What's Next? discussion

Creative new book from the talented author of The Glass Hotel and Station Eleven. However, in my opinion this effort falls short of her earlier books. The novel feels rushed - the gap b/t books is shorter than normal - and the plot is a bit indulgent, weaving in characters and locations from earlier books and utilizing similar naming conventions.

The plot follows the interplay of characters across centuries -- past, present and future -- who wrestle with themes of time, purpose and happiness; the story mostly comes together over the second half.

Since Station Eleven was written in 2014, the past two years must have been a surreal experience for the author, which is captured in one of the characters and plot threads -- “What’s it like being the author of a pandemic book during a pandemic?”.

Fast, easy read but could have been better. 3.5 stars rounded down.

“A life lived in simulation is still a life.”

I finished this book last week and really enjoyed my first experience reading Emily St. John Mandel. I thought her creativity in depicting the future world, and the tie-in through the ages revealed at the end, was top notch. I am now planning to read her other works in backward chronological order, since one of the "Tranquility" minor characters is a fairly major one in "The Glass Hotel" from 2020. Not sure if there's a tie-in to Station Eleven, character-wise, but since that book was critically acclaimed, I'll leave it for last.

I love this book... the story, the writing and especially the characters.
I'm not usually a fan of story set so far into the future, but the way the characters lead their lives and their interactions didn't feel like a science fictional world but more a dystopian world. The book has a heavy humanity theme, just like the author's previous works but this story feels the most 'complete' to me comparing to Station Eleven and Glass Hotel, which I also enjoyed immensely.

Station Eleven the TV series is a really good adaptation of the novel and looks like Glass Hotel and this book will get one too. I'm officially a fan of Emily St. John Mandel.

Station Eleven is one of my top backlist reads for 2023 - and then I'll indulge in the TV adaptation.