The Power

Published Jan. 4, 2016 by Viking.

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4 stars (26 reviews)

2 editions

Interesting after watching the TV series

4 stars

Yes, yes, I should read the original before watching the adaptation, but sometimes you can't help it. What's interesting here is the way the TV series tells the story in a much more conventional way than the novel, especially omitting the framing device that allows the novel to speed through many parts. There are times when I wished it would slow down a little and explore ideas a bit more, but it's a good read and raises a lot of interesting questions - and what if our whole existence is just part of a fable to explain the lost history of a distant future?

Good but

3 stars

Content warning Kind of hard to discuss the 'but' without giving something of the plot of the book away

Review of 'The Power' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Thought-provoking

The concepts are really interesting and (once you get over the sketchy science of the skeins) quite plausible. For my taste, the storytelling was too disjointed and the separate character arcs didn’t come together soon enough. The writing style was sometimes a forced. Overall, a worthwhile read.

Review of 'The Power' on 'GoodReads'

5 stars

Really wonderful science fiction about a world slipping into dystopia after women are suddenly in possession of the ability to shoot electricity from their fingertips. The book switches between characters at each chapter break, so we get a variety of perspectives on the situation. It all unfolds about like one might expect. Grim stuff, but an interesting thought experiment. Riveting, too.

The weakest part for me was the framing device (set many years later), which I found to be a bit on the nose, especially in comparison to what Atwood was able to do with the historical notes to "The Handmaid's Tale (to which this book is often compared to) or Orwell was able to do with the appendix to 1984.

Highly recommended, overall.

Review of 'The Power' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Really Good

I’m a sucker for speculative fiction and this book nails it. Simple premise, excellent execution, and great writing. I liked how the different plots threads converged at first, randomly then inevitably. Finally, the slow steady ratcheting of changes to the social norms actually took me off guard.

Review of 'The Power' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

It starts out really empowering, making me feel the same way when leaving Marvel’s “Black Panther”. Like I could do stuff.
Soon the mood changes and the whole story gets quite scary, actually. Worth the read, but really not a light topic, in a sneaky way. You’ll find yourself thinking about it a lot afterwards, even without meaning to.

Review of 'The Power' on Goodreads

3 stars

When the power to control society changes hands, does the violence and coercion in society change, do the formerly powerless seek revenge and advantage over all else or can we fashion new ways of relating? Reminded me of Parable of the Sower, but with less of a palatable point.

Review of 'The Power' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Tengo sentimientos encontrados con este libro. Por un lado me ha encantado la idea principal de la historia y todas las reflexiones que he hecho gracias a ella, pero por otro lado siento que la autora no ha sabido cómo transmitirlo del todo con la historia. Algunas partes se me han hecho un poco cuesta arriba, pero considero que esta es una historia necesaria y que deberían leer tanto hombres como mujeres.

Review of 'The Power' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I saw The Power on so many best-of lists last year and with its inclusion in the Women's Prize shortlist, I bumped it up my TBR. The premise is that girls have evolved to give off electrical shocks and they pass this on to older women, where the power lies dormant. This is used as a vehicle to explore what would happen if women had an advantage over men.

The patriarchy doesn't magically disappear straight away. Women still see their jobs at risk because their male bosses are scared. The girls are segregated from the boys out of fear of what they might do. The women have to justify their existence, placate the men that they mean no harm. Gun and bombs can still hurt them. Yet eventually, it shows how women can be just as corrupted by power, or misogynistic, as men. Some scenes are really quite uncomfortable reading …

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