Lindsay's Reviews > The Cartographers

I really should have DNFed this deeply stupid book.

The plot idea is possibly the least interesting take on the central idea that I've seen (better explored in Kraken and Doctor Who of all places). It's a shallow take that fails to explore even the basic implications of what it reveals.

The characters seem like an exercise of writing a book where every single character says and does the most stupid thing they could do at any given time.

The whole plot hinges on characters making stupidly extreme decisions based on knowledge of what the villain of the piece hasn't yet decided he would do or any demonstrated actual threat from him.

The central romantic relationship fails the first time because of a stupid reason (which is later revealed to be even more stupid than we thought initially), fails a second time because of a stupid ultimatum given at a stupid time and then magically coalesces later because ... reasons (stupid ones).

There's even the death of the main character's surrogate father-figure in possibly the most stupid way he could die.

The whole book made me angry and I feel stupider for having read it.