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Planet Urth #1
Planet Urth
More than two hundred years into the future, human beings are an endangered species. The planet has been battered by war, its inhabitants plagued by disease and death. Few humans survived and remained unaffected. Most changed dramatically and evolved into something else entirely. Irrevocable alterations caused by chemical warfare have created a new species. North America is in ruins and has been overtaken. Humanity has fallen at the hands of mutants known as Urthmen.
Seventeen year-old Avery is alive and unchanged. But she has not been immune to the harshness of the new world. She has lived on the run for much of her life, in terror.
After losing her father, Avery is the sole guardian of her eight-year-old sister, June. Avery is now charged with June’s safety as well as her own, a nearly impossible task.
Forced to hide deep in the forest and away from the cities overrun by Urthmen, Avery and her sister are constantly hunted. Danger awaits them at every turn. They fear they are the only human beings left, that they are the last of their kind.
But are they truly alone?
Find out in this raw and rousing first installment of the Planet Urth series.
Seventeen year-old Avery is alive and unchanged. But she has not been immune to the harshness of the new world. She has lived on the run for much of her life, in terror.
After losing her father, Avery is the sole guardian of her eight-year-old sister, June. Avery is now charged with June’s safety as well as her own, a nearly impossible task.
Forced to hide deep in the forest and away from the cities overrun by Urthmen, Avery and her sister are constantly hunted. Danger awaits them at every turn. They fear they are the only human beings left, that they are the last of their kind.
But are they truly alone?
Find out in this raw and rousing first installment of the Planet Urth series.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2013
662 people are currently reading
3414 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Martucci
61 books117 followersJennifer and Christopher Martucci hoped that their life plan had changed radically in early 2010. To date, the jury is still out. But late one night, in January of 2010, the stay at home mom of three girls (all under the age of six) had just picked up the last doll from the playroom floor and placed it in a bin when her husband startled her by declaring, “We should write a book, together!” Wearied from a day of shuttling the children to and from school, preschool and Daisy Scouts, laundry, cooking and cleaning, Jennifer simply stared blankly at her husband of fifteen years. After all, the idea of writing a book had been an individual dream each of them possessed for much of their young adult lives. Both had written separately in their teens and early twenties, but without much success. They would write a dozen chapters here and there only to find that either the plot would fall apart, or characters would lose their zest, or the story would just fall flat. Christopher had always preferred penning science fiction stories filled with monsters and diabolical villains, while Jennifer had favored venting personal experiences or writing about romance, as romance was far easier to invent fictitiously than it was to attain in real life. Inevitably though, frustration and day to day life had placed writing on the back burner and for several years, each had pursued alternate (paying) careers. But the dream never died. And Christopher suggested that their dream ought to be removed from the back burner for further examination. When he proposed that he and his wife author a book together on that cold January night, Jennifer was hesitant to reject the idea outright. His proposal sparked a discussion, and the discussion lasted deep into the night. By morning, the idea for the Dark Creations series was born.
The Dark Creations series was written while Jennifer and Christopher continued with their day to day activities and raised their young children. They changed diapers, potty trained and went to story time at the local library between chapter outlines and served as room parents while fleshing out individal sections of the book. Life simply continued. And in some ways, their everyday lives were reflected in the characters of the series. In fact, the main female characters are named after three very important people in their lives: their three daughters. Their likenesses end there, however.
As the story line continues to evolve, so too does the Martucci collaboration. Lunches are still packed, noses are still wiped and time remains a rare and precious commodity in their household in upstate New York, but it is the sound of happy chaos that is the true background music of their writing. They hope that their work, though penned for a young adult audience, will be appreciated by the young of every age, and that all enjoy reading it as much as they enjoyed writing it.
The Dark Creations series was written while Jennifer and Christopher continued with their day to day activities and raised their young children. They changed diapers, potty trained and went to story time at the local library between chapter outlines and served as room parents while fleshing out individal sections of the book. Life simply continued. And in some ways, their everyday lives were reflected in the characters of the series. In fact, the main female characters are named after three very important people in their lives: their three daughters. Their likenesses end there, however.
As the story line continues to evolve, so too does the Martucci collaboration. Lunches are still packed, noses are still wiped and time remains a rare and precious commodity in their household in upstate New York, but it is the sound of happy chaos that is the true background music of their writing. They hope that their work, though penned for a young adult audience, will be appreciated by the young of every age, and that all enjoy reading it as much as they enjoyed writing it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 332 reviews
February 15, 2014
I thought this would be four stars, but not so. A good concept, well executed, but some story elements made no sense (man-sized spiders a hundred years "after"?; jump from a tree to spear a 300 pound boar? (not even Rambo); how do they know what a "laser beam" is?)
The worst fault is that the story stops, rather than ends. There's no sense of closure. What's with all these people assuming we want to read their three, five or twelve volume series?
Sorry. It was good, but not that good.
The worst fault is that the story stops, rather than ends. There's no sense of closure. What's with all these people assuming we want to read their three, five or twelve volume series?
Sorry. It was good, but not that good.
May 15, 2016
3.5 post-apocalyptic stars
Seventeen years old girl is all alone with her eight-year-old sister in the post-apocalyptic world, where she must fight mutant humans (monsters), hide from mutant wolves (almost werewolves), and avoid mutant spiders (huuuge ones).
She tries very hard to keep both of them (herself and sister) alive and struggles with fear, responsibility, worry, and guilt because, in some dark moments, she wishes to just end everything.
On with her quest for food, she stumbles across more humans (she already thinks that they are the only one) and among them is this beautiful boy.
Many have a problem with her ogling the boy and think about him lots but, common, she is the teenage girl with hormones, and she didn't see any boy from age eleven. O yeah, bay the way, he looks like this...
All I have to say is I've got no stone to throw!!!
This is the first book in series, and there is not the cliff but, everything is just starting to happening.
I will read the next one, and I think it's just getting better and better.
August 21, 2016
This review contains spoilers and was originally written in March of 2014.
At first glance, Planet Urth by Jennifer and Christopher Martucci, has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had for it. After losing their mothers six years prior admidst an Urthmen massacre, main characters Avery and June, are taken under their father’s wing and taught to fend for themselves in a post-apocalyptic North America. Beginning a year after their father’s passing, Avery finds herself struggling to meet the needs of her younger sister while simultaneously lamenting the fact that June cannot live a normal life. Together, they hunt for food surviving against the harsh dangers of this new world.
Alone, the plot of this novel is fantastic and easily could have been written into a more promising read. In fact, were I to rate Planet Urth on plot alone, I could easily give it a four- or five-star rating without a second thought. Naturally, that begs the question: Why did I not? There were two factors that came into play while reading this book that not only made it difficult to continue reading it, but also forced me to have to go over lines a second and sometimes even third time to ensure that I had correctly understood what was meant.
Our heroine, Avery, is seemingly written as a smart youth; strong and witty, she’s the perfect savior for little June. It’s a lovable, mother-like quality to see in a character that has no choice but to do whatever is necessary to safely see her sole surviving family member through life, and yet Avery seems to be lacking the common sense, or even instinct, that most characters of her protective nature tend to have. For example: when the Lurkers, a mutant, wolf-like creature, track Avery to the cave that she and June call home and marks it as their territory, Avery is frightened and, as she should, determines that the cave is no longer a safe place for the two girls to live.
That is, all in all, a pretty solid reason to stay away and find a new home, right? Nope. Apparently Avery isn’t quite that bright, because after she saves her love-interest Will and his siblings from a near massacre at their waterfront cave, she knowingly brings them back to the very same cave that she knows must be abandoned for safer refuge. This sudden change in the way Avery behaves, gives me, the reader, the feeling that it was forgotten why Avery and June were leaving their cave, and then later re-added as if it was a sudden epiphany after Avery, June, Will, and his relatives had already made themselves comfortable. Given how Avery had been portrayed up until this point, this decision seemed extremely unusual and out-of-character.
The second major issue I encountered while reading Planet Urth, and the one that most heavily affects my rating, is the choice of words used and the originality that encompasses them. I don’t feel as if it is necessary for me to go into the reasons why I don’t care much for the word “Urth.” That one is, in my opinion, fairly self-explanatory. What really, truly, pressed my buttons in regards to language, is the fact that it seemed as if the authors (for those that didn’t read the acknowledgment at the end prior to the new book cover or simply bypassed studying it, Planet Urth was actually written by a husband and wife duo) tried a bit too hard to expand their vocabulary when a more simplistic approach would have worked just fine, if not better. For instance: the line regarding Will’s muscles and how they “intertwined and galloped” down his arm. Muscles. Galloped. I don’t know about you, but when I think of galloping muscles, an attractive boy is hardly the first image on my mind: rather, I picture a horse. I’m fairly certain that “horselike” is not the image they meant to pain for Will, but that is how he will be forever ingrained in my mind.
At least the plot was good, right?
At first glance, Planet Urth by Jennifer and Christopher Martucci, has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the book didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had for it. After losing their mothers six years prior admidst an Urthmen massacre, main characters Avery and June, are taken under their father’s wing and taught to fend for themselves in a post-apocalyptic North America. Beginning a year after their father’s passing, Avery finds herself struggling to meet the needs of her younger sister while simultaneously lamenting the fact that June cannot live a normal life. Together, they hunt for food surviving against the harsh dangers of this new world.
Alone, the plot of this novel is fantastic and easily could have been written into a more promising read. In fact, were I to rate Planet Urth on plot alone, I could easily give it a four- or five-star rating without a second thought. Naturally, that begs the question: Why did I not? There were two factors that came into play while reading this book that not only made it difficult to continue reading it, but also forced me to have to go over lines a second and sometimes even third time to ensure that I had correctly understood what was meant.
Our heroine, Avery, is seemingly written as a smart youth; strong and witty, she’s the perfect savior for little June. It’s a lovable, mother-like quality to see in a character that has no choice but to do whatever is necessary to safely see her sole surviving family member through life, and yet Avery seems to be lacking the common sense, or even instinct, that most characters of her protective nature tend to have. For example: when the Lurkers, a mutant, wolf-like creature, track Avery to the cave that she and June call home and marks it as their territory, Avery is frightened and, as she should, determines that the cave is no longer a safe place for the two girls to live.
That is, all in all, a pretty solid reason to stay away and find a new home, right? Nope. Apparently Avery isn’t quite that bright, because after she saves her love-interest Will and his siblings from a near massacre at their waterfront cave, she knowingly brings them back to the very same cave that she knows must be abandoned for safer refuge. This sudden change in the way Avery behaves, gives me, the reader, the feeling that it was forgotten why Avery and June were leaving their cave, and then later re-added as if it was a sudden epiphany after Avery, June, Will, and his relatives had already made themselves comfortable. Given how Avery had been portrayed up until this point, this decision seemed extremely unusual and out-of-character.
The second major issue I encountered while reading Planet Urth, and the one that most heavily affects my rating, is the choice of words used and the originality that encompasses them. I don’t feel as if it is necessary for me to go into the reasons why I don’t care much for the word “Urth.” That one is, in my opinion, fairly self-explanatory. What really, truly, pressed my buttons in regards to language, is the fact that it seemed as if the authors (for those that didn’t read the acknowledgment at the end prior to the new book cover or simply bypassed studying it, Planet Urth was actually written by a husband and wife duo) tried a bit too hard to expand their vocabulary when a more simplistic approach would have worked just fine, if not better. For instance: the line regarding Will’s muscles and how they “intertwined and galloped” down his arm. Muscles. Galloped. I don’t know about you, but when I think of galloping muscles, an attractive boy is hardly the first image on my mind: rather, I picture a horse. I’m fairly certain that “horselike” is not the image they meant to pain for Will, but that is how he will be forever ingrained in my mind.
At least the plot was good, right?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2015
-Sin complejos y sin mucho más.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el futuro y gracias a la guerra, la civilización no es más que un recuerdo y la raza humana está en riesgo de seguir el mismo destino. Avery es una joven que lucha por sobrevivir, lejos de los restos de los núcleos urbanos, en los bosques de lo que una vez fue Norteamérica mientras cuida de su hermana pequeña, June. Las nuevas especies, desarrolladas a partir de la acción mutágena de compuestos de guerra química, son muy peligrosas, como los Lurkers, pero los peores son los Urthmen que una vez fueron humanos. Primer libro de la serie Planet Urth.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el futuro y gracias a la guerra, la civilización no es más que un recuerdo y la raza humana está en riesgo de seguir el mismo destino. Avery es una joven que lucha por sobrevivir, lejos de los restos de los núcleos urbanos, en los bosques de lo que una vez fue Norteamérica mientras cuida de su hermana pequeña, June. Las nuevas especies, desarrolladas a partir de la acción mutágena de compuestos de guerra química, son muy peligrosas, como los Lurkers, pero los peores son los Urthmen que una vez fueron humanos. Primer libro de la serie Planet Urth.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....
March 18, 2016
A poorly written book with an annoying style of writing and main character.
March 5, 2021
Avery and her younger sister June believe they are the last human beings alive on what use to be called "Earth". The planet now populated by mutated humans called Urthmen who hunt during the day to eat and the creatures called "Lurkers" who hunt at night to feed, the 2 sisters struggle to stay alive. When the while Avery is out hunting she comes across a situation that will change everything she and her young sister believed.
A good opening to the series Planet Urth offers it's readers all the points that make for a good"post apocalyptic survival" story. It is well written, engaging and has some good twist and turns. The author does a good job of propelling the story forward at a decent pace. She also includes enough surprises to keep the reader turning pages.
The characters Avery and her sister June are solid, strong characters who still have the traits of being young and with that comes all the little notches that make them believable. Avery is a great example of a young girl thrust into a position of being provider and protector and the doubts of being able to do so. June is only 8 years old but she has a maturity that comes from a life spent in a fight for survival and a faith in her sister that Avery learns to lean on.
The series has 9 books and unfortunately I only have the first 3 books, but so far I am enjoying it and will read book 2.
The only criticism I have and the reason for my 3 stars is the start of the story Avery spends too much time repeatedly reminding us that she and her sister are the last humans. It got to the point for me where I considered not reading any more, but I pushed forward and I'm glad I did.
A good opening to the series Planet Urth offers it's readers all the points that make for a good"post apocalyptic survival" story. It is well written, engaging and has some good twist and turns. The author does a good job of propelling the story forward at a decent pace. She also includes enough surprises to keep the reader turning pages.
The characters Avery and her sister June are solid, strong characters who still have the traits of being young and with that comes all the little notches that make them believable. Avery is a great example of a young girl thrust into a position of being provider and protector and the doubts of being able to do so. June is only 8 years old but she has a maturity that comes from a life spent in a fight for survival and a faith in her sister that Avery learns to lean on.
The series has 9 books and unfortunately I only have the first 3 books, but so far I am enjoying it and will read book 2.
The only criticism I have and the reason for my 3 stars is the start of the story Avery spends too much time repeatedly reminding us that she and her sister are the last humans. It got to the point for me where I considered not reading any more, but I pushed forward and I'm glad I did.
July 14, 2015
There is a high amount of potential for this book, but unfortunately it falls short of expectations. The concept is interesting and could make for a great story, but it was not executed in a good way. There were things that didn't make sense such as jumping from a tree to spear a wild animal without a struggle. Things were mentioned in the beginning of the book only to not be mentioned again. The story just stops rather than ending or anything to lead into another book. I had high hopes for the novel, but was sadly let down.
*for a complete review visit: http://literarykat.blogspot.com /2015/07/planet-urth.html
*for a complete review visit: http://literarykat.blogspot.com /2015/07/planet-urth.html
March 15, 2016
Let me start off by saying I got this book for free through a promotion, and I'm so glad I didn't actually pay anything for this. The first thing that stuck out to me upon beginning my reading of this book was that it uses first person present tense writing throughout the entire book. Sure, an odd writing style can be redeemed if the writing itself is actually good, but this isn't the case. Avery, the 17-year-old protag, is one of the most unlikable protags I've ever had to read. She has nothing to make herself relatable to the reader, and speaks more like a robot than a teenager, the most obvious example being that she never uses contractions. Hell, her 8-year-old sister June speaks more like a realistic teenager than Avery does.
From the beginning, you're subjected to pages upon pages about how survival-oriented Avery is, and then more about how June is the only thing she stays alive for, including a description of an instance where she nearly killed herself. I know "show, don't tell" is an important piece of advice for writers, but it's pretty annoying when they make up all these new names for creatures and don't explain what they are until pages or even chapters later. For example, a threat known as Lurkers are mentioned among the first pages, but I quit nearly halfway through the book (more on that in a bit) and still have no clue what a Lurker is.
Remember how Avery went on for pages about how important survival is for her and her sister? Well, that goes straight out the window as soon as she finds another group of humans, among which is conveniently an attractive teenage boy. At this point in the story, she and June are literally starving, having hunted all the animals that lived within their normal boundaries. When faced between going to spy on the boy and tracking a large game animal that would feed them for days, if not weeks, Avery chooses to screw over her sister and herself anf go spy on the boy, even when she knows she has no intention of speaking to him. This is the point I had to quit the book, just short of halfway through, because the heterosexual teenage romance because disgustingly overpowering.
Really, I wanted to enjoy this book. I just wanted was a good post-apocolyptic book with a female lead, but even the setting makes this hard for me. I understand that this takes place 200 years after modern day, but the point where talking about technology we have today sounding so ridiculous and unrealistic as to be hilarious was really annoying and offputting to me. The overall premise had such potential, but it's squandered by bad writing and annoying cliches. All in all, I'd say go for it if you don't mind bad writing and cliche romance that completely goes against the nature of the main character, but if those kinds of things bother you in a book, don't waste your time.
From the beginning, you're subjected to pages upon pages about how survival-oriented Avery is, and then more about how June is the only thing she stays alive for, including a description of an instance where she nearly killed herself. I know "show, don't tell" is an important piece of advice for writers, but it's pretty annoying when they make up all these new names for creatures and don't explain what they are until pages or even chapters later. For example, a threat known as Lurkers are mentioned among the first pages, but I quit nearly halfway through the book (more on that in a bit) and still have no clue what a Lurker is.
Remember how Avery went on for pages about how important survival is for her and her sister? Well, that goes straight out the window as soon as she finds another group of humans, among which is conveniently an attractive teenage boy. At this point in the story, she and June are literally starving, having hunted all the animals that lived within their normal boundaries. When faced between going to spy on the boy and tracking a large game animal that would feed them for days, if not weeks, Avery chooses to screw over her sister and herself anf go spy on the boy, even when she knows she has no intention of speaking to him. This is the point I had to quit the book, just short of halfway through, because the heterosexual teenage romance because disgustingly overpowering.
Really, I wanted to enjoy this book. I just wanted was a good post-apocolyptic book with a female lead, but even the setting makes this hard for me. I understand that this takes place 200 years after modern day, but the point where talking about technology we have today sounding so ridiculous and unrealistic as to be hilarious was really annoying and offputting to me. The overall premise had such potential, but it's squandered by bad writing and annoying cliches. All in all, I'd say go for it if you don't mind bad writing and cliche romance that completely goes against the nature of the main character, but if those kinds of things bother you in a book, don't waste your time.
September 5, 2014
This book is nothing special. Nevertheless, it did make for a quite enjoying read.
The basic premise is that the world has been torn apart by war, and chemical warfare has resulted in horrific mutations to the majority of species. Our main character, Avery, is unchanged, and after her father dies, has to look after her eight year old sister. Threats range from urthmen (mutated humans), to lurkers (mutated wolves), to creepy giant spiders. When Avery realises that another family lives nearby, her and her sister's lives change.
Upon reading the official description of the book, I was really excited. It sounded like the exact type of book I like (stuff like Dark Inside and the 5th Wave). However, on reading, I was slighting disappointed. Although the idea of the book seems rather original, the actual plot is rather tired and overused. Tough, brave girl has to protect her younger sister in a terrible post apocalyptic world (Katniss anyone?). She meets boy. She likes boy. Her and boy save the day. I really think it's a shame that all these authors keep on resorting to romance in post apocalyptic/dystopia. I mean the world is dying. Why are you thinking about being in a relationship?! SO Avery's obsession with Will, and the general non originality, was kinda annoying.
Also, this is a minor point, but the main threat of the novel is supposed to be lurkers. However, throughout the book, they seemed more of a distant threat to me, even when they surrounded Avery's hideout. I think it would have made more sense to focus on one enemy, and really expand on that. I think urthmen are a way more interesting idea than mutated wolves.
All in all though, I did enjoy the book. I thought June was a great character, and I like how devoted Avery was to her sister. I will be buying the sequel, because I'm strangely curious to see what happens. So if you like mildly eventful, romantic post apocalyptic books then I'd recommend Planet Urth. But if you prefer something with suspense, some terror, and an original plot, then maybe not.
The basic premise is that the world has been torn apart by war, and chemical warfare has resulted in horrific mutations to the majority of species. Our main character, Avery, is unchanged, and after her father dies, has to look after her eight year old sister. Threats range from urthmen (mutated humans), to lurkers (mutated wolves), to creepy giant spiders. When Avery realises that another family lives nearby, her and her sister's lives change.
Upon reading the official description of the book, I was really excited. It sounded like the exact type of book I like (stuff like Dark Inside and the 5th Wave). However, on reading, I was slighting disappointed. Although the idea of the book seems rather original, the actual plot is rather tired and overused. Tough, brave girl has to protect her younger sister in a terrible post apocalyptic world (Katniss anyone?). She meets boy. She likes boy. Her and boy save the day. I really think it's a shame that all these authors keep on resorting to romance in post apocalyptic/dystopia. I mean the world is dying. Why are you thinking about being in a relationship?! SO Avery's obsession with Will, and the general non originality, was kinda annoying.
Also, this is a minor point, but the main threat of the novel is supposed to be lurkers. However, throughout the book, they seemed more of a distant threat to me, even when they surrounded Avery's hideout. I think it would have made more sense to focus on one enemy, and really expand on that. I think urthmen are a way more interesting idea than mutated wolves.
All in all though, I did enjoy the book. I thought June was a great character, and I like how devoted Avery was to her sister. I will be buying the sequel, because I'm strangely curious to see what happens. So if you like mildly eventful, romantic post apocalyptic books then I'd recommend Planet Urth. But if you prefer something with suspense, some terror, and an original plot, then maybe not.
May 29, 2015
Rather than set within the first few days or even weeks of an apocalypse Planet Urth propels the reader forward two centuries. I found this a very appealing setting. It is much harder to carve out a refreshing twist basing an apocalyptic story within the cusp of a pandemic or nuclear holocaust - with Planet Urth the writer has much more scope to create and develop a brand new world, albeit a distorted and broken one.
Our heroines are Avery (older sister) and June (younger sister). The relationship between them is credible and the daily survival of hunting for food and avoiding Urthmen is well written. The book is the first in a series of five titles and I will continue with them because I enjoyed the book but the writing style gnarled at me from time to time.
I grew tired of Avery's guilt over providing for her younger sister. It seemed every chapter involved introspection when what was needed was a little shove to push the plot along from time to time.
This was the only disappointing aspect of the book. I liked the gradual development of the Urth world and the slow introduction of new characters but purple prose is not required for each and every action nor each and every sentence.
Sometimes - "That's okay," she said - is pretty much all that's needed.
Our heroines are Avery (older sister) and June (younger sister). The relationship between them is credible and the daily survival of hunting for food and avoiding Urthmen is well written. The book is the first in a series of five titles and I will continue with them because I enjoyed the book but the writing style gnarled at me from time to time.
I grew tired of Avery's guilt over providing for her younger sister. It seemed every chapter involved introspection when what was needed was a little shove to push the plot along from time to time.
This was the only disappointing aspect of the book. I liked the gradual development of the Urth world and the slow introduction of new characters but purple prose is not required for each and every action nor each and every sentence.
Sometimes - "That's okay," she said - is pretty much all that's needed.
April 2, 2016
A free introductory ebook, this is the tale of two sisters fighting to survive in a future dystopia where modern humans live in the wild. The story is quite simplistic, and any intrigue that might be possible regarding the history leading to this state of affairs is quickly dissipated in the early chapters. This leaves ample room to expound upon issues such as the older girls inner turmoil upon seeing the bronzed skinned adolescent boy.... And the creatures they are pursued by are both intelligent and stupid - thuggish brutes despite their supposed enhanced mutation. Perhaps this gets developed later, but it is not a compelling intellectual starting point to a series, despite moving on at a brisk enough pace to allow easy completion.
October 20, 2014
I REALLY loved this book! I mean, I wouldn't be good to say what I loved about it, but the character was strong, and she knew how to look out for herself. She wasn't a giant hero who was brave enough to conquer anything- she hated what she had to live through and the only reason she kept going was because of her love for somebody else. her sister, June. This book was a whole different world: It was in the future, but it wasn't about a society all banded together and no choices- No, it was humans struggling to survive against Messed-up versions of their species. I loved it, as soon as i read the first page.
March 27, 2014
it started pretty slow. I doubted it was going to be a good read, but once it picked up, I was emotional! I couldn't put it down. Avery was strong but also had fears and weaknesses that she didn't hide. well, actually she hid them, but overcame that. I feel so close to this family now. That I need to read the rest of their story now!
November 11, 2016
Quite bad. Pages upon pages of dialog that really become silly after a bit. First person narrative where "I" is over used and becomes frustrating to read every sentence.
March 16, 2020
A new take on a post-apocalyptic novel. This novel is fun and inventive as we are introduced to two sisters who haven't seen another human in years but have continually battled the new creatures that terrorize the planet and the mutated human-hating Urthmen.
At first, I wasn't a hundred percent sure that I liked this novel but it was still interesting enough to keep me reading. Having a main character that forces her emotions aside in dystopia is common but having a main character who basically has another persona is pretty novel. She will do anything and everything to protect her sister and when she meets other humans, she decides to protect them as well, even if they don't want it.
I enjoyed this novel and especially loved the language, it isn't too stuffy or too simple and it fits well with the setting.
At first, I wasn't a hundred percent sure that I liked this novel but it was still interesting enough to keep me reading. Having a main character that forces her emotions aside in dystopia is common but having a main character who basically has another persona is pretty novel. She will do anything and everything to protect her sister and when she meets other humans, she decides to protect them as well, even if they don't want it.
I enjoyed this novel and especially loved the language, it isn't too stuffy or too simple and it fits well with the setting.
May 7, 2015
Set 200 years in the future after a nuclear and chemical war, Avery and her sister June have to survive in a forest in North America. They do! And then the novel ... ends?
Plot
Honestly I am not even sure what the point of this book was. I think the plot is that they have to survive in this "dangerous scenario" but I'm actually not sure where the next book could even go. It seemed like instead of a novel, I got the first 20% of what an actual book would be. If there had been more plot, I probably would have liked this book more. The characters were decent, but stereotypes and the "romance" is ridiculously cliche.
Characters
Avery was strong willed and good with a sword -- "Better than her dad when she was 15" -- and can kill anything and everything with minimal effort. I didn't like that she was portrayed as this brave girl but then couldn't go talk to people because she saw a cute boy. That is ridiculous. She needed to make contact with Will and his family to survive and she is not going to because he has nice eyes? Give me a break. Would she be nervous? Absolutely. Would she have not done it the first time? Probably. Scope them out another day to make sure they are not going to kill you. But running away the second time? No. That wouldn't have happened. And considering how she repeatedly said "We need to find other humans, that is what gives us hope" there is no way she would have run the second time. Also, why was she so concerned about her looks? She is surviving in a forest and trains in sword play every day, why does she care if she is pretty or not? I gotta say that wouldn't even cross my mind if I had to worry about giant effing spiders.
She also made a lot of stupid decisions that if she had stopped to think would have saved her some time. For example, Considering she is portrayed as super smart and brave and loving and every other adjective under the sun, you would think she wouldn't
Considering June was a younger sibling, I didn't mind her that much. I think a lot of authors use the whole "My younger sibling is actually wise beyond years and I have been treating them as a child" trope too much and it is definitely present in this novel. But June still was useful in the sense that she didn't drag Avery down. She was still written to make Avery seem like a better person, but hopefully she gets her own identity in the next novel.
Honestly, Will, Oliver, and Riley all blur into one for me. I understand that Will is going to be the love interest because how can we have a young adult novel without a love interest, but the other kids in this family are not distinct or worthy of my time. Adding more kids to this story is not what was needed.
World Building
Okay. First of all, way to demonize the Middle East in this book. Saying they created a chemical and let it loose on North America, so North America had to retaliate by nuking everyone. Are you kidding me?
Now to all the unanswered questions. What kind of chemical warfare was this? What was in it that made humans change the way they did and animals react the way they did? Why do bunnies have retractable teeth and want to attack you? What is up with the wolves becoming werewolves basically? Why did boars basically stay the same? Why are spiders huge and even more scary? Why were spiders the only thing to become giant?
These are questions that probably could be answered considering how much knowledge Avery/Will/June/EVERYONE has about life before the chemical warfare. Which leads to how do they have such clear knowledge and stories about the world before the war? Avery noted that it was her grandfather's grandfather that started telling the stories about the world pre-war, which means that information has passed through a lot of mouths. Some of it would have gotten changed along the way, but it so strikingly resembles our world (obviously because it was written now, but you know what I mean), I feel like if you are going to include something like that, it should be said incorrectly. Especially after over 200 years.
Another thing that irked me was the precise and perfect English. It was better English than I can speak. Dialect changes over time and would have definitely changed over 200 years of not having reading material or very many other people to talk to. There were also complex phrasing when a simple word or sentence would have sufficed.
Considering the humans were the outcasts and the Urthman were in charge, what is their social structure like? Why are humans hiding in the forest other than the fact that the Urthman "hate them for their intelligence"? That does not give me adequate information. Also, what do they look like? They are supposedly grotesque human beings but I was picturing them as green ogres basically. I feel like I need a bit more description on that too.
There's more about the world that needs to be fleshed out and understood in order for me to understand why there was an entire book about these two people surviving in a forest.
Overall: 1.5/5 stars but rounded up for the star counter. There was minimal plot; it was all "world building" but even that was lacking.
Plot
Honestly I am not even sure what the point of this book was. I think the plot is that they have to survive in this "dangerous scenario" but I'm actually not sure where the next book could even go. It seemed like instead of a novel, I got the first 20% of what an actual book would be. If there had been more plot, I probably would have liked this book more. The characters were decent, but stereotypes and the "romance" is ridiculously cliche.
Characters
Avery was strong willed and good with a sword -- "Better than her dad when she was 15" -- and can kill anything and everything with minimal effort. I didn't like that she was portrayed as this brave girl but then couldn't go talk to people because she saw a cute boy. That is ridiculous. She needed to make contact with Will and his family to survive and she is not going to because he has nice eyes? Give me a break. Would she be nervous? Absolutely. Would she have not done it the first time? Probably. Scope them out another day to make sure they are not going to kill you. But running away the second time? No. That wouldn't have happened. And considering how she repeatedly said "We need to find other humans, that is what gives us hope" there is no way she would have run the second time. Also, why was she so concerned about her looks? She is surviving in a forest and trains in sword play every day, why does she care if she is pretty or not? I gotta say that wouldn't even cross my mind if I had to worry about giant effing spiders.
She also made a lot of stupid decisions that if she had stopped to think would have saved her some time. For example, Considering she is portrayed as super smart and brave and loving and every other adjective under the sun, you would think she wouldn't
Considering June was a younger sibling, I didn't mind her that much. I think a lot of authors use the whole "My younger sibling is actually wise beyond years and I have been treating them as a child" trope too much and it is definitely present in this novel. But June still was useful in the sense that she didn't drag Avery down. She was still written to make Avery seem like a better person, but hopefully she gets her own identity in the next novel.
Honestly, Will, Oliver, and Riley all blur into one for me. I understand that Will is going to be the love interest because how can we have a young adult novel without a love interest, but the other kids in this family are not distinct or worthy of my time. Adding more kids to this story is not what was needed.
World Building
Okay. First of all, way to demonize the Middle East in this book. Saying they created a chemical and let it loose on North America, so North America had to retaliate by nuking everyone. Are you kidding me?
Now to all the unanswered questions. What kind of chemical warfare was this? What was in it that made humans change the way they did and animals react the way they did? Why do bunnies have retractable teeth and want to attack you? What is up with the wolves becoming werewolves basically? Why did boars basically stay the same? Why are spiders huge and even more scary? Why were spiders the only thing to become giant?
These are questions that probably could be answered considering how much knowledge Avery/Will/June/EVERYONE has about life before the chemical warfare. Which leads to how do they have such clear knowledge and stories about the world before the war? Avery noted that it was her grandfather's grandfather that started telling the stories about the world pre-war, which means that information has passed through a lot of mouths. Some of it would have gotten changed along the way, but it so strikingly resembles our world (obviously because it was written now, but you know what I mean), I feel like if you are going to include something like that, it should be said incorrectly. Especially after over 200 years.
Another thing that irked me was the precise and perfect English. It was better English than I can speak. Dialect changes over time and would have definitely changed over 200 years of not having reading material or very many other people to talk to. There were also complex phrasing when a simple word or sentence would have sufficed.
Considering the humans were the outcasts and the Urthman were in charge, what is their social structure like? Why are humans hiding in the forest other than the fact that the Urthman "hate them for their intelligence"? That does not give me adequate information. Also, what do they look like? They are supposedly grotesque human beings but I was picturing them as green ogres basically. I feel like I need a bit more description on that too.
There's more about the world that needs to be fleshed out and understood in order for me to understand why there was an entire book about these two people surviving in a forest.
Overall: 1.5/5 stars but rounded up for the star counter. There was minimal plot; it was all "world building" but even that was lacking.
March 12, 2023
2012 rating: 3 stars
March 2023 rating: 2 stars
This book was kinda cheeks ngl. I caught 2 typos throughout the book. It also didn't feel original. It just felt like a mixture of the Hunger Games (teen girl being the main provider for her and her younger sister. Teen girl is good at hunting. Younger sister is good with healing.) and the 100 TV show. Don't really recommend this series. If you want a dystopian novel with the nostaglia of 2012, just pick up THG, The Maze Runner, Divergent, etc.
March 2023 rating: 2 stars
This book was kinda cheeks ngl. I caught 2 typos throughout the book. It also didn't feel original. It just felt like a mixture of the Hunger Games (teen girl being the main provider for her and her younger sister. Teen girl is good at hunting. Younger sister is good with healing.) and the 100 TV show. Don't really recommend this series. If you want a dystopian novel with the nostaglia of 2012, just pick up THG, The Maze Runner, Divergent, etc.
March 11, 2015
Read more of my reviews here: https://paigeturnerreads.wordpress.com/
I don’t know about this book. There isn’t a lot of back story (I still have no idea why the world is the way it is besides there was some huge war that changed everything) and it takes quite a while into the book to even just find out why Avery’s, the heroine, parents are gone. And the answer is horrifying.
The book moves rather slowly and there was very little character development. Martucci tries to make Avery seem like a responsible teenager, forced to grow up quickly so that she can survive and keep her sister alive as well. But then, she does some things that doesn’t match the responsible young adult identity. Avery also seems to forget that while she has to act like an adult, she isn’t one. When she demands that a family follows her to “safety”, she gets angry when they refuse to follow and trust her. If I had to worry about the well-being of my family, would I trust a seventeen year old who ran every time she was spotted lurking around my camp? I think not. She never really progresses as the main character or heroine, she continues to make decisions as if she is a leader even though she a) isn’t officially the leader and b) would be a terrible one.
June is an eight year old and the sister of Avery. Avery repeatedly mentions how sad she is that June has been forced to grow up so quickly, but I never felt like I saw any reason as to why Avery thinks this. Given the circumstances she should show some very strong signs of a child that has lost her childhood, but she didn’t, there wasn’t any evidence that June had been forced to grow up. She was still an eight year old that giggled and laughed, unaware (or just doesn’t care) that her loud noises could alert enemies. The only time she might have grown up, was when she killed a (baby) boar.
Will was given very little “book time” in my opinion, and I think he would have been the most interesting person to read about. He seemed like a quiet leader, one with good decision-making skills, a leader that knows when to keep himself together and when to lean on someone, how to keep the people following him (his siblings) calm, and kindness as well as intelligence. I wish that he was the leader and not Avery because then the they all might have a chance.
The plot of Planet Urth was great, a seventeen year old trapped on a war ravaged world called Urth. “She has to survive and keep her sister alive as well, using common sense and the things that her father taught her before he died. Lurkers, Urthmen, enormous poisonous spiders, and snorting mutated three-hundred pound boars. But wait, could there be other human life out there? After such silence?” I really could have enjoyed this book, if it had been written differently. Description is very important when writing a book and I understand that. You need your readers to see what is happening in the story in their minds as they read it. However, saying that Will’s muscles “galloped” down his arm is just poor word choice. It makes me think that his muscles are actually horses. (Does that make him somewhat of a centaur?) There’s also a horrid overuse of the word “gore”, inconsistencies, and the things that I mentioned above, but I still give the book a rating of two.
I don’t know about this book. There isn’t a lot of back story (I still have no idea why the world is the way it is besides there was some huge war that changed everything) and it takes quite a while into the book to even just find out why Avery’s, the heroine, parents are gone. And the answer is horrifying.
The book moves rather slowly and there was very little character development. Martucci tries to make Avery seem like a responsible teenager, forced to grow up quickly so that she can survive and keep her sister alive as well. But then, she does some things that doesn’t match the responsible young adult identity. Avery also seems to forget that while she has to act like an adult, she isn’t one. When she demands that a family follows her to “safety”, she gets angry when they refuse to follow and trust her. If I had to worry about the well-being of my family, would I trust a seventeen year old who ran every time she was spotted lurking around my camp? I think not. She never really progresses as the main character or heroine, she continues to make decisions as if she is a leader even though she a) isn’t officially the leader and b) would be a terrible one.
June is an eight year old and the sister of Avery. Avery repeatedly mentions how sad she is that June has been forced to grow up so quickly, but I never felt like I saw any reason as to why Avery thinks this. Given the circumstances she should show some very strong signs of a child that has lost her childhood, but she didn’t, there wasn’t any evidence that June had been forced to grow up. She was still an eight year old that giggled and laughed, unaware (or just doesn’t care) that her loud noises could alert enemies. The only time she might have grown up, was when she killed a (baby) boar.
Will was given very little “book time” in my opinion, and I think he would have been the most interesting person to read about. He seemed like a quiet leader, one with good decision-making skills, a leader that knows when to keep himself together and when to lean on someone, how to keep the people following him (his siblings) calm, and kindness as well as intelligence. I wish that he was the leader and not Avery because then the they all might have a chance.
The plot of Planet Urth was great, a seventeen year old trapped on a war ravaged world called Urth. “She has to survive and keep her sister alive as well, using common sense and the things that her father taught her before he died. Lurkers, Urthmen, enormous poisonous spiders, and snorting mutated three-hundred pound boars. But wait, could there be other human life out there? After such silence?” I really could have enjoyed this book, if it had been written differently. Description is very important when writing a book and I understand that. You need your readers to see what is happening in the story in their minds as they read it. However, saying that Will’s muscles “galloped” down his arm is just poor word choice. It makes me think that his muscles are actually horses. (Does that make him somewhat of a centaur?) There’s also a horrid overuse of the word “gore”, inconsistencies, and the things that I mentioned above, but I still give the book a rating of two.
April 12, 2016
Sigh, another book I'm torn with!! This had the potential to be so so good but unfortunately, fell a little flat. I mean, the synopsis sounded amazing, this part especially: "More than two hundred years into the future, human beings are an endangered species. The planet has been battered by war, its inhabitants plagued by disease and death. Few humans survived and remained unaffected. Most changed dramatically and evolved into something else entirely. Irrevocable alterations caused by chemical warfare have created a new species. North America is in ruins and has been overtaken. Humanity has fallen at the hands of mutants known as Urthmen." but the overall plot had more holes in it that plot!
Avery had to flee their village after it was attacked by Urthmen, her mother died at their hands but she, along with her dad and sister escaped and were living in a cave.Her dad passed peacefully and now it's up to Avery to look after June. Now this is where things just go wrong! We have Urthmen (mutated humans, I think), Lurkers that only come out at night (mutated.... wolves, I think) and for some strange reason a giant mutated spider! These all had the potential to be awesome, but we never really get a reason, nor an explanation, behind them. They just kind of exist.
Onto Avery herself. Her manner of speech was, at times annoying. Every one else talked normally but for some reason, Avery was very stilted. Eg: in stead of saying haven't, she'd say have not. She never used a contraction and it made for difficult stilted listening!! Also, when she meets the first humans she's seen in a long time, she immediately starts making doe eyes at the boy. A lot of eye rolling ensued from me at this part!! It was so so bad. According to her, he had galloping muscles, or some such rubbish!!! Ugh. The "romance" was so over the top and totally unnecessary.
Anyway, enough ranting from me!! You'd think I hated the book, but I actually didn't. I enjoyed parts and thought that with good editing and a little refinement, this could be perfect. There was enough things to interest me that I do think I'll pick up book 2 to see what happens, and I just hope the world building progresses a bit more!
Now Emma Lysy did a good job with this, though I think with the stilted way Avery talked, it made me enjoy the narration less. I found it hard to listen to at times. Emma did have enough different tons to differentiate each character, and she was clear and concise, I just think with the way this was written was a negative. I will try something else by her though, just to make sure!!
*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*
Avery had to flee their village after it was attacked by Urthmen, her mother died at their hands but she, along with her dad and sister escaped and were living in a cave.Her dad passed peacefully and now it's up to Avery to look after June. Now this is where things just go wrong! We have Urthmen (mutated humans, I think), Lurkers that only come out at night (mutated.... wolves, I think) and for some strange reason a giant mutated spider! These all had the potential to be awesome, but we never really get a reason, nor an explanation, behind them. They just kind of exist.
Onto Avery herself. Her manner of speech was, at times annoying. Every one else talked normally but for some reason, Avery was very stilted. Eg: in stead of saying haven't, she'd say have not. She never used a contraction and it made for difficult stilted listening!! Also, when she meets the first humans she's seen in a long time, she immediately starts making doe eyes at the boy. A lot of eye rolling ensued from me at this part!! It was so so bad. According to her, he had galloping muscles, or some such rubbish!!! Ugh. The "romance" was so over the top and totally unnecessary.
Anyway, enough ranting from me!! You'd think I hated the book, but I actually didn't. I enjoyed parts and thought that with good editing and a little refinement, this could be perfect. There was enough things to interest me that I do think I'll pick up book 2 to see what happens, and I just hope the world building progresses a bit more!
Now Emma Lysy did a good job with this, though I think with the stilted way Avery talked, it made me enjoy the narration less. I found it hard to listen to at times. Emma did have enough different tons to differentiate each character, and she was clear and concise, I just think with the way this was written was a negative. I will try something else by her though, just to make sure!!
*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*
October 27, 2021
It is several years after the war and radiation has ravaged the planet. Humanity has become something darker and more savage, creatures have mutated into something more deadly and something else hunting in the night. Humans, or what remains of the vault dwellers, are few and scattered about the lands. Some have small colonies but others have to live alone. That’s how it is for our lead, Avery, and her sister June. Their camp was raided by Urthmen and they managed to flee with their father into the forests where Urthmen fear to tread. However when he passed away from old age the two girls are left alone in the world.
In this respect I ignored the front cover and happily pictured something closer to ‘Lost Future’ or Planet of the Apes for how they would look. I don’t normally pay much attention to the covers of kindle books other than when browsing the web store itself but I feel it should come up here as it feels more Hunger Games than perhaps you would actually get form the book and could be a bit misleading for a reader. This is just one of many minor niggles I got from reading the book. Written in first person present you get a great view of the mind of our main lead but I wouldn’t be surprised if people who had read the book may be questioning where I got the characters name from. Especially after how much she uses ‘I’ over and over again often many times on a single page. Outside of pronouns the dialogue, and description, comes across as quite stiff and unnatural at times. Now granted I prefer the more snappy Whedon esque dialogue so this could just be me and they get away with a big because of the girls upbringing. The way she stares and describes the boy emerging out of the water might work when you consider that she hasn’t seen another person in years and had long considered herself that last of such on the planet but it doesn’t make it any easier to read. The way the two girls talk to each other feels artificial and I think the best example of this is when she is telling her kid sister bed time stories; which consist of telling how we used to live and her simply laughing at how the notion of a light switch or television. This might have worked better had the story been a genuine story that June had to keep interrupting to clarify what things were. Things that we the audience would understand easily but she would struggle to grasp. Maybe do Goldilocks and the Three Bears to warn her of the dangers of going off alone and the monsters in the world but get stuck when she asks what porridge is and this would lead her to maybe having to explain the concept of a farm and harvest. This would also get across their world to them but may sound a little more natural between the siblings.
Speaking of siblings the age seems all wrong through the book as June seems there for our protagonist to protect and mother while at the same time June is there to build up Avery and tell her how amazing she is when she’s doing a main character style wallow in self-pity or uncertainty designed to make us like her all the more. It goes a way to highlight how unintentionally perfect she is and the rest of the cast help. Her father calls her a natural with the sword which Avery of course takes as well intentioned but empty until it turns out she is indeed a perfect killing machine able to take out the killer urthmen without seemingly much issue. Avery lowers her hair to cover the bruising she received from a killer man sized spider and June is there to tell her how much prettier she looks with her hair down. Even Will’s mother, who only gets a few lines of page time has half her word count given over to telling Avery how pretty she looks while the other half is given to not believing such a slip of a girl as she could take out two urthmen in combat. June meanwhile only really works as some kind of Tyler Durden esque inner voice and monologue. Heck considering that her mother was slain by urthmen while pregnant maybe that was the intention. It explains how and why she switches between playing the part of an eight year old and then switching to a voice far older than Avery’s to comfort her and tell her how well she is doing.
Now you may say that it’s simply a case that June has grown up fast in such a world but then that makes her sister look all the worse for her very modern episodes throughout the book. I get she is a teen girl filled with hormones but after not seeing another human for ten years or so and fearing herself and her sister to be the last ones left alive would she be that worried about a good looking boy seeing her dirty and sweaty after a hike. I mean she lives in a cave and they seem to have no concept of farming as the only fruit they mention to eat is poisonous so I imagine she would look and smell terrible pretty much non-stop. And that comes back to our front cover. I’m not saying our lead wouldn’t be pretty, because that sort of stuff has gone far beyond Hollywood by now, but does she have to be quite so modernly pretty clad? Like couldn’t she be pretty yet covered under a bit of dirt, grime, and mud after living in on cave floor eating bugs to survive kind of way. Like Tom Hanks didn’t get off the island and avoid being picked up by a ship because of how wild his beard looked and he knew throughout it all that other people existed. Maybe I wouldn’t complain quite so much if this didn’t fill a good thirty percent of the books plot. She finds people but they have a good looking son so decides to not say anything and clear off coming back to watch from afar the next day and only speaking to them on the third after an urthmen attack nearby. Thirty percent of the story has our last survivor of the human race not wanting to say hello to somebody because there’s a boy there she kind of fancies, the first she has ever seen by the way, and she looks a bit messy.
I liked huge bits of the book. Clearly a fair bit of thought has gone into the backstory of the world, though it’s not always given in the best of ways feeling a bit expositiony for my taste at times. The description or the urthmen was quite good and there fluctuating grasp of intelligence means there could be more there then we know. Though perhaps I was internally elevating this story by turning into a ‘I am Legend’ sequel that it would never be. In the end I don’t think this was really meant for me but it might kill an hour or two for someone else I struggle to see someone loving this.
See more reviews at https://kibbinscodex.wordpress.com/
In this respect I ignored the front cover and happily pictured something closer to ‘Lost Future’ or Planet of the Apes for how they would look. I don’t normally pay much attention to the covers of kindle books other than when browsing the web store itself but I feel it should come up here as it feels more Hunger Games than perhaps you would actually get form the book and could be a bit misleading for a reader. This is just one of many minor niggles I got from reading the book. Written in first person present you get a great view of the mind of our main lead but I wouldn’t be surprised if people who had read the book may be questioning where I got the characters name from. Especially after how much she uses ‘I’ over and over again often many times on a single page. Outside of pronouns the dialogue, and description, comes across as quite stiff and unnatural at times. Now granted I prefer the more snappy Whedon esque dialogue so this could just be me and they get away with a big because of the girls upbringing. The way she stares and describes the boy emerging out of the water might work when you consider that she hasn’t seen another person in years and had long considered herself that last of such on the planet but it doesn’t make it any easier to read. The way the two girls talk to each other feels artificial and I think the best example of this is when she is telling her kid sister bed time stories; which consist of telling how we used to live and her simply laughing at how the notion of a light switch or television. This might have worked better had the story been a genuine story that June had to keep interrupting to clarify what things were. Things that we the audience would understand easily but she would struggle to grasp. Maybe do Goldilocks and the Three Bears to warn her of the dangers of going off alone and the monsters in the world but get stuck when she asks what porridge is and this would lead her to maybe having to explain the concept of a farm and harvest. This would also get across their world to them but may sound a little more natural between the siblings.
Speaking of siblings the age seems all wrong through the book as June seems there for our protagonist to protect and mother while at the same time June is there to build up Avery and tell her how amazing she is when she’s doing a main character style wallow in self-pity or uncertainty designed to make us like her all the more. It goes a way to highlight how unintentionally perfect she is and the rest of the cast help. Her father calls her a natural with the sword which Avery of course takes as well intentioned but empty until it turns out she is indeed a perfect killing machine able to take out the killer urthmen without seemingly much issue. Avery lowers her hair to cover the bruising she received from a killer man sized spider and June is there to tell her how much prettier she looks with her hair down. Even Will’s mother, who only gets a few lines of page time has half her word count given over to telling Avery how pretty she looks while the other half is given to not believing such a slip of a girl as she could take out two urthmen in combat. June meanwhile only really works as some kind of Tyler Durden esque inner voice and monologue. Heck considering that her mother was slain by urthmen while pregnant maybe that was the intention. It explains how and why she switches between playing the part of an eight year old and then switching to a voice far older than Avery’s to comfort her and tell her how well she is doing.
Now you may say that it’s simply a case that June has grown up fast in such a world but then that makes her sister look all the worse for her very modern episodes throughout the book. I get she is a teen girl filled with hormones but after not seeing another human for ten years or so and fearing herself and her sister to be the last ones left alive would she be that worried about a good looking boy seeing her dirty and sweaty after a hike. I mean she lives in a cave and they seem to have no concept of farming as the only fruit they mention to eat is poisonous so I imagine she would look and smell terrible pretty much non-stop. And that comes back to our front cover. I’m not saying our lead wouldn’t be pretty, because that sort of stuff has gone far beyond Hollywood by now, but does she have to be quite so modernly pretty clad? Like couldn’t she be pretty yet covered under a bit of dirt, grime, and mud after living in on cave floor eating bugs to survive kind of way. Like Tom Hanks didn’t get off the island and avoid being picked up by a ship because of how wild his beard looked and he knew throughout it all that other people existed. Maybe I wouldn’t complain quite so much if this didn’t fill a good thirty percent of the books plot. She finds people but they have a good looking son so decides to not say anything and clear off coming back to watch from afar the next day and only speaking to them on the third after an urthmen attack nearby. Thirty percent of the story has our last survivor of the human race not wanting to say hello to somebody because there’s a boy there she kind of fancies, the first she has ever seen by the way, and she looks a bit messy.
I liked huge bits of the book. Clearly a fair bit of thought has gone into the backstory of the world, though it’s not always given in the best of ways feeling a bit expositiony for my taste at times. The description or the urthmen was quite good and there fluctuating grasp of intelligence means there could be more there then we know. Though perhaps I was internally elevating this story by turning into a ‘I am Legend’ sequel that it would never be. In the end I don’t think this was really meant for me but it might kill an hour or two for someone else I struggle to see someone loving this.
See more reviews at https://kibbinscodex.wordpress.com/
September 21, 2016
If you love survival stories and apocalyptic earths then this book is for you. This science fiction book has some action packed moments and a slow beginning but if you can get past the slow beginning then it will surprise you what happens next. This book will keep you guessing after every chapter. Avery and June (The main characters) live in this apocalyptic earth where Urthmen and Lurkers rule the earth. Avery and June survive alone without their parents for years. Avery is the older one who hunts and feeds June every night. After a year of hunting in the same place food got more scarce so Avery has to go outside her boundaries to hunt for food but it is what she finds that shocks her and forces June and Avery to move and adapt to the current situation. I loved this book. I thought it just had enough action and it tells a great story but if you don't like science fiction and survival then click off because you just wasted a minute of your life reading about a book you might not like. If you do like that type of book then give this one a try. The action doesn't get there until towards the middle of the book but if you love good stories then it's a nice book for you. For the most part the book met most of my expectations. One it did not meet is it did not have a crazy amount of action but it had quite a bit but the awesome story made up for that. If you guys love survival, apocalyptic, action packed, story driven books then you will love this book.
January 3, 2015
I started reading Planet Urth this morning and didn't couldn't put it down until I was finished.
The concept behind the story is very intriguing and is told quite well through the eyes of 17 year old Avery.
The story opens about 1 year after the peaceful passing of Avery and younger sister June's father - several hundred years in to our future. Avery has learned to hunt, fight and protect her little sister and will do so at any cost. June is a fun-loving 8 year old little girl that looks up to her big sister and tries to be just like her, but in her own way.
We get to follow along on their adventures in the forest and learn of all the dangers that surround them. Believing they are the only humans remaining, they will do what it takes to survive.
There are many dangers and surprises in store for Avery & June - some that they never expected!
This was a quick, fun read and was enjoyed - all except for the ending. It just ends.... no HEA, no real cliff-hanger.... just.... done. For sure it makes me want to grab the next book in the series, but it doesn't leave me feeling the same anticipation/trepidation most cliff-hangers do.
I still believe that this story would be enjoyed by anyone looking for a quick, fun, sci-fi-ish read about what life could be like in the possibly not too distant future.
The concept behind the story is very intriguing and is told quite well through the eyes of 17 year old Avery.
The story opens about 1 year after the peaceful passing of Avery and younger sister June's father - several hundred years in to our future. Avery has learned to hunt, fight and protect her little sister and will do so at any cost. June is a fun-loving 8 year old little girl that looks up to her big sister and tries to be just like her, but in her own way.
We get to follow along on their adventures in the forest and learn of all the dangers that surround them. Believing they are the only humans remaining, they will do what it takes to survive.
There are many dangers and surprises in store for Avery & June - some that they never expected!
This was a quick, fun read and was enjoyed - all except for the ending. It just ends.... no HEA, no real cliff-hanger.... just.... done. For sure it makes me want to grab the next book in the series, but it doesn't leave me feeling the same anticipation/trepidation most cliff-hangers do.
I still believe that this story would be enjoyed by anyone looking for a quick, fun, sci-fi-ish read about what life could be like in the possibly not too distant future.
January 20, 2017
This book, Planet Urth, Served as a lot of potential. The idea of a post-apocalyptic scenario with the parents of two badass girls and Deformed Wolves and Deformed Humans just sounds awesome. Sadly it did not live up to its potential. The writing and love story in this book is really annoying and after reading so many sentences with "I will not die" instead of "I won't die" just made me agitated with the book. The love story is also very cheesy and has sentences like "Those muscles and those eyes," and "He touched me with his fingertips and I had shivers down my spine." Some positives about this book are its kid friendliness and its story idea. I will not be reading the rest of this series myself but I
can see why some of the audience appreciates the book because of its idea and its storyline. Hopefully another book like this with a similar story will be written so that I can read it instead of this series.
can see why some of the audience appreciates the book because of its idea and its storyline. Hopefully another book like this with a similar story will be written so that I can read it instead of this series.
May 13, 2016
This book was an interesting book to read. It painted a lot of clear pictures in my head which is what i look for in a book. The book had a satisfying plot to the story. They had unorthodox type creatures to give the reader a feel of what they were going up against.
I felt like this book did deserve a 4 star rating because at a certain point it was hard for me to keep reading this book. Although this book was hard for me to keep reading it was a great survival of the fittest book. This book also would be a perfect movie with all these creatures and the backstory since this book is a series. Overall this book was an interesting one to read
I felt like this book did deserve a 4 star rating because at a certain point it was hard for me to keep reading this book. Although this book was hard for me to keep reading it was a great survival of the fittest book. This book also would be a perfect movie with all these creatures and the backstory since this book is a series. Overall this book was an interesting one to read
July 28, 2014
It was an interesting read. Something a bit different than my usual read. I thought the idea of this book was really good and It was actually quite an easy read for me but I still feel something was lacking.. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Overall, a light read, intriguing idea and maybe ill pick up the second one.
May 5, 2014
Fun read
The protagonist pulled me in. The world-building kept me hooked. The only problem was when I got to the end and realized it was aimed at young adults! a kid at heart I guess.
The protagonist pulled me in. The world-building kept me hooked. The only problem was when I got to the end and realized it was aimed at young adults! a kid at heart I guess.
March 5, 2016
I need more
I truly look forward to book two of this different tale. With so many apocalyptic tales out there, this is refreshingly different. More please...
I truly look forward to book two of this different tale. With so many apocalyptic tales out there, this is refreshingly different. More please...
October 14, 2018
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over
My uncle recommended this post-apocalyptic title to me, and while it has weaknesses, I can see what attracted him to the story. This is very much a tale about taking ownership of your life rather than just maintaining the patterns you were trained in. Oddly, those patterns make up some of the weaknesses. Though Avery is trained in survival, she has blind spots that either came from the author or her father. In one case, modern sensibility interferes with survival, and in another, her ignorance where I’d expected basic knowledge stood out.
The book starts slowly because Avery is the first person point of view, and she doesn’t recognize the personhood of her sister, June. We learn how they got to this moment and what’s going on through Avery ruminating on what had happened and how June is her first priority.
Don’t get the impression it is all navel gazing though. There is a lot of danger, struggle, and fear as well as truly terrible things happening in flashback and in the present. This is a time of monsters, of bare survival against all odds, and a planet in turmoil because the different sapient species choose competition over cooperation.
I enjoyed seeing Avery grow up, not so much in age as the book occurs in a matter of days, but in recognizing her sister’s strengths, in taking responsibility for the safety of strangers, and in opening her worldview. Her sudden onset of puberty feels a little overdone and littered with the idea of base drives (envy and sexual rivals). I believe these drives are at least in part a construct of our culture as they are not constant among human cultures nor do they appear in every animal. However, those changes also bring more voices into the story and allow for an interaction previously lacking.
There is a moment (not describing because it’s a spoiler) that leads me to suspect the world she knows is not quite accurate. Then, she destroys that moment so I don’t know if it’s a sign of what’s to come or a fluke. I certainly hope for the first, as complex narratives are my favorite, especially where cultures clash. This is a tight narrative, and there’s a lot Avery doesn’t know, so the hints could be wishful thinking or elements the series can build on. That those possibilities exist offers the chance for many interesting opportunities going forward.
The world, its people, and the story setup are intriguing enough for me to read the second book, though I haven’t yet done so. The first, this one, is largely a journey from stasis to action, with strong character development along the way. It’ll be interesting to see their next step, and if it offers surprises. The relationships and character growth saved the book when the events were somewhat predictable to me. This is especially true of the two biggest moments, one of which stripped away a dynamic I thought would be fascinating.
The first book ends with a commitment to action as opposed to just survival. With so many ways it can go from this point, I look forward to seeing what choices these characters make in their future.
My uncle recommended this post-apocalyptic title to me, and while it has weaknesses, I can see what attracted him to the story. This is very much a tale about taking ownership of your life rather than just maintaining the patterns you were trained in. Oddly, those patterns make up some of the weaknesses. Though Avery is trained in survival, she has blind spots that either came from the author or her father. In one case, modern sensibility interferes with survival, and in another, her ignorance where I’d expected basic knowledge stood out.
The book starts slowly because Avery is the first person point of view, and she doesn’t recognize the personhood of her sister, June. We learn how they got to this moment and what’s going on through Avery ruminating on what had happened and how June is her first priority.
Don’t get the impression it is all navel gazing though. There is a lot of danger, struggle, and fear as well as truly terrible things happening in flashback and in the present. This is a time of monsters, of bare survival against all odds, and a planet in turmoil because the different sapient species choose competition over cooperation.
I enjoyed seeing Avery grow up, not so much in age as the book occurs in a matter of days, but in recognizing her sister’s strengths, in taking responsibility for the safety of strangers, and in opening her worldview. Her sudden onset of puberty feels a little overdone and littered with the idea of base drives (envy and sexual rivals). I believe these drives are at least in part a construct of our culture as they are not constant among human cultures nor do they appear in every animal. However, those changes also bring more voices into the story and allow for an interaction previously lacking.
There is a moment (not describing because it’s a spoiler) that leads me to suspect the world she knows is not quite accurate. Then, she destroys that moment so I don’t know if it’s a sign of what’s to come or a fluke. I certainly hope for the first, as complex narratives are my favorite, especially where cultures clash. This is a tight narrative, and there’s a lot Avery doesn’t know, so the hints could be wishful thinking or elements the series can build on. That those possibilities exist offers the chance for many interesting opportunities going forward.
The world, its people, and the story setup are intriguing enough for me to read the second book, though I haven’t yet done so. The first, this one, is largely a journey from stasis to action, with strong character development along the way. It’ll be interesting to see their next step, and if it offers surprises. The relationships and character growth saved the book when the events were somewhat predictable to me. This is especially true of the two biggest moments, one of which stripped away a dynamic I thought would be fascinating.
The first book ends with a commitment to action as opposed to just survival. With so many ways it can go from this point, I look forward to seeing what choices these characters make in their future.
September 6, 2020
(this does not really contain specific spoilers. but i have mentioned some things and names)
I figure that any book, after finishing it, makes me want to read the next in the series or another book by the author is worth reading. This was one of them and it did leave me with the question What Happens Next? i really loved the plot, the main idea of the book.
Well honestly i love almost all post-apocalyptic dystopian future fantasy that i read. so it was no surprise that i liked this one too. i felt that this could have been a really great book but unfortunately it failed to deliver as much as it had the potential too.
There were many highlights. I just loved reading June’s character. Avery (the main character) and June (her sister) kinda remind me of Katniss and Prim. Avery does everything she can to keep her sister safe and many a times underestimates June. But what i didn’t like in their relationship was how negative Avery was towards herself. Constantly feeling that she was failing her sister and blaming herself for everything. I do realise that this was a part of her character and her appreciate the depth this provides her, but at times i just felt like “Ughh! Give it a rest dude” I mean it was a bit too much sometimes to the point that it almost bored me.
Another part i didn’t like was the abrupt ending. here u was, reading and thinking that now the main story of the book will start. she get out of her comfort zone, with her newfound family and explore the world beyond. but then BAM! the book’s finished. and i was like “Whaa...” So basically it did not give me the closure i was hopping for. It just well, it just stopped.
But i did like how much thought was put into really making readers believe that the world could be destroyed in such a way. And the mutated animals and what they used to be called before the world ended kinda gave me a way to understand what was being said about those animals (like the lurker’s were called wolves and they had evolved. or like boarts were called boats)
I loved the fact that Avery was amazing with a sword and spear and how she looks small but is really strong. i love a book with a badass, though a lot of times underestimated, hero. She had a strong character, mad fighting skills and she wanted to help others. That, for me is an amazing mix of qualities.
I would not say that all the creatures and the the concept of the Urthmen did not seem likely. because, well, it is 200 years in the future and i liked the imagination and the way everything fit together.
All in all, it was a good book. It had its lows but i would be want to read the second book.
I figure that any book, after finishing it, makes me want to read the next in the series or another book by the author is worth reading. This was one of them and it did leave me with the question What Happens Next? i really loved the plot, the main idea of the book.
Well honestly i love almost all post-apocalyptic dystopian future fantasy that i read. so it was no surprise that i liked this one too. i felt that this could have been a really great book but unfortunately it failed to deliver as much as it had the potential too.
There were many highlights. I just loved reading June’s character. Avery (the main character) and June (her sister) kinda remind me of Katniss and Prim. Avery does everything she can to keep her sister safe and many a times underestimates June. But what i didn’t like in their relationship was how negative Avery was towards herself. Constantly feeling that she was failing her sister and blaming herself for everything. I do realise that this was a part of her character and her appreciate the depth this provides her, but at times i just felt like “Ughh! Give it a rest dude” I mean it was a bit too much sometimes to the point that it almost bored me.
Another part i didn’t like was the abrupt ending. here u was, reading and thinking that now the main story of the book will start. she get out of her comfort zone, with her newfound family and explore the world beyond. but then BAM! the book’s finished. and i was like “Whaa...” So basically it did not give me the closure i was hopping for. It just well, it just stopped.
But i did like how much thought was put into really making readers believe that the world could be destroyed in such a way. And the mutated animals and what they used to be called before the world ended kinda gave me a way to understand what was being said about those animals (like the lurker’s were called wolves and they had evolved. or like boarts were called boats)
I loved the fact that Avery was amazing with a sword and spear and how she looks small but is really strong. i love a book with a badass, though a lot of times underestimated, hero. She had a strong character, mad fighting skills and she wanted to help others. That, for me is an amazing mix of qualities.
I would not say that all the creatures and the the concept of the Urthmen did not seem likely. because, well, it is 200 years in the future and i liked the imagination and the way everything fit together.
All in all, it was a good book. It had its lows but i would be want to read the second book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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