Brilliant

An all too believable tale of a near-future America where bloodsports are the craze of the nation. Crisply written, a cocktail of Death Race 2000, Rollerball, The Hunger Games and The Running Man told with a POC voice. Loved it.
Excellent performances all around too.

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Am ambitious book rarely lacking

This is quite an ambitious book, wanting to link multiple themes, perspectives and realities into one book. Thematically, it's about freedom, incarceration, love, connection, hope, resistance, the excesses of capitalism, about humanity. There's a lot of ground to cover.
Adjeih-Brenyah manages to handle this all with care and subtlety. There are some rare moments, however, where he seems to falter in tone or some awkward dialogue or some obtuse plot point.

The main characters, Thurwar and Stax are overall believably put down. At the end though I still asked myself why they were the way they were. A bit more detail on their back story could have helped me.

Structurally, the book starts out very strong. The midsection is somewhat unfocused. It is more a smorgasbord of different perspectives which takes out some of the hot air. The very end was then being cut down too short to my taste.

The fighting scenes were good, but lacked the impact or flair or tension of for example the books by Fonda Lee. You always knew the outcome beforehand.

I listened to the audiobook. The quality was superb, with different narrators really embodying the multiple voices of the book. Excellent.

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Excellent

Not my usual type of read (sweary and violent)
However, character development, range of narratives, reflections on the ‘justice’ system all made this an incredible listen.

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Not my usual thing!

Really great story. Gladiators for the reality tv future, horrifying yet believable. Gripped from start to finish.

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Incredible

This is so much more than just a story. At times it's poetry, at others it's hard hitting politics that makes you question society and structures, but most of all its entertaining. It walks the line of being close to home and far fetched all at the same time, and it works! It made me feel all kinds of ways and I'm so grateful for it. Amazing book, loved every second of it

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It might not appear to be your thing BUT just try

This book blew me away, the story, the voices reading, the deep humanity and love behind it. I , personally, don't tick many of the boxes to like a story like this ; it stunned me. This writer will be a byword for writing excellence.

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Oh. Wow

Truly an excellent book. Grabs you in chapter one and never let's go. Even when you've finished it. This is a book with something to say and it isn't going to blink, hesitate or apologise for saying it. In fact it'll give you footnotes in case you try to blink. Cannot decide if I'd like to see a sequel. But I will read more by the author.

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Bloody and brilliant

A truly gripping listen that kept me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions! It was read really well, and I really enjoyed the different narrators. They were needed to help break up the jumps to different characters in the book.

Really strong start, the middle was slow and at times I did find it disjointed, the way it jumped to different characters. But the end was powerful and tragic and I’m so glad I stuck with it.

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Brilliant Critique on prison systems

This was such a powerful book on the private prison system and how we are only moments away from living in a world where life only matters if you have the power to say it does. It is heart wrenching and devastating. Brilliant

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on Trump's Agenda

A terrifying concept utterly plausible in the US we see unfolding. The idea of turning prisoners into Gladiators, then into entertainment and a franchise is both terrifying and believable as a fractured America watches on. Disappointingly the plot flags in places and the potential of the story isn't fully utilised but the overall impact is of a dystopia that's only a US election away.

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2 people found this helpful