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coris 's review for:
Earthflown
by Frances Wren
RANT with spoilers:
That was such a frustrating ending, that it left me nitpicking at the rest of the story, which I wouldn't usually do!
First and foremost, I never felt any sense of urgency or shortage around water, even though contamination is at the core of the story. It seemed that there was some Cost-of-Living style concern about the purifying chemical, but that was it. In comparison to actual content from people in countries with current water-stress (e.g. daily living vids on YT) it was a very bland, impact free Issue.
Likewise, there's zero day-to-day information about 'glass', it's a device rather than a society-influencing evil. And no clue why the single chemical that can produce it isn't regulated to fuck.
The plot is trying to do so many things: drug deals and murder ... politics and public perception and corporate malfeasance ... and relationships, toxic, casual, familial and romantic ... and commentary on what talented people 'owe' to the world! The world building is extremely comprehensive; too much in my view, for a standalone.
Of the three POV characters, Ollie is the least sympathetic but the ending centres him over anyone else. We invest far more time and emotion in Ethan and Javier, but haha, they're screwed by that ending. Maybe there'll be some kind of sequel, maybe not. It's very unsatisfying. I have no objection to having to use my imagination, explore some what-ifs, but it's pretty specific about how bad things will turn out. If I want unhappy, messed up never-endings, I'll just read the news.
First and foremost, I never felt any sense of urgency or shortage around water, even though contamination is at the core of the story. It seemed that there was some Cost-of-Living style concern about the purifying chemical, but that was it. In comparison to actual content from people in countries with current water-stress (e.g. daily living vids on YT) it was a very bland, impact free Issue.
Likewise, there's zero day-to-day information about 'glass', it's a device rather than a society-influencing evil. And no clue why the single chemical that can produce it isn't regulated to fuck.
The plot is trying to do so many things: drug deals and murder ... politics and public perception and corporate malfeasance ... and relationships, toxic, casual, familial and romantic ... and commentary on what talented people 'owe' to the world! The world building is extremely comprehensive; too much in my view, for a standalone.
Of the three POV characters, Ollie is the least sympathetic but the ending centres him over anyone else. We invest far more time and emotion in Ethan and Javier, but haha, they're screwed by that ending. Maybe there'll be some kind of sequel, maybe not. It's very unsatisfying. I have no objection to having to use my imagination, explore some what-ifs, but it's pretty specific about how bad things will turn out. If I want unhappy, messed up never-endings, I'll just read the news.