Book Reviews
Stories worth your time.
Cormac McCarty
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Road — Dystopian
This is a quiet, devastating book that doesn’t rely on spectacle to make its point. The Road strips the world down to ash and memory, and then asks what remains when everything else is gone. What stayed with me most wasn’t the bleakness, but the tenderness threaded through it. The bond between father and son feels fragile and sacred, like something constantly at risk of being extinguished.
McCarthy’s sparse prose demands patience, but it rewards the reader with moments of stark beauty and uncomfortable honesty. This isn’t a dystopia about systems or rebellion. It’s about survival, morality, and the small acts of goodness that matter when there’s no one left to applaud them. A heavy read, but a meaningful one.
Best for: Readers who appreciate emotional depth, minimalism, and stories that linger long after the final page.
Ernest Cline
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Ready Player One — Science Fiction
This book is unapologetically fun, but beneath the nostalgia and fast pace there’s a genuine reflection on identity and escape. Ready Player One taps into our desire to disappear into other worlds, especially when the real one feels broken or unfair. While the pop-culture references are front and centre, what surprised me most was how much heart there is beneath the spectacle.
Wade’s journey isn’t just about winning a game, it’s about learning what matters outside of it. The novel moves quickly, sometimes breathlessly, but it also asks important questions about ownership, obsession, and the cost of living entirely online. It’s easy to read, but not empty.
Best for: Sci-fi fans who enjoy immersive worlds, high stakes, and a nostalgic edge with something to say.
Andy Weir
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Martian - Action / Adventure
What makes The Martian (young Readers Edition) so compelling isn’t just the science, it’s the stubborn optimism at its core. Mark Watney’s situation is bleak, absurd, and often terrifying, yet the story never sinks into despair. Instead, it becomes a celebration of ingenuity, persistence, and the refusal to give up, even when logic says you probably should.
The humour feels earned rather than forced, and the tension builds naturally through problem-solving rather than constant action scenes. It’s refreshing to read an adventure story driven by intelligence and resilience instead of brute force. And this version is a smoothe read for adults and young readers alike.
By the end, you don’t just want Watney to survive, you feel invested in how he survives.
Best for: Young readers - readers who love survival stories, clever problem-solving, and hopeful action without melodrama.