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jesikakaley's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Rape, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
stephanieluxton's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was not what I was expecting which isn't surprising since I went in totally blind without reading the description. I think that was an enjoyable way to read it, honestly!
But the book is about a mormon man named Soren who tried to live his best life then dies of cancer and finds himself in hell alongside quite a lot of other people who also were pretty regular people. Hell for Soren isn't the fire and brimstone you'd expect but instead is a basically eternal library containing every book that could theoretically exist and the only way the inhabitants can leave is by finding a books that perfectly portrays the story of their lives. This isn't exactly a spoiler, but contrary to the title, his stay is not short.
This book was interesting because it feels like it's more about immortality than anything else (because when you're already dead, you don't exactly die). I found this book to be sad. It explores themes of regarding madness of groups of people, love, loss, and being faced with an impossible task.
I don't know what the genre of this book is. There's a few parts that feel like horror but most of the book has a very somber feeling to it.
It's a short read so I definitely recommend picking it up. It's definitely different!
But the book is about a mormon man named Soren who tried to live his best life then dies of cancer and finds himself in hell alongside quite a lot of other people who also were pretty regular people. Hell for Soren isn't the fire and brimstone you'd expect but instead is a basically eternal library containing every book that could theoretically exist and the only way the inhabitants can leave is by finding a books that perfectly portrays the story of their lives. This isn't exactly a spoiler, but contrary to the title, his stay is not short.
This book was interesting because it feels like it's more about immortality than anything else (because when you're already dead, you don't exactly die). I found this book to be sad. It explores themes of regarding madness of groups of people, love, loss, and being faced with an impossible task.
I don't know what the genre of this book is. There's a few parts that feel like horror but most of the book has a very somber feeling to it.
It's a short read so I definitely recommend picking it up. It's definitely different!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer
barelyalex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
So engrossing that I specifically chose to read this because it was short but immediately wish it were longer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sylvestra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death
Moderate: Self harm and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
depmythmoon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
“How do you give it up? How do you do things you thought you’d never do? Where do all the things you believed go, when all the supporting structure is found to be a myth? How do you know how or on what to take a moral stand, how do you behave when it turns out there are no cosmic rules, no categorical imperatives?” (pg. 43)
This book was an interesting read. It challenged moral character and religious beliefs in a really interesting and way that I enjoyed, and the above quote truly sums it up perfectly. What kind of person would you become if your religious morals or belief weren’t guiding you? In this story, it turned some people into human monsters.
Let me break it down to you, the task that is set out for this man, Soren Johansson. Those sent to his version of hell have to search through a seemingly endless library for a book that contains their life story; if they manage to find it, they are released from hell and sent to heaven. It gets even better when you realize they’re provided whatever food they want, they have showers, beds, they come back to life if they die, and their bodies are returned to the prime of their life. Now, you hear that and you may think that it’s gonna be the toughest thing you’ve ever done, but it’s doable, right?
That’s where you’re wrong, cause they’re not just in any library, they’re in the library of Babel, where every book that has ever been written and could be written is there. Oh, and by any book that could be written, we’re talking a book that contains nothing but periods EXCEPT for the millionth character—that one’s an exclamation mark; a book that looks like someone started raging on a keyboard; a book that is a retelling of “The Tortoise and the Hare” where the hare actually wins… oh and it doesn’t use the letter e at all, so it’s actually “Th Tortois and th Har”, oh and it was also written with every word backwards. Literally A N Y T H I N G that can be written or put together with all the alphabets and symbols is there.
You might start to feel a little hopeless then, but let me make it even worse. Those books, yeah, they’re all exactly 410 pages long. Not too big of a deal until you realize that the story of your ENTIRE life is not gonna fit in 1 book. So, guess what, you’ve gotta find multiple volumes of your life story scattered amongst layers upon layers and floors upon floors of shelves. Make sure you’re holding them tight because at the end of the night, all the books that you aren’t touching get returned to the shelves… wherever they were. Oh yeah, I didn’t even mention how long it takes to travel along one floor, let alone multiple. That’ll be a little surprise for if you read.
Learning of those odds, what kind of people do you think would be created? What kind of person would you become? This story allows you to explore what could happen. Remember, eternal peace is at stake here. I found myself intrigued and thoughtful throughout my read. It’s so short, but the setting was very well explained, and it all comes together so well.
This book was an interesting read. It challenged moral character and religious beliefs in a really interesting and way that I enjoyed, and the above quote truly sums it up perfectly. What kind of person would you become if your religious morals or belief weren’t guiding you? In this story, it turned some people into human monsters.
Let me break it down to you, the task that is set out for this man, Soren Johansson. Those sent to his version of hell have to search through a seemingly endless library for a book that contains their life story; if they manage to find it, they are released from hell and sent to heaven. It gets even better when you realize they’re provided whatever food they want, they have showers, beds, they come back to life if they die, and their bodies are returned to the prime of their life. Now, you hear that and you may think that it’s gonna be the toughest thing you’ve ever done, but it’s doable, right?
That’s where you’re wrong, cause they’re not just in any library, they’re in the library of Babel, where every book that has ever been written and could be written is there. Oh, and by any book that could be written, we’re talking a book that contains nothing but periods EXCEPT for the millionth character—that one’s an exclamation mark; a book that looks like someone started raging on a keyboard; a book that is a retelling of “The Tortoise and the Hare” where the hare actually wins… oh and it doesn’t use the letter e at all, so it’s actually “Th Tortois and th Har”, oh and it was also written with every word backwards. Literally A N Y T H I N G that can be written or put together with all the alphabets and symbols is there.
You might start to feel a little hopeless then, but let me make it even worse. Those books, yeah, they’re all exactly 410 pages long. Not too big of a deal until you realize that the story of your ENTIRE life is not gonna fit in 1 book. So, guess what, you’ve gotta find multiple volumes of your life story scattered amongst layers upon layers and floors upon floors of shelves. Make sure you’re holding them tight because at the end of the night, all the books that you aren’t touching get returned to the shelves… wherever they were. Oh yeah, I didn’t even mention how long it takes to travel along one floor, let alone multiple. That’ll be a little surprise for if you read.
Learning of those odds, what kind of people do you think would be created? What kind of person would you become? This story allows you to explore what could happen. Remember, eternal peace is at stake here. I found myself intrigued and thoughtful throughout my read. It’s so short, but the setting was very well explained, and it all comes together so well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, and Blood
acnienow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thought provoking and probably my most annotated book ever!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Self harm, and Terminal illness