Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

A Planet for Rent by Yoss

3 reviews

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.

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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

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. 

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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

tealover02's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

A Planet for Rent is novel that feels like a series of interlinked short stories. Each perspective is from a human that depicts different ways humans live and are treated by xenoids - aliens who view and treat Earth and its inhabitants as the lowest and most basic forms of entertainment, which are predominantly sport, sex, and violence. 

Yoss takes the tropes of dystopian sci-fi and really hunkers down into its grimdark potential. There are moments of poeticism and interesting imagery, as well as brilliant ideas and scenarios that I can see as being the inspiration for future writers. However, I was bogged down with every character's persistent preoccupation with sex and money. I understand the intent behind it, but it did detract from my overall enjoyment. I was also hoping for a more distinct plot that would connect all of these perspectives together, but it did not quite get there. I do appreciate the acknowledgements as it gave me greater understanding for the book's context and premise. 

I recommend this to anyone who wants to try out an experimental, almost literary, dystopian scifi. Those who want clear plotlines and character arcs may not find this enjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, and Police brutality