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rosalind's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
neuravinci's review against another edition
4.0
Like many others have commented, and this book doesn’t have a solid plot or point. However, it also does. I enjoyed the myriad characters and interweaving of scenes. It seemed stream of consciousness and very “arab” in the way it told it story. What I truly enjoyed was feeling like I was with the characters, in part due to scenery and the weaving in of Arabic.
Oddly, I enjoyed the political nature as the characters reflected points differing from the American norm.
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
Oddly, I enjoyed the political nature as the characters reflected points differing from the American norm.
I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway.
kady_evans's review against another edition
3.0
ARC exchanged for an honest review.
Rodrigo Rey Rosas’s Chaos, a Fable can be separated into three major sections. In the first part, an unnamed Mexican author listens to cassette tapes recounting the story of his friend’s son and the signs he received from Allah that hint at his future greatness. In the second part, with the aid of an SD card filled with letters also included with the cassettes, we hear from the perspective of the son himself as an American astrophysics major. Finally, the third part of the novel is in the perspective of Xeno, the boy’s friend, and contains most of the present-day action - and with it, the total and utter chaos they bring upon the world. This structure leads to interesting shifts in tone and pacing, some of which are more effective than others.
In a lot of ways, this is really three separate books in one, and I’m not sure that’s the most effective way of portraying which is rather an interesting story of fate, expectations, and how we justify the decisions we make for other people. There are also some really beautiful moments of uncertainty that allow for multiple interpretations: is it fable, magical realism, reality, or some mixture of the three? The first-person audio diary format of the first part allows for this to blossom. As the story went along, however, I felt that delicate balance grow more and more skewed. It became harder to relate to the issues at hand, and the third section felt soupy and paranoid. I had a feeling I was supposed to feel a sense of ramping energy, but I missed that all and instead was left wishing for the careful pacing of the first few chapters. I would recommend this for fans of Neil Gaiman and Sylvain Neuvel’s “The Themis Files” series.
Rodrigo Rey Rosas’s Chaos, a Fable can be separated into three major sections. In the first part, an unnamed Mexican author listens to cassette tapes recounting the story of his friend’s son and the signs he received from Allah that hint at his future greatness. In the second part, with the aid of an SD card filled with letters also included with the cassettes, we hear from the perspective of the son himself as an American astrophysics major. Finally, the third part of the novel is in the perspective of Xeno, the boy’s friend, and contains most of the present-day action - and with it, the total and utter chaos they bring upon the world. This structure leads to interesting shifts in tone and pacing, some of which are more effective than others.
In a lot of ways, this is really three separate books in one, and I’m not sure that’s the most effective way of portraying which is rather an interesting story of fate, expectations, and how we justify the decisions we make for other people. There are also some really beautiful moments of uncertainty that allow for multiple interpretations: is it fable, magical realism, reality, or some mixture of the three? The first-person audio diary format of the first part allows for this to blossom. As the story went along, however, I felt that delicate balance grow more and more skewed. It became harder to relate to the issues at hand, and the third section felt soupy and paranoid. I had a feeling I was supposed to feel a sense of ramping energy, but I missed that all and instead was left wishing for the careful pacing of the first few chapters. I would recommend this for fans of Neil Gaiman and Sylvain Neuvel’s “The Themis Files” series.
qqjj's review against another edition
2.0
Thanks for the Goodreads Giveaway.
This short novella had some lovely language, but like many others I was completely baffled about what was going on and what the point was. I lost the thread of the author's tale early on, and could never pick it up again.
This short novella had some lovely language, but like many others I was completely baffled about what was going on and what the point was. I lost the thread of the author's tale early on, and could never pick it up again.
juliamrichardson's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure I entirely understood it, but it's ok for narratives to be looser than what one typically understands. I was excited to get this in a giveaway, however, because I'm trying to read more translation and South American. It's a more global story and does not take place in South America at all, but, I liked it a lot. It actually kind of reminds me of Mao II a little, it definitely has DeLillo's vision of global politics and the not too distant future if that makes sense.
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