Restricted Section Book Club discussion

Okay, here's where we debrief on the whole book. What was your overall impression?

*Spoilers! There will be spoilers!

That was a really interesting way of writing the epilogue. I'm not sure if I've ever read an epilogue in future tense, it almost makes it feel like even though I'm done with the book I'm still right there in the middle of the timeline.

I know what you mean! That totally threw me off but I wasn't sure if it was because I was listening to the book while playing with my raccoon or not. It seemed rushed and kinda unfinished. You know what I mean?

I enjoyed the book for the most part. I powered through it over a couple days. The ending was satisfying enough for me, and the whole thing with the code on the original Gerritszoon punches was cool. The only real issue I have with this book is that the characters seemed flat.

Anyway, overall I enjoyed it, but it's not something I would put on my favorites shelf, or something that I would re-read. Just another book to add to my long, ever-growing "read" list.

"There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care."

Festina Lente!

I didn't know what to expect before I started but I quite enjoyed it. I was reading it on an e-reader which felt very appropriate with the mixing of tradition and technology in the story.
I'd agree with other people though, the characters weren't the best. Sometimes they'd do or say something which took me out of the story completely.

That makes more sense, no one commented on the final section but the epilogue instead! I knew my slow reading couldnt be first.

I agree with the rest, character development lacked a bit but great story and im glad that Kat wasnt as terrible as section 3 (i was sad to see her be such a ... (choose your fun word to insert here)

I loved this book, I just wrote a review for it on my Goodreads.

I disagree about the characters being flat, I thought they were all very vivid and real. They really were adults and they were fully formed humans, I thought, warts and all. They all had their own individual complexities. I didn't think Kat was bad at all, she simply put her job first and always would - that's just who she is, and how many people are. She's married to that new technology, to the idea of the future and that's reflected by her job. She was unsatisfied with the results because they weren't about the future, they were about the past and Kat didn't care much about the past.

I also loved the messages. I loved how they talked about real immortality, the power of collaboration, the idea that new media can never fully replace what old media has to offer and can't provide the same function (evident by the answer being able to only be found once he looked at the blocks).

I thought it was a really cool book. I don't have much to say here that I didn't say already in my review.

The epilogue in future tense threw me off guard, but it worked for the purpose he was making. It was kind of like watching a movie, and the epilogue was the ending when they scroll through pictures of the characters. Actually, as I was reading the book I kept thinking of the potential it had for a movie. This is how I read; I imagine a movie playing before me in my mind. I kept thinking how much I'd love to see this story unfold on the big screen.

The book was great. It was a perfect mixture of old and new: old books, new technology, old traditions, new ways of honoring them. I really enjoyed this book!

I really just wish Clay would have figured things out the old-fashioned way initially. All that Google stuff seemed completely unnecessary.

Normally I'm not a fan of epilogues, but I didn't mind this one. The future tense didn't really throw me off, not sure why. I liked how it showed were everyone went, because I was truly interested to see where they ended up. Although a part of me is bugged by them all getting such happy endings, I always like to see at least one person not get everything they wanted.

But I agree about the characters not being flat! I actually wrote a bit about that in Section 3, so I won't repost it here.

I really enjoyed this. It felt so different from anything else I've read. Personally I liked the epilogue being set in the future tense, it felt like everything was wrapped up with a bow (it also reminded me a bit of the last scene of Legally Blonde but in a good way). It's easy for happy endings to sometimes feel forced but this one managed to avoid that. It left me with a smile on my face.

Nicole wrote: " It's easy for happy endings to sometimes feel forced but this one managed to avoid that. It left me with a smile on my face. "

I totally agree that it didn't feel forced, which is why I'm only a little bugged. It did leave me happy that they were all happy. I'm just a sucker for non-happy endings. I'm weird that way.

I liked this book overall. At the beginning I wondered if the whole bookstore job was a sham to keep Clay occupied while his roommates were involved in some secret project (an idea used in an old Sherlock Holmes story) but I was completely wrong.

One thing I would have liked a bit extra of is the Dragon-Song Chronicles and Clark Moffat. It was an interesting addition to the story but could maybe have been used more

Awesome! That's such an epic hypothesis!! I kind of wish that would of happened! Glad there's another 221b in this group haha

The epilogue being set in the future tense gave me a feeling of "This is how things could work out." That Clay was looking at various events and thinking of how everything could play out but he is yet to know if that truly is what will happen. It was an interesting and different way of doing an epilogue.

Abby wrote: "I really just wish Clay would have figured things out the old-fashioned way initially. All that Google stuff seemed completely unnecessary."

I kind of enjoyed the Google parts, but I was really glad when he had to struggle a bit and figure things out the old fashioned way! In fact, I thought it was awesome that that was really the ONLY way to figure it out!

I just realized HOW EPICLY this book matched up with the book clubs name!!! (Yes I'm blonde and this may be unbelievably delayed haha)

Restricted Section: Wayback list. Lmao super cool and only thought of the two together now haha seems to have been a perfect start #mischiefmanaged :)

Mat wrote: "I just realized HOW EPICLY this book matched up with the book clubs name!!! (Yes I'm blonde and this may be unbelievably delayed haha)

Restricted Section: Wayback list. Lmao super cool and only th..."

Perfect, Mat!!! I didn't really think of it until you mentioned it, so you're not alone! :)