Reviews

The Doomed City by Arkady Strugatsky, Andrew Bromfield, Boris Strugatsky, Dmitry Glukhovsky

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eddienya's review against another edition

4.0

pretty depressing in tone. set in a fictional and abstract reimagining of a city in a wasteland, the doomed city plays with characters who are as confused and despaired as the reader. every character seems to be at both times comedic and deeply introspective about random shit in the book. that's not a bad thing, it actually makes dialogue in the novel super funny sometimes. andrei is a really nicely written character, and the ensemble cast in general is quite fun, personally enjoyed uncle yura a lot.

dimamd's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

leonidskies's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

For me, this was a stronger piece when viewed as a window into history than a work of fiction I'd actually want to read - it was dense and unsatisfying. Above all, though, it was immensely INTERESTING - absolutely packed full of political thought and completely resisting any and all simple explanation or interpretation. It felt like a very deliberate book in every way; what I felt were petty prejudices initially turned out, as far as I could tell, to be completely intended ways of communicating the flaws of a deeply unpleasant narrator who was persistently fascinating in how odious he was at almost every turn. VERY good storytelling.

In an odd, sort of lateral way, the very closing segment of the book reminded me of The Left Hand of Darkness - written practically contemporaneously, I'm left wondering if there's a specifically late 60s/early 70s thing in both books that I don't have words to put to.

It was an interesting read, and I don't think I'd really recommend it to anyone in particular, but it was a good book to spend some time with.

endangeredmooseknuckle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

2.75

444ndromeda's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sinceramente no se como empezar a describir tan buena obra.
pulls you in by tricking you and then we're playing chess against stalin, lidiando con el problema de existir en una ideological vacuum y recordándonos que el hombre sigue sin poder (y tal vez nunca podrá) separar su caos del orden.
podría criticarle ciertos eventos que pudieron servir para, maybe, una mejor inmersión psicológica pero... aaaaah, man suspended.
"one makes a revolution, another makes a tin whistle".