moodyreader_96's review against another edition
4.0
I can’t exactly articulate why this book works for me. It was weird, slow, and the ending felt unfinished.
Add in that, half the time I had no idea what was going on and I understand why people don’t like this book.
But I enjoyed learning about this codex and the search we went on. I also think I just liked the writing style of Lev Grossman. This felt like a cross between Howl’s Moving Castle, The Davinci Code, and Ready Player One. In a good way? And I didn’t hate it.
Add in that, half the time I had no idea what was going on and I understand why people don’t like this book.
But I enjoyed learning about this codex and the search we went on. I also think I just liked the writing style of Lev Grossman. This felt like a cross between Howl’s Moving Castle, The Davinci Code, and Ready Player One. In a good way? And I didn’t hate it.
meks17's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
everworld2662's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reading the other reviews, the ending is the main sticking point for people—ironic, since the ending is somewhat the whole point of the book. (Not to harp on, but Codex is, you know, a codex, and ) Much like The Magicians, Codex isn't interested in being 'satisfying' in a narrative sense, but more invested in thematic consistency. It's similarly uninterested in dealing with likable characters (also much like The Magicians): Edward is in fact much worse than Quentin, in that, unlike Quentin, . Is the ending disappointing? Maybe, through one lens, but In The Magicians, Quentin's quest (as it were) is about escaping mediocrity; Edward's, more literally stated in this book, is about escaping work. The most cathartic thing about this ending is that
TL;DR: if you're invested in Lev Grossman's clear thematic preoccupations with obsession, exceptionalism (it's worth noting that Edward is briefly a chess genius as a child, much like Quentin is an academic genius and excellent stage magician), and existentialism, you'll enjoy this. If you're looking for a mystery with a ~twist ending~ or a plotty thriller, you might find this a let-down.
Spoiler
Edward finds the ending of that story unsatisfying, too. He lord doesn't get to go home again, after all.Spoiler
Edward doesn't learn or growSpoiler
Edward doesn't deserve a satisfying ending. He is a selfish coward who we manage to root for, just barely, because he has intensely relatable emotions and ambitions.Spoiler
where Edward fails, Margaret wins. We don't see it, because we're in Edward's POV, but she's the real protagonist of the story: the character with the integrity and emotional fortitude to earn the "happy" (meaningful/significant) ending.TL;DR: if you're invested in Lev Grossman's clear thematic preoccupations with obsession, exceptionalism (it's worth noting that Edward is briefly a chess genius as a child, much like Quentin is an academic genius and excellent stage magician), and existentialism, you'll enjoy this. If you're looking for a mystery with a ~twist ending~ or a plotty thriller, you might find this a let-down.
Content Warnings
Lev Grossman is very good at writing misogynistic characters, although IMO it's always very clear that this is not a positive trait of Edward's. Some may also take issue with the portrayal of The Artiste (an autistic character) through Edward's eyes.
magnolia4ever's review against another edition
1.0
Well... this for me was a very dissapointed book.
I found it very slow paced at the beginning. I almost decided to put the book away and never start again. But i was too curious where it was going, if it would become any better, i held on and kept reading.
Later on, about half the book it became a little more exciting to read instead of boring.
To get very very dissapointed in the end. I expected a good plot, maybe even a real scary end which will be a mindtwist or something. But it was the most boring end ever.
For me the whole story seems so meaningless with an end like that. Also it only brings up more questions, and leaves a lot of things open.
I really do not recommend.
I found it very slow paced at the beginning. I almost decided to put the book away and never start again. But i was too curious where it was going, if it would become any better, i held on and kept reading.
Later on, about half the book it became a little more exciting to read instead of boring.
To get very very dissapointed in the end. I expected a good plot, maybe even a real scary end which will be a mindtwist or something. But it was the most boring end ever.
For me the whole story seems so meaningless with an end like that. Also it only brings up more questions, and leaves a lot of things open.
I really do not recommend.
gmarieb3's review against another edition
3.0
Generally I liked this book, but I feel it best describes the main characters resolution as ambivalent. The story takes a while to pick up, and for a majority of the novel the reader is curious as to how a video game has relevance to the search for a missing codex in a library. Eventually I felt the two plots were loosely brought together. I did enjoy the twist that leaves the protagonist wondering what to do with his life at the end, and parallel that Grossman uses in the Codex's story. Generally the writing style is much like that of Neil Gaiman, which is very enjoyable, but Grossman has a definite wit in his writing. It is a grown up style that I think anyone over the age of 20 would appreciate.
linneahedvig's review against another edition
4.0
It's Lev Grossman. It's not going to be not good. Also, it's an academic mystery that involves lots of research, along with very cool video games.
elissitous's review
3.0
I really consider this a 2.5-star read, but elected to round up. It's a hard one to review, because although I liked the experience of reading this book, I'm no longer sure that I liked the book itself: Codex hooked me from the beginning, then ultimately threw me back in the water regretting having been hooked at all.
Throughout, the tension set my expectations high, and I found the book's dual focus on medieval literature and video games intriguing (although neither seems to be the author's particular wheelhouse). I was looking forward to seeing these pieces converge in a satisfying way, which didn't happen. I kept thinking there might be some supernatural element, and there wasn't. I wasn't sure why I was meant to care about the characters, let alone the drama between the distant Duke and Duchess, which made the ending all the more unsatisfying ... and that's saying something; this book has the biggest nothing of an ending since "It was all a dream!"
If the mark of a good book were its ability to make one think "Oh, that's clever" to oneself every now and then, this book would be very good indeed. It's a shame its cleverness does nothing of substance.
Throughout, the tension set my expectations high, and I found the book's dual focus on medieval literature and video games intriguing (although neither seems to be the author's particular wheelhouse). I was looking forward to seeing these pieces converge in a satisfying way, which didn't happen. I kept thinking there might be some supernatural element, and there wasn't. I wasn't sure why I was meant to care about the characters, let alone the drama between the distant Duke and Duchess, which made the ending all the more unsatisfying ... and that's saying something; this book has the biggest nothing of an ending since "It was all a dream!"
If the mark of a good book were its ability to make one think "Oh, that's clever" to oneself every now and then, this book would be very good indeed. It's a shame its cleverness does nothing of substance.
bowerfamilyds's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
annielew's review
1.0
It was a difficult book to get into from the start. I only continued reading out of a sheer stubborn will to see the book through to the end. I was finally interested enough about three quarters of the way through to finish it quickly. But that last quarter wasn't worth finishing. The ending was the most uninspired, boring conclusion I could have imagined. Throughout the book were hints of these fantastical other worlds, but none of that came into play for a satisfying ending. This wasn't even an ending that left me wanting more. Just an ending that left me wondering why I'd bothered to read the book at all.