Official Review: Eternal Bones by Jon State

Drakka Reader · Post by **Drakka Reader** » 10 May 2020, 15:22

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Eternal Bones" by Jon State.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Eternal Bones, a novel by Jon State, is a sci-fi book that explores survival and how fear influences all decisions. It is a story about intelligent minds forced to cope with unexplainable events and even having to have faith in the unexplainable.

The story begins with the end of the world. Earth as we know it is consumed in ravaging storms and disasters that will certainly wipe out all humans. Only a select few humans have a chance of survival by sleeping in pods deep underground. These survivors wake up in a world completely unlike their own. The creatures are perfectly adapted to the new world and deadly to the old owners of the world. In order to survive, the survivors will have to find their own place among a world they do not belong in. Their survival will only get more difficult as they start to notice changes among the humans and an unexplainable presence watching over both them and the land.

I liked many parts of the book. The animals of the land were created in both a very creative yet realistic way. They all have elements of animals we are familiar with but all have a quality of fitting in with the land, typically by resembling vegetation. I found this a very creative way of creating creatures so that they feel like a real animal in a changed land. Another aspect I liked about this book was its willingness to discuss faith. While the character's faith does not resemble any faiths we have on our current Earth, faith as a concept is addressed in the book in a way I enjoyed. The unexplainable sometimes isn’t something to fear. Fear is also a concept in this book and I also enjoyed how it was used. The characters are all known to be intelligent people but their reasoning is sometimes thrown out the window because they are frightened. The characters all felt real with these themes intertwined with a sci-fi survival story.

There were parts I did not like about Eternal Bones and one of my complaints is in the way the story is told. I do not usually have a problem with switching perspectives but this book uses it in abundance. There were times where some perspective changes were confusing and not clear on who it switched to. I could figure it out quickly enough but I feel my brief confusion shouldn’t have happened in a book that relied on the different perspectives. The book was also not well-edited. This is my biggest complaint. The book has constant misspellings like misspelling “whining” as “wining”. My enjoyment of the book would have been easily better without these constant mistakes distracting me.

I loved the book and the themes but I will have to give a lower score because of the constant mistakes. I will give Eternal Bones 3 out of 4 stars. This book is for an audience that either likes sci-fi or an audience who likes a thoughtful look at humanity while they survive unimaginable things. The book contains profanity, violence, and discussions of reproduction. I will have to suggest that the audience be mature to properly enjoy the book.

I only want to see more of this book and how humanity survives next.

******
Eternal Bones
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Nonso Samuelson · Post by **Nonso Samuelson** » 19 May 2020, 04:49

Maybe I have too much hope in humans and humanity, but I'm not big fan of post-apocalyptic types of stories. I'll have to pass on this one. Great review though; you did the book justice.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 19 May 2020, 05:07

A post-apocalyptic novel that explores human emotions and thoughts when they have to face a new world. It seems interesting, even if possibly it's not that best moment for that kind of story. Thank you for your great review!

sirbobthewise · Post by **sirbobthewise** » 19 May 2020, 05:25

Nice job! I thought you had some great lines in your review: “…explores how fear influences all decisions” (it definitely can!) and “The story begins with the end of the world” (ooooh, the suspense!).

It seems like an interesting battle between the new and the old, and it has me wondering about our future and even the current discussion of the ethics of A.I. Creepy but important things to think about.

The perspective switching would have had me frustrated as well, but it sounds like you were able to finish it up on a positive note. Great review. ^^

Amy Murdoch Coleman · Post by **Amy Murdoch Coleman** » 19 May 2020, 15:38

This was a great review! I'm intrigued by the story simply because of your descriptions of how psychological it appears to be. "The end of the world," however it comes about, would be traumatic for any kind of survivor, so I'm curious as to how the author handled the emotions and faiths that you mentioned.

Samuel Windybank · Post by **Samuel Windybank** » 19 May 2020, 21:33

I love a good post-apocalyptic story. I’m definitely like you, though. I’d find it hard to get past continuous spelling mistakes. Thanks for the review

Sheila_Jay · Post by **Sheila_Jay** » 20 May 2020, 04:09

I enjoyed reading your well-written review, however I will have to pass this one since I am not a great fan of the genre. Thanks for the honest review.

Kachi_Ejiogu+_ · Post by **Kachi_Ejiogu+_** » 20 May 2020, 08:45

I love sci-fi books to a great extent, I hope my expectations are not cut short in this one. Hope to read it soon.

hasincla · Post by **hasincla** » 20 May 2020, 12:25

Sounds like a bit of a somber read, and considering the level of editing I'm going to pass on this one. Thank you for your honest review!

HusainNecklace52 · Post by **HusainNecklace52** » 20 May 2020, 12:38

I can see that the book has various themes embedded within it.
Plus, considering the recent pandemic, this seems like an apt book to read!
Thank you for the review, it is much appreciated!