What do you think?
Rate this book
Partials Sequence #0.5
Isolation
Two decades before the events of Partials, the world was locked in a different battle for survival: a global war for the last remaining oil reserves on the planet. It was for the Isolation War that the American government contracted the ParaGen Corporation to manufacture the Partials—our last hope in reclaiming energy independence from China. And it was on these fields of battle that the seeds of humanity's eventual destruction were sown.
Isolation takes us back to the front lines of this war, a time when mankind's ambition far outstripped its foresight. Heron, a newly trained Partial soldier who specializes in infiltration, is sent on a mission deep behind enemy lines. What she discovers there has far-reaching implications—not only for the Isolation War, but for Partials and humans alike long after this war is over.
A powerful take of our world on the brink, Isolation gives readers a glimpse into the history from which Partials was born—as well as clues to where the Partials Sequence is heading next.
75 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2012
103 people are currently reading
9072 people want to read
About the author
Dan Wells
88 books6,042 followersDan Wells is a thriller and science fiction writer. Born in Utah, he spent his early years reading and writing. He is he author of the Partials series (Partials, Isolation, Fragments, and Ruins), the John Cleaver series (I Am Not a Serial Killer, Mr. Monster, and I Don't Want To Kill You), and a few others (The Hollow City, A Night of Blacker Darkness, etc). He was a Campbell nomine for best new writer, and has won a Hugo award for his work on the podcast Writing Excuses; the podcast is also a multiple winner of the Parsec Award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews
November 7, 2012
We are at war," said the voice," a war we must win at all costs ; you know that-"
"What I want you to do," said Heron softly , " is to think long and hard about this. You made us to kill and conquer, and we are doing it better than you ever anticipated. Far better than you could ever do yourselves. You are no match for us. Do not make us your enemy." She stared into the darkness and a wicked smile crept into the corners of her lips , "Confirm?"
Whatta badass babe.
Oh hell . I want Fragments So baaad.
This short story by Dan Wells was such an unexpected bomb.
It started out a tad lazy but got real amazing till the end which was the point where my jaw seemed to have given in to gravity.
What makes this beauty over here special is the sheer idea of this being from a Partial's point of view.
When I read Partials , I came to know these certain things -
1.Partials are like the book version of the terminators. But just a tad more non-invincible a bit more bio-engineered.
2.They have no feelings.
3.They were supposed to be bound to humans.
4.They were supposed to follow orders.
While all of this is quite significant and obvious from when you read the book but there is always this tiny difference . What you read in the main novel is the protagonist's voice and she's just an outsider trying to work out who and what the Partials are . But this is straight out of the mouth from a Partial . This is the real deal.
And what's more amazing is the fact that it's in Heron's point of view.
Remember that snarky, serious , authoritative leader?
Yes , HER.
I dig badass females and this one here is a total goddess.
Loved it :D
"What I want you to do," said Heron softly , " is to think long and hard about this. You made us to kill and conquer, and we are doing it better than you ever anticipated. Far better than you could ever do yourselves. You are no match for us. Do not make us your enemy." She stared into the darkness and a wicked smile crept into the corners of her lips , "Confirm?"
Whatta badass babe.
Oh hell . I want Fragments So baaad.
This short story by Dan Wells was such an unexpected bomb.
It started out a tad lazy but got real amazing till the end which was the point where my jaw seemed to have given in to gravity.
What makes this beauty over here special is the sheer idea of this being from a Partial's point of view.
When I read Partials , I came to know these certain things -
1.Partials are like the book version of the terminators. But just a tad more non-invincible a bit more bio-engineered.
2.They have no feelings.
3.They were supposed to be bound to humans.
4.They were supposed to follow orders.
While all of this is quite significant and obvious from when you read the book but there is always this tiny difference . What you read in the main novel is the protagonist's voice and she's just an outsider trying to work out who and what the Partials are . But this is straight out of the mouth from a Partial . This is the real deal.
And what's more amazing is the fact that it's in Heron's point of view.
Remember that snarky, serious , authoritative leader?
Yes , HER.
I dig badass females and this one here is a total goddess.
Loved it :D
December 26, 2015
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
I have read Partials and I really really loved it so when I saw that there was a novella to this series too I was very eager to read it.
THE WORLD: This novella is actually a prequel so it is still based in the normal world before the Partial War. In other words, America is at war with China and therefore created partials to win the war. Mainly here we get to follow our main character in China as well as in her partial training facility.
CHARACTERS: Heron is the main character in this novella. It is really about her becoming a super spy and how she handels herself in extreme situations. I did not have much of an opinion when it comes to Heron in the Partials book but here I started to like her. Sure she has this weird thing going on about caring and not caring and her being the best but let's face it, Heron was one of the bests partials or at least superior to all that were above her status.
LOVE: None.
PLUS: I was really interested in reading about Partials facilities, how they "grew up", how were they trained and that it also showed that Partials really are just like humans. Well not really because a really good example of "human" was given in this novella and that was sexual abuse. I admit, I could not agree more with the picture this book painted. I am one hundred percent team Partials.
MINUS: It was really short. I mean yeah sure it is novella but I would have loved to see a world of Samm too and also there should be a novella about Trust...would be so cool!
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
I have read Partials and I really really loved it so when I saw that there was a novella to this series too I was very eager to read it.
THE WORLD: This novella is actually a prequel so it is still based in the normal world before the Partial War. In other words, America is at war with China and therefore created partials to win the war. Mainly here we get to follow our main character in China as well as in her partial training facility.
CHARACTERS: Heron is the main character in this novella. It is really about her becoming a super spy and how she handels herself in extreme situations. I did not have much of an opinion when it comes to Heron in the Partials book but here I started to like her. Sure she has this weird thing going on about caring and not caring and her being the best but let's face it, Heron was one of the bests partials or at least superior to all that were above her status.
LOVE: None.
PLUS: I was really interested in reading about Partials facilities, how they "grew up", how were they trained and that it also showed that Partials really are just like humans. Well not really because a really good example of "human" was given in this novella and that was sexual abuse. I admit, I could not agree more with the picture this book painted. I am one hundred percent team Partials.
MINUS: It was really short. I mean yeah sure it is novella but I would have loved to see a world of Samm too and also there should be a novella about Trust...would be so cool!
MORE? MORE! @ P.S. I love that book!
July 31, 2015
ISOLATION, is not just a short story, like the ones very common now a days, it actually describes you the background story of the Partials, and it is WONDERFULL. Heron is a spy Partial who discovers what humans are planning to do with them. This story makes you realize how heartless humans can be and how weak they become when wanting to conquer something. Human ambition is too complex to describe, even more when you're writing for YA people, but Dan Wells, as always, does a very good job.
Definitivamente mi nivel FANGIRL por esta historia no hace mas que subir. En esta precuela, por asi decirlo, Dan Wells nos enseña la razón por la que los Parciales, armas biológicas creadas por los humanos, se revelaron contra ellos, sus creadores.
Se nos presenta una protagonista Parcial que esta entrenada para seguir ordenes, pero como todo lo que se crea con el propósito de esclavitud/obediencia, hay limites.
Esta es una saga que recomiendo bastante, tiene mucho que aprenderse de ella, aunque esta historia en particular habla mas sobre como los Parciales pasaron de ser armas a ser un lado mas en una guerra no planeada.
La traición y deslealtad desembocan en enemistad. Dan Wells nos enseña que hay que tener cuidado en las cosas que tenemos -creamos en el caso de esta historia- pero mas cuidado en como las tratamos.
Definitivamente mi nivel FANGIRL por esta historia no hace mas que subir. En esta precuela, por asi decirlo, Dan Wells nos enseña la razón por la que los Parciales, armas biológicas creadas por los humanos, se revelaron contra ellos, sus creadores.
Se nos presenta una protagonista Parcial que esta entrenada para seguir ordenes, pero como todo lo que se crea con el propósito de esclavitud/obediencia, hay limites.
Esta es una saga que recomiendo bastante, tiene mucho que aprenderse de ella, aunque esta historia en particular habla mas sobre como los Parciales pasaron de ser armas a ser un lado mas en una guerra no planeada.
La traición y deslealtad desembocan en enemistad. Dan Wells nos enseña que hay que tener cuidado en las cosas que tenemos -creamos en el caso de esta historia- pero mas cuidado en como las tratamos.
December 8, 2024
I don’t have too much to say about this one—it’s a short, filler book. I’m guessing the main character in this novella will play a bigger role in the upcoming books, so it’s probably worth the read for that context. Just a heads-up: I read this after the first book but before the second and third.
August 10, 2018
Interesting enough to want to read the sequel.
April 10, 2013
Very few books pull a five star review from me, you have to really give me something good. Dan Wells Partials did just that for me, I liked the characters a great deal. The plot was done pretty nicely if a little bit confusing because we don't get to know the villians other than a few fights and a supporting characters. Isolation gives readers that. I have made a list of pros and cons to really give you an idea as to what I'm talking about.
Pros+
+ Heron knows what she is, the second strongest type of Partial there is, because of this she is always in charge of her situation. Heron is also pretty damnable resourceful, she uses her natural(irony?) beauty.
+ Having only a disembodied voice as a real support character works. The novel stays on Herons mission.
+ Reading about the Partial/isolation war fills in the INTENDED blanks in Partials. The war aspect and planing are light. Heron is not a soldier so she is mot on the front lines.
+ Making our heroine a spy model allowed us to see exactly how perfect partials are.
+ Making Heron the Icon of rebellion I. the latter half of the novel is interesting. She leads her "people" or is at least seen as an Icon.
Cons-
-Heron is PERFECT. There is not a single learning curve in this novel. it causes you too lose a lot on emotional investment in her.
-While the novel does a good job of showing the war in China it fails to give even the sligtest hint as to what caused the war to begin with.
-Without any side characters to speak of Heron is alone. We don't get to read about the "link" system between partials. other than the first couple of chapters.
All in all I love the idea of giving us a true partial protagonist. I alsocant get over how well the book itself is errorless. Hope I helped.
Pros+
+ Heron knows what she is, the second strongest type of Partial there is, because of this she is always in charge of her situation. Heron is also pretty damnable resourceful, she uses her natural(irony?) beauty.
+ Having only a disembodied voice as a real support character works. The novel stays on Herons mission.
+ Reading about the Partial/isolation war fills in the INTENDED blanks in Partials. The war aspect and planing are light. Heron is not a soldier so she is mot on the front lines.
+ Making our heroine a spy model allowed us to see exactly how perfect partials are.
+ Making Heron the Icon of rebellion I. the latter half of the novel is interesting. She leads her "people" or is at least seen as an Icon.
Cons-
-Heron is PERFECT. There is not a single learning curve in this novel. it causes you too lose a lot on emotional investment in her.
-While the novel does a good job of showing the war in China it fails to give even the sligtest hint as to what caused the war to begin with.
-Without any side characters to speak of Heron is alone. We don't get to read about the "link" system between partials. other than the first couple of chapters.
All in all I love the idea of giving us a true partial protagonist. I alsocant get over how well the book itself is errorless. Hope I helped.
October 10, 2018
Si ya sé, me advirtieron que me haría spoiler, pero no me importa. No, no he terminado la saga (aunque muero por hacerlo), y leí el pequeño librito del mundo Patials (algo similar a Rouge One en el universo Star War). Es muy ágil, esclarecedor y entretenido. Te pone a pensar. Eso me gusta de esta saga juvenil, que es inteligente desde el punto de vista narrativo y también filosófico. Mal que mal, nuestra tecnología más pronto que tarde nos permitirá sintetizar personas. O no? Miren con cuidado alrededor, podría ser uno de ellos. O tal vez yo lo sea. O usted. Ya hablé demasiado. #Partials #sagaparciales #danwells
October 6, 2015
Tan bueno como la saga principal, no pueden dejar de leer estos libros
June 2, 2016
2.75
i read this book, looking for answers... i found it very short, it gave me some answers, but i wanted more, i guess i am ready to read ruins, the last book of this trilogy
i read this book, looking for answers... i found it very short, it gave me some answers, but i wanted more, i guess i am ready to read ruins, the last book of this trilogy
September 3, 2012
I bought this because I totally loved Partials and think Dan Wells rocks! Isolation by Dan Wells offers us a unique look back at the Isolation Wars that created the dystopian world we learned about in Partials. This was truly fascinating and explains why the Partials rebelled.
The tale goes back and forth detailing the life of one partial over a four year period. We meet Heron while she is being created, trained and eventually set up as a spy for the United States Government. Wells explains how events came to be and I quickly became swept up in the tale. The tale begins in Zuoquan City, Shanxi Province China in the year 2060. Heron known as Mei Hao has established herself at the right hand side of General Wu. The Partials and US government have successfully cornered them. They are planning where in the city to make their last stand. In the next chapter we find ourselves at the Paragen Biosynth Growth and Training Facility at an undisclosed location in the year 2058. Her Heron is unborn in her incubator and we are taken through her birth and training. It was amazingly detailed and I found myself soaking up every tid-bit of information. From their we go back and forth and I was completely immersed in the tale.
Heron is classified as “espionage” for “Group Theata”. They are developed without empathy. I adored Heron and immediately connected with her. She is smart, excels at all tests, and her intellectual skills astounded me. The humans at the faculty and what the government was doing, sent shivers down my spine.
Anyone who cried they wanted more world-building and history after reading Partials will find the answers they desire within the pages of Isolation. While only a mere 62 pages in length it was tightly written and filled with history. As a reader, I was swept up in Heron’s tale and experienced an array of emotions. I want to gush and spill information, but I promise spoiler free reviews on my site and you will need to read this for yourself! This has given me a better sense of where this series is headed..and I cannot wait!
Isolation is a must read for fans of Partials and the fact that it contains the first chapter of Fragments should be enough reason to grab this gripping tale. Sadly this is only available as an eBook, but worth the read , even if its from your computer.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
The tale goes back and forth detailing the life of one partial over a four year period. We meet Heron while she is being created, trained and eventually set up as a spy for the United States Government. Wells explains how events came to be and I quickly became swept up in the tale. The tale begins in Zuoquan City, Shanxi Province China in the year 2060. Heron known as Mei Hao has established herself at the right hand side of General Wu. The Partials and US government have successfully cornered them. They are planning where in the city to make their last stand. In the next chapter we find ourselves at the Paragen Biosynth Growth and Training Facility at an undisclosed location in the year 2058. Her Heron is unborn in her incubator and we are taken through her birth and training. It was amazingly detailed and I found myself soaking up every tid-bit of information. From their we go back and forth and I was completely immersed in the tale.
Heron is classified as “espionage” for “Group Theata”. They are developed without empathy. I adored Heron and immediately connected with her. She is smart, excels at all tests, and her intellectual skills astounded me. The humans at the faculty and what the government was doing, sent shivers down my spine.
Anyone who cried they wanted more world-building and history after reading Partials will find the answers they desire within the pages of Isolation. While only a mere 62 pages in length it was tightly written and filled with history. As a reader, I was swept up in Heron’s tale and experienced an array of emotions. I want to gush and spill information, but I promise spoiler free reviews on my site and you will need to read this for yourself! This has given me a better sense of where this series is headed..and I cannot wait!
Isolation is a must read for fans of Partials and the fact that it contains the first chapter of Fragments should be enough reason to grab this gripping tale. Sadly this is only available as an eBook, but worth the read , even if its from your computer.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
January 5, 2021
8 out of 10
ревью на русском/review in russian
This book gave me the answers to all my whats and whys I had after reading "Partials".
And now I know for what were women among the bio-soldiers, why robots are so conscious and human-like. Now is clear why people and not-people had started to fight, what the Isolation War is, and what happened to the world we used to live in.
Do you know who helped me with that? Heron. I never thought I would love to spend around 70 pages with her only, but here I am. This girl is an interesting character and it’s great to see things through the opposite (partials’) POV. I’m in the team of these synthetic guys from book #1, but now my sympathy is stronger. Even if you aren’t a fan of partials, you'd empathize with them, I swear.
Chapters are interchanging and bringing to light the first days, weeks, and months of Heron in the ParaGen's lab plus her future task in a form of espionage in China. Both timelines were pretty good, but ParaGen's were a bit more interesting.
This bonus is useful. You definitely should read it, but do it only after Partials.
Partials Sequence (Партиалы):
— Isolation (Изоляция) #0.5/3
— Partials (Партиалы) #1/3
— Fragments (Фрагменты) #2/3
— Ruins (Руины) #3/3
February 24, 2013
The Partials Sequence is a post-apocalyptic setting in the latter half of the 21st-century . Humanity has been driven to near-extension by the Partials -- bio-mechanical super soldiers. The Partials were created as specialized (and disposable) "weapons" in the global conflicts over natural resources.
This short story is set prior to the events in the novels, during the "Isolation War" -- a war between China and the NADI (North American Defense Initiative). It follows Heron, a partial Theta (or spy), and alternates back and forth between her training, and her mission as an infiltrator with the Chinese forces. It provides some background and insight into why the Partials eventually turned against their creators.
It is a mix of character study and spy thriller. As is the case with his earlier books, Dan Wells does a good job getting us into the mind of somebody who is not quite on the same mental wavelength as your typical person.
I actually read this before I read the first novel, and I think it actually serves as an interesting bit of setting backstory. It isn't required to understand or enjoy Partials (the first novel in the series), but does provide an alternate perspective on what might be going on outside the focus of the first novel.
This short story is set prior to the events in the novels, during the "Isolation War" -- a war between China and the NADI (North American Defense Initiative). It follows Heron, a partial Theta (or spy), and alternates back and forth between her training, and her mission as an infiltrator with the Chinese forces. It provides some background and insight into why the Partials eventually turned against their creators.
It is a mix of character study and spy thriller. As is the case with his earlier books, Dan Wells does a good job getting us into the mind of somebody who is not quite on the same mental wavelength as your typical person.
I actually read this before I read the first novel, and I think it actually serves as an interesting bit of setting backstory. It isn't required to understand or enjoy Partials (the first novel in the series), but does provide an alternate perspective on what might be going on outside the focus of the first novel.
December 12, 2025
"Isolation" was amazing. Dan Wells is an incredibly descriptive writer without being overly so. The pictures he creates in your mind help pull you into not just the story, but the world of the story.
"Isolation" is a short prequel to "Partials." In "Partials" we vaguely heard about the Isolation War--a war the Partials (essentially genetically manufactured bodies) won for the humans. In "Isolation," we learn the details of that war, how the Partials won it and what consequences the win had that lead to the world in the start of the "Partials" book.
One of my favorite things in books that are connected (such as prequels and companion novels, not just within a series itself) is when an author makes a connection between the books that seem so far apart--books that are separated by time or space. It's exciting to me when a character shows up, or an event is explained, and suddenly more of the story, more of that world, makes sense. "Isolation" had many of those moments and was an amazing thrill to read.
"Isolation" is a short prequel to "Partials." In "Partials" we vaguely heard about the Isolation War--a war the Partials (essentially genetically manufactured bodies) won for the humans. In "Isolation," we learn the details of that war, how the Partials won it and what consequences the win had that lead to the world in the start of the "Partials" book.
One of my favorite things in books that are connected (such as prequels and companion novels, not just within a series itself) is when an author makes a connection between the books that seem so far apart--books that are separated by time or space. It's exciting to me when a character shows up, or an event is explained, and suddenly more of the story, more of that world, makes sense. "Isolation" had many of those moments and was an amazing thrill to read.
March 27, 2013
I'm really not one for this new "novella" trend. I don't really watch the extras/deleted scenes on DVDs, figuring if it was really important, it would have been included in the "real" book/show. For the most part, I come away from them unsatisfied, especially if I have put off reading the next book because I felt I had to read the novella chronologically.
This novella (as many end up doing) comes before book 1 even begins. There is no one from book one in this, so it's really its own short story. I did like it, it gave more background from the Partial perspective which was interesting. Again, the similarity to BSG's cylons is there (which I'm ok with, I'm a BSG fan).
Definitely not "needed" to understand anything in the series, but a good addition. Could be read before Partials (although published after). I'm glad my library gets these novellas for digital loans, as I wouldn't want to pay for something so short.
This novella (as many end up doing) comes before book 1 even begins. There is no one from book one in this, so it's really its own short story. I did like it, it gave more background from the Partial perspective which was interesting. Again, the similarity to BSG's cylons is there (which I'm ok with, I'm a BSG fan).
Definitely not "needed" to understand anything in the series, but a good addition. Could be read before Partials (although published after). I'm glad my library gets these novellas for digital loans, as I wouldn't want to pay for something so short.
May 14, 2017
Aislados nos presenta dos situaciones que llegan al mismo objetivo "el principio del fin", conocemos a Heron en sus comienzos como espía y vemos como un acto de guerra contra China los llevará a presenciar un cambio en la historia de los Partials.
La historia aunque esta muy bien cerrada deja gusto a poco, principalmente creo que me sucedió eso porque Heron es un personaje que le guardo cariño. Me hubiera gustado que nos presentará más historias o detallará otros sucesos, pero creo que el objetivo de Aislados se cumplió.
Al ser una historia corta todo sucede rápido, pero te hace sentir empatía por los Partials.
Le daría más cinco estrellas si pudiera porque la pluma de Dan Wells sigue siendo espectacular y la historia no defrauda.
La historia aunque esta muy bien cerrada deja gusto a poco, principalmente creo que me sucedió eso porque Heron es un personaje que le guardo cariño. Me hubiera gustado que nos presentará más historias o detallará otros sucesos, pero creo que el objetivo de Aislados se cumplió.
Al ser una historia corta todo sucede rápido, pero te hace sentir empatía por los Partials.
Le daría más cinco estrellas si pudiera porque la pluma de Dan Wells sigue siendo espectacular y la historia no defrauda.
April 6, 2021
Excelente precuela, que final ..... !!!! No puedo esperar para leer la trilogia completa !!!
December 14, 2012
Isolation is a prequel novella in Dan Well's Partials series. Although it is technically a prequel and can be read alone, I still recommend reading it after the first book, Partials, because there is a bit of jargon, but more importantly, it's clearly a supplement to the series and it's just not very strong story by itself. The story is from the point of view of Heron, an assassin Partial created to infiltrate Chinese headquarters.
I admit I might be a bit biased since this novella is set in China, and me being Chinese is especially keen to how my culture is depicted, especially when they are supposed to be the "enemy." Which brings me to this:
Why Do All The Chinese People Have Awkward Dialogue That Sounds Like Poor Movie Subtitles?
I am not sure if this is intentional to emphasize the foreign nature of Chinese, but I couldn't help catching that all Chinese dialogue sounded forced, unfitting for the rough, ruthless, army men I imagined the characters to be.
Even I don't even use "utterly" or "flee" in colloquial language.
The Chinese names were also inaccurately romanized. There are no "Do" or "Po" sounds. But then maybe I'm asking for too much. All the Chinese names were ridiculous that I almost burst out laughing.
Chinese Men Are Also Stereotypical Misogynists
I have no idea why this story is set in 2060, yet it seems like China has moved backwards in gender equality. I admit that in rural China, males are valued more than females, but in Isolation, the Chinese men detest women.
Yes, the Chinese also call their enemies "devils," which seems to portray them as superstitious fools more than using the term as a derogatory term. Never mind that their dialogue sounds like something from a bad video game trying desperately to sound epic. *sigh*
Americans:
To be fair, the Americans don't sound like great people either. Basically, the purpose of the Isolation War is unveiled, which turns out to just be greedy people who want to wage war for resources. China holds these precious resources, but have turned themselves into North Korea, where they've isolated themselves from international trade. And Americans, being power-hungry, have to wreck havoc until they get what they want.
The Perspective of a Partial:
The main attraction of this novella is to give readers background information about Partials, how they are formed, and the way they think. These herons are built to be soldiers, cold, unfeeling creatures built to follow orders. Heron isn't a hero because she wants to, but because she is following orders...and because she is angry. So Partials don't give a damn about anyone, or even their own and will do destructive things out of anger--which makes me question why would her creators take away empathy but leave "anger." I fear that Dan Wells has defaulted back to the sociopaths he has written many times before. *points to John Cleaver*
In the end we have a novel filled to the brim with a bunch of unlikable people and a messy plot that's supposed to be action-packed and filled with brilliant military strategy, but left me confused half the time. Perhaps if it was a movie, it would've worked better--I could imagine Heron as Anne Hathaway's Cat Woman from Dark Knight Rises (especially the scene where she pretends to be helpless.) But while I appreciated the action and the backstory, I couldn't relate to any of the characters to be invested in the story. The stereotypical portrayal of Chinese and Americans left me wincing till the end. As a fan of Partials, I am disappointed. Even 75 pages felt too long.
I admit I might be a bit biased since this novella is set in China, and me being Chinese is especially keen to how my culture is depicted, especially when they are supposed to be the "enemy." Which brings me to this:
Why Do All The Chinese People Have Awkward Dialogue That Sounds Like Poor Movie Subtitles?
I am not sure if this is intentional to emphasize the foreign nature of Chinese, but I couldn't help catching that all Chinese dialogue sounded forced, unfitting for the rough, ruthless, army men I imagined the characters to be.
A decisive blow…could destroy them utterly…Then we must flee in the Rotors.
Even I don't even use "utterly" or "flee" in colloquial language.
The Chinese names were also inaccurately romanized. There are no "Do" or "Po" sounds. But then maybe I'm asking for too much. All the Chinese names were ridiculous that I almost burst out laughing.
Chinese Men Are Also Stereotypical Misogynists
I have no idea why this story is set in 2060, yet it seems like China has moved backwards in gender equality. I admit that in rural China, males are valued more than females, but in Isolation, the Chinese men detest women.
Blast all devils to hell, and devil women to the deepest part of it.
Yes, the Chinese also call their enemies "devils," which seems to portray them as superstitious fools more than using the term as a derogatory term. Never mind that their dialogue sounds like something from a bad video game trying desperately to sound epic. *sigh*
Americans:
To be fair, the Americans don't sound like great people either. Basically, the purpose of the Isolation War is unveiled, which turns out to just be greedy people who want to wage war for resources. China holds these precious resources, but have turned themselves into North Korea, where they've isolated themselves from international trade. And Americans, being power-hungry, have to wreck havoc until they get what they want.
The Perspective of a Partial:
The main attraction of this novella is to give readers background information about Partials, how they are formed, and the way they think. These herons are built to be soldiers, cold, unfeeling creatures built to follow orders. Heron isn't a hero because she wants to, but because she is following orders...and because she is angry. So Partials don't give a damn about anyone, or even their own and will do destructive things out of anger--which makes me question why would her creators take away empathy but leave "anger." I fear that Dan Wells has defaulted back to the sociopaths he has written many times before. *points to John Cleaver*
In the end we have a novel filled to the brim with a bunch of unlikable people and a messy plot that's supposed to be action-packed and filled with brilliant military strategy, but left me confused half the time. Perhaps if it was a movie, it would've worked better--I could imagine Heron as Anne Hathaway's Cat Woman from Dark Knight Rises (especially the scene where she pretends to be helpless.) But while I appreciated the action and the backstory, I couldn't relate to any of the characters to be invested in the story. The stereotypical portrayal of Chinese and Americans left me wincing till the end. As a fan of Partials, I am disappointed. Even 75 pages felt too long.
March 4, 2013
Isolation
By Dan Wells
A Review by Eric Allen
A few months after he released Partials, which I loved, and a few months before he released Fragments which I loved even more, Dan Wells released an E-book novella called Isolation. This is a brief sequence giving the back story for the character Heron, who played a major role in the second book. This book is almost too short to even really call a novella. It's more like a short story, or, more likely, a deleted sequence from Fragments that just didn't fit in the final drafts of the book.
Was it good? Well, that depends on what you're expecting out of it. It's well written, sheds light on Heron, a supporting character that is otherwise a mystery, shows how the Partials were treated before their rebellion, and their attitudes toward humans treating them as equipment rather than people. It really illustrates the reasons why the Partials rebelled through the eyes of one of the Partials. It makes her a much more sympathetic character in Fragments where, if you have not read her backstory, she comes off as more a gigantic douchebag than anything else. Isolation makes Heron a likeable and sympathetic character by giving her reasons for acting the way she acts in Fragments. If you're expecting anything more than Heron's back story, you're likely going to be disappointed in it. Because that's all this book is.
Being both a huge Dan Wells fan, and a fan of the Partials series, I thought that Isolation was well worth the $3 it cost off the Amazon Kindle store. It fleshes out a character in a series that I greatly enjoy, making her motivations much more clear than they would otherwise be had I not read it before reading Fragments. That this sequence was sold separately rather than included as a part of Fragments, I think, is a good thing, because anywhere it would have been put, it would have broken up the flow of the story. It's not vital to Fragments, and is really only a fun extra for fans of the series that want to pay a little extra for it. If you enjoyed Fragments, and want to know what crawled up that Heron chick's ass and died, and don't mind paying a few bucks extra for her backstory, I recomend picking it up. If you don't really care so much, this book is probably not for you and you may come away from it feeling cheated. All in all, I found it quite enjoyable and worth the money I paid for it. It helped tide me over between books in the series, and made a character I probably would have otherwise hated had I skipped Isolation likeable and sympathetic. This book goes hand in hand with Fragments. Anyone new to the series would do well to pick up the first book, Partials, first, before reading this one, and be aware that the character in this book is a supporting character in the second volume, though briefly introduced in the first. It's not the ideal jumping on point, or introduction to the series. Though Isolation does make Fragments more enjoyable, at the same time, Isolation may be a little dull to people who have not yet read Fragments and have little care for Heron as a character yet.
Check out my other reviews.
By Dan Wells
A Review by Eric Allen
A few months after he released Partials, which I loved, and a few months before he released Fragments which I loved even more, Dan Wells released an E-book novella called Isolation. This is a brief sequence giving the back story for the character Heron, who played a major role in the second book. This book is almost too short to even really call a novella. It's more like a short story, or, more likely, a deleted sequence from Fragments that just didn't fit in the final drafts of the book.
Was it good? Well, that depends on what you're expecting out of it. It's well written, sheds light on Heron, a supporting character that is otherwise a mystery, shows how the Partials were treated before their rebellion, and their attitudes toward humans treating them as equipment rather than people. It really illustrates the reasons why the Partials rebelled through the eyes of one of the Partials. It makes her a much more sympathetic character in Fragments where, if you have not read her backstory, she comes off as more a gigantic douchebag than anything else. Isolation makes Heron a likeable and sympathetic character by giving her reasons for acting the way she acts in Fragments. If you're expecting anything more than Heron's back story, you're likely going to be disappointed in it. Because that's all this book is.
Being both a huge Dan Wells fan, and a fan of the Partials series, I thought that Isolation was well worth the $3 it cost off the Amazon Kindle store. It fleshes out a character in a series that I greatly enjoy, making her motivations much more clear than they would otherwise be had I not read it before reading Fragments. That this sequence was sold separately rather than included as a part of Fragments, I think, is a good thing, because anywhere it would have been put, it would have broken up the flow of the story. It's not vital to Fragments, and is really only a fun extra for fans of the series that want to pay a little extra for it. If you enjoyed Fragments, and want to know what crawled up that Heron chick's ass and died, and don't mind paying a few bucks extra for her backstory, I recomend picking it up. If you don't really care so much, this book is probably not for you and you may come away from it feeling cheated. All in all, I found it quite enjoyable and worth the money I paid for it. It helped tide me over between books in the series, and made a character I probably would have otherwise hated had I skipped Isolation likeable and sympathetic. This book goes hand in hand with Fragments. Anyone new to the series would do well to pick up the first book, Partials, first, before reading this one, and be aware that the character in this book is a supporting character in the second volume, though briefly introduced in the first. It's not the ideal jumping on point, or introduction to the series. Though Isolation does make Fragments more enjoyable, at the same time, Isolation may be a little dull to people who have not yet read Fragments and have little care for Heron as a character yet.
Check out my other reviews.
May 3, 2017
Reto abril:
Leer un libro que tenga por título una sola palabra.
Leer un libro que tenga por título una sola palabra.
October 11, 2012
Spoilers
A prequel novella from Heron's POV, set about 20 years before the events of Partials. The story gives a bit of insight into the war that led to the Partials being created, how the Partials were created and used, what their relationship with humans were like and the beginnings of the Partials revolting against their creators.
The few parts I enjoyed were the background information given on the war, the psyche of the Partials and the different roles the Partials played. Unfortuantely I wasn't all that impressed overall, mainly because I hated Heron.
Heron was a bitch. She was pissed when she found out that her human superiors were going to sacrifice thousands of Partials in the war, so she took it upon herself to save them. I don't quite understand why she cared if the Partials died when she herself said that she was built to have no emotions — so why did she feel so upset and betrayed?? The fact that she felt anything means that she did care. Even though she had feelings, she still happily sacrificed thousands of humans to save the Partials but then later more or less excused herself of mass murder people by saying she couldn't help herself because she was engineered not to care — which was BS, she just refused to accept that she was guilty of murdering so many people.
I didn't like the Partials at all, probably because I couldn't relate to Heron or any other Partial character. I'm guessing that I was meant to sympathise with Heron but I just couldn't, what she did was disgusting and it made her an evil murderous bitch. I'm really hoping that she dies a horrible death in the sequels.
A prequel novella from Heron's POV, set about 20 years before the events of Partials. The story gives a bit of insight into the war that led to the Partials being created, how the Partials were created and used, what their relationship with humans were like and the beginnings of the Partials revolting against their creators.
The few parts I enjoyed were the background information given on the war, the psyche of the Partials and the different roles the Partials played. Unfortuantely I wasn't all that impressed overall, mainly because I hated Heron.
Heron was a bitch. She was pissed when she found out that her human superiors were going to sacrifice thousands of Partials in the war, so she took it upon herself to save them. I don't quite understand why she cared if the Partials died when she herself said that she was built to have no emotions — so why did she feel so upset and betrayed?? The fact that she felt anything means that she did care. Even though she had feelings, she still happily sacrificed thousands of humans to save the Partials but then later more or less excused herself of mass murder people by saying she couldn't help herself because she was engineered not to care — which was BS, she just refused to accept that she was guilty of murdering so many people.
I didn't like the Partials at all, probably because I couldn't relate to Heron or any other Partial character. I'm guessing that I was meant to sympathise with Heron but I just couldn't, what she did was disgusting and it made her an evil murderous bitch. I'm really hoping that she dies a horrible death in the sequels.
January 13, 2013
So I read this before I started Partials. It came out after, and so most readers I am sure read it after. Maybe if I had, I'd have liked it more. I hope it is not indicative of how I will feel about Partials.
This takes place 60 years before the events in Partials. It explains how and why they were made. Heron is a Partial specifically engineered to be an assassin. She was made with the perfect body and to look Chinese since that is who she will infiltrate. She was grown in a tank and is 'born' at 19 years old. Not sure why 19, 18 is considered an adult, 20 is out of the teen years. Why 19? She is born with no empathy or conscience and trained to kill with no remorse. I did not like how the chapters went back and forth between when she was created and in training and her mission right now. I wish it had been in chronological order.
I did not find Heron to be a likable character at all. She infiltrates a prison and kills a man in his sleep, she shoots another in the back of the head and doesn't bat an eyelash. I know it's her job and what she is trained to do; but still I just don't like her or extreme violence. I hate that the author (not just this one a lot of authors) try to justify their females killing people because their attacker was drunk or tried to rape them. That is not an excuse. She easily could have incapacitated her attacker (who actually never attacked her, she just felt threatened) instead of killing him. I hope she is not a character in the Partials series.
This takes place 60 years before the events in Partials. It explains how and why they were made. Heron is a Partial specifically engineered to be an assassin. She was made with the perfect body and to look Chinese since that is who she will infiltrate. She was grown in a tank and is 'born' at 19 years old. Not sure why 19, 18 is considered an adult, 20 is out of the teen years. Why 19? She is born with no empathy or conscience and trained to kill with no remorse. I did not like how the chapters went back and forth between when she was created and in training and her mission right now. I wish it had been in chronological order.
I did not find Heron to be a likable character at all. She infiltrates a prison and kills a man in his sleep, she shoots another in the back of the head and doesn't bat an eyelash. I know it's her job and what she is trained to do; but still I just don't like her or extreme violence. I hate that the author (not just this one a lot of authors) try to justify their females killing people because their attacker was drunk or tried to rape them. That is not an excuse. She easily could have incapacitated her attacker (who actually never attacked her, she just felt threatened) instead of killing him. I hope she is not a character in the Partials series.
January 24, 2013
If you're a Partials fan and haven't read Isolation, I would absolutely recommend it. The back story provided is amazing--what we learned from Kira that she'd been told about the Partials' creation and the hazy references to The Isolation War pales in comparison to watching an actual Partial narrator experience her birth, training, and finally the war itself.
Heron is a fascinating narrator. From her perspective, the folly of humans in considering the Partial race machines is blatant, even when Heron herself remains too young and inexperienced to personally note their ignorance. She is, in my friend's terms, "a strong independent woman who don't need no man." She's not a man-hater, nor even really a people-hater. Honestly, I believe she's a psychopath. As the perfect espionage unit, a healthy dose of psychopathy was likely included in her genetic makeup... only to backfire on the short-sighted humans who created her.
A fascinating, entertaining must-read.
October 18, 2016
Aislados es una precuela que necesitaba la Saga Partials, no solo para conocer la guerra que dio lugar a la rebelión parcial, sino también para comprender el pasado de un personaje cuyo protagonismo tiene mucha relevancia en el segundo y tercer libro de la saga. La acción, muerte e intriga están a la orden del día en esta breve precuela, por lo que es una lectura rápida. Si disfrutaste del primer libro o la trilogía completa entonces te encantará Aislados, es un libro dedicado a los fanáticos de la saga.
Para leer mi reseña completa los invito al siguiente link: http://exodoliterario.com/?p=2110
Para leer mi reseña completa los invito al siguiente link: http://exodoliterario.com/?p=2110
June 30, 2015
Gracias a V&R Editoras por el ejemplar
Reseña ya disponible en el blog
La idea de este libro es contar un hecho importante de la Guerra del Aislamiento, el proceso de nacimiento de los Parciales y algunas pequeñas cosas más... pero la verdad es que no lo disfruté demasiado. Es decir, aún no entiendo por qué este libro existe.
Lo que sucede en el libro es importante para la trilogía, sí, pero no sé si tanto. Es decir, creo que fue más para que conozcamos al personaje que va a formar parte de los próximos libros que otra cosa; y no es que esté mal (en lo absoluto), sino que como a mí no me cae nada bien se me hizo denso.
Reseña ya disponible en el blog
La idea de este libro es contar un hecho importante de la Guerra del Aislamiento, el proceso de nacimiento de los Parciales y algunas pequeñas cosas más... pero la verdad es que no lo disfruté demasiado. Es decir, aún no entiendo por qué este libro existe.
Lo que sucede en el libro es importante para la trilogía, sí, pero no sé si tanto. Es decir, creo que fue más para que conozcamos al personaje que va a formar parte de los próximos libros que otra cosa; y no es que esté mal (en lo absoluto), sino que como a mí no me cae nada bien se me hizo denso.
July 30, 2014
Really interesting to see Heron's orgin. Nice to find out more about how the Partials began and the training they went through, as well as the reasons behind the rebellion. I'm glad I read all 3 books in the series before reading this prequel, as I felt it really explained a lot of stuff that was more vague in the other books, but I don't think it would have made much sense if I hadn't read all 3 first. I loved Heron as a character, so I'm happy to see the world through her perspective, although I wish Samm had been included in the story. Either way, it was a nice, quick, interesting read that everyone who enjoyed the Partials series should read too.
September 24, 2016
I read this series quit a while ago and it was such a great Dyostopian series but it has a lot more than that.
It really looks at where technological innovations, experiments and biological engineering can lead us. That's something I really enjoyed about this series and that theme is explored here.
It looks at the beginning and training of one of the created soldiers (called Partials ) and how she became the soldier we meet later on on the series.
I liked this character and it was interesting to see her origin story.
A must read for fans of the series and for those that event read any you could start from here.
It really looks at where technological innovations, experiments and biological engineering can lead us. That's something I really enjoyed about this series and that theme is explored here.
It looks at the beginning and training of one of the created soldiers (called Partials ) and how she became the soldier we meet later on on the series.
I liked this character and it was interesting to see her origin story.
A must read for fans of the series and for those that event read any you could start from here.
February 20, 2016
Finally I can read Heron's story, how she became so close to humans, why she is damaged inside, and how she is strong enough to keep going. She was a hero, and incredible female character, and I´m crying whule writing this because i can't believe Partials is over. You did an incredible job Dan Wells, thank you for bringing such beautiful characters to life, thank you for creating Kira, Samm, Marcus, Heron, and many more characters that made my gray days a thousand times better.
Kira Walker, you'll always be in my heart.
Kira Walker, you'll always be in my heart.
December 17, 2015
Isolation wasn't what I expected, I went into this expecting a different war, but I did enjoy getting to see Heron in another role, both as an undercover agent, but also her 'birth' and learning journey.
Isolation lets us she another side to her, and gives some background information into why Heron acts like she does, being more human than other partials. I think if I had read this before I started this series, I may have liked Heron more than I did. This isn't really an essential read for the series, but it is very worth while.
Isolation lets us she another side to her, and gives some background information into why Heron acts like she does, being more human than other partials. I think if I had read this before I started this series, I may have liked Heron more than I did. This isn't really an essential read for the series, but it is very worth while.
April 5, 2014
Even though it is technically a prequel, I read this story after I finished the Partials Sequence (needed more Partials in my life!). I feel that I enjoyed this more due to that fact. Heron was already a well established and mysterious character in my mind, and this story was well written. It showed me exactly why she was the way she was in the Partials novels. It was comforting!
I wouldn't recommend reading this first... I don't think it would have the same effect.
Great story though!!
I wouldn't recommend reading this first... I don't think it would have the same effect.
Great story though!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews