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The Threshing
"If you are a fan of Hunger Games or the Matrix, this is the book that you carry around with you until you get to the end."
1. If you win, you survive.
2. If you lose, you and everyone you love slowly starve to death.
Years before twelve-year-old Jessie was born, everyday life tipped into this dystopia when firestorms burned through millions upon millions of acres of sustainable farmland. Now there's not enough food for too many people. Leaders from around the globe came together and conceived of the most extraordinary competition imaginable. The results determine who gets what and how much.
This battlefield lies within the grid, a virtual world where the people mine credits to stake their claim for their daily bread. When everyone else is living a virtual life honing unreal skills, only the truly gifted have the courage and know-how to be real.
And Jessie might be the most gifted competitor in The Threshing.
Ever.
1. If you win, you survive.
2. If you lose, you and everyone you love slowly starve to death.
Years before twelve-year-old Jessie was born, everyday life tipped into this dystopia when firestorms burned through millions upon millions of acres of sustainable farmland. Now there's not enough food for too many people. Leaders from around the globe came together and conceived of the most extraordinary competition imaginable. The results determine who gets what and how much.
This battlefield lies within the grid, a virtual world where the people mine credits to stake their claim for their daily bread. When everyone else is living a virtual life honing unreal skills, only the truly gifted have the courage and know-how to be real.
And Jessie might be the most gifted competitor in The Threshing.
Ever.
- GenresFiction
434 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 18, 2020
12 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 27, 2020
I've been an avid fan of the Story Grid podcast for quite some time now, so I've followed along in Tim's journey as he was writing this book. To be able to read the end result of his efforts was exciting. And I have to say: it definitely did not disappoint.
I loved Jessie, the protagonist of the story, as she was both bold and vulnerable at the same time. Thinking back to the time when I was 12, I think it portrayed the challenges children of that age face really well. They're starting to navigate the 'grown-up' world on their own, which can be an intimidating and difficult world to be in. Especially if that world is a dystopian future after the world burned, and food is so scarce that the four leading continents have to fight each other over it every 4 years, using their best coders in a virtual reality environment. And they fight until only one is left alive.
So, major pressure for Jessie throughout the story, when all she really wants to do is go back home to the safety of her family and friends.
The book was a quick read, I just burned through the pages, wanting to know how the story continued and what would happen to Jessie. Funny thing is, since I followed the podcast, I already knew most of what would happen. It was interesting to me that this didn't matter. At all. I still didn't quite know how Tim would pull off the twists and turns in the story, and seeing them fulfilled in a satisfying way is much better than reading an unexpected plot-twist that is completely unsatisfactory.
The writing was fast-paced, which fit well with the continuous action in the story, yet there were ample descriptions and detail added to the world to make it easy to imagine the story in your head. My favorite sentence is, without a doubt:
"Your greatest gift to the world is the thing you do so naturally that you don't even know it's special."
I also loved the reference to The Wizard of Oz.
To sum it up: if you love a good YA fantasy story with a Hunger Games vibe, set in a dystopian world with some cool virtual reality grid a-la the Matrix, then you can't go wrong with this book!
I loved Jessie, the protagonist of the story, as she was both bold and vulnerable at the same time. Thinking back to the time when I was 12, I think it portrayed the challenges children of that age face really well. They're starting to navigate the 'grown-up' world on their own, which can be an intimidating and difficult world to be in. Especially if that world is a dystopian future after the world burned, and food is so scarce that the four leading continents have to fight each other over it every 4 years, using their best coders in a virtual reality environment. And they fight until only one is left alive.
So, major pressure for Jessie throughout the story, when all she really wants to do is go back home to the safety of her family and friends.
The book was a quick read, I just burned through the pages, wanting to know how the story continued and what would happen to Jessie. Funny thing is, since I followed the podcast, I already knew most of what would happen. It was interesting to me that this didn't matter. At all. I still didn't quite know how Tim would pull off the twists and turns in the story, and seeing them fulfilled in a satisfying way is much better than reading an unexpected plot-twist that is completely unsatisfactory.
The writing was fast-paced, which fit well with the continuous action in the story, yet there were ample descriptions and detail added to the world to make it easy to imagine the story in your head. My favorite sentence is, without a doubt:
"Your greatest gift to the world is the thing you do so naturally that you don't even know it's special."
I also loved the reference to The Wizard of Oz.
To sum it up: if you love a good YA fantasy story with a Hunger Games vibe, set in a dystopian world with some cool virtual reality grid a-la the Matrix, then you can't go wrong with this book!
June 24, 2020
Tim wove a tight story and kept it moving through every scene. The Matrix meets The Hunger Games isn't usually my go-to kind of novel, but I finished this book within 48 hours. The characters kept me guessing on who would be reliable and who would turn out to be the villain. By the end of the book, I felt that familiar sad satisfaction of reading a well-written story and sorry that it ended.
December 27, 2021
Good: Fast paced. Finished the book faster than any similar sized book in a long time - which was a combination of the narrative drive heavily balanced towards action and the lower reading level of the text. The twist on a Matrix - Hunger Games - Ender's Game type concept was fairly interesting and wanted to understand more beyond the surface-level descriptions and to know how it finishes.
Bad: The writing is very clinical. Each chapter is mostly back-to-back action with little breathing room to experience the world in more depth. It almost has a Truman Show feel to it, where behind the next door or just outside the edge of experience from Jessie's eyes, you'll find the stage hands working to prop things up. So, the various pieces with obvious influences from Matrix/Hunger Games/Ender's Game came off as a very loose affair, instead of a cohesive experience. I don't read much YA these days, so not sure if YA books have a similar feel. I could be unfairly comparing the depth in this book to my preferred reads of adult fantasy and science fiction.
It wasn't clear enough early on what Jessie's gift is, and I'm still not clear exactly what it was by the end. There are moments where what she is doing in the grid seems to overlap with what she is doing in real life, which is terribly confusing. This delineation needs to be much more clear. There are moments, like the swarm, where their escapes don't seem plausible.
Conclusion: I followed the SG podcast through the entire writing of this novel. I probably have higher expectations as a result, but I think that is OK. Learning from mistakes is what improving is all about. All in all, this was a great effort for a first novel. The core is really there, just barely any meat on the bones to love it beyond what it sparsely reveals through the action.
Bad: The writing is very clinical. Each chapter is mostly back-to-back action with little breathing room to experience the world in more depth. It almost has a Truman Show feel to it, where behind the next door or just outside the edge of experience from Jessie's eyes, you'll find the stage hands working to prop things up. So, the various pieces with obvious influences from Matrix/Hunger Games/Ender's Game came off as a very loose affair, instead of a cohesive experience. I don't read much YA these days, so not sure if YA books have a similar feel. I could be unfairly comparing the depth in this book to my preferred reads of adult fantasy and science fiction.
It wasn't clear enough early on what Jessie's gift is, and I'm still not clear exactly what it was by the end. There are moments where what she is doing in the grid seems to overlap with what she is doing in real life, which is terribly confusing. This delineation needs to be much more clear. There are moments, like the swarm, where their escapes don't seem plausible.
Conclusion: I followed the SG podcast through the entire writing of this novel. I probably have higher expectations as a result, but I think that is OK. Learning from mistakes is what improving is all about. All in all, this was a great effort for a first novel. The core is really there, just barely any meat on the bones to love it beyond what it sparsely reveals through the action.
September 6, 2020
A bit irking to me
I wanted to give this book 4 stars up until the last sentence.
All I want to say should be said at the betareaders' phase. So I'll shut uo about it.
Probably, I'm dissatisfied with the book because it's dystopian and I never liked those.
I read it because Tim Grahl wrote it. I have great respect for him, he’s a great guy and works hard. The book was growing openly on The Story Grid podcast so I was eager to finaly read it.
I guess, not every story is for everyone. I like the character oriented stories, whereas this was plot oriented (the Story Grid doctrine). Nothing wrong with this, just not my cup of tea. I also like happy endings, while The Threshing had a need-to-think-about ending.
Which I'll try not to. I probably won't be able to not think about it, but... irking.
For those who don't know whether to read it or not - do. It's still a good story. It takes off greatly after about 60%,and those 40% give me hope Grahl's next book will be great.
He may have had too much stress over him because of the Story Grid podcast and all the people to prod into this story, so there was sone unclarity at the beginning. I think he'll do great the next story around.
I don't know. If I have another insight in the next few days, I'll edit the review.
I wanted to give this book 4 stars up until the last sentence.
All I want to say should be said at the betareaders' phase. So I'll shut uo about it.
Probably, I'm dissatisfied with the book because it's dystopian and I never liked those.
I read it because Tim Grahl wrote it. I have great respect for him, he’s a great guy and works hard. The book was growing openly on The Story Grid podcast so I was eager to finaly read it.
I guess, not every story is for everyone. I like the character oriented stories, whereas this was plot oriented (the Story Grid doctrine). Nothing wrong with this, just not my cup of tea. I also like happy endings, while The Threshing had a need-to-think-about ending.
Which I'll try not to. I probably won't be able to not think about it, but... irking.
For those who don't know whether to read it or not - do. It's still a good story. It takes off greatly after about 60%,and those 40% give me hope Grahl's next book will be great.
He may have had too much stress over him because of the Story Grid podcast and all the people to prod into this story, so there was sone unclarity at the beginning. I think he'll do great the next story around.
I don't know. If I have another insight in the next few days, I'll edit the review.
June 6, 2020
Reading a book after spoilers
The threshing is a solid read. The plot moves along at a good pace, the world is fully developed and the characters have depth. I look forward to the sequels.
That being said, there were times I struggled with the book. I think the problem was that I had the entire plot spoiled for me through listening to the development of the novel on the StoryGrid podcast. There were times that I felt like something was lacking and I’m fairly sure that I can blame my expectation for how something I knew about would read versus how it actually turned out. I don’t suspect readers who are picking the book up without knowing about it will have this problem.
The writing is efficient, albeit straightforward. It supports storytelling in a dystopian world. I think Tim’s first foray into fiction was a success.
I look forward to the rest of Jesse’s story.
The threshing is a solid read. The plot moves along at a good pace, the world is fully developed and the characters have depth. I look forward to the sequels.
That being said, there were times I struggled with the book. I think the problem was that I had the entire plot spoiled for me through listening to the development of the novel on the StoryGrid podcast. There were times that I felt like something was lacking and I’m fairly sure that I can blame my expectation for how something I knew about would read versus how it actually turned out. I don’t suspect readers who are picking the book up without knowing about it will have this problem.
The writing is efficient, albeit straightforward. It supports storytelling in a dystopian world. I think Tim’s first foray into fiction was a success.
I look forward to the rest of Jesse’s story.
October 18, 2020
Um. Definitely interesting.
Audio version. Narrator Lynn Downey. Note: she did a good job narrating, but there were audio quality issues and editing issues that aren't normally present in audio books I listen to. Not sure if it was just the Scribd version or not.
Overall it was entertaining. I listened to it over the course of 2 days, so that's something. Some of the characters weren't altogether believable and their actions didn't match their circumstances. Or I'm just reading into it way too much. I didn't feel like a 12yo brought up in this "world" would be as petulant and obstinate as the main character, but maybe I just don't remember being 12?
If you like post modern/ post apocalyptic/ cyber punk genres give it a try.
If I had the option for 3.5 stars, that's what I would do, but I rounded up. It's not quite a 4 star book but better than a 3.
Audio version. Narrator Lynn Downey. Note: she did a good job narrating, but there were audio quality issues and editing issues that aren't normally present in audio books I listen to. Not sure if it was just the Scribd version or not.
Overall it was entertaining. I listened to it over the course of 2 days, so that's something. Some of the characters weren't altogether believable and their actions didn't match their circumstances. Or I'm just reading into it way too much. I didn't feel like a 12yo brought up in this "world" would be as petulant and obstinate as the main character, but maybe I just don't remember being 12?
If you like post modern/ post apocalyptic/ cyber punk genres give it a try.
If I had the option for 3.5 stars, that's what I would do, but I rounded up. It's not quite a 4 star book but better than a 3.
May 26, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed The Threshing from start to finish! Jessie was an excellently portrayed character - her development was believable and realistic. I would get upset with her and then remind myself, "oh, right, she's a hotheaded 12-year-old; that makes sense." The ending was so very satisfying and greatly encouraged me in figuring out an ending for my own book in progress that has that same sort of honest, open-ended but conclusive feel.
February 1, 2022
It was great to see the result of Tim's journey through the Story Grid process.
I've been following the podcast for years. Even though I knew some of the details of the story, it still delivers.
Recommended reading if you've been following anything Story Grid-related. Also, recommended reading if you are looking for another "Hunger Games-Ready Player One" type story.
I've been following the podcast for years. Even though I knew some of the details of the story, it still delivers.
Recommended reading if you've been following anything Story Grid-related. Also, recommended reading if you are looking for another "Hunger Games-Ready Player One" type story.
July 19, 2020
A future of need
This future is of one where there are bit enough resources for the people in the planet and instead of working together to create more, they have a contest to see which factor gets the most. Not a good future but maybe things will get better
This future is of one where there are bit enough resources for the people in the planet and instead of working together to create more, they have a contest to see which factor gets the most. Not a good future but maybe things will get better
March 17, 2020
This book is Hunger Games meets Ready Player One in the best way possible. It pulls you along quickly with fun twists. Very original and entertaining. can’t wait for the next book!
May 27, 2020
Interesting and engaging way of building suspense. A lot of detail. Great story, but really not my cup of tea or slice of cake.
April 4, 2023
It was a good enough book, but it took pretty liberally from other famous books like ready player one and the hunger games.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews