Review of Ark of the Apocalypse
-
kcollins14
- Posts: 73
- Joined: 22 Dec 2017, 18:03
- Currently Reading: My Enemy in Vietnam
- Bookshelf Size: 28
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kcollins14.html
- Latest Review: The Elf Brief by Jordan David
- Reading Device: B00I15SB16
Review of Ark of the Apocalypse
[Following is a volunteer review of "Ark of the Apocalypse" by Tobin Marks.]
Ark of the Apocalypse (The Magellan II Chronicles Book 1) by Tobin Marks takes place within an Earth in crisis. Political tensions, war, and climate change all come to a head until powerful global leaders come to the devastating conclusion that Earth has become unlivable and that they must find a new home before humanity itself becomes extinct.
Our story actually begins within the years of World War II, where we follow two families whose destinies are linked to these future events. One is the Mizushima family from Japan, whose patriarch’s seemingly ludicrous ideas become the key to saving humanity. The other is the strange Yanbeyev family, a Crimean family who find themselves outcast in Soviet Russia, who seem to somehow hold the fate of the world in their hands. As we follow these two families, we also see how the political tensions starting way back in World War II have become the catalyst for humanity’s downfall.
I thought the beginning to be the most interesting of the book, as it melded reality with small fantasy elements sprinkled in. We see that the Yanbeyev family is no ordinary family, that they have influence on what is and what will happen that normal people should not. It was really intriguing and made you wonder what would happen next. It had a good flow as it told you about the various generations of each family and I enjoyed their stories. It was interesting seeing the story of the Mizushima family, a family devastated by a bomb that destroyed their city and how they grew and became influential in world politics. With all these different time periods, it can get a bit confusing and I wish the writer had given us more dates on when things happened, but it got clearer as the book went on and followed a more linear path.
The political conflicts the book presents seem pretty realistic and it was interesting to see how this compared and contrasted to the tensions in World War II. The political issues, as well as climate change seen as becoming worse and worse, makes the story seem more believable. It comes across as a worse case scenario that’s very relevant to issues going on today. It also made the decisions made by global leaders more plausible.
Towards the end of the book, it becomes more standard sci-fi, which was less enjoyable. It took away some of the realism that I had enjoyed at the start. The writer also has the tendency to tell instead of show. While this can be a strength, as there is little fluff, sometimes I wish there were more character interactions.We do not hear much, for example, about how Nadya Yanbeyev and her husband become close. Theirs is an unconventional relationship, and I feel it would have made later choices more meaningful. There are also times when Nadya is helping to work on a project and would likely have met some members of the Mizushima family, which should’ve led to some interesting interactions, but they never even speak with each other.
The book also has almost ten errors. It wasn’t distracting, but that, coupled with the other issues I mentioned, leads me to rate this book a 3 out of 4. This story has a very relevant message, and tensions that you can see happening in our world. This would make for a pretty good read for anyone interested in post-apocalyptic fiction. The more sci-fi elements could interest people as well. Despite my problems with it, I feel this is a book worth the read, if at least for its message.
******
Ark of the Apocalypse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Ark of the Apocalypse (The Magellan II Chronicles Book 1) by Tobin Marks takes place within an Earth in crisis. Political tensions, war, and climate change all come to a head until powerful global leaders come to the devastating conclusion that Earth has become unlivable and that they must find a new home before humanity itself becomes extinct.
Our story actually begins within the years of World War II, where we follow two families whose destinies are linked to these future events. One is the Mizushima family from Japan, whose patriarch’s seemingly ludicrous ideas become the key to saving humanity. The other is the strange Yanbeyev family, a Crimean family who find themselves outcast in Soviet Russia, who seem to somehow hold the fate of the world in their hands. As we follow these two families, we also see how the political tensions starting way back in World War II have become the catalyst for humanity’s downfall.
I thought the beginning to be the most interesting of the book, as it melded reality with small fantasy elements sprinkled in. We see that the Yanbeyev family is no ordinary family, that they have influence on what is and what will happen that normal people should not. It was really intriguing and made you wonder what would happen next. It had a good flow as it told you about the various generations of each family and I enjoyed their stories. It was interesting seeing the story of the Mizushima family, a family devastated by a bomb that destroyed their city and how they grew and became influential in world politics. With all these different time periods, it can get a bit confusing and I wish the writer had given us more dates on when things happened, but it got clearer as the book went on and followed a more linear path.
The political conflicts the book presents seem pretty realistic and it was interesting to see how this compared and contrasted to the tensions in World War II. The political issues, as well as climate change seen as becoming worse and worse, makes the story seem more believable. It comes across as a worse case scenario that’s very relevant to issues going on today. It also made the decisions made by global leaders more plausible.
Towards the end of the book, it becomes more standard sci-fi, which was less enjoyable. It took away some of the realism that I had enjoyed at the start. The writer also has the tendency to tell instead of show. While this can be a strength, as there is little fluff, sometimes I wish there were more character interactions.We do not hear much, for example, about how Nadya Yanbeyev and her husband become close. Theirs is an unconventional relationship, and I feel it would have made later choices more meaningful. There are also times when Nadya is helping to work on a project and would likely have met some members of the Mizushima family, which should’ve led to some interesting interactions, but they never even speak with each other.
The book also has almost ten errors. It wasn’t distracting, but that, coupled with the other issues I mentioned, leads me to rate this book a 3 out of 4. This story has a very relevant message, and tensions that you can see happening in our world. This would make for a pretty good read for anyone interested in post-apocalyptic fiction. The more sci-fi elements could interest people as well. Despite my problems with it, I feel this is a book worth the read, if at least for its message.
******
Ark of the Apocalypse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Elf Brief by Jordan David
