FWT reviewed Atlas Alone (Planetfall #4) by Emma Newman
A bit an abrupt ending
4 stars
A bit less than book 2 and 3 but still good. Hope to see a real follow up in the series.
320 pages
English language
Published Dec. 3, 2019
Atlas Alone (Planetfall #4)
by Emma Newman
4 stars
(3 reviews)
Erin reviewed Atlas Alone (Planetfall #4) by Emma Newman
Review of 'Atlas Alone (Planetfall #4)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This was fun! As a gamer, I found all of the gaming references relatable. I guessed that Dee’s helper was an AI early on, so I wish we had gotten to that reveal earlier. Given that there’s an even greater reveal at the end, I think it would’ve worked well to go ahead and get that out there.
The ending was one of the best bits for me. Love the idea of the AI deciding Dee is too dangerous and just takes her over. The previous 3 books have a healing trajectory, and this one takes a dark turn instead. I appreciate that counseling and vulnerability are seen as good things here. So often in stories, counselors are portrayed as unhelpful and frustrating. Not saying that that doesn’t happen, but it’s a distressing message to send over and over. In this case, someone’s inability to ask for help and be …
This was fun! As a gamer, I found all of the gaming references relatable. I guessed that Dee’s helper was an AI early on, so I wish we had gotten to that reveal earlier. Given that there’s an even greater reveal at the end, I think it would’ve worked well to go ahead and get that out there.
The ending was one of the best bits for me. Love the idea of the AI deciding Dee is too dangerous and just takes her over. The previous 3 books have a healing trajectory, and this one takes a dark turn instead. I appreciate that counseling and vulnerability are seen as good things here. So often in stories, counselors are portrayed as unhelpful and frustrating. Not saying that that doesn’t happen, but it’s a distressing message to send over and over. In this case, someone’s inability to ask for help and be vulnerable is their downfall. I assume there are more books to come!
Balise reviewed Atlas Alone (Planetfall #4) by Emma Newman
Review of 'Atlas Alone (Planetfall #4)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
In Atlas Alone (which I got on NetGalley via the Hugo nomination for the whole series), we get to follow previous characters of After Atlas. The book centers on Dee, the friend of Carl's, the detective from After Atlas.
They are currently flying in a spaceship, where the major source of entertainment is mersives - and a significant part of Atlas Alone happens in such environments. This is the story of Dee learning more and more about her environment and how she reacts to it, within the context of her previous trauma.
I must admit that, for me, this was the weakest book of the series. All in all, this felt very, very dark, and I kept hoping for some glimmer of hope that I didn't feel I got. Also as a nitpick: the turn of sentence "my face was a mask in front of a mask" made me cringe …
In Atlas Alone (which I got on NetGalley via the Hugo nomination for the whole series), we get to follow previous characters of After Atlas. The book centers on Dee, the friend of Carl's, the detective from After Atlas.
They are currently flying in a spaceship, where the major source of entertainment is mersives - and a significant part of Atlas Alone happens in such environments. This is the story of Dee learning more and more about her environment and how she reacts to it, within the context of her previous trauma.
I must admit that, for me, this was the weakest book of the series. All in all, this felt very, very dark, and I kept hoping for some glimmer of hope that I didn't feel I got. Also as a nitpick: the turn of sentence "my face was a mask in front of a mask" made me cringe the first time; and it also made me cringe the second and third time I encountered it in the book :P
However I did like the environment and what Newman did with the mersives and in particular the whole idea of "leet" gaming. I also enjoyed seeing Carl again, and the role he had in this book. The plot was also very tight and kept me interested all along (and may or may not have led to a few "okay, one more chapter" at too-late-hours of the night).