Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Book Review | The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey

The Book of Koli is a new science fiction/post-apocalyptic novel from M.R. Carey.


The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey

Beyond the walls of the small village of Mythen Rood lies an unrecognizable world. A world where overgrown forests are filled with choker trees and deadly vines and seeds that will kill you where you stand. And if they don't get you, one of the dangerous shunned men will.

Koli has lived in Mythen Rood his entire life. He knows the first rule of survival is that you don't venture beyond the walls.

What he doesn't know is - what happens when you aren't given a choice?

The first in a gripping new trilogy, The Book of Koli charts the journey of one unforgettable young boy struggling to find his place in a chilling post-apocalyptic world. Perfect for readers of Station Eleven and Annihilation.

Why did I read The Book of Koli?

I adored The Girl with All the Gifts. That makes me automatically take a closer look at anything M.R. Carey releases. I loved the sound of this trilogy. It's been a while since I've read a really great dystopian, and a deadly forest sounded perfect!

The Strengths

I immediately fell in love with the language in this. I think some readers may have trouble with the grammar and other nuances, but I really connected with Carey's writing in this one. There was poetry to his voice and his language here, and I just really enjoyed spending time with it.

I also loved the characters. Koli is a bit of a Harry Potter type of character. He's the star of the show, but all of his supporting characters are more powerful and more interesting. Monono reminded me a lot of the operating system in the movie Her. If you liked The Book of Koli or Her, I highly recommend the other!

I loved the world building, but this is also going to appear in the weaknesses for The Book of Koli. I'm a sucker for post-apocalypse and natural forces outweigh political forces for me every time. I can't wait to learn more about this world.

The Weaknesses

The Book of Koli is the first book in the Rampart Trilogy. It helped tremendously seeing the covers for the next two books on the back of my Koli paperback. I was prepared to only receive the first third of a complete story, but I'm never going to be 100% OK with a book not being able to stand on its own.

My expectation going into reading The Book of Koli was the environment was going to play a huge role in this trilogy. Hopefully it still will, but there was a lot less man versus nature than I was expecting. I want to know more and I want to see more! The good news is we are just getting started.

Would I recommend The Book of Koli to others?

Yes! Especially if you have loved other books by M.R. Carey. I'm really excited for the rest of the trilogy, and the next two books are at the top of my most anticipated list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★
4/5 stars

Review copy provided by publisher


4 comments:

  1. I'm glad you loved this too😁 I was also a bit disappointed that the forest wasn't more of a character, but he still has two more books to get there.

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  2. I think the weaknesses of the novel weighed more heavily for me, but I still enjoyed myself. And yes, it's just the first book, so I expect the next two will start picking up the slack :P

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    Replies
    1. I definitely get that. I'm excited to see what comes next.

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  3. I've seen so many great reviews for this book. I've never read Carey's books but I'm definitely adding this one to my TBR.

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