Kim Ewhan
Serpent's Tail
2024
363
Paperback
Sci-Fi Dystopia
Xmas Gift
One evening in downtown Seoul, Jeong-su is smoking a cigarette outside when he sees something a huge black orb appears out of nowhere and sucks his neighbour inside. The orb soon begins consuming other people and no one knows how to stop it. Impervious to bullets and tanks, the orb splits and multiplies, chasing the hapless residents of Seoul out into the country and sparking a global crisis with widespread violence and looting. Jeong-su must rely upon his wits as he makes the arduous journey in search of his elderly parents. But the strangest phases of this ever-expanding disaster are yet to come and Jeong-su will be forced to question everything he has taken for granted. Dryly funny, propulsive and absurd, The Black Orb is terrifyingly prescient about the fragility of human civilisation.
The Black Orb was a book with a disturbing but fascinating premise. I was caught up in the action right from the first chapter, intrigued to find out what would happen next. Jeong-su, too, was incredibly interesting. I won't reveal any spoilers except to say that the reader's opinion of him can really alter throughout the course of the novel as he changes in response to what's happening around him. Overall, the book offered an interesting snapshot of human life and how a single event can change everything, not only for the planet as a whole but in respect of an individual's thoughts and actions. My attention was riveted from start to finish and I would love to read more from this author in the future. I am giving this book four stars.
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