parkerluck's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
By halfway through I was devouring this and then the weird ending dive into just became utter nonsense. Flop ending.
Spoiler
the North Korea conspiracy ????????
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Self harm, Racism, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Medical content, and Mental illness
wickedtreasury's review
3.0
If you enjoy David Cronenberg films primarily for their famed practical effects, you might be disappointed with this book! However, if you enjoy those films for Dave's many recurring preoccupations and themes (sex, tech, humanity, disease, reality, media consumption, conspiracy), you may be right at home with this.
aworga's review
3.5
This is the kind of book that has such an interesting story and is honestly pretty well written but just like spirals out of control at the end. I don’t really think the cliff hanger was appropriate . I will say I liked how all the dispersed stories at the beginning came together towards the end, and it really was an interesting meditation on consumerism + the human body (def a little pretentious at times though). Also liked how different perspectives/narratives were strung together. Gripping read
lmags15's review
1.0
Nope. This book was torturous. It began well enough, but quickly became bogged down by overly complicated talk about camera lenses and hearing aids. Many times it was unclear which of the central characters' eyes we were seeing through, and the book wraps up unceremoniously quickly. I am a fan of Cronenberg's inventive and disturbing films, but this book had none of their appeal.
shondawanders's review
4.0
3.75 stars. You’d know this is a novel by David Cronenburg by just reading it.
jackphoenix's review
1.0
Cronenberg's debut novel features a disappointing lack of his signature depravity and body horror, and its severe shift in focus to a peripheral character's story make this a shockingly dull read from a horror legend.
elsbet's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
cultured_pear's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book, It got a bit weird, but I like weird. It was intriguing because I had no idea of where it was going or what was going to happen. I found a lot of the writing to be quite heavy though and in areas this broke the flow of the story for me. When I picked it up I didn't realise that it was part of a series which frustrated me because it left me with so many questions that I feel I must read the next one. (personally I prefer stand alone books than series).
anokayhuman's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0