|
});
|
|
module.exports = __toCommonJS(stdin_exports);
|
|
var import_index_10ac95e2 = require("./index-10ac95e2.js");
|
|
const metadata = {
|
|
"title": "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing",
|
|
"image": "an-absolutely-remarkable-thing",
|
|
"slug": "an-absolutely-remarkable-thing",
|
|
"author": "Hank Green",
|
|
"score": 3.5,
|
|
"book_review": true,
|
|
"date": "2020-11-08T00:00:00.000Z",
|
|
"finished": "2020-10-15T00:00:00.000Z",
|
|
"draft": false,
|
|
"tags": ["fiction", "sci-fi", "adventure"],
|
|
"links": [
|
|
{
|
|
"country": "\u{1F1EC}\u{1F1E7}",
|
|
"store_name": "Hive",
|
|
"link": "https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Hank-Green/An-Absolutely-Remarkable-Thing/23676697"
|
|
},
|
|
{
|
|
"country": "\u{1F1FA}\u{1F1F8}",
|
|
"store_name": "bookshop.org",
|
|
"link": "https://bookshop.org/books/an-absolutely-remarkable-thing/9781524743468"
|
|
}
|
|
]
|
|
};
|
|
const _2020_11_08_an_absolutely_remarkable_thing = (0, import_index_10ac95e2.c)(($$result, $$props, $$bindings, slots) => {
|
|
return `<p>An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (AART; because I\u2019m not paid by the word here) is a wonderful Sci-Fi(-ish) adventure by Hank Green, one of the content creators in the first wave of the YouTube-meets-mainstream movement. It\u2019s a delightful first piece in his <em>The Carls</em> series, and even if the characters fall a little flat - the story is compelling enough to make this book a delightful and worthy read. Green\u2019s obviously got a lot to say about the current state of internet, fame, media, and global attention. He doesn\u2019t stuff it down your throat, but uses it to shift his story forwards.</p>
|
|
<p>AART follows April May, a young twenty-something art graduate living in New York, who\u2019s thrust into international fame after she stumbles across a giant metallic samurai-like sculpture who she calls Carl, in the streets of New York. Pretty soon April, and then everyone she comes into contact with, start having the same dream every night: they \u2018awaken\u2019 in a giant uncanny-valley city, full of riddles and puzzles that feel like they were made by an AI who sucked information out of Wikipedia. We follow, from a first-person perspective, as April is thrust into international recognition and fame, as she tries to solve the mystery of the Carls, and facilitate international cooperation against a potential threat from outer space. It\u2019s pretty fantastic when you spell it out.</p>
|
|
<p>The thing about basically-instant fame thrust upon \u201Cnormal\u201D people is that they\u2019re completely unequipped to deal with it. The first-person narrative in AART does an excellent job of showcasing this, even if April\u2019s flaws are show-ponied in front of us sometimes. We get a good sense that reality, society, and her friends are warping in front of her. They may appear close or present, but they often feel out of reach, or beyond influence - as the person April was transitions into the idea or figure or character of April. Green does a good job of fleshing out the characters who stay in a relatively tight orbit of April, and doesn\u2019t parade a seemingly endless number of characters. He directs your attention to those who are important, and signposts clearly when someone\u2019s just passing through.</p>
|
|
<p>As the book goes on, the relationships become increasingly dominated by their dependence on April and the entire Carl phenomena to define them. In some places, peripheral characters\u2019 strengths and capacities are a little superficial or passed over. For example one of the characters spins up something like an entire tech start-up within weeks/months, and it\u2019s just sidelined as a narrative tool to push the story forwards. Other characters fall a little flat and only appear when they need to do something for April, even though their friendship pre-dates The Carls. Rarely does anyone else show weakness or signs of struggling. Sure, April becomes increasingly self centred, and it might be hard to force these details into the story, but I noted their absence.</p>
|
|
<p>However I find myself forgiving a lot of these flaws in characterisation and narrative in favour of an extremely compelling story. This book was an adventure, really. There were clues and puzzles to solve, a well established villain and tight pressure from them, and at least two moments which shocked me in their unpredictable-ness. The pacing escalated well throughout the book and maintained itself nicely, and the book didn\u2019t outstay its welcome. It is a relatively short read, and there\u2019s always <em>something</em> happening.</p>
|
|
<p>The world is pretty much a modern day (2020s) America, with the exception of a woman president which, look, actually including Trump in this novel would have been an awful idea. There\u2019s a nice inclusion of both internet and portable technology, which is refreshing - it seems almost inconceivable to me that a book about a 20-something woman from New York <em>wouldn\u2019t</em> have a ton of group chats. Green utilises this in the way we do in real life - it\u2019s not a <em>thing</em>, it\u2019s just a tool that the characters use.</p>
|
|
<p>Green clearly understands the modern world at both a macro and a micro level. He understands how people talk to each other, how \u2018traditional\u2019 and \u2018modern\u2019 media are in tension with each other, how the western world spends its attention, and how we conflate infamy and expertise. These kinds of critiques and commentaries are placed nicely within a Sci Fi-ish adventure, and never showcased explicitly. It becomes a high-resolution and completely believable backdrop to a more fantastic story. The book doesn\u2019t try to over-reach in those regards.</p>
|
|
<p>As someone who doesn\u2019t read a lot of Sci Fi, and who hasn\u2019t read a lot of Young Adult recently (as vague as the YA genre is), I enjoyed reading this book. It immediately left me wanting to pick up the sequel, if not for the poetic writing or poignant philosophy, for the compelling plot. When I read cheaper/junkier crime novels I\u2019m often left feeling a little embarrassed or like I should go read something \u201Creal\u201D. That wasn\u2019t the case with this book. I was invested in what was happening, so yeah it\u2019s a good book 3.5\u2B50</p>`;
|
|
});
|