cdeane61's review against another edition
5.0
Very clever flip of the world as we know it, where the countries of the Middle East are banded together as a world power, and the US is a bunch of divided religious territories that spew out terrorist and are responsible for 11/9.
Many historical figures are present, just not in the way that we know them.
The storyline is engaging, and the book moves along at good pace.
Highly recommended.
Many historical figures are present, just not in the way that we know them.
The storyline is engaging, and the book moves along at good pace.
Highly recommended.
mmingie's review against another edition
The ending felt like a cop-out. Not the very end, but the explanation for the mirage itself. Apart from that it was pretty interesting, and addressed many topics of interest in Middle-Eastern culture.
rcthomas's review against another edition
4.0
Updating my review because I don't think I really caught the main theme of the book when I originally read it. Ruff's books have been progressively reflecting on political, social, emotional trends in society and this book is a pretty good satire of the way extremist (specifically right wing) ideologues position themselves in the world. Facts and reality may be changeable but their internal human nature/desire for power is essentially immutable. I think this book stands as an example of something only becoming more relevant over time even as its direct subject matter becomes (slightly) less relevant.
_mjg_'s review against another edition
4.0
I'd forgotten I read this book until I got a ways into it, and didn't remember enough to make me stop. Glad I re-read it. Not my favorite Matt Ruff book, but a solid read.
disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
3.0
The individual stories and characters - Mustafa, Salim, Amal - all felt well-written and relatable. The overall premise/story was confusing, disjointed, and almost felt like it was distracting from itself.
mschlat's review against another edition
2.0
An intensely aggravating read.
Ruff sets up an alternate history where --- on 11/9/2001 --- the Tigris and Euphrates towers in Baghdad were taken down by Christian fundamentalists as a strike against the United Arab Republic. The United States does not exist, and in its place we find "tribal" entities and loosely defined states. Chapters are introduced by entries from the user-created and edited Library of Alexandria (standing in for Wikipedia). It's overwhelmingly clever, and while I got a frisson of discomfort and interest from reading about Lutheran terrorists, by the time Ruff mentions CSI:Damascus (about page 70), I was tired of the conceit.
My main problem is that all that world-establishing crowds out any emotional response. It's not until about one-third of the way through the book that we start to understand what makes our protagonists tick. That got me back into the book until about the two-thirds mark, when Ruff pauses the whole thing to do more world-explaining (again in an all too clever way).
There's some good stuff here, including some great scenes with an alternate Saddam Hussein realizing the place of power he could have. However, I wish Ruff had spent more time on character development and left much of the setting in the background.
Ruff sets up an alternate history where --- on 11/9/2001 --- the Tigris and Euphrates towers in Baghdad were taken down by Christian fundamentalists as a strike against the United Arab Republic. The United States does not exist, and in its place we find "tribal" entities and loosely defined states. Chapters are introduced by entries from the user-created and edited Library of Alexandria (standing in for Wikipedia). It's overwhelmingly clever, and while I got a frisson of discomfort and interest from reading about Lutheran terrorists, by the time Ruff mentions CSI:Damascus (about page 70), I was tired of the conceit.
My main problem is that all that world-establishing crowds out any emotional response. It's not until about one-third of the way through the book that we start to understand what makes our protagonists tick. That got me back into the book until about the two-thirds mark, when Ruff pauses the whole thing to do more world-explaining (again in an all too clever way).
There's some good stuff here, including some great scenes with an alternate Saddam Hussein realizing the place of power he could have. However, I wish Ruff had spent more time on character development and left much of the setting in the background.
peachani's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Dysphoria, Confinement, Gun violence, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, War, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
cawcaw8553's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
wah38's review against another edition
4.0
Most alt-history novels have a wink for the readers every so often: an important player is vaguely described and then revealed at the end of the chapter to be a historical figure. But this book has so many winks that if it were a person I'd think they were having a seizure. That could be a good or a bad thing depending on what you like.
Beyond that, I don't understand objections to this book that Bin Laden and Saddam are portrayed as evil: as a major character says, evil men are evil men in all universes. The same goes for all the American characters: they are as evil in this book as they are in real life. It's not Ruff's job to write a pro-bin Laden book any more than it would be his job to write a pro-Dick Cheney ("Quail Hunter" as he's hilariously called here) book.
Beyond that, I don't understand objections to this book that Bin Laden and Saddam are portrayed as evil: as a major character says, evil men are evil men in all universes. The same goes for all the American characters: they are as evil in this book as they are in real life. It's not Ruff's job to write a pro-bin Laden book any more than it would be his job to write a pro-Dick Cheney ("Quail Hunter" as he's hilariously called here) book.