Review of Ark of the Apocalypse
-
Abi McCoy
- Posts: 316
- Joined: 10 Aug 2021, 14:25
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 102
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-abi-mccoy.html
- Latest Review: The Scrolls of the Bonefairy Castle by David Spiegel
Review of Ark of the Apocalypse
[Following is a volunteer review of "Ark of the Apocalypse" by Tobin Marks.]
Ark of the Apocalypse begins following two families – a Tartar family in Siberia and a Japanese family in Japan – during World War II, focusing on the important roles each of those families plays during that time. The book then jumps to the near future where we’re introduced to a dying Earth. Global warming has led to severe climatological and environmental effects that are threatening humanity. These ever-increasing environmental issues lead to unforeseen political drama and intrigue, in turn leading to increasing tensions between Russia and America.
While the story follows these broader political intrigues, it also remains focused on the two families – the Yanbeyeva family and the Mizushima family – and the continued influence these two families are having on the world around them. Finally, as tensions escalate to a breaking point, an international attempt at settling another planet is set into motion with a small, select group of humans sent to colonize the new planet. The second half of the book continues to follow the struggles on Earth but becomes more science fiction heavy as it follows the space mission, the difficulties they encounter colonizing, and their struggle to maintain humanity’s hope of surviving as a species.
There were many things I enjoyed about this book. Tobin Marks did an excellent job at including physically diverse characters, as well as characters with diverse personalities, motivations, and ambitions. The explanation included for the special abilities that the Yanbeyeva family had was unexpected but added a whole extra level of interest to the story. On a related note, I loved the layers of manipulation and control that were present in this work. It seemed as if one person was making their own decision but come to find out someone else was influencing that decision, and there was maybe someone else behind that – those levels of manipulation and intrigue were phenomenal. Marks also did a fantastic job at fast forwarding through time. The work spanned hundreds of years, but the author neatly skipped large chunks of time without detracting from the story.
During the first portion of the book, the political intrigue and plotting was intense. This wasn’t a bad thing, but in some places the strategizing was in-depth and more thoroughly explained than necessary, slowing the story down. Something else that detracted from the work was the overuse of the number “1,000.” Some examples include: “…will rule the planet for 1,000 years;” “…will guide the Path for 1,000 years;” “…watched for his arrival for 1,000 years;” “…holding almost 1,000…;” and “…placed 1,000 dormant attack drones.” These are just a few examples. I know that 1,000 is an easy, round number, but it took away from the realism of the work for me to have everything be 1,000. The last negative thing for me was the significant use of profanity throughout the work.
This was an exceptionally written work of science fiction. Ark of the Apocalypse gets a 4 out of 4 stars rating from me. While there were a few errors throughout the work, overall it was very polished and well-edited. The author wrote realistic and engaging characters, and the premise of the story was original and extremely well-executed. I recommend this work for those who love science fiction and even those who don’t – I don’t typically read much science fiction and I still found this book to be almost impossible to put down.
******
Ark of the Apocalypse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Ark of the Apocalypse begins following two families – a Tartar family in Siberia and a Japanese family in Japan – during World War II, focusing on the important roles each of those families plays during that time. The book then jumps to the near future where we’re introduced to a dying Earth. Global warming has led to severe climatological and environmental effects that are threatening humanity. These ever-increasing environmental issues lead to unforeseen political drama and intrigue, in turn leading to increasing tensions between Russia and America.
While the story follows these broader political intrigues, it also remains focused on the two families – the Yanbeyeva family and the Mizushima family – and the continued influence these two families are having on the world around them. Finally, as tensions escalate to a breaking point, an international attempt at settling another planet is set into motion with a small, select group of humans sent to colonize the new planet. The second half of the book continues to follow the struggles on Earth but becomes more science fiction heavy as it follows the space mission, the difficulties they encounter colonizing, and their struggle to maintain humanity’s hope of surviving as a species.
There were many things I enjoyed about this book. Tobin Marks did an excellent job at including physically diverse characters, as well as characters with diverse personalities, motivations, and ambitions. The explanation included for the special abilities that the Yanbeyeva family had was unexpected but added a whole extra level of interest to the story. On a related note, I loved the layers of manipulation and control that were present in this work. It seemed as if one person was making their own decision but come to find out someone else was influencing that decision, and there was maybe someone else behind that – those levels of manipulation and intrigue were phenomenal. Marks also did a fantastic job at fast forwarding through time. The work spanned hundreds of years, but the author neatly skipped large chunks of time without detracting from the story.
During the first portion of the book, the political intrigue and plotting was intense. This wasn’t a bad thing, but in some places the strategizing was in-depth and more thoroughly explained than necessary, slowing the story down. Something else that detracted from the work was the overuse of the number “1,000.” Some examples include: “…will rule the planet for 1,000 years;” “…will guide the Path for 1,000 years;” “…watched for his arrival for 1,000 years;” “…holding almost 1,000…;” and “…placed 1,000 dormant attack drones.” These are just a few examples. I know that 1,000 is an easy, round number, but it took away from the realism of the work for me to have everything be 1,000. The last negative thing for me was the significant use of profanity throughout the work.
This was an exceptionally written work of science fiction. Ark of the Apocalypse gets a 4 out of 4 stars rating from me. While there were a few errors throughout the work, overall it was very polished and well-edited. The author wrote realistic and engaging characters, and the premise of the story was original and extremely well-executed. I recommend this work for those who love science fiction and even those who don’t – I don’t typically read much science fiction and I still found this book to be almost impossible to put down.
******
Ark of the Apocalypse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Scrolls of the Bonefairy Castle by David Spiegel
-
Aan Granados
- Posts: 1651
- Joined: 02 Jul 2016, 10:46
- Currently Reading: Massacre Rocks
- Bookshelf Size: 873
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-aan-granados.html
- Latest Review: The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
This sounds like an epic apocalypse story. Thanks for the recommendation.
Latest Review: The Vanished by Pejay Bradley
-
Rm21
- Posts: 32
- Joined: 31 Dec 2021, 07:39
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 6
the diverseness of the characters makes me interested in this work. as well as the author's use of manipulation and intrigue for the plot. thanks for the recommendation.
