awilderm23's review against another edition
3.0
Are we not ourselves nature, nature without end? Does not the rustle of her trees echo in our bones? Is our blood less salty than the water of the sea that carve great caverns of lime and chalk, great skeletons beneath the waves? Does not the everlasting fire of the desert burn in our hearts? Are we not, in the end, a clamorous prelude to the final silence, a marriage bed to engender dust, as universe for microbes, microbes that strive to circumnavigate us? We are as unfathomable, as inscrutable as that which brought us into being, and we choke on our own enigma?
And so my future remained unknown to me almost as if it hadn’t been written down on a ledger anywhere
And so my future remained unknown to me almost as if it hadn’t been written down on a ledger anywhere
cpritchett's review against another edition
3.0
This is shelved as science fiction, but it's a bit of a stretch to call it that. If you're wanting some sci-fi, you'll be wishing the frame story was a book by itself. I'd recommend A Canticle for Leibowitz in that case. Not exactly the same, but it's a similar idea. That's not to say that this isn't a worth-while read. It's a dizzying, Kafkaesque nightmare for sure, but if you're into that sort of thing this one does it well.
thero159's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
johnnydemon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
bahamyulala's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
valjeanval's review
3.0
I think this would have been an awesome short story, but as a novel, I got a little overwhelmed by the protagonist's situation. I'm also pretty sure that a lot of the Wonderland madness going on in the Building as a clear parallel for the author's time and place that does not immediately translate to mine. I felt as frustrated as the protagonist trying to make sense of senseless bureaucracy, and I think it was an amazing concept. I just don't generally like to read to feel that frustrated. I felt like I was stuck in a Kubrick/Lynch crossover film with no end in sight.
I'm also not sure why the author bothered with the introduction. The introduction about the post-paperpocalypse world really grabbed me, and I was disappointed to not see it picked up at the end.
I'm also not sure why the author bothered with the introduction. The introduction about the post-paperpocalypse world really grabbed me, and I was disappointed to not see it picked up at the end.
lonecayt's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating premise (that the destruction of paper brings about an apocalypse of sorts) - though in this day and age, the human race would be able to survive something like that pretty easily. (But what would happen to toilet paper? Cardboard? Packaging? Trees?)
opentopersuasion's review against another edition
4.0
Confusing as hell but also very original. The author did a good job of conveying a sense of helplessness when faced with bureaucracy, and the uselessness of espionage when both parties are convinced of the other's treason. I wouldn't say I liked it, but I am impressed by it.