Reviews

Counterweight by Djuna

b_ns's review

mysterious 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? No

3.0

bigleebowski's review

2.0

Too focused on convoluted world building that it drowns its own forgettable characters. It is nothing like it’s self-marketed Joseph Conrad comparisons. Apparently Djuna intended this to be a sci-fi film initially, and it really shows. What we have is a rare occasion where it should have never been a book to begin with, and should have jumped straight to the screen for better results.

eportale's review

adventurous challenging mysterious 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? No

3.75

jiscoo's review against another edition

I am so damn confused

dfparizeau's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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

3.75

jabulko's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

that_bookaholic_gal's review

4.0

Out in the field he caught glimpses of butterflies. They brought him a sense of peace now that his world had turned into chaos. His brain was spinning a million miles a minute, but those weightless creatures helped slow his thoughts and ground him. Something was shifting inside him, but he couldn’t explain it. Memories surfaced that seemed familiar, but not his own.

Counterweight is a science fiction story following Mac who is tracking down a man that the whole world seems to want. Something is familiar about him and Mac is determined to find out what this man is holding.

This was such an intriguing read! I found the future earth taken over by AI and the space exploration to be fascinating. Human’s brains having the “Worm” function that tracks their thoughts and records their memories. The added mystery element kept me turning pages. Sometimes sci-fi can go over my head, but I easily followed along with this story.

If you’re a sci-fi fan, want to explore a translated work, and enjoy AI and space exploration stories, then I recommend picking this book up!

taemango's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

mainlytwelve's review

adventurous challenging dark funny fast-paced

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

4.0

A bit too compressed; could have used an additional ~30 pages so there was less need for pure exposition. For instance...could have just given us the events that occurred in Tehran rather than a (somewhat confusing) description of what happened. 

Very enjoyable on the whole, though, probably the best sci-fi published recently I've read. Also, really enjoyed the disorienting impact of the opening/closing chapters. 

refgirl1's review

adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0