dlberglund's review against another edition
3.0
I am actually afraid that I didn't really understand this book, which might be why I didn't love it. Or maybe I just didn't love it because our main character was not a very sympathetic character for me.
The Redeemer is just trying to get by and do his job (an unusual and potentially hazardous vocation), and maybe get some play with the cute girl across the hall. Unfortunately for him, there is a (viral?) epidemic taking hold of the city, in addition to the signs of corruption and street violence that have always been there. Don't leave the house without your mask, your weapon, your second, and possible bribe money.
The language and (assumedly) the translation are brilliant. The characters all have nicknames (usually without a given name told to us), and the wordplay and double meanings are crafty. The tone and mood are sufficiently noir-ish throughout, and there's a lot that happens and is left to ponder in just a hundred pages.
Passages about mask wearing, and being afraid to leave your house certainly rang true this year, but I didn't care for or about many of the characters. I was left feeling despressed and alone at the end of the book, without really understanding what I was supposed to take away from the story.
The Redeemer is just trying to get by and do his job (an unusual and potentially hazardous vocation), and maybe get some play with the cute girl across the hall. Unfortunately for him, there is a (viral?) epidemic taking hold of the city, in addition to the signs of corruption and street violence that have always been there. Don't leave the house without your mask, your weapon, your second, and possible bribe money.
The language and (assumedly) the translation are brilliant. The characters all have nicknames (usually without a given name told to us), and the wordplay and double meanings are crafty. The tone and mood are sufficiently noir-ish throughout, and there's a lot that happens and is left to ponder in just a hundred pages.
Passages about mask wearing, and being afraid to leave your house certainly rang true this year, but I didn't care for or about many of the characters. I was left feeling despressed and alone at the end of the book, without really understanding what I was supposed to take away from the story.
askirmishofwit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
So not my usual genre, and that's on me. But it was incredibly atmospheric and managed to not only viscerally built a gritty setting of a purposely unspecified Latin American city, but to frame a tragic feud between two families à la Romeo and Juliet in a noir, dystopian light, with archetypal characters of the genre called names such as The Redeemer, The Dolphin, The Unruly etc.
One thing that struck me about the reading experience is that there is what they assume is a plague that has taken out so much of the city and its people, and despite the Government's warnings that all is in-hand and it will be ok soon, the streets aren't safe to go out in, people are masked, stores are shuttered and looted, people keep their distance from each other etc. Whilst this is more than likely a metaphor for other violence and brutality that causes death in the city, it's now hard to read any mention of pandemic in the same way after the events of 2020.
One thing that struck me about the reading experience is that there is what they assume is a plague that has taken out so much of the city and its people, and despite the Government's warnings that all is in-hand and it will be ok soon, the streets aren't safe to go out in, people are masked, stores are shuttered and looted, people keep their distance from each other etc. Whilst this is more than likely a metaphor for other violence and brutality that causes death in the city, it's now hard to read any mention of pandemic in the same way after the events of 2020.
scrow1022's review against another edition
5.0
Weird to say this is a lovely little story given the setting and plot, but it was. As if small moments of tenderness and hope were woven through. Not as revolutionary feeling as "Signs" in language and mythos but certainly deep and impactful.
bookbhalu's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
hermitqueen's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hooliaquoolia's review against another edition
3.0
A small puncture wound of a book that ends with an incomplete cauterization. I look forward to reading more of Herrera's writing.
fleurdevie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.25
howl_calcifer's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
isoseismic7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I loved Herrera’s book, Signs Preceding The End Of The World. So much so I read it again after I was done. But this book was very hard to follow. About half way through I couldn’t figure out what was going on or who was who. So I got the audiobook and started again from the beginning. Still confusing in the middle of the book. Very disappointing.
wincher2031's review against another edition
5.0
A short n' sweet neo-noir with a dash of Bukowskian wit, the heir apparent to Roberto Bolano.