schnurln's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
maggied1985's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.75
agatha_hopkins's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the best book I have read in at least a year. To be fair, I haven't read too many books in that time, but this book is awesome. It has re-sparked my passion for reading like no other recently read book has done.
I really enjoyed the mosaic style of the book. This is the first time I've ever read a book like that where there are no recurring perspectives. It took a little getting used to in the beginning, but I am all for it now. For some of the perspectives, I even found myself wanting more of them (like Nina Amand, the former Analog child who was adopted).
I would definitely recommend anyone read this book, even if they aren't typical fans of dystopian or sci-fi.
I really enjoyed the mosaic style of the book. This is the first time I've ever read a book like that where there are no recurring perspectives. It took a little getting used to in the beginning, but I am all for it now. For some of the perspectives, I even found myself wanting more of them (like Nina Amand, the former Analog child who was adopted).
I would definitely recommend anyone read this book, even if they aren't typical fans of dystopian or sci-fi.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Bullying, Body shaming, Confinement, Xenophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Death, Deportation, Cursing, Alcohol, Drug use, Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body shaming, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Infertility, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Abortion, Infidelity, Pregnancy, War, and Adult/minor relationship
lillist's review against another edition
5.0
"The Ten Percent Thief" by Lavanya Lakshminarayan is a mosaic novel set in a dystopian future where cities are run by companies and is told as a series of loosely interconnected stories. We witness the state and eventual fall of Apex city, formerly Bangalore and a consumerist heaven/hell, depending on who you ask. There you can be either living as part of the system as a "Virtual" citizen or - if you fail or refuse to be part of the productivity machine - you live as an "Analog", in precarious existence without any of the conveniences and security of modern society (like running water, sufficient nutrition or a perspective for the future).
Using stories instead of one narrative is a bold and confident approach that really relies on inspired and strong writing, and wow, does Lavanya Lakshminarayan deliver! The way she wields words, phrases and ideas is a joy to behold and I just enjoyed the ride. Not only does she have a way with words, her observations reveal razor-sharp insight into the pitfalls of our current society. The way our consumerist society, aided by social media, not only shapes, but also creates a world with a constant need to for self-optimization in order to consume even more.
The stories are told from the perspectives of Analogs as well as Virtuals and paint a rich and detailed picture of a society that is so clearly destined to fail as it veers more and more away from what humans actually need to thrive and becomes a victim of its own hype. There is a dark and twisted humour ever present that does a great job of pointing the finger just where it hurts.
I also noticed that music in all its different forms is a recurrent theme that follows several of the narrative strings and I had a strong impression that the author has a close connection to music herself.
My favourite story must be Analog/Virtual with its hysterically funny depiction of a woman who has to do her own, actual grocery shopping - an activity mostly unheard of for Virtual citizens. Living through that experience with her is just a bit of incredible writing and I felt like I wanted to highlight every other sentence.
I am so very happy to have picked this up and will keep an eye out for whatever Lavanya Lakshminarayan puts out next. (Honestly, I find it hard to believe that this is a debut!)
I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
Using stories instead of one narrative is a bold and confident approach that really relies on inspired and strong writing, and wow, does Lavanya Lakshminarayan deliver! The way she wields words, phrases and ideas is a joy to behold and I just enjoyed the ride. Not only does she have a way with words, her observations reveal razor-sharp insight into the pitfalls of our current society. The way our consumerist society, aided by social media, not only shapes, but also creates a world with a constant need to for self-optimization in order to consume even more.
The stories are told from the perspectives of Analogs as well as Virtuals and paint a rich and detailed picture of a society that is so clearly destined to fail as it veers more and more away from what humans actually need to thrive and becomes a victim of its own hype. There is a dark and twisted humour ever present that does a great job of pointing the finger just where it hurts.
I also noticed that music in all its different forms is a recurrent theme that follows several of the narrative strings and I had a strong impression that the author has a close connection to music herself.
My favourite story must be Analog/Virtual with its hysterically funny depiction of a woman who has to do her own, actual grocery shopping - an activity mostly unheard of for Virtual citizens. Living through that experience with her is just a bit of incredible writing and I felt like I wanted to highlight every other sentence.
I am so very happy to have picked this up and will keep an eye out for whatever Lavanya Lakshminarayan puts out next. (Honestly, I find it hard to believe that this is a debut!)
I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!
jrho's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
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? Yes
4.25
sarahwriteaway's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-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
5.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, both for its innovative structure and the writing itself. It took me a while to warm up to it — was this really a novel I wondered, or was it a short story collection? In the end it revealed itself to be somewhere in between: a series of interconnected stories that when read together form an overarching narrative.
For the overall story the main character is the city itself—which I found reminiscent of both Black Mirror and The Space Between Worlds—but make no mistake it’s an antagonist not a protagonist. In a corporate-controlled ‘meritocracy’ the bottom ten percent are repeatedly exiled to the technology-deprived ‘analog’ realm. Some characters want to rise, or to hang onto their ‘virtual’ status. Others are ready to turn the whole order on its head.
One thing I really loved was the way that characters we’d read about as the protagonist of one story would pop up in the background of later ones. There were a few folks I got a bit too invested in, and hoped (often in vain) that their fates would somehow be revealed. Not that the ending wasn’t satisfying as it was!
Anyway, I’d recommend this to anyone willing to try something a little different. Read it for the horribly plausible world, the intriguing characters, or the thrill of piecing together the puzzle pieces.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, both for its innovative structure and the writing itself. It took me a while to warm up to it — was this really a novel I wondered, or was it a short story collection? In the end it revealed itself to be somewhere in between: a series of interconnected stories that when read together form an overarching narrative.
For the overall story the main character is the city itself—which I found reminiscent of both Black Mirror and The Space Between Worlds—but make no mistake it’s an antagonist not a protagonist. In a corporate-controlled ‘meritocracy’ the bottom ten percent are repeatedly exiled to the technology-deprived ‘analog’ realm. Some characters want to rise, or to hang onto their ‘virtual’ status. Others are ready to turn the whole order on its head.
One thing I really loved was the way that characters we’d read about as the protagonist of one story would pop up in the background of later ones. There were a few folks I got a bit too invested in, and hoped (often in vain) that their fates would somehow be revealed. Not that the ending wasn’t satisfying as it was!
Anyway, I’d recommend this to anyone willing to try something a little different. Read it for the horribly plausible world, the intriguing characters, or the thrill of piecing together the puzzle pieces.
kjulie's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bexsters's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mj_james_writes's review against another edition
5.0
What would happen if the world was run on a bell curve? Most humans would be right in the middle - but some would be granted more privileges on top of the curve and others, at the end, would have nothing. Honestly, it isn’t all that much different sounding thing how things are now. However, The Ten Percent Thief placed this reality in the future, allowing the conversation to be seen from a new perspective.
Cities are owned by corporations, and your value depends on what you give to the corporation. The goal is to move to the top ten percent, where you will receive all the privileges of society. Better yet, there is no guilt because you deserve to be there. The bottom ten percent are denied technology completely.
This story is told from a variety of points of view to create a story that will leave you unable to stop reading. But it is haunting how this world is not so far removed from our own.
While reading, I was deeply struck by how mental illness and disability were constantly portrayed as a weakness. That could be sentenced to death. I don’t even think the author intended this to be a theme - just everything that was “bad” was the ablism that so many face every day. Humanity was lost because of consumerism.
I could go on, but basically, read this book!
marleens's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I received an eARC of The Ten Percent Thief by Lavanya Lakshminarayan through Netgalley, thanks Solaris! This dystopian scifi came out last week, March 28.
The book is described by the publisher as a mosaic novel. It is a collection of vignettes or short stories, with each chapter following a new character. All these stories are set in and around Apex City (former Bangalore) in the far future. The people inside the city, the Virtuals, rely on futuristic technology for their every need, and focus on productivity and image to get ahead on the Bell Curve. Too low on that curve and they risk getting deported. Outside the city, the Analogs try to survive without technology, electricity or running water, and are always in danger of being harvested for organs. But resistance is brewing.
We meet many different characters in this world, in varying positions in these two societies. At first the chapters all seemed unrelated apart from being set in the same world, but events do come together and some characters are seen again as background characters in other chapters.
When I first started reading, I had to put the book down for a while because I was thrown off by the unexpected short story structure. But when I went back in with new expectations I ended up enjoying the book as a whole, and since finishing it I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I really admire the way the book is written and constructed. The worldbuilding is great. Many stories highlight a specific element of virtual society, often a magnified version of something we have today, and the consequences if we would take that thing to the extreme.
Because we switch POV in every chapter, it was harder to feel connected to the characters. There were some that I would have liked to spend more time with (for example the adopted Analog girl trying to became a pianist, or the elderly man in the ‘retirement home’) but also a few that didn’t interest me as much.
All in all it’s such an intriguing concept and story and I recommend it if you like scifi/dystopian books or want to ponder our relationship with technology. Do be aware of the vignette structure before you start reading! 4 stars from me.
The book is described by the publisher as a mosaic novel. It is a collection of vignettes or short stories, with each chapter following a new character. All these stories are set in and around Apex City (former Bangalore) in the far future. The people inside the city, the Virtuals, rely on futuristic technology for their every need, and focus on productivity and image to get ahead on the Bell Curve. Too low on that curve and they risk getting deported. Outside the city, the Analogs try to survive without technology, electricity or running water, and are always in danger of being harvested for organs. But resistance is brewing.
We meet many different characters in this world, in varying positions in these two societies. At first the chapters all seemed unrelated apart from being set in the same world, but events do come together and some characters are seen again as background characters in other chapters.
When I first started reading, I had to put the book down for a while because I was thrown off by the unexpected short story structure. But when I went back in with new expectations I ended up enjoying the book as a whole, and since finishing it I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I really admire the way the book is written and constructed. The worldbuilding is great. Many stories highlight a specific element of virtual society, often a magnified version of something we have today, and the consequences if we would take that thing to the extreme.
Because we switch POV in every chapter, it was harder to feel connected to the characters. There were some that I would have liked to spend more time with (for example the adopted Analog girl trying to became a pianist, or the elderly man in the ‘retirement home’) but also a few that didn’t interest me as much.
All in all it’s such an intriguing concept and story and I recommend it if you like scifi/dystopian books or want to ponder our relationship with technology. Do be aware of the vignette structure before you start reading! 4 stars from me.