I’ve started reading “The Atlas Six” and am currently disappointed, close to giving up.
Six students are chosen for a totalitarian institution that promises them konwledge, power and influence. But they have to murder one of their own. A premise that could have allowed for intriguing questions about character development, conformity and resistance to authority, and the consequences of elitist self-perception.
However, so far there’s been little character development among the protagonists; they all come across as emotionally monotonous and self-centered. Even when they find out they have to murder one of their own, they react with cold calculation.
My biggest issue is that all of them simply accept that the Elimination of one of them means it’s killing and begin theorizing about which life is valuable to life and which is not. The characters are neither evil, nor do they wrestle with the categorization of lives as worthy or unworthy in any significant way or are slowly corrupted by the power of the institution; they’re just … strangely disinterested in the potential death of a friend/classmate.
So, my question now – Liby is still unaware of the necessary murder. Considering her character, which is otherwise so authority-compliant, an internal moral debate would fit, eventually leading to expressing Opposition. Or Parisa could have had a cool plan in mind the whole time. I would also be okay with any other ending that at least somehow acknowledges that 5 out of 6 people are currently planning to murder someone who has lived by their side for the past year.
by jod4u
5 Comments
I gave up pretty early on but see people raving about it online and also keep wondering if I should give it another go! 👀
Ghghg in my circles this book is considered to have pretty lame and unfulfilling characterization… that’s why I didn’t pick it up even though the premise is cool.
I read the whole book and should have stopped early on. Absolutely nothing happens.
I’m not one to convince people to read things, but I see it as a discourse on the dangers of ambition and pride more than a conformity thing. It’s not that they think they have to do the thing or something bad happens to them if they dont, they think they are important enough that whatever sacrifice they ask of the world is worth it.
I’m almost done with the second book to give context.
I’m enjoying it mainly from the standpoint of everyone’s different background trauma and how it affects their relationships with others and their decision making processes.
I was looking forward to reading it based on reviews, then gave up half way through. Now annoyed I bought the 2nd one on kindle.