What do you think?
Rate this book
Cold-Blooded
Taliesin earns his living as a dockworker in the impoverished coastal town of Helmsbreak, England. But life isn’t easy as the world enters the depths of an ice-age, with cities overrun with crime and provisions scarce. Raised to blame technology for society’s downfall, he dreams of disappearing into the wilderness to pursue the simple life his father always advocated.After witnessing the brutal murder of a talented figure skater he greatly admired, Taliesin ends up being framed for the crime himself. Left with no other choice he, together with close friend Gray and expert navigator Rez, boards a stolen icebreaker to brave the merciless sea.This narrow escape marks the beginning of an intercontinental race against time, evoking memories of a past Taliesin is eager to forget and forcing him to confront old ghosts that still linger below the waves.
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
54 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 14, 2022
The premise of this cli-fi was intriguing to me, so when the author offered me a review copy I accepted.
I'll start with the struggles I had first. The biggest of which being the books preaching. There are regular monologues from a variety of characters about the horrors of modern technology and how it should all be abandoned to go to a pre-electricity era. It upholds regressing as the solution to all the world's problems and the ultimate Good Thing. There was no nuance and no discussion of all the societal ills that existed before technology. It also presented this false dichotomy: that everyone in the world needed to be fully plugged in and hyper tech-focused or entirely cut off and living rugged. There was no gray area, no nuance in the theme.
As for the main character, there *could* have been a great character arc for him, but he never seems to grow. In fact, he spends most of the time looking like a hypocrite. He has mental monologues in the narrative about how it's a good thing all humans are slowly dying off, but then later declares he "could never be hateful." He decries the use of literally all technology but uses it constantly. This could have been a purposeful character trait, except the narrative doesn't seem to notice it exists. There are multiple uses of cell phones, helicopters, and medical equipment. All of it is necessary to move the plot forward but he's dropping more monologues about the evils of technology every other chapter. He either needed to drop ALL technology, including the helpful, life-saving stuff and go full regressive or accept that his black-and-white worldview wasn't accurate and adapt it. As it is, he does neither. Even at the end, after the final monologue about how regressing is the only way to save humanity, he's preparing to get on a jet.
The plot seems to move at hyper speed with very little time to actually sit and focus on the importance of any of it. A character near death is saved at the last minute, but there's barely a moment of relief from any characters before the next thing is happening. Characters will die and others will barely show any grief before another plot point has come. It prevented me from getting truly into the emotions of anything, because I knew the narrative would be moving on shortly.
There were two bright spots in the book for me: the romance and the potential. I loved the dynamic between Gray and Tal and I was honestly excited any time they reunited. Gray was the best character in the entire thing and wished he was the protagonist. As for the potential, there was a lot there. The setting is a stand out from most other cli-fi dystopians. If you were to lay out the concept of the plot on paper, it would look really intriguing. The execution just left a lot to be desired for me.
I can't say the anti-technology message of the story will resonate for most people on here (seeing as this review is posted online) but if you do agree with the message, you'll likely get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
I'll start with the struggles I had first. The biggest of which being the books preaching. There are regular monologues from a variety of characters about the horrors of modern technology and how it should all be abandoned to go to a pre-electricity era. It upholds regressing as the solution to all the world's problems and the ultimate Good Thing. There was no nuance and no discussion of all the societal ills that existed before technology. It also presented this false dichotomy: that everyone in the world needed to be fully plugged in and hyper tech-focused or entirely cut off and living rugged. There was no gray area, no nuance in the theme.
As for the main character, there *could* have been a great character arc for him, but he never seems to grow. In fact, he spends most of the time looking like a hypocrite. He has mental monologues in the narrative about how it's a good thing all humans are slowly dying off, but then later declares he "could never be hateful." He decries the use of literally all technology but uses it constantly. This could have been a purposeful character trait, except the narrative doesn't seem to notice it exists. There are multiple uses of cell phones, helicopters, and medical equipment. All of it is necessary to move the plot forward but he's dropping more monologues about the evils of technology every other chapter. He either needed to drop ALL technology, including the helpful, life-saving stuff and go full regressive or accept that his black-and-white worldview wasn't accurate and adapt it. As it is, he does neither. Even at the end, after the final monologue about how regressing is the only way to save humanity, he's preparing to get on a jet.
The plot seems to move at hyper speed with very little time to actually sit and focus on the importance of any of it. A character near death is saved at the last minute, but there's barely a moment of relief from any characters before the next thing is happening. Characters will die and others will barely show any grief before another plot point has come. It prevented me from getting truly into the emotions of anything, because I knew the narrative would be moving on shortly.
There were two bright spots in the book for me: the romance and the potential. I loved the dynamic between Gray and Tal and I was honestly excited any time they reunited. Gray was the best character in the entire thing and wished he was the protagonist. As for the potential, there was a lot there. The setting is a stand out from most other cli-fi dystopians. If you were to lay out the concept of the plot on paper, it would look really intriguing. The execution just left a lot to be desired for me.
I can't say the anti-technology message of the story will resonate for most people on here (seeing as this review is posted online) but if you do agree with the message, you'll likely get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
April 24, 2021
This unconventional sci-fi/dystopia is set in an alternate future. Climate change is a key player, but in this dark, biting world, the temperature is dropping, and what is left of humanity has taken to the seas, traversing roiling oceans and minefields of icebergs in search of safe haven. I found the worldbuilding intriguing, and though it would not have hurt had the author given more description on the ‘science’ of the premise, it is an engaging setting, which Nye uses as an effective backdrop for the novel’s psychological themes.
Our protagonist is Taliesin, a slightly misguided misfit of a young man, who works the docks in the fictitious city of Helmsbreak, somewhere on the English coast. He is a homoromantic asexual, and a loner – with the exception of the ambiguous emotional intimacy he shares with Nordic hacker, Gray.
After witnessing a (cold-blooded…) murder, our hero and Gray go on the run, an adventure that will take them halfway across a world peopled by scavenger pirates and morally dubious hackers. As they navigate the threats of crumbling societies, they must also try to survive the frozen wrath of Mother Nature.
Overall, Cold-Blooded has a readable flow which never let me put it down for long. There is a definite sense that the author’s philosophy has matured since her previous work, and I am curious to see where it will take her next. The ending to this novel is great, and packs several surprises. I appreciated its open-endedness, which gives the reader space to reflect.
You can read my full review by visiting my site:
https://darkerfables.wordpress.com/20...
Our protagonist is Taliesin, a slightly misguided misfit of a young man, who works the docks in the fictitious city of Helmsbreak, somewhere on the English coast. He is a homoromantic asexual, and a loner – with the exception of the ambiguous emotional intimacy he shares with Nordic hacker, Gray.
After witnessing a (cold-blooded…) murder, our hero and Gray go on the run, an adventure that will take them halfway across a world peopled by scavenger pirates and morally dubious hackers. As they navigate the threats of crumbling societies, they must also try to survive the frozen wrath of Mother Nature.
Overall, Cold-Blooded has a readable flow which never let me put it down for long. There is a definite sense that the author’s philosophy has matured since her previous work, and I am curious to see where it will take her next. The ending to this novel is great, and packs several surprises. I appreciated its open-endedness, which gives the reader space to reflect.
You can read my full review by visiting my site:
https://darkerfables.wordpress.com/20...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews