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Perception: Omnibus edition: Inward and The Knowing
Hundreds of years ago global warming melted the ice caps and flooded the world, leaving a remnant of humanity. When Max encounters Trudie in the flooded ruins of Seattle, he slowly grows to understand what has driven her inward since the days they played together – her mother’s death, abuse at the hands of her father, her desperate attempts to prevent her sister being drawn into the same cycle of destruction. Deeper and stranger is the way she knows what moves in the forest around her, the moments in which she seems to gaze into his heart. As wolves begin to frequent the hills around the village and her father’s violence drives her increasingly into the forest, each time Max is drawn to her aid by a compulsion he cannot explain.
As an ARC reader put 'What a piece of writing. I was completely immersed. I was with Max, Trudie, and Tammi every step of their dangerous, challenging and strangely enlightening journey, experiencing their pain, the cold, the heat, the hunger; the guilt, the deep and transcendent way they can communicate.'
As an ARC reader put 'What a piece of writing. I was completely immersed. I was with Max, Trudie, and Tammi every step of their dangerous, challenging and strangely enlightening journey, experiencing their pain, the cold, the heat, the hunger; the guilt, the deep and transcendent way they can communicate.'
431 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2017
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April 23, 2021
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the Perception series is a dark and haunting tale highlighting humanity’s capacity for both devastation and perseverance. There are recurring themes of loss and the corrupting allure of power, along with a question of whether love and friendship are strong enough forces to overcome them.
The entire work is beautifully poetic, as Turner’s descriptions are nothing short of masterful. While the science fiction elements are grounded in incredibly in-depth and impressive theorems, the writing remains ever fluid and enthralling. With rich, detailed settings explained in sophisticated prose, the environment comes to life, almost becoming another character – sometimes gentle and giving while other times darkly dangerous. In all cases, it serves as a stark warning about what the world may become if humanity continues to abuse the environment.
In Book 1, nature often does serve as a dangerous antagonist, and the characters are forced to defend against various physical threats in exciting, action-packed scenes that are sure to keep you turning pages. However, in Book 2, the pace slows as a more threatening and pervasive menace reveals itself as society, where an internal struggle between right and wrong challenges the characters in new, and to some extent, more difficult ways. Each of them struggles with the existential question of what their true purpose is in this new world they’ve been thrust into, and Turner’s subtle plotting allows the reader to become even more intimately entangled in the characters and the mental demons they face.
While largely a tragedy with darkly disturbing scenes some may find hard to read, the Perception series maintains hope for humanity through the author's well-crafted characters and their complex relationship. Despite having unfathomable power, Trudie is unable to take control of her own life, having been through so much trauma she can only ever see herself as a victim, and one cannot help but feel for her even when she falls prey to darker instincts. Painfully loving and loyal, Max is a character you can't help but root for through the entire series. His lack of physical prowess paired with an incredible inner strength serves as a wonderfully poignant and poetic foil for Trudie. He seems to me to serve as the story’s true north, showing that real power is the ability to remain kind in the face of prosecution and prejudice. It is through his selfless devotion to another that he impacts those around him and allows Trudie to finally find a sort of peace in the end.
If you are looking for a well-crafted, disquieting tale of love and loss, of brokenness and strength, I highly recommend this series.
The entire work is beautifully poetic, as Turner’s descriptions are nothing short of masterful. While the science fiction elements are grounded in incredibly in-depth and impressive theorems, the writing remains ever fluid and enthralling. With rich, detailed settings explained in sophisticated prose, the environment comes to life, almost becoming another character – sometimes gentle and giving while other times darkly dangerous. In all cases, it serves as a stark warning about what the world may become if humanity continues to abuse the environment.
In Book 1, nature often does serve as a dangerous antagonist, and the characters are forced to defend against various physical threats in exciting, action-packed scenes that are sure to keep you turning pages. However, in Book 2, the pace slows as a more threatening and pervasive menace reveals itself as society, where an internal struggle between right and wrong challenges the characters in new, and to some extent, more difficult ways. Each of them struggles with the existential question of what their true purpose is in this new world they’ve been thrust into, and Turner’s subtle plotting allows the reader to become even more intimately entangled in the characters and the mental demons they face.
While largely a tragedy with darkly disturbing scenes some may find hard to read, the Perception series maintains hope for humanity through the author's well-crafted characters and their complex relationship. Despite having unfathomable power, Trudie is unable to take control of her own life, having been through so much trauma she can only ever see herself as a victim, and one cannot help but feel for her even when she falls prey to darker instincts. Painfully loving and loyal, Max is a character you can't help but root for through the entire series. His lack of physical prowess paired with an incredible inner strength serves as a wonderfully poignant and poetic foil for Trudie. He seems to me to serve as the story’s true north, showing that real power is the ability to remain kind in the face of prosecution and prejudice. It is through his selfless devotion to another that he impacts those around him and allows Trudie to finally find a sort of peace in the end.
If you are looking for a well-crafted, disquieting tale of love and loss, of brokenness and strength, I highly recommend this series.
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