452 pages
English language
Published 2020
April May and the Carls are back in the much-anticipated sequel to Hank Green's #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.
The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.
Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific …
April May and the Carls are back in the much-anticipated sequel to Hank Green's #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.
The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.
Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.
As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions. How will we live online? What powers over our lives are we giving away for free? Who has the right to change the world forever? And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?
This seemed like a hard book to write, given the setup. It's almost too close to our current reality to be fiction--except for the alien robots, of course. I'm impressed with how well Hank Green delivers what seem like realistic reactions in our current age of social media. Great fun!
If you are anything like me, you like your books like you like your punk: angry at reality and saying something about it. @HankGreen's #ABeautifullyFoolishEndeavor (Carl 1) didn't disappoint.
Picking up after #AnAbsolutelyWonderfulThing (Carl 2), Hank brings his flawed characters past the crisis of the metal transformers in large cities around the world and into what feels like an early cyberpunk plot. However, I have never found cyberpunk that hopeful. To be sure, Hank rails against the difference between those who create value and those who monetize it. However, Hank delivers an unflinching look at humanity's flaws while revealing the hope in our ability to collaborate.
An Absolutely Wonderful Thing (Carl 2) is a cerebral and hopeful read that is worth your time: slpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1483745116
I didn't expect this book to be better than the first one, but it was. The different points of view, the build of tension, the somewhat existential take on modern society, the new perspective on the beauty that is humanity... What's not to like in this book?
My only complaint is that I had to deal with the fact I couldn't stop reading, and finished the book 9 days after I got it despite having worked for most of those days, and had to deal with having finished it so fast. But that's less of a bug and more of a feature.
A more satisfying read than the first as insights on the power of social are more tightly embodied with the story and its characters.
This was a beautiful thing to experience
