Well, we’re back around for another Book Club pick. For April, we decided on Ember by Brock Adams. I actually was the deciding vote on this one. It seemed pretty interesting because of it’s apocalyptic nature. It was intriguing, or so I thought.
Initial Thoughts
Don’t read this book. It was not good. I was on such a roll with Brain on Fire and The Woman in the Window. They were phenomenal books that I read very quickly. Ember really dragged my reading down. It was painful to try and read it. Let me tell you why:
- Affairs. BOTH MAIN CHARACTERS HAVE AFFAIRS. It’s already the end of the world. Why does infidelity have to come into play?
- The Minutemen. Again, it’s already apocalyptic. Why on earth do we need to add a community of MEN coming to take over the US?!
- Death and killings. Why? There was no shooting to maim or disarm. There was only shooting to kill. And a lot of shooting and a lot of death. Did that really benefit the story?
One thing I kind of liked was that the story takes place in the south. There’s some connection between familiar towns and landmarks. I’m pretty sure the author didn’t really research the distance between some places and gas life of cars and drive time and things. There seem to be some gaps in knowledge there.
Do you know what I equate this to? The Walking Dead. It was a truly interesting concept with some dynamic characters (more than can be said for this book). However, it got lost after a few seasons. It was just the same thing over and over. They pick up some people, lose some others. Have some things happen in one spot and move on to another. It’s the same thing…over…and over…and over.
A Word to Brock Adams
Sir, don’t write anymore. This was a terrible book. It’s almost like you took parts of good books, and put them all in one place, thinking it would make a really good book. It didn’t. You don’t mix all the best ice cream flavors in one bowl because they lose their distinct flavors. It’s ineffective. Maybe try short stories. You’ll lose less of your audience. I did not even finish the book. I’m a master skimmer, and it was a terrible skim. This may seem harsh, but it just wasn’t a good book, so thanks for wasting my time.
In the end, don’t get this book. I haven’t even included an affiliate link to buy it because I would hate for you to invest your money in this book. It’s such an unpopular book that it doesn’t even show up on page one of the Amazon results when you search Books for “ember”. If you’d like me to send you my copy, I’d be more than happy to do so. Now, on to a better book.
Have you heard of the Rogerian argument? Since we’ve decided not to use it, you’re not such a great writer yourself, Caroline. This blog post sounds like it was written by a child who’s never been allowed to leave the house.