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Remnant

by Kate Genet (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 22 ratings · 9 reviews

What would you do if you woke up one morning to find the world you took for granted was gone?

It’s a beautiful sunny day when Cass wakes up to find herself alone. It should be just a normal day – there’s a beach to enjoy with family and friends and the summer is at it’s height. Except today is not a normal day. Today there is no one around. In fact, the only living creatur...more

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Published (first published July 7th 2011)

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Apr 14, 2012 Terry Baker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cass is enjoying a vacation at the family home of her boyfriend, Hemi. One morning she wakes up alone. No Hemi, no anyone else either. This is the day Cass’s world changes forever.

As Cass realizes nothing feels right, she becomes aware that the only other living creatures around are birds and a horse that she names Ezzy. Cass is in total shock.

Eventually Cass becomes restless and her thinking is, if she survived, maybe someone else did too. So, she sets out with Ezzy in a search for other surviv...more Cass is enjoying a vacation at the family home of her boyfriend, Hemi. One morning she wakes up alone. No Hemi, no anyone else either. This is the day Cass’s world changes forever.

As Cass realizes nothing feels right, she becomes aware that the only other living creatures around are birds and a horse that she names Ezzy. Cass is in total shock.

Eventually Cass becomes restless and her thinking is, if she survived, maybe someone else did too. So, she sets out with Ezzy in a search for other survivors.

Pania, another young woman, is camping out in Auckland. She is also a lone survivor. One day a horse turns up, saddled, so Pania goes in search of it’s owner. She finds Cass, who has injured herself. The two women are so pleased they now have each other. They bond right away. Maybe there is even a chance of love again.

But, there is something out there, it is watching them from the trees. Will this thing, whatever it is, leave them to enjoy life together?

This book captured my interest right from the first page. It’s well written and a page turner. If you like futuristic sci fi, you will love this. It is different from any other book in the genre that I’ve ever read.

The story centers on Cass and is told from her point of view throughout. I loved the conversations between Cass and Ezzy the horse. It’s almost like Ezzy is human in her responses.

I think Kate Genet is very clever in the way she wrote this book, each and every word is essential to progressing the story forward. It is written in such a way that she makes her reader feel as though they are living the story alongside of the characters.

The story is fast paced, even though the first part is solely about Cass and her survival, followed by her search for others. I was kept in a constant state of anxiety to know what would happen next. The dark, brooding atmosphere and sense of foreboding really keeps the pulses racing.

This is a story about the end of mankind as we know it. It’s also a story of survival and new beginnings. The book ended far too soon for me. I would like to have read more about Cass and Pania’s lives after a life changing event occurred. But the book jumped forward eight years. Having said that, the story does actually conclude nicely.

This is the first book I’ve read by Kate Genet, now I’m hooked and have to buy more.
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Mar 16, 2012 Kelli Jae Baeli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rich in eloquence, authenticity, and sweeping tragic beauty...

I choose my books wisely, as I don't have near enough time to read all the books I'd like to, so I will not even waste my time with one that doesn't immediately engage my senses, my interest, my fascination. Remnant was one of those books that did all of that and more.

New Zealand author, Kate Genet is one of those writers who deserves a major publishing contract, along with an insanely generous advance and a multi-book deal. Her book...more Rich in eloquence, authenticity, and sweeping tragic beauty...

I choose my books wisely, as I don't have near enough time to read all the books I'd like to, so I will not even waste my time with one that doesn't immediately engage my senses, my interest, my fascination. Remnant was one of those books that did all of that and more.

New Zealand author, Kate Genet is one of those writers who deserves a major publishing contract, along with an insanely generous advance and a multi-book deal. Her book, Remnant is just a masterful piece of work. It isn't easy to handle basically one character for most of a book, but she pulled it off beautifully. Not once, did I lose interest in Cass and her plight. One reason for her mastery, is that she did not create a hero, so much as an average woman in beyond-average situation

This book has a great deal of exposition, but necessarily so, considering the plot. It takes a lot to keep me from skipping forward on long narrative passages, merely because many writers aren't very good at handling them, but Genet has a firm grip on moving a story along and making it engaging and compelling. There's a lot to be said for the economy of words, (notwithstanding this review) and often other authors will fall into purple prose--as if to say "look at me I'm in love with my words." Genet, however, is in love with her craft. She doesn't slip into verbosity, yet never skimps on eloquent and succint prose to illuminate character, move plot, and engender emotions in the reader, often primal emotions, at that. The horse, Ezzy, she befriends--or who befriends her-- is as much a main character as Cass, and just as easily engaging.

Along with her eloquence and ability to create such tension, her plot is not at all predictable; it's clever, with a few twists that are quite satisfying and clever. She stays true to her characters, her concept, and her plot, the whole way through. We are taken on a journey along with the characters, so that it does feel visceral and authentic. One thing Kate Genet does not do is cop out on her stories. Nor does she spoon-feed or take the easy way out. Remnant is rich in eloquence, authenticity, and sweeping tragic beauty. To qualify this is a book as "going back to nature" would be understatement, because we do realize in the poignant exposition, how powerful nature can be, and how insignificant we ultimately are as a species, against such a formidable force.

It's challenging enough, in today's luxury-oriented society, to lose all those conveniences--but another thing entirely to be thrust into a world where even the basic necessities like water, food, shelter, and safety are a constant question, a contnual struggle. Many, if not most people who might found themselves in such an apocalyptic situation, would simply break out the razor blades and send themselves to oblivion. But here, we find a character who has a well of inner strength, a fortitude that allows her to keep going, keep hoping, keep searching for those two elements crucial to the health and well-being of the human species: hope and love. Without these two, as Genet illustrates in Remnant, there is little cause to survive.

Remnant is a beautiful, epic tale of one woman's courage and strength, amid the most oppressive and hopeless of circumstances. Truly an examination and exhaltation of the human spirit, and a reminder that our lives are only as satisfying as we decide to make them.
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Nov 26, 2011 Baxter Trautman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I once dubbed Kate Genet ‘the lesbian Stephen King’ then recanted the statement in favor of calling her ‘the lesbian Nancy Drew’. After reading Remnant I realize my first proclamation was premature but nonetheless accurate.

Remnant has all the elements of a good, old-fashioned horror story: the tingly ‘Oh !@#$ what’s going on’ feeling; the sickening drop when you realize what’s going on, then the subsequent wavering between hope and despair of surviving this very bad thing.

In Remnant, the very b...more I once dubbed Kate Genet ‘the lesbian Stephen King’ then recanted the statement in favor of calling her ‘the lesbian Nancy Drew’. After reading Remnant I realize my first proclamation was premature but nonetheless accurate.

Remnant has all the elements of a good, old-fashioned horror story: the tingly ‘Oh !@#$ what’s going on’ feeling; the sickening drop when you realize what’s going on, then the subsequent wavering between hope and despair of surviving this very bad thing.

In Remnant, the very bad thing is that one morning Cass wakes up and her boyfriend’s gone. (I just heard a collective groan from half the lesbians reading this. Hold on. Stick with me. I had to trust Ms. Genet and so will you. I promise it will be worth it). So the boyfriend is gone, all his family, and the chickens too. Other than the native birds singing merrily in the bush, there doesn’t appear to be another living creature around but for a darling horse named Esmerelda. As she searches vainly for other humans, Cass gradually realizes that not only is everyone vanished but the land seems to be quickly reclaiming the evidence of human existence. Cities disappear in volcanic upheavals. Homes, stores and streets are engulfed by the encroaching vegetation. Cass and Esmerelda appear indeed to be remnants of a suddenly lost civilization. Just as Cass starts – oh, but wait. I can’t say more without giving away the fine suspense of the novel. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out if Cass is the only human left on earth, or at least in New Zealand.

There were enough twists and turns in Remnant to keep me up late two nights in a row. I get up fiendishly early so rarely stay up late with a book but Remnant was just too fun to put down. Reading it felt like being at a slumber party with your best girlfriends, you know, that magic time after you’ve all gone to bed but are too wired to sleep, so you tell ghost stories until someone gets too scared and makes everybody stop. Then you tease that poor girl for being a baby but you’re secretly relieved.

Remnant is only available as an e-book, but Genet is all the incentive you should need to pop seventy-nine bucks for a Kindle. I was lucky enough to discover her on Smashwords when her writing was free but Genet is still a bargain with her works priced at $4.99 or less.

Genet’s brand of horror is not without humor and tenderness, so don’t be put off if you’re not much of a horror fan. And I’m not even sure if horror is the correct genre. Maybe call it futuristic sci-fi and leave it at that? Whatever the genre, Remnant doesn’t disappoint. It’s a quick, fun, spooky read. Enjoy! (less)

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Aug 28, 2011 Anthony Roberts rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Science fiction readers. People who enjoy stories about the natural world.

Recommended to Anthony by: Internet

'Remnant' by Kate Genet is set in New Zealand at the time of a cataclysmic event that heralds the fall of mankind. I've enjoyed books of this type before: 'Earth Abides', 'I Am Legend', 'The Stand', and more recently, Cormac McCarthy's beautiful and depressing, 'The Road.' The genre's been around as long as humanity has been telling stories; a retribution for man's hubris exacted through a supernatural upheaval. Earth will abide with or without mankind, and in Kate Genet's 'Remnant', 'man' has l...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Alejandro Canton-Dutari rated it 5 of 5 stars

Remnant by Kate Genet
Reviewed by Alex Canton-Dutari
This fascinating book must be every Earth defender's dream, described in such a way that even humidity changes can be felt through the written words of the author.
I do not know if I would include paranormal as a genre under which the story can also be classified. Perhaps it could be.
At the end I was left asking myself. Would the dynamics that took place between the main female characters follow the same pattern had they been two males?
I am grat...more

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Apr 12, 2013 girlwithglasses rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book would have benefitted from a proofreader as there were numerous fairly simple mistakes, ranging from typos to grammar errors to the constant use of 'reigns' (instead of 'reins') to refer to the part of the horse's bridle. Whilst it is difficult to know how one would react in such a situation, I found Cass rather too emotional and melodramatic for my liking. The book was certainly atmospheric; I'm not sure it needed the mysterious evil presence, particularly since the ending was rather...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Cab rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, glbt, horror-fiction, suspense

I actually picked up this ebook because I read Baxter Clare’s review of it and it sounded intriguing. (link to the review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... )

The story is creepy in a twilight zone kind of way. I kept waiting for Cass to either completely lose her mind or wake up and tell us it was all just some weird twisted dream.

I had a little trouble with a few terms that were used in the story, for example I had no clue that Cass was popping acetaminophen when she was talking about ne...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Stonebender rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

I love stories that start like this one; Cass wakes up to a world where everyone else just disappeared. Later she surmises that her New Zealand home has also lost all its non-native animals except for a horse Cass names Ezzy. A fun read. I'm not sure a story like this can have a satisfying ending and the ending to this one is abrupt and weak.

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Mar 23, 2012 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished

Wow, this is truly different from any book I have previously read but, I enjoyed this story tremendously, it was exciting and full of adventure but really told a terrific story I recommend this book as a must read.

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May 20, 2013 Jeremy Kackley rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 19, 2013 Starasia marked it as to-read

May 11, 2013 Legato Darksummers added it

Shelves: daddy-dark-s-baby-warrior-list

Apr 28, 2013 Katt marked it as to-read

Apr 17, 2013 Shiki rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, lgbt, non-japan, novel, romance, supernatural

Mar 26, 2013 Journey marked it as to-read

Mar 20, 2013 Penguin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

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Shelves: ebook-version

Feb 11, 2013 Mikael marked it as to-read

Feb 10, 2013 Pin marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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