Reviews

Rosebud by Paul Cornell

pagesofash's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

elysareadsitall's review against another edition

3.0

"Rosebud" was an interesting and unique story. It's one I recommend reading in one sitting without distractions because reading the novella in pieces left me a little confused at times. I liked the characters and the ideas about AI. I'd read more from this author.

museumgrack's review

challenging funny mysterious medium-paced

3.5

egggooo's review

2.0

I did not like this book, it was too scattered and dense, but strangely I might actually re-read it at some point. I think there were some good ideas but they just weren't executed well, like it could have probably used a couple more rounds of rewrites. That said, it was very short, so I finished it, and is also a reason I might try it again in the future. Re-reading it with the full context might make some of the details work better together.

kgierz's review

dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

ktjawrites's review

5.0

Brief, beautiful, strange, and utterly enthralling.

+

“They've all experienced that moment late at night (when they've decided they'll try having night and day) when a balloon ducks into their personal space and calls them a cunt. Then it departs.”

jenny_d's review

hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, and Transphobia

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Cultural appropriation

crypteye's review

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

windsorgrace's review

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

1.0

I struggled with this novella. Everything happening and even the characters were difficult to imagine. The ideas were interesting but I felt they didn’t come together in a satisfying way. The story seemed full of itself and its concepts and worried more about that than a digestible plot. 

Our five main characters are “a balloon, a goth with a swagger stick, some sort of science aristocrat possibly, a ball of hands, and a swarm of insects.” So straight from the beginning, with this as the descriptor for the characters, I was a bit put off. And not only are these characters not normal beings, they’re also AI trapped in a digital space on a broken down space ship. While they’re contemplating existence and the meaning of life for each of them, they run across a matte black sphere hovering in space. 

With their ship malfunctioning, the crew has no choice but to board the sphere themselves. They are each put into their own imagining of a physical body. Once inside, they encounter an over the top, God like sentience that could change the universe as we know it. 

I’m not sure who would enjoy this one. As an avid reader and lover of sci fi, I feel I’m the dream audience for a book like this but it fell flat. At only 107 pages, it was a slog to get through and I wasn’t excited picking it up each time I sat down to read. If you do read, or have read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Trigger warning: violence against trans folks

cecesloth's review

4.0

I'm going to have to go through this a few more times to really wrap my head around it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the couple of hours it spent to get through this totally unique experience