I would easily give ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5 stars for An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, the debut novel by Hank Green. This is a fascinating story about a young woman, April May, who, coming home from work one late night, stumbles upon a giant transformer-like armored robot sculpture installed in the middle of the city.
She calls her You-Tuber friend Andy, and together they upload a video that goes viral overnight.The mayhem that ensues changes their lives, and influences the World as we know it. Everyone soon realizes that the robot, she casually names Carl, is one of dozens of Carls that were simultaneously and mysteriously installed in cities around the globe.
April becomes a central figure to the Carls, and finds herself in an intense media spotlight. She and her friends have to learn how to navigate this new fame all while paranoia around the Carls’ origin and purpose grows.
This fast-paced science fiction story has something for everyone; humor, mystery, intrigue and adventure. Anyone who knows Hank Green (the sciency brother of John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars ) would know to expect an amazing fusion of plausible science and engaging storytelling.
If you find that An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is your thing, and you’re left wanting more, have no fear there’s a sequel. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor picks up the storyline and runs with it to help solve “some” of the mystery around the Carls, exploring conspiracy theories with a biting social commentary that invites the reader to question our way of life, our freedoms and how we deal with big unknowns.
I highly recommend both of these books. Like Lays potato chips, you won’t be able to stop at just one! Happy Reading, L Wolff
