Orbital by Samantha Harvey

"Essentially, it's the story of six Astronauts, working and living on the International Space Station that orbits the Earth. Though the author tried to give the characters background, the book was too short to make any one character stick out and the lack of a cohesive plot made it so the book just kept going, around and around, much like the Space Station in its continuous orbit of the Earth."

⭐⭐

Pros: There were moments of true beauty at the beginning, seeing Earth from the vantage point of Space.

Cons: The author tried to give the characters background but they all kind of blurred together, none of them really stuck out/The narrative, since there was no real plot, just ended up going around and around in circles, meandering and pointless.

Full Review:

This book follows six astronauts who are on the space station that’s orbiting earth. To be perfectly honest, none of the character stuck out to me enough to remember their names or their places of origin.

There were a few moments where the author tried to give the characters back story, such as when Chie learned that her mother has passed and she won't be there for the services. Or when a super typhoon forms over the Pacific and one of the astronauts remembers befriending a fisherman on a trip he took with his wife. He knows the typhoon is forming just over that small chain of Pacific islands and he hopes his friend will be okay.

Overall though, try as the author might, this book just kind of meandered and spun its way around and around, much like the space stations continuous orbit of Earth. There was no real cohesive plot, so nothing really happened. This book was only a little over 200 pages and honestly, it took me a long time to read because, nothing really caught my interest.

Comments

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

Animal Farm by George Orwell

"A blithe and scathing commentary on equality, power, corruption and how everyone is created equal, but...some are more equal than others. Orwell hit the nail right on the head with this novel and it's no wonder it's a staple for most high school curriculums. " 3 Stars. Pros: Benjamin the Donkey is the smartest animal on the farm and it would have done all the others a world of good if they had listened to him in the first place. Cons: The fact that societies like this actually do exist is nauseating and terrible. It's not a con, per se, it's just a gut wrenching fact. Full Review: When the overworked and mistreated Animals on Manor Farm decide to rise up and overthrow their cruel master, they're successful. They rebel and now find themselves with an entire Farm to run. They rename it Animal Farm and are intent on creating a paradise, where work and play are equal, where productivity is key but relaxation is a must and all the lives of all the animal...

The Glutton by A. K. Blakemore

"Though dark, disturbing and at times, truly disgusting, Blakemore has created an unforgettable character in Tarare and his sad, sordid tale. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time for many different reasons and to me, that's a sign of a great read." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ Pros: Tarare wasn't a monster, it just seemed that the world was against him/I liked Lozeau and his strange band of misfits/Dr. Dupuis seemed like a genuinely good person, or at least, he had his moments. Cons: Some of the timeline/people of the French Revolution were just white noise to me/Courville was a despicable man. Full Review: The Bottomless man, the Glutton of Lyon, Tarare the Terrible. The man who has many titles but who's name is simply, Tarare, is dying in a hospital in Versailles. Citizen Doctor Tissier has written to his friend, Dupuis, in hopes that he'll be able to cure this mysterious illness that plagues Tarare. For now though, he lays, chained to his bed and waits for...

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