3 out of 4 stars
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In Seer, there wasn't any vampire or zombie to threaten the survivors’ existence after as a pandemic wiped out most the world population. Instead, survival became a race as people scrambled to get what they need to carry on, and some people felt the need to step on others. How much of their humanity would they sacrifice?
In 2028, a virus was created illegally to meld plastic and steel together to form plasteel, a light yet indestructible material. As plasteel replaced conventional materials, a mysterious, deadly disease spread among eighty percent of the world population. Michael Macalister was a distinguished doctor who led the government’s project to find the cure. He soon realized there was no hope because the virus was designed to be tamper-proof. Knowing civilization would soon collapse, he set out to build a new life far away from the chaos and invited some acquaintances along. By the time panic set in, Michael had already set up a comfortable life in his fortress, and his group had grown considerably into a colony. Conflicts soon arose. The colony had to defend themselves against two rogue members who sought to seize control of the colony.
The setting was unique and creative, and the plot was quite interesting. Unfortunately, the book wasn’t very thrilling to read because Michael, who was hailed as “the godfather of foresight” (Kindle Locations 548-549), had prepared for everything. He had built a fortress fully equipped with modern technology, so his colony didn’t really have any problem mass-producing food or expanding their living quarters. I also found him not quite relatable because of this.
In addition, most of the characters seemed shallow due to the lack of backstories and their large number. I disliked how they all spoke in the same manner and in fragmented sentences. While it might feel natural to introduce new characters as they joined the colony, I wished the author had saved the details until they had more important roles to play and focused instead on the main characters. It bothered me when even the main antagonists were neglected. I wanted to know why they acted the way they did but couldn’t find any clue or explanation to their behaviors.
If readers are interested in post-apocalyptic stories, then Seer has some new and refreshing elements to offer. The depictions of sex and violence are non-explicit, but I would still recommend this book only to mature readers. Although the colony’s survival may seem a bit too easy thank to Michael’s foreseeing talent, Seer is still an entertaining and engaging read. I look forward to seeing further character development in the following books. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Seer
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