What do you think?
Rate this book
Zero One, Zero Two: We are all Dead
NASA’s TRAPPIST 1 announcement Feb 2017 chimes with this hallucinogenic novella published in November 2016.
ZERO ONE ZERO TWO is a spare offering of satirical social comment wrapped in science fiction and a futuristic dystopian narrative sprinkled with dark, dry humour and occasional poetry.
Humanity is running out.
For Rachel Smith and her four companions, hope for earth is in the distant past along with cannibalism, land collapses and real human interaction. 200 years old, she exists in the mess created by 20th and 21st century ‘civilisation’.
In some ways Zero One Zero Two moves on from the narrative of The Remainder - Amanda's short story published by Iron Press in the ROOT anthology but it is also its own story.
Flung out into space at the mercy of technology she does not understand, with memories and ghosts for company, Rachel faces the unknowable unknown alone. Just like TRAPPIST 1, Rachel's destination is merely guessed at by scientists using data from super telescopes and mathematical equations.
She cannot come home!
ZERO ONE ZERO TWO is a spare offering of satirical social comment wrapped in science fiction and a futuristic dystopian narrative sprinkled with dark, dry humour and occasional poetry.
Humanity is running out.
For Rachel Smith and her four companions, hope for earth is in the distant past along with cannibalism, land collapses and real human interaction. 200 years old, she exists in the mess created by 20th and 21st century ‘civilisation’.
In some ways Zero One Zero Two moves on from the narrative of The Remainder - Amanda's short story published by Iron Press in the ROOT anthology but it is also its own story.
Flung out into space at the mercy of technology she does not understand, with memories and ghosts for company, Rachel faces the unknowable unknown alone. Just like TRAPPIST 1, Rachel's destination is merely guessed at by scientists using data from super telescopes and mathematical equations.
She cannot come home!
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
382 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Baker
2 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 17, 2017
I won the book in the giveaway and was looking forward to it, and ended up terribly disappointed.
Baker has written a slim book that is an acid-tongued list of what she views as being wrong with the world with a very thin veneer of a story wrapped around it. I expected this to serve as a backdrop to the story, but as the book progressed it became more and more clear that this was really the meat of the entire book. She keeps going back to the world's current woes over the entirety of the book, but just to add to the list. She doesn't use it to actually fill out the characters or drive their actions. In fact, there is no real story here; very little character development or story arc and no real conflict that will engage the reader.
Additionally, there is a very large quantity of poetry embedded in the story which by its sheer volume -- in almost every chapter -- breaks up the flow of the story rather than enhancing it. By a third of the way through the book, I found myself skipping past all of it to get back to the story.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. Zero stars.
Baker has written a slim book that is an acid-tongued list of what she views as being wrong with the world with a very thin veneer of a story wrapped around it. I expected this to serve as a backdrop to the story, but as the book progressed it became more and more clear that this was really the meat of the entire book. She keeps going back to the world's current woes over the entirety of the book, but just to add to the list. She doesn't use it to actually fill out the characters or drive their actions. In fact, there is no real story here; very little character development or story arc and no real conflict that will engage the reader.
Additionally, there is a very large quantity of poetry embedded in the story which by its sheer volume -- in almost every chapter -- breaks up the flow of the story rather than enhancing it. By a third of the way through the book, I found myself skipping past all of it to get back to the story.
I would not recommend this book to anyone. Zero stars.
December 31, 2016
I won a print copy of Zero One, Zero Two: We Are All Dead by Amanda Baker in a Goodreads Firstreads giveaway.
Zero One, Zero Two is a scifi story, but probably not like you are used to. It certainly was not what I was expecting. It is told as a memoir mixed with current action. There is also a healthy amount of poetry mixed in as well. I am no authority on poetry style, all I can say is that it is not nursery rhyme, every line rhymes, poetry.
Also a commentary on human history, a very cynical and angry commentary. A "glass is half empty" kind of commentary, or more accurately; the "unfairness that some people didn't even get a glass" observation. It seemed to be trying to make me feel guilty for ever enjoying any amount of success when others weren't so fortunate. I can't (or won't) say that the commentary is wrong, or even that I necessarily disagree with it, but I do maintain that it is negatively skewed.
But as a story, Zero One, Zero Two is well presented and entertaining. Dystopic society and an exaggerated reliance on technology have had their way with humanity. Again, I'm not well versed in poetic style, but I did enjoy most of the poetry included. The story is well focused and the main character is sympathetic. It is a tale told during a particularly bleak period and there is little reprieve from that bleakness. But there are some brighter moments. A good thing for me or the book would have been just too depressing.
So, although my review may sound more negative (and that is the tone of the book), I did enjoy it and am glad to have read Zero One, Zero Two...by Amanda Baker. The book is 125 pages long, so it is a quick read. If darker commentary is your thing you'll like this book. Enjoy!
Mike
Zero One, Zero Two is a scifi story, but probably not like you are used to. It certainly was not what I was expecting. It is told as a memoir mixed with current action. There is also a healthy amount of poetry mixed in as well. I am no authority on poetry style, all I can say is that it is not nursery rhyme, every line rhymes, poetry.
Also a commentary on human history, a very cynical and angry commentary. A "glass is half empty" kind of commentary, or more accurately; the "unfairness that some people didn't even get a glass" observation. It seemed to be trying to make me feel guilty for ever enjoying any amount of success when others weren't so fortunate. I can't (or won't) say that the commentary is wrong, or even that I necessarily disagree with it, but I do maintain that it is negatively skewed.
But as a story, Zero One, Zero Two is well presented and entertaining. Dystopic society and an exaggerated reliance on technology have had their way with humanity. Again, I'm not well versed in poetic style, but I did enjoy most of the poetry included. The story is well focused and the main character is sympathetic. It is a tale told during a particularly bleak period and there is little reprieve from that bleakness. But there are some brighter moments. A good thing for me or the book would have been just too depressing.
So, although my review may sound more negative (and that is the tone of the book), I did enjoy it and am glad to have read Zero One, Zero Two...by Amanda Baker. The book is 125 pages long, so it is a quick read. If darker commentary is your thing you'll like this book. Enjoy!
Mike
August 23, 2017
At it’s best, zero one, zero too is a novella set in the future, a future that seems to have been doomed by the actions of modern society today. The novella also quickly jumps back and forth between memories and current events, which makes it a little confusing to keep up with the storyline. Also, for those like myself who are not that familiar with the sci-fi genre and it’s scientific terms, it was hard to piece together and picture what was happening in the story. The random poems that seem to occur more often than that also somewhat breaks up the flow of the novella. However, I do think that overall the work is well-written.
Sidni Boykins
AAMBC Reviewer
Sidni Boykins
AAMBC Reviewer
February 18, 2017
Really different, really quirky. Densely delivered - the kind of thing i'll read more than once. Uncomfortable in places reading such a raw account of what could be /what has been but I got the dark humour. It's a neat little tightly packed novella. And yep - 'sci fi' doesn't really do it justice.
April 15, 2017
Interesting story
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews