Scan barcode
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
innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a challenging collection of short stories. Some are quite horrific.
I found the parallels between this post-alien contact earth and Cuba quite fascinating, and that is what drove me to finish.
The things I didn’t like, were the sloppy editing (so many typos), the use of the term “social worker” to describe sex workers, and the really strong sexist tone throughout the book that really dates it.
I found the parallels between this post-alien contact earth and Cuba quite fascinating, and that is what drove me to finish.
The things I didn’t like, were the sloppy editing (so many typos), the use of the term “social worker” to describe sex workers, and the really strong sexist tone throughout the book that really dates it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War
goatsrsexy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ahhhhh. I didn't know what to expect at all going into this book and I truly feel it was a life changing read. This is a collection of short stories that all take place in the same world with an overarching narrative, which is one of my favourite formats for a novel.
It takes place in a dystopian future where earth has been colonized and oppressed by the rest of the universe and it's much more technologically advanced beings. It's an analogy for Cuban politics in the 90s which I'll admit I don't know enough about to understand the references, but there's lots I did pick up on, and even without that context the stories are breathtaking.
This book made me laugh, cry and at times feel like I was literally gonna pass out. The world building is immaculate and the characters are so nuanced. No one in this book is really a villain, even if they seem like they might be at first.
I would recommend reading this book quickly so that you don't forget previous chapters and can recognize recurring characters. I would also recommend checking trigger warnings as there are a LOT. But if you can stomach it, this book is so so so worth it.
It takes place in a dystopian future where earth has been colonized and oppressed by the rest of the universe and it's much more technologically advanced beings. It's an analogy for Cuban politics in the 90s which I'll admit I don't know enough about to understand the references, but there's lots I did pick up on, and even without that context the stories are breathtaking.
This book made me laugh, cry and at times feel like I was literally gonna pass out. The world building is immaculate and the characters are so nuanced. No one in this book is really a villain, even if they seem like they might be at first.
I would recommend reading this book quickly so that you don't forget previous chapters and can recognize recurring characters. I would also recommend checking trigger warnings as there are a LOT. But if you can stomach it, this book is so so so worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Trafficking
Minor: Sexual violence