In the event of a natural disaster - when humanity's true survival instincts are tested - we devolve. This novel is a true warning for those who believe that modern technology will save us all. When DEVOLUTION isn’t moving the plot forward at a blistering pace with Kate’s journal, it hits the reader hard with a variety of well crafted bits of satire and social commentary. The community relies on drone-delivered food and fiber optic internet so when Mount Rainier erupts and these modern items the community relies on are taken out of the equation, the residents are left to deal with the consequences. Tony’s heart was in the right place when he created Greenloop, but like all utopias, his calculus was off. The meat of the story comes from the POV of Kate Holland, a recent resident of Greenloop, an eco-conscious, “smart” technology backed community created by an Elon Musk (or John Hammond) inspired entrepreneur named Tony Durant. It’s told through interview logs, journal entries, and passages from a variety of other primary sources. Its narrative structure is similar to Max Brooks’s Zombie novel, WORLD WAR Z. If you love JURASSIC PARK, pick this up yesterday. I mean this as a true compliment: DEVOLUTION is a research-based (some fact, some fiction), technology-centered, natural disaster survival thriller about a small group of humans dealing with a volcanic eruption that triggers a Bigfoot ambush. This book really made me miss Michael Crichton - it’s as if Max Brooks extracted Crichton’s literary DNA from a chunk of amber and cloned it in a top secret lab.
Well, I am happy to report that DEVOLUTION triggered my bookish fight or flight response and brought me roaring back to life. I know I'm far from alone in this slump - this year has kicked most of us into some form of survival mode.
Besides ARC’s and the occasional short story, most of my pleasure reads have fallen completely flat. I've been mired in a prolonged reading slump over the past few months.
“They all want to live ‘in harmony with nature’ before some of them realize, too late, that nature is anything but harmonious” - Max Brooks BOOK REVIEW: DEVOLUTION by Max Brooks- The Horror Hypothesis
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