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bigenk's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
2.0
I strongly feel that this book is just not for me.
It's totally understandable that this is one of the works of fiction that spurred the environmental moment back in the 1960's and 1970's. I can imagine that hearing about the real effects of pollution on humans and nature for the first time would shocking. Brunner doesn't pull any punches when it comes to intimately describing some very gruesome things. I think he makes some excellent points about how far people will go in order to remain in their own safe version of reality.
But the year is now 2023. In my mind, a lot of these ideas about the preservation of the environment, and distrust of the government/police/military are now a part of the shared consciousnesses of society. As such, I wanted more than just an exposé. This is where the book was headache to read.
There is a fundamental lack of narrative arc. Instead, a slow and painful downward slide into total misery for all of our characters, which I'll admit may well have been the point, but it doesn't make for a very engaging reading experience. I found the changes between perspectives to be jarring and painful. While I though that the inclusion of news monologues and advertisements was a great idea in terms of world building, I though that most of them were rather unnecessary/didn't add all that much. In particular, there was one chapter that was about 20 pages long, which jumped perspectives between maybe 50+ random characters, who are all experiencing some brand of misery. Why??
I'll also say that I found the book to ramble on way too long. I think if it were half as long, it would have been much more bearable to read, and it still would've been able to get its messages across.
I really wish that I could have enjoyed it more. I appreciate what Brunner did for the movement, but I seriously can't ever imagine putting myself through reading this book again.
Maybe that's the point.
It's totally understandable that this is one of the works of fiction that spurred the environmental moment back in the 1960's and 1970's. I can imagine that hearing about the real effects of pollution on humans and nature for the first time would shocking. Brunner doesn't pull any punches when it comes to intimately describing some very gruesome things. I think he makes some excellent points about how far people will go in order to remain in their own safe version of reality.
But the year is now 2023. In my mind, a lot of these ideas about the preservation of the environment, and distrust of the government/police/military are now a part of the shared consciousnesses of society. As such, I wanted more than just an exposé. This is where the book was headache to read.
There is a fundamental lack of narrative arc. Instead, a slow and painful downward slide into total misery for all of our characters, which I'll admit may well have been the point, but it doesn't make for a very engaging reading experience. I found the changes between perspectives to be jarring and painful. While I though that the inclusion of news monologues and advertisements was a great idea in terms of world building, I though that most of them were rather unnecessary/didn't add all that much. In particular, there was one chapter that was about 20 pages long, which jumped perspectives between maybe 50+ random characters, who are all experiencing some brand of misery. Why??
I'll also say that I found the book to ramble on way too long. I think if it were half as long, it would have been much more bearable to read, and it still would've been able to get its messages across.
I really wish that I could have enjoyed it more. I appreciate what Brunner did for the movement, but I seriously can't ever imagine putting myself through reading this book again.
Maybe that's the point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, and Murder