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Fabricating Humanity
Across a fantastic landscape of magic and intrigue, seven men and women from all walks of life struggle to survive an apocalyptic assault by a force unknown. Catastrophe brings them together, as they unite to grasp and overcome a deeper, looming threat. Their travels across time and space converge on an epic journey to a desolate future Earth, in which the fate of the Universe falls in the hands of an unexpected hero.
- GenresFantasy
256 pages, Paperback
Published January 14, 2016
About the author
Ari Officer
2 books18 followersSince writing for TIME Magazine at 21 years old, Ari Officer has had his words, opinions, and analysis read by millions around the world. Long interested in science fiction and fantasy, he began his debut novel, Fabricating Humanity, while a student at Stanford University. A commodities trader by day (and often night), Officer spends his free time playing guitar and drums, composing music, and writing his second novel. He also serves as a trustee of the Phi Kappa Psi Foundation. He lives in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood with his fiancée.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Did Not Finish
November 1, 2020dnf @ 14%
Interesting concept but the writing style was god awful. Barely any descriptions, all tell and no show, and exposition is plopped unceremoniously on your plate. thank u, next
Interesting concept but the writing style was god awful. Barely any descriptions, all tell and no show, and exposition is plopped unceremoniously on your plate. thank u, next
March 1, 2016
Fabricating Humanity By Ari officer
Book price-194rs
Across a fantastic landscape of magic and intrigue, seven men and women from all walks of life struggle to survive an apocalyptic assault by a force unknown. Catastrophe brings them together, as they unite to grasp and overcome a deeper, looming threat. Their travels across time and space converge on an epic journey to a desolate future Earth, in which the fate of the Universe falls in the hands of an unexpected hero.
Fantastic read! Officer's writing is very fun, and the story gives a super unique spin on one of my favorite theories. I normally don't read much fantasy, but the way the author explains the background and ties everything together makes it a lot more relatable. My mind was totally blown at how everything ultimately worked out. I'm excited to read his next novel!
It's clear from Mr. Officer's writing that he is a deep-thinking man with a high-level perspective on some of the issues plaguing society. Well-developed characters and a fascinating plot just add to the depth of this wonderful book. Great read and highly recommended!
Book price-194rs
Across a fantastic landscape of magic and intrigue, seven men and women from all walks of life struggle to survive an apocalyptic assault by a force unknown. Catastrophe brings them together, as they unite to grasp and overcome a deeper, looming threat. Their travels across time and space converge on an epic journey to a desolate future Earth, in which the fate of the Universe falls in the hands of an unexpected hero.
Fantastic read! Officer's writing is very fun, and the story gives a super unique spin on one of my favorite theories. I normally don't read much fantasy, but the way the author explains the background and ties everything together makes it a lot more relatable. My mind was totally blown at how everything ultimately worked out. I'm excited to read his next novel!
It's clear from Mr. Officer's writing that he is a deep-thinking man with a high-level perspective on some of the issues plaguing society. Well-developed characters and a fascinating plot just add to the depth of this wonderful book. Great read and highly recommended!
April 23, 2016
Fabricating Humanity by Ari Officer
I do not really know where to begin with this review. As soon as I started reading the book I knew I was in trouble – not because of the book, but because of me. Full Disclosure, I received this book for free from a Goodreads giveaway, and so I felt some responsibility to give it a fair read. I was not ready to read it, so I had to put it down and walk away until I was ready.
The reason – too many English Literature classes in college and I needed to be in the right frame of mind to get the most out of the book. So once I was ready to read a fiction narrative with an eye towards analysis, I picked it back up. Not everyone will have this issue – but I have had just enough instruction in Literary Criticism that there are just some books I cannot read without delving into academic analysis. For me, this was one of those books.
This is one of those books that if you read once, I recommend reading a second time, you will get something totally new out of it.
There are a couple of things the author does that I liked. The structure of the book starts out rather straight forward with only a few moments when I felt like I did not know what was going on. This happens in a lot of Novels but as you delve into the narrative the background is filled in and you are able to put things back into context. And while this does happen, the further and further into the book you go the more moments of mystification there were. By the end of the book I did have all the answers – either from the narrative or fabricated on my own (as I expect was the author’s intention). What this did do was give me a disjointed, almost frenetic, sense of chaos which mirrored what was happening within the narrative.
The second thing I enjoyed is as the story progressed it transformed from Sword and Sorcery to Science Fiction. We went from talking about a system of magic to a philosophical discussion of science and reality. And with a title of Fabricating Humanity you know there has to be some discussion on what it means to be human – don’t worry, there is.
For me though, it was not the examination of humanity or on the fabrication of reality which captivated my literary criticism spirit. It was the little drops of commentary on Time which kept me engrossed with the narrative.
• “Most people are plagued by their past. It holds them back, dictating their every move. If you erase your past, you can move on and accomplish great feats.”
• “Pain tends to slow time, and beauty tends to be timeless.”
• “That a specific event occurs is not significant. When it occurs is more important.”
• “Time is an illusion. You sense the state-to-state changes as if they are continuously altering. But in reality, your consciousness smooths it out.”
• “You can shape your past actions into a more positive future, by building on the properly.”
So, that covers the positive… on to the constructive criticism?
I feel the novel cold have benefited by being bigger. The story does not need to be longer, but would like more detail, a more fleshed out world and characters. The world, not just the fabricated ones, but the collective world the story takes place is seems monotonous.
The characters are one dimensional, even when we learn they are not. The world itself, and the characters, are flat. There is no real reason to care about the world, the characters, or their interactions, only what they represent and show us about the world around them.
I enjoyed the philosophical exploration of reality, humanity, and time within the book, but I did not really enjoy the journey.
Jack Graham
I do not really know where to begin with this review. As soon as I started reading the book I knew I was in trouble – not because of the book, but because of me. Full Disclosure, I received this book for free from a Goodreads giveaway, and so I felt some responsibility to give it a fair read. I was not ready to read it, so I had to put it down and walk away until I was ready.
The reason – too many English Literature classes in college and I needed to be in the right frame of mind to get the most out of the book. So once I was ready to read a fiction narrative with an eye towards analysis, I picked it back up. Not everyone will have this issue – but I have had just enough instruction in Literary Criticism that there are just some books I cannot read without delving into academic analysis. For me, this was one of those books.
This is one of those books that if you read once, I recommend reading a second time, you will get something totally new out of it.
There are a couple of things the author does that I liked. The structure of the book starts out rather straight forward with only a few moments when I felt like I did not know what was going on. This happens in a lot of Novels but as you delve into the narrative the background is filled in and you are able to put things back into context. And while this does happen, the further and further into the book you go the more moments of mystification there were. By the end of the book I did have all the answers – either from the narrative or fabricated on my own (as I expect was the author’s intention). What this did do was give me a disjointed, almost frenetic, sense of chaos which mirrored what was happening within the narrative.
The second thing I enjoyed is as the story progressed it transformed from Sword and Sorcery to Science Fiction. We went from talking about a system of magic to a philosophical discussion of science and reality. And with a title of Fabricating Humanity you know there has to be some discussion on what it means to be human – don’t worry, there is.
For me though, it was not the examination of humanity or on the fabrication of reality which captivated my literary criticism spirit. It was the little drops of commentary on Time which kept me engrossed with the narrative.
• “Most people are plagued by their past. It holds them back, dictating their every move. If you erase your past, you can move on and accomplish great feats.”
• “Pain tends to slow time, and beauty tends to be timeless.”
• “That a specific event occurs is not significant. When it occurs is more important.”
• “Time is an illusion. You sense the state-to-state changes as if they are continuously altering. But in reality, your consciousness smooths it out.”
• “You can shape your past actions into a more positive future, by building on the properly.”
So, that covers the positive… on to the constructive criticism?
I feel the novel cold have benefited by being bigger. The story does not need to be longer, but would like more detail, a more fleshed out world and characters. The world, not just the fabricated ones, but the collective world the story takes place is seems monotonous.
The characters are one dimensional, even when we learn they are not. The world itself, and the characters, are flat. There is no real reason to care about the world, the characters, or their interactions, only what they represent and show us about the world around them.
I enjoyed the philosophical exploration of reality, humanity, and time within the book, but I did not really enjoy the journey.
Jack Graham
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews