Withered + Sere

Hard to give this one a rating since it seems like the story has only just begun! I am intrigued though, and think that there is a lot of potential based on what has happened so far. Klune did such an excellent job describing the scenery and environment that it pretty effortlessly came to life in my mind. However, this is one reason I feel the illustrations detracted from the book – not only because they didn't look the same as how I pictured it, but more that they didn't even accurately show what was described in the text (positioning of characters, how they were dressed, what type of weapon they were holding, which hand was holding the weapon, etc). It made me wonder how much information was given to the illustrator.

This book demonstrates several things about us humans: our individual need for human connection – that without it, we lose our minds, but that with it, we make ourselves vulnerable to indescribable heartache; on a larger scale, we are our own worst enemies – groups of people are susceptible to mob mentality, willing to harm others in ways we would not if we were acting alone, and when we have even further emotional distance through a government, we are capable of even more widespread evil and destruction, as we have always done and will continue to do, over and over again. Such is the human condition. Pretty fucking bleak. Why do we do this to ourselves? Is there any hope to be found?

Anyway, I quite like the characters and how insane they all are, including SIRS. I didn't expect to like the robot! I'm dying to know more about “Psycho.” You just know he's been through some serious shit, and despite his murdery exterior, I sense something pure in him.