graamcracker's review
2.0
Supposed to be a horror story about a breakup but it's mostly just weird cyber orgies with deep, philosophical inner monologues happening at the same time. I was very confused and very grossed out by Catrin's hairy flesh phone. Also a murder that happens (I think??) that's never touched on again??
Thanks to Netgalley and AfterShock comics for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and AfterShock comics for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
reads_vicariously's review
4.0
Inventive, emotional, complex, confusing, and full of great Cronenberg vibes.
Set in the future, this is the character study of a woman named Catrin and her struggles with relationship, loneliness, co-dependency, love, lust, and so on. Unable to connect relationally to anyone human, Catrin is married to an Artificial Intelligence partner. After a decade of marriage her partner, who's meant to bond for life, disconnects and sends Catrin spiraling into an increasingly depressing and deranged hunt for meaning at the cost of her own sanity.
Lonely Receiver is a wild ride that raises a lot of interesting questions while delving into topics of toxic/abusive relationships and our relationship with technology - all through a weird and surrealistic sci-fi lens. There is some horror here (more in the second half), but also a lot of despair and cruelly fulfilled yearning. There's also a lot of nudity/sex, strange AI dreamscapes, unsettling future tech and body modification, and hallucinatory sequences of intimacy and violence.
The downside I suppose is that because there is so much going on, some of it is confusing and frustratingly dense. I feel like there is a lot of emotion and personal experience/musings in the story, which I love, but not all of it translated onto the page in a way I could firmly grasp. Then there are moments which aren't meant to be firmly grasped, and thus I struggled to fully understand. Like a lot of great surreal mind trips in entertainment, this one is going to take several read throughs to wrap my head around.
By the way, the art is fantastic here! The illustrations by Jen Hickman perfectly embody the story, and the color palette is gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the lettering by Simon Bowland. Great work all around by the creative team here.
(3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)
Set in the future, this is the character study of a woman named Catrin and her struggles with relationship, loneliness, co-dependency, love, lust, and so on. Unable to connect relationally to anyone human, Catrin is married to an Artificial Intelligence partner. After a decade of marriage her partner, who's meant to bond for life, disconnects and sends Catrin spiraling into an increasingly depressing and deranged hunt for meaning at the cost of her own sanity.
Lonely Receiver is a wild ride that raises a lot of interesting questions while delving into topics of toxic/abusive relationships and our relationship with technology - all through a weird and surrealistic sci-fi lens. There is some horror here (more in the second half), but also a lot of despair and cruelly fulfilled yearning. There's also a lot of nudity/sex, strange AI dreamscapes, unsettling future tech and body modification, and hallucinatory sequences of intimacy and violence.
The downside I suppose is that because there is so much going on, some of it is confusing and frustratingly dense. I feel like there is a lot of emotion and personal experience/musings in the story, which I love, but not all of it translated onto the page in a way I could firmly grasp. Then there are moments which aren't meant to be firmly grasped, and thus I struggled to fully understand. Like a lot of great surreal mind trips in entertainment, this one is going to take several read throughs to wrap my head around.
By the way, the art is fantastic here! The illustrations by Jen Hickman perfectly embody the story, and the color palette is gorgeous. I also really enjoyed the lettering by Simon Bowland. Great work all around by the creative team here.
(3.5 stars rounded up for Goodreads)
ellanettie's review
1.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This fell so short. The art was beautiful, it was what sold me along with the premise. The color palette was so cool and fit the sci-fi atmosphere perfectly. but the rest was just not it. I felt so removed from the story. Will probably forget about this in like 2 days.
Also why is this under Teens and YA on NetGalley? This is clearly adult. There's nudity and multiple explicit sex scenes.
This fell so short. The art was beautiful, it was what sold me along with the premise. The color palette was so cool and fit the sci-fi atmosphere perfectly. but the rest was just not it. I felt so removed from the story. Will probably forget about this in like 2 days.
Also why is this under Teens and YA on NetGalley? This is clearly adult. There's nudity and multiple explicit sex scenes.
mehsi's review
1.0
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
WTF THE ACTUAL FUCK did I just read. A story about break-up, about AI, and a woman gone totally mad because her lover (AI) has disappeared. She goes fully bonkers, sees things in her room that aren't there, stalks a woman who looks like her ex, there is blood and gore, and so much weirdness that I just was contemplating over and over again to just stop reading. It was just too much for me and I frankly didn't give a drop of care about any of the characters, they were all just too horrible.
Eventually we go into the realm of blood and orgies... Yes, really.
But hey, the art wasn't the worst? That one I actually liked. But the rest. Nope.
Also, WTF is this doing in the Teen/YA section at NG? This is SO not Teen/YA. Not just because of the story which is so messed up (gauging of eyes, ripping people open, and many many more things), but also because there are graphic sex scenes, including BDSM, orgies, whips, and more.
WTF THE ACTUAL FUCK did I just read. A story about break-up, about AI, and a woman gone totally mad because her lover (AI) has disappeared. She goes fully bonkers, sees things in her room that aren't there, stalks a woman who looks like her ex, there is blood and gore, and so much weirdness that I just was contemplating over and over again to just stop reading. It was just too much for me and I frankly didn't give a drop of care about any of the characters, they were all just too horrible.
Eventually we go into the realm of blood and orgies... Yes, really.
But hey, the art wasn't the worst? That one I actually liked. But the rest. Nope.
Also, WTF is this doing in the Teen/YA section at NG? This is SO not Teen/YA. Not just because of the story which is so messed up (gauging of eyes, ripping people open, and many many more things), but also because there are graphic sex scenes, including BDSM, orgies, whips, and more.
trin_ney18's review
3.0
3/5 Stars
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an early copy of this book. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions
So..... this is a lot to take in and I highly suggest taking your time if you decide to read it. It's a very complex and layered story. The dialogue does make it a little hard to keep up, in my opinion. It just feels really philosophical and that's not necessarily something I enjoy reading unless I'm analyzing it for a class.
Beautiful artwork, though. I can't get over how gorgeous some panels were, even when they were terrifying to look at. Vibrant colors and exquisitely rendered scenes will keep you hooked.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an early copy of this book. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions
So..... this is a lot to take in and I highly suggest taking your time if you decide to read it. It's a very complex and layered story. The dialogue does make it a little hard to keep up, in my opinion. It just feels really philosophical and that's not necessarily something I enjoy reading unless I'm analyzing it for a class.
Beautiful artwork, though. I can't get over how gorgeous some panels were, even when they were terrifying to look at. Vibrant colors and exquisitely rendered scenes will keep you hooked.
thesebookdelights's review
1.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I didn't like this at all. I couldn't get into it. It's put under Teens and YA on Netgalley, it does not belong there. This is very much an adult comic. It has multiple scenes with nudity in it as well as explicit sex. I won't be recommending this in the future.
I didn't like this at all. I couldn't get into it. It's put under Teens and YA on Netgalley, it does not belong there. This is very much an adult comic. It has multiple scenes with nudity in it as well as explicit sex. I won't be recommending this in the future.
queenkoko's review
3.0
Lesbian goes crazy, turns into a stalker, and don't forget to sprinkle in some sci fi. This was a mess and it lost me in the final issue. I liked the artwork.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
althea's review
4.0
3.5/5 Stars
Lonely Receiver is (as far as I’m aware) a stand alone, sapphic sci-fi horror graphic novel that follows Catrin who is extremely lonely and so buys an Artificial Intelligence partner who is specially made just for her and who is meant to bond for life with her. But after ten years, her AI wife has had enough and disappears without warning. The breakup sends Catrin into a downward spiral as she tries to figure out life without her wife, and also tries to find her again. I am not someone who reads a lot of sci-fi or a lot of horror, so I was a bit anxious about picking this book up, but I needn’t have been as the sci-fi elements were not over-complex and were well explained, and the horror aspect only really comes into play in the second half of the graphic novel, and it wasn’t overly gory which was nice. I really enjoyed the way that the author uses these two genres to showcase the horrors (pun intended) of toxic and abusive relationships, co-dependency and our relationship with technology, and the art style and colour palette really added to the story. This was a really unnerving and intriguing read, and I really enjoyed the world that the author created. I do feel like maybe I’m not clever enough to fully understand the ending, but I’m okay with that! I highly recommend giving this graphic novel a go!
Lonely Receiver is (as far as I’m aware) a stand alone, sapphic sci-fi horror graphic novel that follows Catrin who is extremely lonely and so buys an Artificial Intelligence partner who is specially made just for her and who is meant to bond for life with her. But after ten years, her AI wife has had enough and disappears without warning. The breakup sends Catrin into a downward spiral as she tries to figure out life without her wife, and also tries to find her again. I am not someone who reads a lot of sci-fi or a lot of horror, so I was a bit anxious about picking this book up, but I needn’t have been as the sci-fi elements were not over-complex and were well explained, and the horror aspect only really comes into play in the second half of the graphic novel, and it wasn’t overly gory which was nice. I really enjoyed the way that the author uses these two genres to showcase the horrors (pun intended) of toxic and abusive relationships, co-dependency and our relationship with technology, and the art style and colour palette really added to the story. This was a really unnerving and intriguing read, and I really enjoyed the world that the author created. I do feel like maybe I’m not clever enough to fully understand the ending, but I’m okay with that! I highly recommend giving this graphic novel a go!
reckless_reader's review
3.0
Classification: Graphic Novel, Horror, Scifi, Adult
This book had such an interesting premise with beautiful artwork... but wow was it a lot. If desired, see Content Warnings at bottom of the review.
First off, let me state that I've read a lot of "weird" comics. My favorite graphic novels are typically in the horror genre, so the strangeness of this dystopian-style book, isn't really what threw me off. Yes, much of the story is disturbing, graphic, confusing, etc, etc... But this plays into the author's style of horror. What people often forget is that the horror genre is not just serial killers and creepy clowns, it can be incredibly abstract, it can have a lot of symbolism and commentary on the world we live in (or could live in). Sometimes the most horrifying concepts are weird books that are designed to make the reader stop and think - because honestly, what's more terrifying than introspection?!
With that all being said, y'all this book was weird. While I understand that the story is designed to be somewhat jarring and disjointed, it verges on the side of "too much."
We're following the perspective of Catrin, a woman who has had a traumatic romantic history and has now been abandoned by her A.I. wife, who was designed to be her "perfect match." But Catrin can't live her life without her A.I., she is lost without her and is prepared to do whatever it takes to get her back. The story itself was an interesting commentary on the dependency we have both on each other and technology, and how much of our identity and sense of self relies on our surroundings.
ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, all my thoughts are my own.
CW: Abuse, implied mental illness, violence (with fairly minor gore), substance abuse, sex, and nudity
This book had such an interesting premise with beautiful artwork... but wow was it a lot. If desired, see Content Warnings at bottom of the review.
First off, let me state that I've read a lot of "weird" comics. My favorite graphic novels are typically in the horror genre, so the strangeness of this dystopian-style book, isn't really what threw me off. Yes, much of the story is disturbing, graphic, confusing, etc, etc... But this plays into the author's style of horror. What people often forget is that the horror genre is not just serial killers and creepy clowns, it can be incredibly abstract, it can have a lot of symbolism and commentary on the world we live in (or could live in). Sometimes the most horrifying concepts are weird books that are designed to make the reader stop and think - because honestly, what's more terrifying than introspection?!
With that all being said, y'all this book was weird. While I understand that the story is designed to be somewhat jarring and disjointed, it verges on the side of "too much."
We're following the perspective of Catrin, a woman who has had a traumatic romantic history and has now been abandoned by her A.I. wife, who was designed to be her "perfect match." But Catrin can't live her life without her A.I., she is lost without her and is prepared to do whatever it takes to get her back. The story itself was an interesting commentary on the dependency we have both on each other and technology, and how much of our identity and sense of self relies on our surroundings.
ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, all my thoughts are my own.
CW: Abuse, implied mental illness, violence (with fairly minor gore), substance abuse, sex, and nudity