Mar 30 - Apr 6, 2012
A Catch in Time
Dalia Roddy
Post Apocalyptic
Published 2010
551 pages
8.5/10
Without preamble, the entire population of Earth falls unconscious for three minutes. In that time, there are countless deaths due to accidents (driving a car + blackout = mangled corpses clogging your favorite route to work) and when the survivors come to, they've all forgotten the common thread that binds them. That is, all but a select few...
I really REALLY liked this story arc. Structurally and creatively, it was some of the best post-apocalyptic fiction I've ever read.
The premise was exciting - an esoteric disaster - as opposed to a virus, greed, or zombie threat. Though way outside of what I normally peruse, it was vastly entertaining (in part because it was so outside my usual zone... which is nothing like this:
A Catch in Time
Dalia Roddy
Post Apocalyptic
Published 2010
551 pages
8.5/10
Without preamble, the entire population of Earth falls unconscious for three minutes. In that time, there are countless deaths due to accidents (driving a car + blackout = mangled corpses clogging your favorite route to work) and when the survivors come to, they've all forgotten the common thread that binds them. That is, all but a select few...
I really REALLY liked this story arc. Structurally and creatively, it was some of the best post-apocalyptic fiction I've ever read.
The premise was exciting - an esoteric disaster - as opposed to a virus, greed, or zombie threat. Though way outside of what I normally peruse, it was vastly entertaining (in part because it was so outside my usual zone... which is nothing like this:
And definitely closer to this:
But most akin to this:
It's like my room, but with less books).
Not only that, but the story started out right off the bat with "The Big Bang" (funny, I didn't imagine the beginning of the apocalypse to look like a Korean boy band... hey... wait a minute...) which got the action up and running right away (Literal foreplay? Who needs it!) and therefore the change and resulting consequences and reactions followed almost immediately. And we don't stop at the immediate consequences; the story follows AT LEAST a 6 year story arc! Not only is that awfully thoughtful on the author's part (A consideration of actions as well as their equal and opposite reactions? How novel!) it was very intriguing for me because no one really does that. I'm curious about how society would react if certain given privileges were obliterated - Good Bye fast food, power, and stability of government, and Hello Mad Max!
And I like how the author really got into the long-term ramifications, as opposed to focusing on the immediate chaos. That's easy. Figuring out how society will pick up the pieces? Now THAT'S creativity.
I also enjoyed the variety of characters and settings; I tend to get bored easily, so jumping around a bit keeps me interested. As did the occasional gout of
uber violence. That always helps.
You know what sucked though? A few pretty important and not so important things both, actually. Occasionally the author would meander though the daisies, tiptoe through the tulips, stop and smell the roses and all that jazz, instead of just getting the fuck on with it. I can live with that. I can even live with fact that the very end was mind-bogglingly anti-climactic. But the part that really frosts my socks is that the whole reason the blackout happened (and therefore the reason the whole book happened) was left totally vague and one-dimensional. I understand leaving it unclear so you don't anger the crazies, but give us SOME kind of definitive reasoning, please.
Generally, it was a good read. But don't go looking to A Catch in Time for any easy answers; go to it to be entertained.
I also enjoyed the variety of characters and settings; I tend to get bored easily, so jumping around a bit keeps me interested. As did the occasional gout of
uber violence. That always helps.
You know what sucked though? A few pretty important and not so important things both, actually. Occasionally the author would meander though the daisies, tiptoe through the tulips, stop and smell the roses and all that jazz, instead of just getting the fuck on with it. I can live with that. I can even live with fact that the very end was mind-bogglingly anti-climactic. But the part that really frosts my socks is that the whole reason the blackout happened (and therefore the reason the whole book happened) was left totally vague and one-dimensional. I understand leaving it unclear so you don't anger the crazies, but give us SOME kind of definitive reasoning, please.
Generally, it was a good read. But don't go looking to A Catch in Time for any easy answers; go to it to be entertained.
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