Friday 3 August 2018

Manna City by Geoffrey Pierce

Title: Manna City
Author: Geoffrey Pierce
Genre: Science Fiction
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Source: Digital copy provided by the author 
Plot Summary: Nista is nine months pregnant, starving, and living in a cave. Her husband, Dane, thinks she's gone crazy. And the first time she heard the voice of her unborn child, she thought she'd gone crazy, too. But the child has told her too many things, shown her too many things that have come to pass. She knows…someone is coming to usher them away from their isolated purgatory. Someone is coming to lead them through the unforgiving desert - teeming with lawless killers and savage beasts - to the last bastion of civilization, a mythical land of plenty called Manna City.
I received a digital version from the author (thank you) in exchange for an honest review.

What did I think?

I almost never read the synopsis, even when authors ask me for a review I only briefly glance at it, because I like to enjoy a book knowing nothing about it. Occasionally, I'm very pleasantly surprised. Occasionally, it goes wrong.

I was pleased with this read.

We follow three characters: Nista, Dane, and Halvist. Nista is pregnant, married to Dane and together they're trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The day they meet Halvist things change...

Manna City itself is a mythical place. A place where things are good, and where water and food aren't scarce. But is it real?

I love post-apocalyptic novels. I enjoy the grim tone, the desperate characters, and the odds stacked against their success. Pierce does a good job at describing the world he created. His style is easy to read, and his visuals are vivid and clear. I read the book almost in one sitting; it's pretty short, but also pretty tense with good pacing.

The characters are well fleshed out, but I couldn't connect the three. In fact, I disliked all of them, and maybe that's realistic, because I doubt someone fighting to survive every single day against all odds is going to remain what we'd call a "nice person." Sadly, barely caring whether these people lived or died, made me feel somewhat detached from the book.

I recommend Manna City to people looking for a short post-apocalyptic read with a supernatural touch.

1 comment:

  1. I also don't read blurbs too often and I definitely try to avoid reviews for books I'm looking forward to. I'm glad this one worked out for you and that you enjoyed it!

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