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Appleseed by Matt Bell

Appleseed

by Matt Bell

  • Critics' Consensus (8):
  • Readers' Rating (13):
  • Published:
  • Jul 2021, 480 pages
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There are currently 13 reader reviews for Appleseed
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Lesley F. (San Diego, CA)

Appleseed
In his acknowledgements, author Matt Bell thanks Michael Pollan, author of The Botany of Desire, for his recounting of the legend of Johnny Appleseed which sparked this imaginative post-apocalyptic story. I have read that book and understand the thanks Bell gave. It planted a seed! Haha... If you liked Margaret Atwood's Oryck, Crake and MaddAdam, you'll love this. If you liked Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, you'll love this. In the tradition of Animal Farm and Brave New World, Appleseed suggests a dystopic possibility for our future. Three different stories evolve, one in eighteenth-century Ohio, one in the second half of the 21st century, and one a thousand years from now. What have we done and what are we doing as a legacy for the future of the Earth? It takes all three stories to recount the ways we can mess this up. Seeds of truth are here as well. What a really timely story.
Kay D. (Strongsville, OH)

Appleseed - An Amazing Read
I thought I would like this book. Then, after starting it, I thought I was wrong. After more reading, I knew I was wrong. I loved this book. Extraordinary and original.

An amazing read that compelled me to keep reading and experiencing the awesomeness. Thought provoking. Frightening. Hopeful. Hopeless. Futuristic yet bound strongly to the past. A bit of magic, a bit of mysticism, a bit of reality. Linking everything to man's (or woman's) interventions in nature (and the earth) and exposing the bad with the intended good.

I highly recommend reading the back cover book description to help place the storylines and then read away. Probably not for everyone, but for those with inquiring minds who love good writing, this is a great read.
Gary R. (Bolingbrook, IL)

The beginning,what's to come,the end!
Well this really wasn't an easy read and probably not for everyone. That said i enjoyed this book. In my opinion it was three stories in one. The beginning is about nature vs.man the what's to come is corporate greed and misguided beliefs and what they lead to,the end is just that buried beneath tons of ice. Matt Bell wrote a warning of what's to come if we continue on the track we're on! I don't want to be preach just my take. Enjoyed this book. Thanks BookBrowse, always find a new author!
Ruth H. (Sebring, FL)

The World Unknown
Very imaginative, yet possible? This book really made me think about the current issues we face today, i.e. global warming, reduced natural resources, etc. What happens now causes consequences for the future. I really enjoyed the story line and yes, it is fiction! This is a great read for fantasy lovers and Science Fictioners. Liked how the chapters are split up yet they intertwine with each other. Nathaniel and Chapman's ventures are most interesting, also C432/433! I could not put the book down because I had to know what happened next. Though a large book, stick with it, is is so worth it!! Nice job, Matt Bell!
Loren B. (Appleton, WI)

Amazing
I absolutely loved this book ! I found it to be very thought provoking with the message delivered in a very lyrical, non-preachy manner. Highly recommended to anyone concerned with the fate of our world.
Susan L. (Midlothian, VA)

Climate change
It talks about our past and present and weaves strands of myth, science fiction, ecological warnings for North America.
Monica (Destin, FL)

Fauns, witches, and climate change, Oh my!
Appleseed is an intricately imaginative science fiction book full of technical details, especially in the C-432/433 portion of the book. I found Nathaniel and Chapman's ventures to be the most interesting, but I'm still not sure what the purpose of one of the brothers being a faun is. Utilizing nanobees for pollination purposes was an interesting idea.

I'm not sure I'm a fan of a book that mixes fauns, witches, planting, climate change, exes, and world destruction together. It's just a bit much..... the book was detailed in some areas and lacked clarity in others.

Not one of my favorites, but I think it would best suit YA readers, especially those interested in STEM or robotics.
Power Reviewer
Peggy H. (North East, PA)

A Depressing View of the Future
As a rule, I enjoy a well written sci-fi book--this one is a bit more complicated. It follows three separate threads: 2 brothers sowing apple seeds in colonial Ohio, a futuristic freedom fighter in a world that climate has destroyed, and a quasi-robotic being traveling in an ice covered even more future world.

It took me a while to get into the book, but the premises were interesting, if bleak. The choice of having a faun as one of the main characters is interesting, and, if I were inclined, I am sure that I could weave all kinds of interpretations into all of the characters.

It was worth it to finish the entire story...and thought provoking...but certainly not a beach read!
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