ColonyOfReaders discussion

I finished a week ago, and was just waiting for others.

So, what did you think?

I wasn't crazy about the early passages explaining the growing awareness of the Web Mind. I also found some of the main character's scenes, particularly where he was trying to emphasize her "teen-ness," felt forced.

An interesting story, but not as well written as I would have liked.

Warning: I do not intend to keep my review spoiler-free, though the references will not reveal much other than vague elements of the book.

As a preface to my review, let me describe my prior knowledge of WWW:Wake. I read this book solely based on the inclusion of it as our monthly read. I had heard nothing about it prior and went in blind, not even reading the back of the book or the synopsis. Except for the mention in the comments here, I did not know that there was to be a series of books.

My opinion of trilogies or series of books in general is that they need to stand on their own. It is OK to reference things in previous books, but events in each book need to be relevant to the current story that they are in. I mention this since I feel there are elements of the story that were completely unnecessary and others with more time devoted to them than necessary.

The events in China were completely unnecessary. The separating of the Webmind from itself could have been described without the large sections of several chapters being devoted to it. Later, it is never discussed again and the main character never comes into contact with the people, making all the detail completely unnecessary. Personally, I found it distracting from Caitlin's story and, truthfully, boring. If I were an editor for this book, I would have pushed for this whole sub-plot to be eliminated, leaving just enough to split the Webmind, if that is even really necessary.

The parts about Hobo were another unnecessary element, although definitely less boring. If it could have been tied more closely to the story, it would have been worth keeping, but it was irrelevant to what was happening with Caitlin.

I did like the story about Caitlin, and liked the development of the Webmind. It would have been better had it not been interrupted by the unconnected elements. I really did like the comparison between Helen Keller and the Webmind, but it was excessive at points: it would have been more interesting if I had not been beaten over the head with the comparison and had been trusted to be able to make the connection on my own.

The concept was clever and I found myself really enjoying the Websight element. I especially appreciated that there was no attempt to explain how it was possible, since those are often difficult to pull off convincingly and, done poorly, can ruin the suspension of disbelief.

It was a quick read. Without devoting much time, I was able to read through it within a couple days. I liked the story enough that I will look for the sequels, but am pleased in my decision to borrow this from the library: I see no reason to ever re-read. Even still, it was a fun, quick read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something light (though I would include that it be borrowed from the library as part of my recommendation.)

Now that we've read the book and given opinions, let's try to delve a little deeper and look for additional discussions, like we would in a "real life" book club.

As an example, I'd like to look at the Caitlin's father. Is his autism relevant to the rest of the story? Is it a deliberate choice of the author, or just a random element that had no real purpose? I'll hold off on my opinion to allow the opportunity for its discussion.

I think her fathers autism was added as a bit of foreshadowing to a possible event to happen in one of the sequels. It's mentioned how her father doesn't like being stared at or making eye contact. Also mentioned briefly is how it has been... years? since Catlin's father has said he loved her. I think that in one of the future books, possibly the last one, we will see Catlin choose to give up her vision because she can't cope with how... distant her father is due to his condition.

I'm not sure if i worded that right, but you get what I'm trying to say?