Science Fiction: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green

The time has come to discuss the conclusion to Hank Green's The Carls duology, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor. When I read An Absolutely Remarkable Thing back in 2018, I remember having mixed feelings about the experience, and that mostly had to do with the book's main character, April. She was annoying, vain, and not good to her friends. But now (and major *spoiler alert* for anyone who has not read the first book) she is no longer the only focus. In fact, she wasn't even alive by the end of the first book. So I was interested to see where this one would go.

The Situation: It has been roughly six months since April was killed in that warehouse fire. Her group of friends have more or less scattered and begun doing their own thing. Andy has taken April's place in the spotlight, gaining for himself a pretty solid celebrity status and a healthy media following. Maya, April's ex, is still dealing with her grief, while also holding onto hope that April is still out there. And Miranda has returned to her research at Berkeley, still keeping in touch with the group, but also not feeling like she is one of them. And the Carls? They disappeared as quickly as they came. Even the Dream is gone, though the memories are still there. And Peter Petrawicki, April's former nemesis, seems to have figured out that the Carls have left something behind in the human brain. Something is certainly happening, and the appearance of mysterious books that seemingly predict the future are the proof.

The Problem: Somewhere in Puerto Rico, Peter Petrawicki has set up Altus, a new company involved in some top-secret research. At first, all people know is that the company is recruiting some of the top minds in the country, and that Peter has seemingly turned a new leaf. He regrets his past actions, and now wants to put his efforts to good use. The group is of course suspicious, and Miranda may have found a way to investigate, though it involves going directly to Altus as a not-so-covert spy, since Peter remembers who she is. Andy has the celebrity, money, and access to investigate from a different angle, though it puts him in danger as well. And Maya decides to follow a series of clues that could easily lead to nothing, until they lead to the very thing she has been searching for. Everyone will have to work quickly and use every resource they have if they want to stop a new, bigger threat, because what slowly becomes clear is that humanity is not okay, and getting less okay by the day.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set more or less in the present day. Following the conclusion of the first book, the Carls have disappeared, April is dead, and everyone is dealing with the loss of the Dream. It is like what we would have to deal with if an incredibly popular social media platform were to disappear. But then Peter Petrawicki shows up with the promise of a newer and better option that is infinitely more addictive. There are political and social commentaries all over this book, way too many for this review (and there are probably a lot that I simply did not notice). The most prominent, at least to me, regards the almighty algorithm and how it decides what comes up in our Google searches, and what adds we see while watching YouTube. Companies spend a lot of time trying to find out what we like, and how best to get more our money. It is a science fiction adventure that explores how we got here, and how far it can go.

My Verdict: For the most part, the mixed feelings continued for me with this book. It was pretty glorious not having all of the action revolve around April. Andy, Maya, and Miranda are much more interesting, and much less stressful to follow around, even when they are put in harm's way, or making terrible decisions (there is plenty of both happening in this book). I liked the pace of the book as it moves pretty quickly, but perhaps at times it was too quick. Honestly, for anyone who has ever watched Hank Green speak, the frantic and fast-changing pace is to be expected. But I did feel that sometimes the details suffered, and some elements got lost. Thankfully, the action and intensity make up for any confusion, and Green manages to bring this story to a thorough and not at all ambiguous conclusion.

Favorite Moment: *spoiler alert* When April goes Terminator 2 on a cop car and disables it. 

Favorite Character: I do like Miranda and admire her decision to enter the belly of the beast when she goes to Altus, but I wish there was more of Bex, a new character that Andy meets and proves to also be integral in the saving of humanity. 

Recommended Reading: There were many elements of this book that reminded me of Blake Crouch's Recursion, as well as The Long Earth series by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter.