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willand90's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
parenthesis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
diziet_sma's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
thepancreas11's review against another edition
1.0
I got through seventy pages in three months, and then I put it down. I realized I got no joy from it, that I would find reasons not to read it. Seeing Neil Gaiman's praise on the cover made my heart sink, but I admit defeat. I feel like I just watched all the raw footage from "Planet Earth", the hours of following around some bird waiting for it to do something, and I don't even have David Attenborough to narrate. Actually, I finally understand why people say, "I don't really get science fiction."
I don't doubt the prowess of the author or the beauty of the prose. This clearly took some writing, I just wish it led to something more fulfilling. All the time and effort went into saying things in a complex way rather than saying complex things. The plot meandered and never really held my interest, even when I could get through the fog of the unreliable narrator and the futuristic language. I feel like I would have gotten just as much by trying to read Harry Potter in French. At least then, I know something interest will happen in the end, and hey, maybe I can learn some French along the way.
See, the beauty of Harry Potter is that all the effort went into making the story interesting, rather than the writing. You can zip through those books in a day and get everything you need. You can also read them slowly or re-read them and get more out of them because the little details mean something. They are complex and accessible simultaneously. Can you imagine if J.K. Rowling spent thirty pages describing all the things in Hagrid's hut? Actually, I'd rather read that than this book. This book was like listening to someone describe the intricacies of their obscure PhD research. I guess that's why millions of people have read Harry Potter and I know one person that has ever read this book.
I don't doubt the prowess of the author or the beauty of the prose. This clearly took some writing, I just wish it led to something more fulfilling. All the time and effort went into saying things in a complex way rather than saying complex things. The plot meandered and never really held my interest, even when I could get through the fog of the unreliable narrator and the futuristic language. I feel like I would have gotten just as much by trying to read Harry Potter in French. At least then, I know something interest will happen in the end, and hey, maybe I can learn some French along the way.
See, the beauty of Harry Potter is that all the effort went into making the story interesting, rather than the writing. You can zip through those books in a day and get everything you need. You can also read them slowly or re-read them and get more out of them because the little details mean something. They are complex and accessible simultaneously. Can you imagine if J.K. Rowling spent thirty pages describing all the things in Hagrid's hut? Actually, I'd rather read that than this book. This book was like listening to someone describe the intricacies of their obscure PhD research. I guess that's why millions of people have read Harry Potter and I know one person that has ever read this book.
mrchimcham's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet mother of god I don't even know where to start.
wickles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny and War
christopher_dilts's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting book for cerebral fantasy readers and in order to get the most from reading it, one must pay close attention to what is going on for multiple reasons:
It is my understanding that the book is translated from whatever language English evolved from one million years in humanity's future. Then it was translated back into English. There are some strange and awkward verbalisms throughout the story and it helps to regularly check the glossary.
There are two framed narratives within the story. At one point there is a book read by the main character, and it is a world-reknowned piece of literature that I should have recognized. Unfortunately, the hints were not laid down heavily enough and I missed it until the end of the story, wondering why it was relevant until the end. At another point there is a play.
Throughout the book, there are certain parts I truly enjoyed and other parts that I got lost. It might help to read this novel twice or to possibly even study it by adding notes and annotations.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone below university level, as it is an extremely well thought out book with many layers, nuances, and ideas thrown around in it. I will take a break before reading the next book in the series.
It is my understanding that the book is translated from whatever language English evolved from one million years in humanity's future. Then it was translated back into English. There are some strange and awkward verbalisms throughout the story and it helps to regularly check the glossary.
There are two framed narratives within the story. At one point there is a book read by the main character, and it is a world-reknowned piece of literature that I should have recognized. Unfortunately, the hints were not laid down heavily enough and I missed it until the end of the story, wondering why it was relevant until the end. At another point there is a play.
Throughout the book, there are certain parts I truly enjoyed and other parts that I got lost. It might help to read this novel twice or to possibly even study it by adding notes and annotations.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone below university level, as it is an extremely well thought out book with many layers, nuances, and ideas thrown around in it. I will take a break before reading the next book in the series.
mikeouimet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
programmed_sunn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0