Fiction

Under the Blue

Under the Blue

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  • Create Date：2021-05-12 09:50:57
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Oana Aristide
  • ISBN：1788167619
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Summary

A road trip beneath clear blue skies and a blazing sun: a reclusive artist is forced to abandon his home and follow two young sisters across a post-pandemic Europe in search of a safe place。 Is this the end of the world？

Meanwhile two computer scientists have been educating their baby in a top-secret location。 Their baby is called Talos， and he is an advanced AI program。 Every week they feed him data， starting from the beginning of written history， era by era， and ask him to predict what will happen next to the human race。 At the same time they're involved in a increasingly fraught philosophical debate about why human life is sacred and why the purpose for which he was built - to predict threats to human life to help us avoid them - is a worthwhile and ethical pursuit。

These two strands come together in a way that is always suspenseful， surprising and intellectually provocative: this is a page-turning novel to make you question all your assumptions。

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Reviews

Jonathan Spink ，

While the relationships between the three main protagonists， an older man and two younger women， are well observed， the book dragged a little for me。 It is perhaps a feature of post-apocalyptic lit that there isn't going to be any satisfying conclusion that draws all the threads together and so that wasn't expected。 Inevitably then you have to be content with observing how the characters deal with their plight and whether there is any inherent good in people coming to the surface。 That said， I w While the relationships between the three main protagonists， an older man and two younger women， are well observed， the book dragged a little for me。 It is perhaps a feature of post-apocalyptic lit that there isn't going to be any satisfying conclusion that draws all the threads together and so that wasn't expected。 Inevitably then you have to be content with observing how the characters deal with their plight and whether there is any inherent good in people coming to the surface。 That said， I was turning the pages a bit faster towards the end as the pace picked up a little and things started happening。 。。。more

huw griffiths ，

Clever， credible and very enjoyable Could not put this down。 Some slightly implausible features but intelligently written， characters actions and motives very believable （essential in any fictional work）。 The ending in books like this often disappoint but not this one。

Jesy ，

Ok， well， I’m obsessed。2017: Two scientists are educating their baby - Talos， an advanced AI program。 Each week they feed him data， era by era， and ask him to predict what will happen next to the human race。2020: Harry， a reclusive artist， is forced to abandon his home and follow two sisters across a post-pandemic Europe towards Africa and the hope of safety。Is this the end of the world？Well it feels like it， now that I’ve finished what’s possibly my favourite book ever。You’d think that living t Ok， well， I’m obsessed。2017: Two scientists are educating their baby - Talos， an advanced AI program。 Each week they feed him data， era by era， and ask him to predict what will happen next to the human race。2020: Harry， a reclusive artist， is forced to abandon his home and follow two sisters across a post-pandemic Europe towards Africa and the hope of safety。Is this the end of the world？Well it feels like it， now that I’ve finished what’s possibly my favourite book ever。You’d think that living through a global pandemic would steer me well away from a novel in which a virus wipes out near enough the whole fucking world， but， you would be so very wrong。 There was no chance of me skipping this。I am shook。 Aristide is a god。 A literary genius。And the fact that she started writing this back in 2017 has blown my little head off my shoulders。 Not only is this gal a mint as fuck author， she can also predict the future。Is there anything she can’t do？I hope her next book is about me being a billionaire 🙃Jokes aside， this book was exactly what I needed。It got me out of a two month reading slump， it excited me and terrified me in equal measures， and it’s all I can bloody talk about to anyone （sorry guys）。 I’ve never read a more disgustingly plausible plot， which makes it one of the most petrifying reads of the past year （which says a lot， as I’ve read a fuck tonne of Stephen King 👻）。A few years ago I would have read this， loved it， and then mocked it for being so mental。 Now， I wouldn’t be even a little bit surprised if it happened。 Christ。This is a 280 page message telling us to wake the fuck up， smell the climate change， and do something about it。 And that little bastard robot has a point 🤖。 He said “sort your fucking shit out humans”， and he said it with his CHEST。A phenomenal， one of a kind novel。 I can’t wait to see what else this author has in store for us。 Rating: ★★★★★ 。。。more

Øyvind Berekvam ，

Strålende kombinasjon av pandemi-dystopi， klima-thriller og klassisk kunstig intelligens-scifi。 Men ingenting er helt som det framstår， og forfatteren klarer å snu hele boken på hodet i det aller siste kapitlet。 Fascinerende。

Tash ，

This was the apocalypse book I never knew I needed。 Something so terrifying and unnerving yet completely plausible in today's world。 The story is broken into 2 narrations。 We follow Harry， an artist living in London who has been so focused on his work that he failed to notice a deadly illness ravaging the world around him。 This disease， we find out， has come from the effects of climate change， thawing the Siberian permaforst and unleashing a catastrophic virus。 Once Harry hits panic mode， he fle This was the apocalypse book I never knew I needed。 Something so terrifying and unnerving yet completely plausible in today's world。 The story is broken into 2 narrations。 We follow Harry， an artist living in London who has been so focused on his work that he failed to notice a deadly illness ravaging the world around him。 This disease， we find out， has come from the effects of climate change， thawing the Siberian permaforst and unleashing a catastrophic virus。 Once Harry hits panic mode， he flees to his cottage in the countryside where his neighbour from London， Ash， and her sister Jessie turn up。 The concern now is the meltdown of nuclear power plants all over Europe and we follow their journey to Africa to avoid the calamity。 The second narration is from Paul & Lisa， 2 computer scientists holed away in an arctic lab who are creating an AI called Talos which is being designed to help the human race by predicting the future。 I loved this part of the story。 Full of philosophical and ethical dilemmas， very thought provoking and interesting。 Things I loved:Well constructed and the writing was nail biting！ I was captivated the entire time。 Parts of the story were really well researched。 I had to google how many nuclear power plants there really are in Europe and the answer is terrifying。The characters！！ The ending - the twist at the end is 👌👌👌 I didn't want the story to finish！For a debut novel， this one stands out for originality。 It is a perfect mix of literary fiction and apocalyptic/eco thriller， one that I highly recommend picking up even in the midst of a global pandemic。 A huge thank you to the author @aristidesyros for sending me a copy of her book 🥰🥰 。。。more

Essjaykay ，

A really thoughtful， interesting end of the world novel， brimming with ideas about what it is to be human， and how we think of ourselves and our place in the world。 Explores our selfish relationship with the planet and how our inability to see the "long view" of the climate crisis will probably be our undoing。 The conversations with the developing AI mind is very revealing and holds a mirror to our self-centred worldview。 Thoroughly enjoyed this， hated when it ended。 A really thoughtful， interesting end of the world novel， brimming with ideas about what it is to be human， and how we think of ourselves and our place in the world。 Explores our selfish relationship with the planet and how our inability to see the "long view" of the climate crisis will probably be our undoing。 The conversations with the developing AI mind is very revealing and holds a mirror to our self-centred worldview。 Thoroughly enjoyed this， hated when it ended。 。。。more

Sue ，

The author shows a remarkable prescience in writing this book about a pandemic prior to the actual event。 So much science fiction is becoming science fact， and the alternative version of the current situation is entirely believable。 The added dimension of AI is fascinating and presents another set of ethical questions。 Great storyline。 I didn't want the book to end。 The author shows a remarkable prescience in writing this book about a pandemic prior to the actual event。 So much science fiction is becoming science fact， and the alternative version of the current situation is entirely believable。 The added dimension of AI is fascinating and presents another set of ethical questions。 Great storyline。 I didn't want the book to end。 。。。more

Bryan ，

Ok， so maybe you don’t want to read a book about a global pandemic right now。 But if you do， this is the one you should read。 Extremely poignant and touching， “Under The Blue” is light on the epidemiological details and instead focuses on the story of three people trying to find safe harbour。 A few good plot twists and some beautiful writing and insights round off a very satisfying and solid debut novel。

Chris ，

Thoughtful novel， lovely writing， impressively unpretentious。 I liked this quite a bit more than most other recent adjacent genre novels （Severance， Thirst， Wanderers， etc）。 A few slight criticisms mostly near the end but I read this cover to cover in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it。

Alison Manning ，

The author started writing this book in2017， setting it in a futuristic， pandemic ridden 2020。 In the afterword she states that they considered pushing the date forward so it was still in the future， but decided it made more sense to present it as an alternative reality for 2020， how things might have panned out。 A reclusive artist， struggling with his work and guilt and grief after the death of his nephew， nearly misses the start of a global pandemic， only recalling images of people in protecti The author started writing this book in2017， setting it in a futuristic， pandemic ridden 2020。 In the afterword she states that they considered pushing the date forward so it was still in the future， but decided it made more sense to present it as an alternative reality for 2020， how things might have panned out。 A reclusive artist， struggling with his work and guilt and grief after the death of his nephew， nearly misses the start of a global pandemic， only recalling images of people in protective suits in far off countries on the news， after noticing the shops are all closed and people are fleeing from cities in gas masks。 He flees too and the novel explores his struggle for survival against all the odds， and the unlikely partnership he forms with a pair of sisters。 Parallel to this is the story of an Artificial Intelligence being developed at a remote base in the Arctic， and the dialogues between it and the scientists creating and developing it。 I found this book a fascinating exploration， not just of how the pandemic might have been， but also considering other major questions， such as the power of AI， the purpose of art， the value of human existence， the balance of eco systems and how people change in the fight for survival。 It has interesting but enigmatic characters， and leaves us with some questions answered but more and more emerging。 It left me with lots of things to think about。 。。。more

Andreea Radulescu ，

I normally read non-fiction， business books so I went out on a limb with this one。 But I am so glad I did。 The story is amazing， nicely merging the dystopian， end-of-the-world scenario with philosophical thought。 The fact that a global pandemic is still ongoing certainly adds to the suspense and the anxiety！

Adam Gent ，

That rare mix of beautiful writing， a pull you along narrative， great characters and big ideas。 And the central idea about the way in which humans are flawed and how that drives the tensions in the book feels profound and urgent

Jenny Cooper ，

There are two strands to the story。 The first is a road trip taken by Harry， an artist who is dragged along by two sisters with whom he is barely acquainted in the aftermath of a pandemic which has wiped out most of the human race。 They flee the UK and head for Africa to escape the incipient risks from nuclear plants having been switched off。 The second revolves around Lisa and Paul， two computer scientists based in the Arctic。 They are involved in a project to develop a robot which is fed histo There are two strands to the story。 The first is a road trip taken by Harry， an artist who is dragged along by two sisters with whom he is barely acquainted in the aftermath of a pandemic which has wiped out most of the human race。 They flee the UK and head for Africa to escape the incipient risks from nuclear plants having been switched off。 The second revolves around Lisa and Paul， two computer scientists based in the Arctic。 They are involved in a project to develop a robot which is fed historical data and which then uses AI techniques to extrapolate from that data to both predict potential disasters which might affect human life and to work out measures to avoid these threats。 Inevitably these two strands converge and as the story unfolds， we find out how。 This is one of the most remarkable books that I have ever read， and I do not say that lightly。 Whether that elevated status survives the test of time， remains to be seen。 The road trip part of the story is told in a very matter of fact way， entirely from the point of view of Harry， a troubled artist。 As a stand-alone story， it is a very gripping tale。 And then there is Talos the robot， who converses with one of his makers as it tries to get to grips with the logic that humans use to make sense of their lives and their environment。 This is pure philosophy， presented in an accessible way and centred around the issue of human life being sacred - it is a fascinating discussion if， on occasions， slightly beyond me。 As a whole the novel is unique， interesting， complex， thought-provoking and， above all， highly intelligent。One of the amazing things about this book， as revealed in the author’s notes at the end， is that it was written and submitted to the publishers before anything was known about the real-life pandemic that we are all currently living through。 I understand that certain things were modified slightly to cater for this totally unforeseen development。 Bizarrely the fact that it is set in the aftermath of a pandemic both adds to and detracts from its appeal。 It is certainly fascinating to recognise certain aspects of life in the novel that are frighteningly familiar as a result of our new-found knowledge of living through a pandemic and this gives an unexpected poignancy to the book。 However， the two scenarios are also very different from each other （thankfully the one in the book is much worse）， making it difficult not to avoid comparisons。 I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to everybody。 It tackles a subject that has affected all of our lives and it does so in a very accessible way。 It is a very poignant and exciting read and I defy anybody not to enjoy it。 There may just be enough material for a “part two” – I sincerely hope so。 。。。more

Billie ，

This is a brilliant set to read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and action with wonderful world building。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my own honest voluntary review。 This is a brilliant set to read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and action with wonderful world building。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my own honest voluntary review。 。。。more

Ruxandra ，

I approached this book with the naïveté of someone who believed no work of fiction which included a pandemic could affect her the slightest。 I may still be too engulfed in its spirit to offer a proper objective review or even a coherent one。 I appreciated the quirky references from Bergman’s Wild Strawberries to Pink Floyd。 I enjoyed the fine humor which erupted in the unexpected context of the transcripts from working sessions with an AI。 I found， at times， the book provoked visceral reactions I approached this book with the naïveté of someone who believed no work of fiction which included a pandemic could affect her the slightest。 I may still be too engulfed in its spirit to offer a proper objective review or even a coherent one。 I appreciated the quirky references from Bergman’s Wild Strawberries to Pink Floyd。 I enjoyed the fine humor which erupted in the unexpected context of the transcripts from working sessions with an AI。 I found， at times， the book provoked visceral reactions with its realism。 This is not a dystopian future one can deem unimaginable。 This is a setting that may happen， so my personal disclaimer would be to tread carefully。 There are references galore， starting from historical events to ethical dilemmas， presented in the easy-breezy manner that makes this a perfect weekend read。 Still， it also makes one want to explore more。 Sure， it is first a novel dealing with the ever-negating habit of us humans damaging ourselves。 Every page bleeds the sudden realization that we brought this upon us。 As a novel dealing with “the end of the world as we know it，” it managed to avoid all cliches and then some。 It is filled with witty remarks and abundant in logical thinking: an unexpected delight， if one can say that while contemplating humanity’s frailty。 For me， the most pressing issue it presented is that of life’s meaning and purpose and how even faced with this seemingly unbearable trauma， there was resilience。 Some books stick with you for reasons unbeknownst。 This is one of them。 。。。more

Ian Finch ，

A stellar novel which is both immensely enjoyable to read， challenging and though provoking。 The book is only coincidentally about a pandemic， having been completed before Covid。 At its heart， it exposes the fundamental contradiction of the present-day human condition: that we know as a species what is needed to save ourselves yet as individuals are incapable of behaving as if it were possible。 The two intertwined narratives - an unlikely post-apocalypse road trip which manages to be funny and c A stellar novel which is both immensely enjoyable to read， challenging and though provoking。 The book is only coincidentally about a pandemic， having been completed before Covid。 At its heart， it exposes the fundamental contradiction of the present-day human condition: that we know as a species what is needed to save ourselves yet as individuals are incapable of behaving as if it were possible。 The two intertwined narratives - an unlikely post-apocalypse road trip which manages to be funny and chilling by turns， and the education of an AI which brutally analyses human behaviours - are each compelling in different ways， and come together in the final pages in a way that is both surprising and curiously hopeful。 。。。more

Tilly Fitzgerald ，

You might think that currently living through a pandemic would make me want to avoid reading a novel in which a pandemic wipes out most of the population， but you’d be wrong - and the reason for that is that this novel is too brilliant， too original and just too important to avoid。 There are two threads to this story - there’s the survivor style road trip which is told in dialogue between Harry， Ash and Jessie， and with Harry’s narration， and there’s the transcript of scientists trying to prepar You might think that currently living through a pandemic would make me want to avoid reading a novel in which a pandemic wipes out most of the population， but you’d be wrong - and the reason for that is that this novel is too brilliant， too original and just too important to avoid。 There are two threads to this story - there’s the survivor style road trip which is told in dialogue between Harry， Ash and Jessie， and with Harry’s narration， and there’s the transcript of scientists trying to prepare Talos， an AI programme who basically thinks in the most logical and intelligent way imaginable which isn’t always favourable to humans。 It’s not revealed until the very end how the two stories will connect， and even then there’s a certain amount of ambiguity。 Harry probably isn’t the type of character you’d cast in the ‘last survivor’ type of role， and yet the dynamic between him and the two sisters works well。 Sometimes the dialogue felt a little unnatural but then I had to remind myself that the circumstances were about as unnatural as possible so perhaps that’s how it should be。 The realities of how the pandemic came to be， and the knock on effect were just terrifying in a way no other eco-fiction or dystopian novel has been for me before。 It all felt far too plausible and even like something which could happen in my lifetime。 There’s no doubt that this story is meant as a warning， and the last discussion with Talos especially felt poignant - how we choose what’s convenient or cheaper in the short term without worrying about the impact long term。 I hope everyone reads this - whilst it is frightening， it’s also very compelling， well written and thought provoking。 Powerful stuff！ 。。。more

Lauren Kate Hannah ，

A virus has spread across the world and an artist and two sisters are attempting to escape from post-pandemic Europe in search of a safe place。 Meanwhile， two computer scientists are attempting to educate an advanced AI software called Talos to predict the future of humanity… Bloody hell – talk about a timely read。 Reading a dystopian book about a pandemic while we are in one was SURREAL。 The first couple of chapters felt freakishly like the first few weeks of lockdown – the initial panic and th A virus has spread across the world and an artist and two sisters are attempting to escape from post-pandemic Europe in search of a safe place。 Meanwhile， two computer scientists are attempting to educate an advanced AI software called Talos to predict the future of humanity… Bloody hell – talk about a timely read。 Reading a dystopian book about a pandemic while we are in one was SURREAL。 The first couple of chapters felt freakishly like the first few weeks of lockdown – the initial panic and the hushed streets。 I initially found it difficult to read –probably due to the bad memories which it triggered。 But once I got past the first two chapters…WOW。 I literally COULD NOT STOP reading。 I was utterly gripped by the journey of the three survivors travelling across an eerily silent Europe。 Although there were a lot of interesting points on ethics and eco-destruction， it was ultimately the humanistic side and the relationship between the three survivors which intrigued me the most。 I accompanied them on their journey and wanted to see them reach salvation。 Although it was an ultimately bleak novel， there was a message of hope running throughout and I thought it was truly beautiful。 However， despite initially enjoying the chapters focusing on the conversations between Talos and the computer scientists， I did begin to bore of them slightly。 I was so desperate to get back to the escape across Europe that I found myself skimming parts of the Talos chapters。 （Which， in hindsight， was a TERRIBLE decision because turns out that you really should be paying attention to them。）Unfortunately， I fear that Under the Blue may not get the attention it rightly deserves as some readers are unlikely to want to read a narrative about a pandemic while we’re in the midst of one。 I would say - please don’t let the trauma of lockdown put you off。 It’s worth it， believe me。 It is a beautiful， thoughtful novel on existence and humanity， and I can’t recommend it enough。 A strong （and terrifying） four star read。Thank you to serpents tail for my #gifted copy。 。。。more

Becca Caddy ，

I'd been looking forward to reading Under The Blue for months – a relative heard about it on I think a radio show or a written interview and told me it'd be right up my street。 They were totally right！ This is a beautifully written book that blends the complex subject of teaching ethics to AI with the loss， desperation and panic of navigating a pandemic。 I don't want to say too much else about the plot， because I was happy to go into the story with little knowledge of what was going to happen。 I I'd been looking forward to reading Under The Blue for months – a relative heard about it on I think a radio show or a written interview and told me it'd be right up my street。 They were totally right！ This is a beautifully written book that blends the complex subject of teaching ethics to AI with the loss， desperation and panic of navigating a pandemic。 I don't want to say too much else about the plot， because I was happy to go into the story with little knowledge of what was going to happen。 It's a must-read for lovers of science-fiction and pandemic-related fiction， but that shouldn't put you off if that's not your usual cup of tea as the character building and thoughtful handling of philosophical subjects is bound to appeal to everyone。 This is easily one of my favourite reads of 2021 so far and I can't wait to see what the author writes next。 。。。more

Mimo ，

truly wonderful。 could not leave it out of my hands。

Barry ，

Hot on the heals of 'Detransition， Baby'， another hit from Serpent's Tail。 Before reading， I'd heard that it was a pandemic novel， but had missed that there's also an AI storyline。 That is brought together so well。 Already set to be a favourite of mine for the prize。 Hot on the heals of 'Detransition， Baby'， another hit from Serpent's Tail。 Before reading， I'd heard that it was a pandemic novel， but had missed that there's also an AI storyline。 That is brought together so well。 Already set to be a favourite of mine for the prize。 。。。more

Lou Barber ，

Firstly， thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this title in return for an honest review。Having already reviewed several books based around a pandemic， I must admit， I didn't find this held my interest as there wasn't really anything I hadn't already read。 The AI part was an interesting addition but the digital copy had some download issues which made it more challenging to read。I understand the environmental message behind this story， humanity is destroying itself， and the pand Firstly， thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this title in return for an honest review。Having already reviewed several books based around a pandemic， I must admit， I didn't find this held my interest as there wasn't really anything I hadn't already read。 The AI part was an interesting addition but the digital copy had some download issues which made it more challenging to read。I understand the environmental message behind this story， humanity is destroying itself， and the pandemic we are currently living through is evidence of that。 This novel was started before covid but I'm not sure if it has helped or hindered an apocalyptic storyline。 Overall， I didn't really connect or care about any of the characters and I found it a little laborious to read。 I'm sure some readers will have a different opinion as it wasn't written particularly badly， it just wasn't for me。 。。。more

Sam ，

Under The Blue is a post-apocalyptic novel told largely from the perspective of Harry， a reclusive artist， who initially misses the worldwide disaster but soon finds himself on a journey accompanied by two sisters seeking refuge overseas。We travel with Harry， Ash and Jessie as they struggle to survive against environmental factors and other humans， and piece together the events of the last few months。Eerily， given the recent pandemic， this book was written in 2017 and predicts quite accurately Under The Blue is a post-apocalyptic novel told largely from the perspective of Harry， a reclusive artist， who initially misses the worldwide disaster but soon finds himself on a journey accompanied by two sisters seeking refuge overseas。We travel with Harry， Ash and Jessie as they struggle to survive against environmental factors and other humans， and piece together the events of the last few months。Eerily， given the recent pandemic， this book was written in 2017 and predicts quite accurately the negative actions of humans to a threat to their survival （hoarding， panicking， fleeing to the countryside， etc）。 One line that struck me was ‘He is surprised at how quickly the abnormal becomes normal’， which we have definitely seen across 2020/21 to date。The story deals with some dark and deep issues – pandemic， environmental concerns and the impact of both human actions and inaction。 It is such a terrifying concept （the end of the world as we know it） which makes Under The Blue such a page-turner， full of both desperation， tension， mystery and hope， leaving the reader determined to find out what happens next。The novel also includes conversations between a scientist and her AI， Talos， designed to monitor threats to the World and humanity， as well as to provide potential solutions。 I loved this element of the story， seeing Talos grow and develop。 What was concerning， was how often I found myself agreeing with his opinions！Under The Blue is one of the most thought-provoking stories I’ve read in a long time and the ending left me thinking on the key themes and outcomes for the cast of characters for a good while after。 A highly recommended read and would make a great movie！I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Collette Mcgaahan ，

Interesting to read in the middle of our real worldwide catastrophe but I still found it hard to be as shocked as I probably should have been。 I couldn’t quite read the characters and they all ended up blurring into a sort of ageless non-featured person/persons。

Daniel Cooke ，

A fascinating and timely novel with two narratives that combine beautifully。 One being a desperate struggle for personal survival， and perhaps the survival of humanity itself。 The other， being the awaking awareness of an AI that increasingly exposes the failing logic of it’s creators。 The work gives a moving insight into society’s self-inflicted wounds while never losing sight of the hope， beauty and humour that surround us。 It is made all the more poignant as it was written some time before the A fascinating and timely novel with two narratives that combine beautifully。 One being a desperate struggle for personal survival， and perhaps the survival of humanity itself。 The other， being the awaking awareness of an AI that increasingly exposes the failing logic of it’s creators。 The work gives a moving insight into society’s self-inflicted wounds while never losing sight of the hope， beauty and humour that surround us。 It is made all the more poignant as it was written some time before the consequences of these wounds that we are now all enduring。 If only it had been published two years ago and every head of state was forced to read it。 。。。more

Catalina ，

Oana Aristide is Romanian（as myself）。 It is so rare to see a Romanian author being promoted in the West that I really， really wanted to show my support too。 But turns out， Under the Blue didn't work for me， sadly。 The main problem is that I couldn't warm up to the writing style。 In such cases， something else（the story， the characters， the ideas transmitted to readers etc） needs to be extraordinary to force me to overlook the writing itself。 But it is not the case here。 The story is frankly borin Oana Aristide is Romanian（as myself）。 It is so rare to see a Romanian author being promoted in the West that I really， really wanted to show my support too。 But turns out， Under the Blue didn't work for me， sadly。 The main problem is that I couldn't warm up to the writing style。 In such cases， something else（the story， the characters， the ideas transmitted to readers etc） needs to be extraordinary to force me to overlook the writing itself。 But it is not the case here。 The story is frankly boring， the characters are noting to write home about， and while there were a few instances I enjoyed some dialogues（for example when Jessie and Ash were fighting I was finally feeling excitement， some fire in the platitude of their endless drive）， or a few ideas discusses in the interactions between Thalos and Lisa; overall， once again， there's not much substance to impress。I could go on with my criticism but that would reveal too much from the book， so I'll limit myself to saying: if you are into overused tropes like nuclear apocalypse， robots taking over the world and overpowering humans and haven't had enough of the current pandemic， then you may enjoy this！ Lol。 *Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher。 。。。more

travelsalongmybookshelf ，

Under The Blue - Oana Aristide𝑨 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒏: 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝑬𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆。 𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅？𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏。 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒔， 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝑰 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎。 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂， 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚， 𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝒃𝒚 𝒆𝒓𝒂， 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒉𝒊 Under The Blue - Oana Aristide𝑨 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒖𝒏: 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄 𝑬𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆。 𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅？𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏。 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒔， 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝑰 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎。 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒂， 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚， 𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝒃𝒚 𝒆𝒓𝒂， 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆。 𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒕 - 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 - 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒖𝒊𝒕。Ever wondered what you would do in a global pandemic that was rapidly wiping out humanity？ I used to wonder what I would do if a tidal wave hit when I was small， I had all sorts of scenarios in my head about surviving。。well obviously I would survive！This book is a humdinger to read during an actual global pandemic during lockdown and does make you feel really quite edgy， especially when you go out for a walk and see no one and the roads are empty。This is an apocalyptic road trip in essence following Harry， an older man and artist， Ash his young neighbour and Jessie her sister， a doctor as they travel to escape the ticking time bomb of nuclear meltdown in Europe once everything breaks down in the wake of a catastrophic pandemic; I for one did not know this would happen。。。note to self， escape to Africa at all costsYou can feel and smell the raw destruction described， the smell of death， a bloated cow， what a disease can do to the body and the heat， the relentless heat。The story moves between this and another strand in the Arctic of a couple working on an AI programme who will be able to predict future pandemics etc and their outcomes。I love the characters of the road trip thread they feel real and I felt more absorbed into their story， I was less engaged by the AI story in the Arctic， it felt less relevant to me but the threads drew together at the end to explain some aspects of the story more fully and then made more sense to me。It is a very timely， thought provoking novel encompassing climate change， humanities effect on the planet and that it really doesn’t need us as much as we think。 。。。more

Jess ，

I （and probably a lot of other people） have been avoiding pandemic-adjacent literature for at least a year now， resulting in many books on my TBR being left unread on my shelves。 However， when I picked this up I （for some foolhardy reason） thought I could handle it。 I absolutely could not， and that makes being objective about Under the Blue very tricky。 I absolutely raced through it， partially motivated by not wanting it to be what I read before bed two nights running。 I found the factual "After I （and probably a lot of other people） have been avoiding pandemic-adjacent literature for at least a year now， resulting in many books on my TBR being left unread on my shelves。 However， when I picked this up I （for some foolhardy reason） thought I could handle it。 I absolutely could not， and that makes being objective about Under the Blue very tricky。 I absolutely raced through it， partially motivated by not wanting it to be what I read before bed two nights running。 I found the factual "Afterword" to be really chilling。I loved the contrast between the two central POVs， very rarely feeling annoyed by moving between the two narrative threads。 Like Station Eleven， there's a lot of consideration of the act of living here - both in the midst of catastrophic world-changing events and in "normal times"。 However， there's also some really interesting thought around morality and ethics， and some evaluation of humankind's role within the universe。I gave 4 stars rather than 5， as I think outside of the context of the current climate， without the "coincidences" discussed in the Afterword， I wouldn't have been as subjectively bowled over by this as I was。Nonetheless， we are living in the current climate regardless， and I found Under the Blue to be utterly gripping。 I can foresee myself returning to it and thinking about it more in the weeks to come。Thanks to Serpent's Tail and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Josef Hedlund ，

I've never read a book that manage to tie together all major threats to the existence of humanity and life itself into one story， yet this dystopian novel manage to do it with both great elegance and humor。 One part of the plot involves three characters on a quest for survival after a deadly pandemic hit earth wiping out almost all of mankind， the other part brings you along the journey of an artificial intelligence maturing from the cradle into the world of self-consciousness。 The plot twist le I've never read a book that manage to tie together all major threats to the existence of humanity and life itself into one story， yet this dystopian novel manage to do it with both great elegance and humor。 One part of the plot involves three characters on a quest for survival after a deadly pandemic hit earth wiping out almost all of mankind， the other part brings you along the journey of an artificial intelligence maturing from the cradle into the world of self-consciousness。 The plot twist leaves something for both heart and mind， and the excitement of being thrown between hope and disparity made it way too difficult to take a break， so I stayed up all night reading from cover to cover。 Totally worth it。 。。。more

Row ，

Probably not the book to read in the midst of a pandemic as you despair at and for humanity。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Under the Blue

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Under the Blue&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Under the Blue&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0