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rosemarysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Creepy and dark - I enjoyed it! Part of the novel is taking place in "real life" and part of the novel takes place in a weird comic book, which mirrors the real life aspects. I found this interweaving to be quite interesting, but sometimes hard to follow. After a while, I got the hang of it, and had no more trouble. Oddly, I enjoyed the comic book characters more than the "real life" ones. A worthwhile fantasy read, but it is basically a fun, fluff book.
smithla8's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
sjurban's review against another edition
3.0
I really didn't want to give this book only one star. I feel bad doing that to any book, but it was really terrible. The pacing was so off, the characters were built up fairly well, but then acted in ways that were totally contradictory to what you had just learned about them.
I usually like "surrealist" novels, I am able to suspend reality and dig into the world that a book creates. This book just didn't work. You can't put a "surreal" label on it and then blow off the people who don't like it by just saying they didn't "get" it.
I listened to the audio and that may have made it worse. The reader used lots of different voices for different characters, but his voice was annoying and almost all of the characters sounded like they were stoned.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
I usually like "surrealist" novels, I am able to suspend reality and dig into the world that a book creates. This book just didn't work. You can't put a "surreal" label on it and then blow off the people who don't like it by just saying they didn't "get" it.
I listened to the audio and that may have made it worse. The reader used lots of different voices for different characters, but his voice was annoying and almost all of the characters sounded like they were stoned.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
m3gan0's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book but it's far too problematic and offensive.
(Ex: use of "gypsy" to describe a women's "exotic" appearance, the use of "freak" throughout the book with no challenge or discussion, only one, fleeting, women character who didn't get into the protagonist's pants, etc etc.)
The ending is also cryptic and lacking the details making it feel like the author took an easy way out because he didn't know the details.
(Ex: use of "gypsy" to describe a women's "exotic" appearance, the use of "freak" throughout the book with no challenge or discussion, only one, fleeting, women character who didn't get into the protagonist's pants, etc etc.)
The ending is also cryptic and lacking the details making it feel like the author took an easy way out because he didn't know the details.
foramen_magnum's review against another edition
2.0
So, I enjoyed reading this. I got big Chuck Pahliniuk vibes the whole time, maybe just because it was so incredibly strange. I found the prose lovely throughout, which helped me suspend a lot of my disbelief because HOLY COW plot wise was this a disaster.
Characters weave in and out of the narrative, sometimes receiving a decent amount of exposition only to never show up again. Other characters are extremely important... But we don't know their motivation. The book is named after one such character, who is summarily dispensed via truck at around the halfway mark.
Lots of this book seems to exist just to... Exist. What's the point of Spider's chapter in the beginning if the Abomination we're meant to care about is Buzz? Why skip around in the Limbo storyline? What the hell is going on with that strip mall that shows up for a chapter, is interesting, and then... Never comes up again? I think this would have been a much stronger book if it were longer, but even more so if it embraced multi modality. You lose all the snap of a graphic novel when you just write it as a normal novel anyway.
I don't mind the suspension of disbelief as much as some people, but the novel takes a hard left turn into magical realism seemingly out of nowhere and pretty late in the game. Is it explained? You bet it is not.
Who is Menlo? Does it matter? It feels like it wants to matter, but, like almost everything in this book, the reader is left wondering if *they're* the crazy one.
Characters weave in and out of the narrative, sometimes receiving a decent amount of exposition only to never show up again. Other characters are extremely important... But we don't know their motivation. The book is named after one such character, who is summarily dispensed via truck at around the halfway mark.
Lots of this book seems to exist just to... Exist. What's the point of Spider's chapter in the beginning if the Abomination we're meant to care about is Buzz? Why skip around in the Limbo storyline? What the hell is going on with that strip mall that shows up for a chapter, is interesting, and then... Never comes up again? I think this would have been a much stronger book if it were longer, but even more so if it embraced multi modality. You lose all the snap of a graphic novel when you just write it as a normal novel anyway.
I don't mind the suspension of disbelief as much as some people, but the novel takes a hard left turn into magical realism seemingly out of nowhere and pretty late in the game. Is it explained? You bet it is not.
Who is Menlo? Does it matter? It feels like it wants to matter, but, like almost everything in this book, the reader is left wondering if *they're* the crazy one.
djstringer's review against another edition
2.0
A fairly enjoyable book , building a vivid image of underworld London but ultimately nothing special.
supermarioctopus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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? Yes
2.75
chasing_dallas's review against another edition
4.0
It was weird but I enjoyed the stories and the crazy characters. It wouldn't be for everyone due to the strange cadence of the story and bizarre characters but a fun read for me.