Review of When All Hope Is lost

[joshfee77]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "When All Hope Is lost" by Alyce elmore.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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When All Hope Is Lost is a political thriller by Alyce Elmore. It is 2069 in Melbourne, Australia. A young girl asks "The Old One" about events leading up to a civil war in 2049. Previously, a global pandemic killed off human males from 2029 onwards. More males were born after "The Desolation", but they had a life expectancy of only around 20 years. When Premier Dorothy Anderson is murdered by a "cusp-aged" male (a young man near the end of his life), those in the New Order Party, led by Evelyn Perkins, must deal with the social and political ramifications of the killing. Simultaneously, an odd group of male suicides gains the attention of Patricia Bishop, a political journalist, and she begins to investigate the rot in this female-dominated society.

The book begins with a glossary of terms specific to the world Elmore has created. Her descriptive writing is very good, featuring an impressive vocabulary. The first paragraph contains the word "cachinnations" (raucous laughter), which I had never seen before. (However, this did take me out of the story when I had to search for it online.) Given the use of such interesting words, I was baffled by the myriad of simple words misspelled throughout the book, such as "loose" for "lose", "breaking" for "braking", and "lead" for "led".

Elmore's future Melbourne is immersive, fleshed out with historical details. However, the book dwells mainly on the social, ethical, and political ramifications of boys doomed to die in their early twenties. While I did find this interesting, I also found it hard work at times. I would have enjoyed some stronger action and conflict, especially since this book includes murder and suicide. Ultimately, it feels more like a political drama than a dystopian crime thriller. The book's final scenes do feature some closure, but there is no real climactic scene. While there are future books planned to continue the story, I can't say I want to read them.

Aside from its incorrect word choices, When All Hope Is Lost contains many other minor errors. Hyphenated words such as "salt-worn" and "world-changing" are almost always missing hyphens. Apostrophes are used incorrectly in some plurals. Full stops are often used in place of question marks. The editing also worsens in the final third of the book.

I also found one plot point annoying. In Elmore's 2049, electric self-driving cars are the only mode of transport, but they don't all self-lock the doors when you leave the vehicle. This seems unlikely, given that many luxury and electric vehicles already do this in 2022, but it allows a break-in and theft to occur in the book. Unrealistic elements used to force a subplot always frustrate me as a reader. Also, the same woman – now paranoid about a break-in – still leaves her bag on display in the car a second time despite having obvious alternatives available.

Given its errors, inconsistencies, and lack of engaging conflict, I rate When All Hope Is Lost 2 out of 4 stars. I would be willing to give it 3 stars after professional editing. The writing and the plot are good. However, it is a low-key political drama rather than the thriller I originally expected. Those interested in the social and political ramifications of a catastrophic world event would certainly enjoy this book. It contains some sexual content, but nothing too graphic.

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When All Hope Is lost
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[Amy Luman]

This concept is very interesting. This makes the male population responsible for procreating very early if they are expected to be dead by 20 or so. Also, the kinds of errors you mentioned are my pet peeves.

[Shelby Ayres]

The plot is unique and interesting, though as you stated there are inconsistencies. I do hope that this book gets fixed, I would love to read it.

[Ivan Mukaaga]

The book’s theme is very exhilarating. I really feel like digging deeper into this book. The rating amazed me but the reasons where given. Thanks for that good review.

[joshfee77]

This concept is very interesting. This makes the male population responsible for procreating very early if they are expected to be dead by 20 or so. Also, the kinds of errors you mentioned are my pet peeves.

Thanks for commenting! Poor editing is definitely on my own list of pet peeves, as are forced plot points arrived at via unrealistic means.

[joshfee77]

The plot is unique and interesting, though as you stated there are inconsistencies. I do hope that this book gets fixed, I would love to read it.

It certainly is a unique idea for a novel, and I definitely liked that about it. It is worth reading for sure, just not quite as action-packed as I thought it might be. Thanks!

[joshfee77]

The book’s theme is very exhilarating. I really feel like digging deeper into this book. The rating amazed me but the reasons where given. Thanks for that good review.

Yep, definitely an interesting premise for this book. Given professional editing, I would have rated it higher. Thanks for commenting!

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a novel that is potentially intriguing but needs more work and proper proofreading to be properly developed. A professional editor might help the author with that task. Thank you for your honest review!