Patricia J. AndersonCritiques

I liked it. Was it simplistic? Yes. Was it weird? Yes. But I felt like it was a short, easily understood allegorical tale about human (or other intelligent animal in this book's case) environmental destruction and playing with things we don't truly understand.½

If you like near-dystopian books delving deeply into the problems plaguing the planet from an environmental standpoint, then this is for you. The world that has been created here is very similar to ours, but without people and with animals that can communicate with each other across the species divide, and with a lot more of the letter O. An interesting read to be sure, difficult at times, but with a very poignant message in the end.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It turned out to be shorter than I expected and...more didactic? than I had hoped. I want to see if its simplicity grows on me with a second read, because the subject matter does hit a lot of the right notes for me.

Side note, unrelated to the book's content: I found the page formatting really distracting and uncomfortable to read. I would have liked to see the title at the top of the page and the page numbers at the bottom be less obtrusive and aligned to the edge of the page. I found it difficult to get into a rhythm reading this book because of the poor layout.

I found this book difficult to read. The premise of the story is interesting, and not badly executed. However, the time changes frequently, and the overall structure of the writing makes it difficult to immerse yourself in. All in all, though, I enjoyed the plot of this story, its greatest strength, which is the only thing which kept me reading.

This is a review of an Early Reviewers copy of Threshold by Patricia J. Anderson provided by Common Deer Press and Library Thing.

I'll confess I really struggled with this book and I didn't finish it. I'm a reader that likes to be challenged by language, ideas and situations and this allegorical novel just felt a little too simple. The worldbuilding was sketchy and cartoonish - really lacking complexity. I was never convinced of the reality of the place. The mix of talking animals, "one - offs", and humans really didn't hang together for me either. I didn't really understand the motivation behind the philosophy of MORE. The text is adjective and adverb rich and "suddenly" things happen, far too often for my liking. The authour does have a sly wit, which was really occasionally amusing. However, it felt like I was being hit over the head repeatedly with cleverness merely for the sake of being clever.
Maybe if I had read this with a bright child it might have sparked something but as I said, I couldn't finish it.

Threshold by Patricia J Anderson is an interesting mixture of a discussion on modern environmental issues and a fantasy tale. The story is full of a wonderful variety of species, both familiar and unique, most of which have turned their backs on the environment around them in pursuit of the government's agenda of MORE. Banshoo, the main character, is one of the last who still looks into natural patterns to see where the world is headed. Quickly, Banshoo is taken on an adventure to show the species around him what they are doing to the environment. While this fantasy tale feels too real and too on the nose with some of its commentary on environmental issues, overall, there are enough fantastical elements to make it a better read for some readers. Personally, I would recommend this book to a younger reader whom is still starting to learn their place in the world or to an individual who could use their eyes opened to the environmental issues around them in a satirical, less intrusive way.

This was surprisingly dense for a rather short novel, with a large amount of world and otherworld building. It features a world like ours but with extra OOo’s, and all creatures can communicate with each other. There’s a lot to take in but you should get something out of it.

The writing style made this an easy and quick read. I really enjoyed this book and thought the themes discussed were most relevant. This was something like a cross between sci-fi and satire. The use of animals as characters was a kinder gentler way to expose "us" to the havoc we are wrecking on the planet and each other physically and meta-physically. Although at times the dialogue between the characters was a little preachy almost as if there was a "there is a message here" sign attached. I would recommend this book as a little something different to make you think about your place in the grand scheme of things.

This book isn't quite to my personal tastes, so I'm only giving this a 3 star as a neutral rating, because I don't think it's bad and I don't feel like I can critique it well enough to go higher.
When I first started it I definitely felt like DNFing it. It was slow and confusing, and all I felt was ''Oh, ANOTHER cautionary tale about environment that I've heard a mllion times.''
However I pushed on and I was pleasantly surprised, though not enough to feel that it was anything super amazing. I enjoyed the characters a lot as I went on. The plot wasn't one I was personally much invested in, but I didn't mind it. I would have liked if there was some worldbuilding in the beginning somehow, because I was very confused where this was happening and when, especially with all the references.

Altogether, decent.

Sidenotes: On page 140, the ''J'' overlaps over the word ''seems'' underneath it and
On page 164, a couple of lines have absolutely no spaces between the words!

A really silly and fun adventure through the world of Ooolandia (like Earth, just with extra Os) that warns against the dangers of environmental destruction.

Threshold is the cautionary tale of a world disturbingly similar to our own that warns us of the dangers of the culture of MORE.
The story takes place in the world of Ooolandia, where Banshooo, a natural scientists (who happens to be a monkey) and Sukie (his mathematician mouse colleague) have shown that the natural world is beginning to crumble.
Following a vision, Banshooo then heads out to find the Threshold to the Unseen to save the Ooolandians from themselves.
The story draws several nice parallels to many of our own world's current issues, including climate change, habitat loss, consumerism, racism, and anti-immigrant prejudices, as well as the issues of our obsessions with social media and the deterioration of traditional news outlets. However, it seems to preach on the point a little too directly for older audiences, but the story may move too slowly for younger audiences. That being said, it still raises several interesting discussion points.
Overall, Threshold is a nice quick read with some interesting social themes that does not go too deep for the casual reader.

I received this book through a giveaway. I’m a huge fan of the dystopian genre, and I was excited to read something I haven’t come across yet. I was very intrigued at the premise of some the main characters being animals. The author does a really job at world building, and is very good at filling in most gaps. While I really enjoyed the story, the writing style just didn’t work for me. It became too lyrical and wordy at certain points, and I found myself skimming and losing focus. If you’re someone who’s more into the prose, and the philosophical side of things I think you would enjoy this book.

Ms. Anderson's new novel Threshold is an allegorical story that takes place in an alternate world. On this world, all beings are sentient and all are members of society. Banshooo, a monkey, and his co-worker, Sukie, a mouse have been collecting data about all the strange occurrences taking place on their world. Unfortunately, when they try to present this to authorities, they are both fired from their jobs. That's when things really get interesting. It's up to Banshooo to keep trying to save his world, but can he?