Der Schwarm Roman

Ideen / Ideas: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Handlung / Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Charaktere / Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Schreibstil / Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unterhaltung / Entertainment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wiederholen / Repeat: ⭐⭐⭐ I like scientific thrillers and “The Swarm” is a prime example for me. The research that has gone into this book is fantastic. The plot is well thought out and exciting, especially with the first part I could hardly stop. However, in the later course there are also some lengths. The characters are a bit clichéd at times, but I'll forgive the book for that.

The Swarm is one of the few books by German authors that reached real popularity, so naturally I was curious about it. So I grabbed a copy of the audiobook from my local library. The story follows several characters that start out in different places but will eventually all arrive at the same place and focus their efforts. The reason for this is the necessity to research a threat that comes from the sea. Formerly peaceful whales are beginning to attack humans, worms are destroying the ice in the north and seafood poisons everyone coming into contact with it. At first all these occurrences seem to be random, but then the researchers discover that all seems to be directed by an intelligent being, which seems to be living in the sea. I liked the book well enough. The characters were round and easily distinctable from each other (the audiobook was dramatized, so that might have helped as well) and the plot fast-moving. However, this sort of book is generally not my thing and as such this will probably never get onto my favorite-ever shelf and I’ll probably not re-read it. Descriptions of whales attacking people and icky stuff coming out of seafood freak me out, so one time is really enough. Still, the book included some thought-provoking aspects (are humans really the only “intelligent” species on the planet?; how far can we go in maltreating nature, especially the oceans?) and I really liked this about the book. So for a book not in my comfort zone of reading it was surprisingly enjoyable.

Boekenclub pick Niet uitgelezen want TOTAAL mijn ding niet. Geen scifi meer voor mij.

Considerable research has been done into writing this novel. A good plot and overall a nice read.!