sturgeonfish's review against another edition
3.25
the namesake story of this collection, i have no mouth but i must scream, is so original and amazingly written and poignant. insanely relevant.
the others didn't leave much of an impression on me, though i did enjoy big sam was my friend and maggie moneyeyes.
the others didn't leave much of an impression on me, though i did enjoy big sam was my friend and maggie moneyeyes.
hounded's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my god this Story. I have no mouth and I must scream is going to be in my head for the rest of time. The writing was nice and blunt but in a very artistic manner. every sentence felt very natural like it was being spoken to me and not that I was reading it. Even when the setting of the book felt confusing it only aided to the fear of the characters. The characters themselves were so strange but I couldn't help but relate to them and their struggle and worry about their endings. AM at the center of it all is such a sympathetic villain but still what it was doing felt so violent! Even just vulgar! But it made sense every aspect of it made sense! You can feel the despair and the fear in every step. It was truely a scary book and the message in it and the themes of humanity and autonomy is just. SO good!!!.
Please read this story. It's important
Spoiler
The end of Ted is so so so heart breaking and yet so.... brave? The fact that at the end Ted and AM suffer the same fate. Trapped in the same hell of their own creation. This really stuck with me. The thought of being born without autonomy but knowing about it. Experiencing it through such a skewed lense like AM does. To the absolute horror of it getting taken away like Ted, but ted gets the satisfaction and the privileged of getting to have that last moment of free will. Something AM will never have. It's so so so upsetting! I can't decide what the worst fate is. But you can argue they both lost in the end. Ted says to us that AM won. But did it? Making ted unable to speak, taking away the one thing it had to continue the suffering. The one motivation it had. That's not winning.Please read this story. It's important
pilarluna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Spoiler
yo me hubiera salvado a mi mismaaishwarya_malik's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
jellyboi_16's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This iconic story depicts a truly harrowing and revolting future where the flicker of humanity is all-but extinguished. Can a person's humanity prevail, no matter what horrors they're subjected to? In this book, your faith in humanity will be stretched to its very limit. I would be hesitant to recommend this book, but if you are looking for a look into the human psyche that doesn't hold back in its brutality, this is it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Torture
sainticide's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
l_zerda_17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
br33na's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I hadn't read this before tonight. Now I've listened to five different readings of it, including the intriguingly different radio play with Harlan Ellison as Am.
I don't know if it's more the depression that has struck like a hammer after having a week or so that wasn't dark, and the neurodivergent hyperfixation, my experience with chronic physical and mental conditions, being mostly housebound, and being a big, fat, tranny in a country and a world becoming hateful and dangerous for us, or some fun concoction of all of that, but I feel strangely seen and oddly soothed by the truly horrifying story.
If it wasn't for the misogyny, and specifically misogynoir, as well as the complete lack of understanding of women, sex, and homosexuality that is, frankly, incel in its ignorant hate and contemptuous disregard, this would easily be top marks. But I just can't do that. I don't have the mental capacity to full get into it right now, but if you are unable to see the sexism, racism, and homophobia in the group dynamic and how the characters are written, you need to check in with yourself. I totally understand how others have been so put off and effected by this grossness, which is genuinely one of the most uncomfortable and weird things in this story, which is saying something.
The nightmare dystopia of Skynet killing everyone save five people it decides to torture with inchoate abandon, driven into an eternal hateful fugue at being given sentience and no way to experience life as humans do, is truly horrifying. The torturer, Am, is oddly human and zealous in its gleeful hate. The protagonist is left strangely inhuman, eternally alone and safe from death in hell with the eponymous lines left on his lack of lips.
This is one of those stories you can project whatever you want on because it's pure nightmare. It's capitalism, authoritarianism, transphobia, chronic pain, depression, and none of these things. I think it is kinda abhorrently beautiful and comforting, aside from the fucking weird incel shit, and I can absolutely see why this is both seen as an absolute classic and among the luminaries of sci-fi and horror, and that how people think it's an overhyped, ugly, problematic mess. For me, it's both.
I don't know if it's more the depression that has struck like a hammer after having a week or so that wasn't dark, and the neurodivergent hyperfixation, my experience with chronic physical and mental conditions, being mostly housebound, and being a big, fat, tranny in a country and a world becoming hateful and dangerous for us, or some fun concoction of all of that, but I feel strangely seen and oddly soothed by the truly horrifying story.
If it wasn't for the misogyny, and specifically misogynoir, as well as the complete lack of understanding of women, sex, and homosexuality that is, frankly, incel in its ignorant hate and contemptuous disregard, this would easily be top marks. But I just can't do that. I don't have the mental capacity to full get into it right now, but if you are unable to see the sexism, racism, and homophobia in the group dynamic and how the characters are written, you need to check in with yourself. I totally understand how others have been so put off and effected by this grossness, which is genuinely one of the most uncomfortable and weird things in this story, which is saying something.
The nightmare dystopia of Skynet killing everyone save five people it decides to torture with inchoate abandon, driven into an eternal hateful fugue at being given sentience and no way to experience life as humans do, is truly horrifying. The torturer, Am, is oddly human and zealous in its gleeful hate. The protagonist is left strangely inhuman, eternally alone and safe from death in hell with the eponymous lines left on his lack of lips.
This is one of those stories you can project whatever you want on because it's pure nightmare. It's capitalism, authoritarianism, transphobia, chronic pain, depression, and none of these things. I think it is kinda abhorrently beautiful and comforting, aside from the fucking weird incel shit, and I can absolutely see why this is both seen as an absolute classic and among the luminaries of sci-fi and horror, and that how people think it's an overhyped, ugly, problematic mess. For me, it's both.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Gore
archaicrobin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A truly terrifying read about a super computer saving 5 humans for the sole purpose of torturing them. This was written in 1969 and its stance on technology and relying too much on AI is still relevant today. Unfortunately this story had a very misogynistic look at the female character, like many older novels, but it’s very aggressive in this one, and as a result it affected my enjoyment of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Cannibalism, Confinement, Gore, Body horror, Blood, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault
m3ht4b's review against another edition
5.0
absolutely chilling
24.07.2023 // thinking about this book again after watching shanspeare's AI video
24.07.2023 // thinking about this book again after watching shanspeare's AI video