object_object's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
mar's review
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
literally i love this strange little book. the lovely, often gut-wrenching prose, the hard-hitting themes of identity and trauma and bodily autonomy, the uniquely bizarre worldbuilding that combines post-apocalyptic cyberpunk and urban fantasy, and the incredibly lovable intersex&nonbinary (at least that's how i think i'd describe Sparrow in modern terminology) protagonist make for SUCH a captivating read.
it's definitely imperfect - for one thing, it does conflate sex&gender, as older books by cis people tend to (though it still gave me plenty Big Trans Feelings); from a more technical standpoint, it's got some seriously rough pacing and a deux-ex-machina problem; also, i feel like it should be noted this is a novel by a white author that heavily features hoodoo mysticism, and i don't know enough about it to tell if it's represented accurately/respectfully.
honestly, though, the flaws are completely overshadowed by just how enamoured i was with the prose and the main character in particular. i am wrapping Sparrow in a blanket and making them tea ❤️
it's definitely imperfect - for one thing, it does conflate sex&gender, as older books by cis people tend to (though it still gave me plenty Big Trans Feelings); from a more technical standpoint, it's got some seriously rough pacing and a deux-ex-machina problem; also, i feel like it should be noted this is a novel by a white author that heavily features hoodoo mysticism, and i don't know enough about it to tell if it's represented accurately/respectfully.
honestly, though, the flaws are completely overshadowed by just how enamoured i was with the prose and the main character in particular. i am wrapping Sparrow in a blanket and making them tea ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gun violence, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism and Homophobia
megapolisomancy's review against another edition
3.0
A neo-noir post-cyberpunk faux-apocalyptic urban fantasy. The first two kind of go hand in hand but the latter two... let's just say that I, as a sucker for post-apocalyptic nonsense and a... whatever the opposite of a sucker is for urban fantasy, find myself pretty indifferent to this book.
Why "faux-apocalyptic?" We are reminded over and over again that this takes place about 50 years after "the Bang" destroyed civilization in the Western hemisphere, and yet everything seems to play out exactly like in all the other delightfully outdated cyberpunk novels from the period, only without cyberspace. You know what I mean: the protagonist's social circle exists on the edges and in the frayed cracks of the city, thumbing their noses at The Establishment and throwing off-the-grid underground raves and repurposing artifacts and using crazy street lingo and what have you. I guess instead of cyberspace here we have voodoo as a metaphor for social systems, which is unfortunate (and, honestly, particularly uninteresting to me as fodder for a story by a white woman). Everyone seems to pretty much have what they need (and the characters are, I think, supposed to be part of the less privileged class?), there's a functioning government and even a border patrol between the US and Canada... the less things change, the more they stay the same.
This Bang was caused by the Horsemen, mind-controlling soldiers created by the US government for use in their war against the nations of South America. You might think that Bull would relate this somehow to the voodoo spirits/gods active in this world (deus ex machinas abound), but... she does not. The narrative here concerns a confluence of the surviving horsemen and the pawns they manipulate (who are also being manipulated by the voodoo spirits and who are, the protagonist especially, basically just a bunch of chumps), and something about a power monopoly in the City (Minneapolis), which isn't mentioned until about 2/3rds of the way through the book, and which doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything, frankly.
Also the much-lauded gender stuff here basically boils down to pronouns/semantics, which is cool I guess but not really thought-provoking or as deep as I expected.
Why "faux-apocalyptic?" We are reminded over and over again that this takes place about 50 years after "the Bang" destroyed civilization in the Western hemisphere, and yet everything seems to play out exactly like in all the other delightfully outdated cyberpunk novels from the period, only without cyberspace. You know what I mean: the protagonist's social circle exists on the edges and in the frayed cracks of the city, thumbing their noses at The Establishment and throwing off-the-grid underground raves and repurposing artifacts and using crazy street lingo and what have you. I guess instead of cyberspace here we have voodoo as a metaphor for social systems, which is unfortunate (and, honestly, particularly uninteresting to me as fodder for a story by a white woman). Everyone seems to pretty much have what they need (and the characters are, I think, supposed to be part of the less privileged class?), there's a functioning government and even a border patrol between the US and Canada... the less things change, the more they stay the same.
This Bang was caused by the Horsemen, mind-controlling soldiers created by the US government for use in their war against the nations of South America. You might think that Bull would relate this somehow to the voodoo spirits/gods active in this world (deus ex machinas abound), but... she does not. The narrative here concerns a confluence of the surviving horsemen and the pawns they manipulate (who are also being manipulated by the voodoo spirits and who are, the protagonist especially, basically just a bunch of chumps), and something about a power monopoly in the City (Minneapolis), which isn't mentioned until about 2/3rds of the way through the book, and which doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything, frankly.
Also the much-lauded gender stuff here basically boils down to pronouns/semantics, which is cool I guess but not really thought-provoking or as deep as I expected.
jshorton's review against another edition
3.0
I think I need to re-read this to grasp everything. Definitely not a good read for the airplane.
zannetastic's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. Amazing stuff. Read it years ago, and it's just... fabulous.
thomcat's review against another edition
4.0
Hoodoo and tarot in a post crash setting, this is more fantasy than science fiction - though many reviews at the time mentioned cyberpunk. Electronics feature prominently, but no computers. The setting and characters (and villains) are strong - this would make a good movie.
This is likely set in Minnesota, though no locations I recognize were mentioned. The world is hinted at without being explicitly shown or discussed, which is perfect for this tale. Along with electronics, our main character Sparrow deals in videotapes of old movies, preferably original releases, and other ephemera - which was fun to follow.
Published in 1991, the measuring stick of the day was cyberpunk, and arguably this has aspects of that. That said, the main focus is the characters, the balance of magic, and the tarot. My only complaint is that I kept putting the book down for other things - it never grabbed me until the end. It would make a decent movie or miniseries, but even without that it's a good story - 4 stars and recommended.
This is likely set in Minnesota, though no locations I recognize were mentioned. The world is hinted at without being explicitly shown or discussed, which is perfect for this tale. Along with electronics, our main character Sparrow deals in videotapes of old movies, preferably original releases, and other ephemera - which was fun to follow.
Published in 1991, the measuring stick of the day was cyberpunk, and arguably this has aspects of that. That said, the main focus is the characters, the balance of magic, and the tarot. My only complaint is that I kept putting the book down for other things - it never grabbed me until the end. It would make a decent movie or miniseries, but even without that it's a good story - 4 stars and recommended.
chloefrizzle's review against another edition
5.0
THIS BOOK IS HARD TO PITCH, FOR SEVERAL REASONS:
1) It defies genre boundaries. It's fantasy/scifi/post-apocalyptic/noir/cyberpunk. It will bounce from tarot reading to nuclear war to voodoo goddess to bioengineering and back again.
2) The plot is not straightforward enough to easily synopsize.
3) Part of the fun of this novel is figuring out what's going on. The book does not easily give you the premise or the plot; you get to work for it.
I CAN SAY THIS:
4) This book follows Sparrow, who sells black market VHS tapes in a post-apocalyptic city. The horsemen who brought the apocalypse are coming again, and Sparrow gets caught up in it.
5) This book has powerful themes of identity and bodily autonomy.
6) When I first read this book (at age 15), it was a little too strange and heavy for me. I didn't fully appreciate it then, tho I did enjoy it. Some of the marketing for this book says it's YA, but I would never put it there. Our main character is a teenager, but the themes/content-warnings/worldbuilding/out-of-this-world-Weirdness put the book firmly in the Adult category.
Now, I completely loved it. It's even better on a reread.
1) It defies genre boundaries. It's fantasy/scifi/post-apocalyptic/noir/cyberpunk. It will bounce from tarot reading to nuclear war to voodoo goddess to bioengineering and back again.
2) The plot is not straightforward enough to easily synopsize.
3) Part of the fun of this novel is figuring out what's going on. The book does not easily give you the premise or the plot; you get to work for it.
I CAN SAY THIS:
4) This book follows Sparrow, who sells black market VHS tapes in a post-apocalyptic city. The horsemen who brought the apocalypse are coming again, and Sparrow gets caught up in it.
5) This book has powerful themes of identity and bodily autonomy.
6) When I first read this book (at age 15), it was a little too strange and heavy for me. I didn't fully appreciate it then, tho I did enjoy it. Some of the marketing for this book says it's YA, but I would never put it there. Our main character is a teenager, but the themes/content-warnings/worldbuilding/out-of-this-world-Weirdness put the book firmly in the Adult category.
Now, I completely loved it. It's even better on a reread.
spookybecks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
deejsylvis's review against another edition
2.0
I was honestly lost through most of the book. Make of that what you will.