Rating: ★★★★★
The Book of Koli is a book I have been very excited for since I first heard about it earlier this year. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, given this is my first time reading Carey, but I am thrilled to report he did not disappoint.
The world presented here is one of the more unique worlds I think I’ve encountered. It’s set in a future earth in which trees and plants have become deadly to humans. On sunny days the trees are active (physically active!), so the village must wait for the rainy, grey days to venture out and do their hunting. Most of the world’s human population has died out, so people live in villages few and far between.
These villages are run by people with the “magical” ability to wake up tech. No one knows how the tech chooses who it will work for or why. These leaders are known as Ramparts. Koli, our MC, dreams of becoming Koli Rampart, wielding his own tech and joining the ranks of leaders and lawmakers. The overall result is a strange mix of antiquated societal structure combined with some far future dystopian technology.
The voice of Koli is very strong. It almost reminded me of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. The grammar is often incorrect, the sentences run on in stream of consciousness style. While it might bother some readers, I found it somewhat endearing, and easy to connect with Koli as a character. I also enjoyed the other characters, Ursala-From-Elsewhere and Monono Aware (A-wa-ray). Ursala especially, with her intelligence and compassion, but also the prickly and unapproachable exterior.
The plot moves along at a breakneck pace. I found the book almost impossible to put down and read it in just a couple of days. That’s the fastest I’ve read a book all year. The plot twists and turns and propels Koli from one peril to the next. From about the midway point on- Koli’s situation never feels safe. He cannot take a break to rest, his future is uncertain, and he is surrounded by danger, either from nearby people, animals, or plants.
I also loved the very natural way in which this story is told. It feels like you might be sitting down with an old friend to hear where they’ve been and what they’ve been up to the past ten years. Details are woven in about the past through Monono, explaining pieces of what happened to the world and what it was like before it ended.
I do wish we had been able to learn a little more about the natural environment. I’m curious about the killer trees and the way some animals have evolved over time. The plot appears to be leading away from village life to an adventure on the road, so I’m hopeful we’ll see more of this in book two. (And thank goodness we only have to wait until September for it!).
I highly recommend The Book of Koli. It is brilliantly written, with fully realized characters and detailed world-building. It releases on April 14, 2020 and can be found on GoodReads, or preordered on Amazon. Thank you to Orbit Books, who supplied an electronic review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’m so glad you loved this too! And it’s funny, I almost mentioned that Koli’s voice reminded me of Mark Twain in my review😁 And I want to know more about the tree too!
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I LOVED it. I flew through it in just a couple days, and I haven’t been doing that at all since this whole thing started.
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This sounds interesting! I love the look of the cover, too, though the vines and things made me think of pretty ferns and not killer plants. 😳
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There are some pretty scenery descriptions too! But yeah most of the plants want to eat you. lol
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LOL! Killer plants can be a really fun (fun?) addition to a thriller.
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ARRRR!!! Loved this review and the book too. Me review will be up tomorrow.
x The Captain
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The book was excellent. I’ll look forward to seeing your thoughts!
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I’m wondering if this author has an interest in climate change and environmentalism, because even in the book The Girl With All the Gifts, people become zombies thanks to fungus. I think you would like that book, too. It follows the tropes of zombie movies, but it also felt new to me. There’s a prequel that I haven’t read, but my husband did and said it was just as good.
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I hadn’t even thought of that – but it’s a great point! I definitely want to check out both of the other books. I didn’t realize Boy on the Bridge was a prequel so maybe I’ll actually start with that one since I haven’t read it or seen it. lol
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I was on the fence about trying this one. Your review certainly makes it feel more interesting than I thought.
May well have to back track and give this one a go.
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I think you’d like it quite a bit! Definitely recommend it. Have you tried his other one?
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No, I’ve never actually heard of this author. What’s it about?
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It’s set in a future post apocalyptic world after a zombie virus. Some of the kids born have it and can be partially controlled, so you follow the story of one of the girls as she helps her teachers navigate the world to find a cure for the virus. It’s got a great twist at the end. You’d probably like that one too. I only watched the movie but it was good.
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I’m so glad to see that this book is quickly garnering much love, because it deserves it. Having read other books from this author I had some expectations and they were met and surpassed as well. September cannot come too soon… 😉
Thanks for sharing!
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Oh gosh Maddalena – I’m right there with you! I immediately went to look at the release date of book two when I finished this. I was comforted by the fact that I wouldn’t have to wait a year or two while it was being written, but still it can’t get here quick enough.
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I’ve only read one book by Carey and I remember sitting down and five hours later I was done so I think pacing is probably a strength of his. Glad to see such high praise for this new one, I’ve been wanting to check out more of his work for a while now. Great review!
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Thank you! I felt the same way – this was just really difficult to put down. I definitely want to check out more of his work.
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Although I liked his Girl With All the Gifts, I’ve been holding out on adding this to my TBR. You sold me on it though. I love how Carey writes, and it seems that I might like his writing in this book too.
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Oh good! I don’t know if you’ll get to it any time soon but I’ll look forward to your review! I still have to read The Girl With All The Gifts. I did watch the movie out of curiosity and I think it might have spoiled the ending for me, but what an amazing ending it was.
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Lol yea, you’re most likely spoiled for the ending, but it’s still a good read.
I think I watched the movie but whenever I think about it, I only remember the book. It’s that strong in my memory.
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That’s a great endorsement for it!
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Great review! I didn’t like it quite as much as you did but I won’t be forgetting those trees anytime soon 😀
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Yes! I really want to learn more about the trees!
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