Review of Unlight

[shravsi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Unlight" by Chandra Shekhar.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The earth is dying. Cross that. The earth is freezing. All because of a cosmic dust cloud that has wrapped itself around the earth, cutting off any sunlight. This cloud called the Shroud is strong enough to bring the whole earth into extinction. There is no light, plants, animals, or any life at all. Everything is simply freezing.

In such a perilous situation, a billionaire is frantically racing along with his fiancé and her family towards the shelter he has painstakingly built. But the helicopter’s engine is stalling. It’s not even the engine’s fault. Which fuel can ignite when the temperature is -127 degrees outside? Will they reach the shelter in time? Even if they reach the shelter alive, what was the guarantee that the shelter would protect them against all odds? Even if it protected them for the time being, how long do machines last without malfunctioning? How long can limited resources last? The scientists have predicted the Shroud will stay for more than ten years! Could this group co-exist in a locked space that long?

Unlight by Chandra Shekhar is not a commonplace apocalyptic fiction. There are no blood-thirsty zombies or nuclear explosions, just an opaque cloud between the sun and the earth. You won’t see the usual dystopia and cruelty. This book focuses more on the anxious waiting of the sun to reappear. This group of 6 members might be the only human survivors left on earth. How do they grapple with a situation like this? Would they survive? There are so many questions hanging in the air. And only time would reveal the answers.

The positives of this book are the science and structural technology that supports the Southern Hemisphere Energy Location Laboratory, or Shell. From the air filtration to the energy source, every detail is incredible. Government, media, and scientists’ role is accurately similar to our current society. One can also learn how a group should/shouldn’t behave when they literally depend on each other for survival. Additionally, this book is well-edited because the errors were sparse.

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this book; it did keep my interest until the end. But this book is unrealistic. This work is a fairy tale among the survival stories. I would have loved this book if the story was a little rough; this is an apocalyptic story after all!

If you are interested in reading scenes that depict world destruction, you will be disappointed; the story only revolves around what the protagonists are experiencing. Some scientific details might appeal to sci-fi readers, but a major portion of the book is about how the survivors get on with each other. Considering the above points, I will rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Even with my non-technological background, I could see some cracks within the story; that’s why I have reduced one star. Most of my questions will be spoilers, so I will not mention them here.

I won’t recommend this book to hardcore apocalyptic fiction and sci-fi readers. You will not get to read any action related to the Shroud. This is a story of survival. There are no in-depth sex scenes, and profanity is rare. I will recommend this book to adults and young adults. I would have gladly recommended this book to even teenagers if not for one relationship that might be considered taboo. Readers looking for soft apocalyptic fiction or soft sci-fi can check this out. Book lovers who enjoy stories about human nature and bonds will definitely enjoy this. Happy reading!

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Unlight
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[Kaushiki Parihar]

The book doesn't appeal me at all. It's genre seems quite weird to me. Also, I am not interested in apocalyptic fiction. So, I'll just skip this book. You did an excellent job on the review.

[shravsi]

The book doesn't appeal me at all. It's genre seems quite weird to me. Also, I am not interested in apocalyptic fiction. So, I'll just skip this book. You did an excellent job on the review.

Thank you