Anyone read "Station Eleven"?

[MsAmerica]

I'd heard about this a long time ago, and when I ran across a cheap copy, I nabbed it.

Wow.

All I knew about it was that it was maybe some future dystopia. It's about a near future after a devastating pandemic, though written pre-covid, in 2014. It's got a complex lay-out with basically three periods, pre-pandemic, as the pandemic hits, and then in the future with the society that resulted. It's cool, clever, often poignant, and you can take your pick of themes.

Okay, I'll admit that as I thought about it over time - because it stayed with me as few book have lately - there are some logic loopholes, but all forgivable.

Station Eleven
By Emily St. John Mandel

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/239452/station-eleven-by-emily-st-john-mandel/

https://www.emilymandel.com/station-eleven

I've read it. I thought it was fine, not ground breaking but a slightly different take to other such books in the same genre. The theatre element bored me a bit. The airport element was interesting. Its been made into a series if you want to watch for comparison of how you had things in your head. The series was quite good.

I really enjoyed it.

I tried so hard with this book, even going back to it several times but just couldn’t get into it. I love dystopian novels but this just fell flat for me.

I was exactly the same. On paper it’s a book I should have loved, but there was just something about it that I couldn’t get into. I did read it all the way through but can’t even remember the ending now.

I really loved it too! Also enjoyed Last Night in Montreal, but haven't read any others of hers.

You might like The Flood by Maggie Gee.

I've heard mixed things, but I'll still pick it up if I spot it second hand

I really like it and also have enjoyed her other books, some of which have an overlap of characters/plot points.

I really enjoyed it. I read it pre covid and again post pandemic.

I didn't like.

Dystopian fiction is my favourite genre.

The ebook is 99p on iBooks

I also loved this and the TV series
Any other recommendations in this genre would be great as well!
I'll look up the Flood now !

She's a good writer but the plot annoyed me so much. I remember writing here years ago that there are about a million survivalists in the US and millions of ex military. If a self-limiying virus like that hit the US it'd be chaos for a few weeks but they'd get the utilities back up and running very quickly. And nobody would be isolated from the world in a fully functioning airport.

I enjoyed it but much preferred

Exactly this! I'm a massive fan of apocalyptic/dystopian fiction and I really tried with this but it just didn't grip me at all.

Posted too soon by mistake! Was trying to say that I preferred her Sea of Tranquility - so brilliantly written and original

@MsAmerica It’s interesting you describe it as “cool, clever”. For me it was a good read, I can see cool and clever. I couldn’t really get emotionally involved with it though. So not on my favourites list.

I’ve just finished this, highly recommended

It's not on my list of favorites, either. I hope I didn't give the impression that it was.

Right. I wouldn't exactly say the plot annoyed me, but afterwards I started to see holes in the logic. I'm not sure how you can get utilities up and running if most of the experts are dead - I know I couldn't help - but for one thing, even without electrical power, landlines would still function.

I started Wool by Hugh Howey after watching Silo on Apple TV while it was free access. It jumps about in the timeline a bit and I'm now comparing book and TV show!

Yes I absolutely loved Station Eleven! And I thought the tv series was done well too. I didn’t expect to like Sea of Tranquility but enjoyed that too. I haven’t read any of her others.

I LOVED those books! Didn't think the TV series was that good but maybe I should have stuck with it longer.

I really enjoyed Station Eleven at the time although I admit I'd forgotten some of the elements, like the theatre bit. I was watching The Walking Dead at the time and I used to love that too, until all of a sudden I'd had enough.