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mar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
i'm not entirely sure how i feel abt this book.
on one hand this is an outstanding case of sci-fi as social critique. the biting commentary on the tourism industry, colonialism and capitalism - the very clear allegory to the treatment of Cuba and other third-world countries by the West - is really strong, honest and unflinching. still, its brutality and obsceneness make for a difficult and disturbing read; a lot of it is clearly a purposeful choice, yes, but there were still times when it felt gratuitous, and others when i found it hard to tell just how much of the unpleasant shitty parts was by design and how much might've been the author's prejudices bleeding through.
on one hand this is an outstanding case of sci-fi as social critique. the biting commentary on the tourism industry, colonialism and capitalism - the very clear allegory to the treatment of Cuba and other third-world countries by the West - is really strong, honest and unflinching. still, its brutality and obsceneness make for a difficult and disturbing read; a lot of it is clearly a purposeful choice, yes, but there were still times when it felt gratuitous, and others when i found it hard to tell just how much of the unpleasant shitty parts was by design and how much might've been the author's prejudices bleeding through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Suicide, and Trafficking
theaceofpages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a difficult book to rate since it's essentially a book of short stories. I was prepared to give this a low rating when I started, but I ended up enjoying the later stories far more. It starts off with alien sex and performative death, but later we get stories like people trying to escape earth undetected. I actually had to put the book down for a while after Performing Death - by far the most disturbing story in this collection (think a man disassembling himself with nanobots, starting in a weirdly sexual way) because I hated what happened in it. I'm glad I picked it after again because I enjoyed the later stories so much more. (If you hate often misogynistic inter-species alien sex and performative death I would honestly skip to the first story after this one because that's where I actually started enjoying this collection). Both my favourite stories were very close to the end, so it might worth pushing on a bit if you like the concept (maybe skipping chapters since it's not exactly a cohesive story) if you aren't enjoying yourself at the start - the plots becomes more diverse as the book continues (including a sports game that involves spine repair for the constant injuries, people who search through trash to find usable items and building a disguised ship to try leave earth).
While I may be critical of some of the stories Yoss decided to write, I did love the earth he wrote about. I know some other readers have been critical of it, but I can see this kind of scenario being all too believable should an advanced race find us. While I am not all that familiar with it, it is apparently based on Cuba's history. I can definitely recognise elements of how first world countries colonised poorer nations in general and the current dynamics between rich and poor countries in how the xenoids treat humans - basically cheap entertainment while making sure not to lose their power/wealth privilege (please note that this is not talking about individual people but rather the system in this comparison). As to whether I'd recommend this book? I honestly have no idea... I guess if someone asked if they should read it I'd suggest they just move onto the next chapter whenever things get too disturbing and see how it goes from there. While I'm definitely glad that I read this, there are certain parts I could really have done without.
While I may be critical of some of the stories Yoss decided to write, I did love the earth he wrote about. I know some other readers have been critical of it, but I can see this kind of scenario being all too believable should an advanced race find us. While I am not all that familiar with it, it is apparently based on Cuba's history. I can definitely recognise elements of how first world countries colonised poorer nations in general and the current dynamics between rich and poor countries in how the xenoids treat humans - basically cheap entertainment while making sure not to lose their power/wealth privilege (please note that this is not talking about individual people but rather the system in this comparison). As to whether I'd recommend this book? I honestly have no idea... I guess if someone asked if they should read it I'd suggest they just move onto the next chapter whenever things get too disturbing and see how it goes from there. While I'm definitely glad that I read this, there are certain parts I could really have done without.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Infertility, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, and Alcohol
bonfeld's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A Planet for Rent is a very straight forward critique of capitalism and life in Cuba under the Castro regime through the metaphor of Earth being colonized by extraterrestrial life. Made up of 7 chapter pairs - each with a short 3-4 page mini chapter and then a 20-30 page short story detailing the experience of a different human, all of which contain references to other characters/stories in a way that connects them all with out being intertwined with each other. It's a thoughtful book that brings issues of colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism to the forefront, specifically looking at the extent people (humans) will go to survive/feel like they have control over their lives. Its message is clear, even if the content itself is unfamiliar. The writing style of each story is very different, which can be a bit jarring, especially since the book is short - you barely have time to get used to it before it's over. A good book for people who like experimental writing, heavy description/internal dialogue type lens. Definitely a book that could use a second read.
My main disappointment was in the last chapter. I was hoping for this last chapter to tie the previous 6 together in some cohesive way. Instead it felt disconnected from the rest and also seemed kind of messed up to presentthe sexualization of a 10-year old girl as a coming of age moment for shock value. The purpose of this could definitely been achieved differently.
My main disappointment was in the last chapter. I was hoping for this last chapter to tie the previous 6 together in some cohesive way. Instead it felt disconnected from the rest and also seemed kind of messed up to present
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Rape
Contains vivid descriptions of body mutilation (by the character themself, but not in a self harm/mental health context) in one chapter. Contains sexualization of minors.