Penguin USA Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Loved this. I bought it for my teenage daughter, on the basis that she loves John Green and we like the podcasts he makes with his brother. What a fantastic book.April, our hero, happens across a giant metal robot, she christens it Karl and posts on social media about it. It turns out that she has been the first to post about one of many KarsSo, they are all over the world. But what are they? Aliens? And if they are, are they harmful or benign?This could easily have been a very different story, but instead focused very much on the nature of fame, obsession and what happens to one likeable and complex person when their world takes a very unexpected turn.I loved it. Made me smile, laugh and really think. Should be obligatory reading for teenagers, if they can put their phones down for long enough.

At face value, this book would give you the impression that it is a contemporary Sci-fi book. However, its a much deeper exploration of how dehumanising fame is and how being an internet celebrity can rupture your foundations of self and it can affect your relationships with everyone around you. It was very thought-provoking. I know from having watched Hank's videos on Youtube that he is a very eloquent communicator so I wasn't surprised but content that he was able to communicate the themes of this book with a necessary bluntness. The only thing that was a little off-putting was the occasional time jumps. They felt a bit jarring at times but otherwise a very strong debut.

An excellent read and exceptional story from a first time author! Hank is a big time writer and for his debut book it’s a good solid read! It captivated me for hours at a time. His easy yet descriptive story spinning is delightful to read , captivating in its style the gender of his protagonist is refreshingly different telling the story from her perspective! It’s ending is great and still has me thinking of it’s final page days after reading it! I cut my teeth on golden age and new age SF so I’ve seen and read thousands of stories, this is well worth reading again and currently is top of my re-read pile! Excellent with one tiny flaw? We want MORE!N,B his sequel is out, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour! Not read yet but looking good so far! Still find the original a hauntingly captivating read!

I can’t even explain how much I loved this book, it’s the kind of book that you miss when you’re done just as you’d miss a friend, April May is a witty, relatable, intelligent mess of a narrator and I loved getting to know her

I originally only bought the book to support Hank, although I was excited to read I knew nothing about it. I was a bit weirded out at the beginning because it’s a pretty crazy story, I just wasn’t prepared for it.The book is so much more than a sci-fi, space robot alien story. It talks about how it is to be famous nowadays, and how toxic it all can be, how people that have power want to continue on power no matter what.I absolutely loved this book and can’t recommend it enough, I fell in love with April May and I’m still not ready to let go of this story, I wish I would be part of the Dream...Dftba