A social thriller with ominious scifi backdrop. The context is delightfully vague and absurd with dinosaurs and flying orbs; but the plot is about the desperate remnants of humanity and their struggles to explore and survive one another. The books makes a self aware joke about how so many people now are idiots or insane but the tension works. I appreciate the sly hesitation in revealing much of the far out horrors but sometimes the plot stalled a bit. At it’s best the anything goes weirdness of transported humans creates a cryptic mystery beyond the events of the plot especially with the tension of an odd situation and some unhinged people. It’s clear the author is taking some time (since it’s a first installment) and it could have used some trimming. I am curious to see what will come next. The writing is clear but seemed straightforward without a lot of flowery language or investment in poetic tone and I sometimes wished it had been more atmospheric rather than plot/character focused (but not without little touches like clothing stuck in reptile teeth). I’m looking forward to digging into part 2.
