Scan barcode
A review by eiion
Collapse Years by Damir Salkovic
4.0
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Collpase Years is a series of short stories set in a future not unlike the one we're currently hurdling towards. In a world where sickness, corruption, and survival are the tenants of life, each story focuses on a different character and their fight to thrive.
This was a really interesting read. At its core, it felt like a commentary, touching on human development, greed, and selfishness. There was genuinely an eerie feeling to it, wondering if this was the way we would be seeing our world turn out within the next 50-100 years.
It was a good post apocalyptic book, and I really enjoyed the short story format with the overarching setting. It lent itself to the fact that the world was really complicated, and allowed us to explore multiple layers within the collection of people who were still alive. It was a really creative and effective way to explore the world building - which I absolutely love. Each story connected to the other via the world rather than the characters, keeping me immersed in the non-linear story, never guessing about what was going on, and yet still intrigued by every different POV we got.
The character building was a bit weak, but it's to be expected when you're looking at stories that are maybe 20-30 pages in length. However, it was hard in places to connect with the characters, and left me feeling like a secondary bystander, rooting for no one and not really caring about the outcomes of each story. In a way, I think this was intentional: we didn't need to care about the character or their arc, we needed to understand the world, how they contributed to it, and why they had been integrated into the story in the way they were. Each character felt like a part of the setting to further our understanding, rather than a person with free will.
The book is definitely aimed towards fans of worldbuilding and commentary on human development, rather than those looking for a fulfilling or connected story.
That's not to say this is bad - I really enjoyed it! But it's got a very specific audience, and if you're not it, it might not be the most interesting read for you.
Collpase Years is a series of short stories set in a future not unlike the one we're currently hurdling towards. In a world where sickness, corruption, and survival are the tenants of life, each story focuses on a different character and their fight to thrive.
This was a really interesting read. At its core, it felt like a commentary, touching on human development, greed, and selfishness. There was genuinely an eerie feeling to it, wondering if this was the way we would be seeing our world turn out within the next 50-100 years.
It was a good post apocalyptic book, and I really enjoyed the short story format with the overarching setting. It lent itself to the fact that the world was really complicated, and allowed us to explore multiple layers within the collection of people who were still alive. It was a really creative and effective way to explore the world building - which I absolutely love. Each story connected to the other via the world rather than the characters, keeping me immersed in the non-linear story, never guessing about what was going on, and yet still intrigued by every different POV we got.
The character building was a bit weak, but it's to be expected when you're looking at stories that are maybe 20-30 pages in length. However, it was hard in places to connect with the characters, and left me feeling like a secondary bystander, rooting for no one and not really caring about the outcomes of each story. In a way, I think this was intentional: we didn't need to care about the character or their arc, we needed to understand the world, how they contributed to it, and why they had been integrated into the story in the way they were. Each character felt like a part of the setting to further our understanding, rather than a person with free will.
The book is definitely aimed towards fans of worldbuilding and commentary on human development, rather than those looking for a fulfilling or connected story.
That's not to say this is bad - I really enjoyed it! But it's got a very specific audience, and if you're not it, it might not be the most interesting read for you.