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picnicatthehangingtree's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A mysterious, weird, surreal read that leaves you wondering in the best way
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcohol
This is a very mysterious book where things are not always what they same, and the reader and narrator isn’t sure what is going on. Some things (e.g. psychosis, suicide, institutional gaslighting) could simply be that, or there could be other explanations for it.nialiversuch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Suicide attempt
mikathereviewer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
Summary of my review: Book and film aren't alike AT ALL, fascinating and shocking discoveries, character depth (protagonist only), special nickname, first person POV prevented us readers to get to know more and feel more indulged while reading the story, too little happened for a stand-alone story
Where lies the strangling fruit that came from the hand of the sinner I shall bring forth the seeds of the dead to share with the worms … to share with the worms that gather in the darkness and surround the world with the power of their lives.
I watched the film when it came out and I did know there was a book, but didn't read it till now. But here we are!
(And before you ask: The film is VERY different from the book. Some ideas were implanted into the film, but most didn't even exist in the book)
As said near the beginning of the book all characters were trained to leave personal stuff behind; Meaning that one is only there for the task to discover Area X and should only focus on that. So we of course don't get any friendship or the sort there. But we get the backstory of our main character which at least makes us connect a bit with her.
There were so many crazy things happening, but can't mention them as that would spoiler the fun. But they were so cool and interesting to read about!
The backstory we got of the main character was so detailed. We get every now and then a bit new information or just general memories of her. It made me feel more connected to the character, especially with relatable scenes like this:
"I didn’t care about politics except in how politics impinged upon the environment. I wasn’t religious. All of my hobbies were bound up in my work. I lived for the work, and I thrilled with the power of that focus but it was also deeply personal."
Some might disagree now but the nickname the husband gave the protagonist sounds so special and original. Like I never got called like that and the best thing is; It doesn't sound cringe (since there is a meaning behind it).
I like third and first person, but for this story I would say the third person would have been better (bonus points for different POV's as that would make the story more exciting).
We are reading this story to DISCOVER. How do you discover a story the best? By having a narrator that knows everything and isn't RESTRICTED.
We had only 4 characters and it felt too little, honestly. Originally it was 5, but 1 left us already before they even got introduced to us readers. Or maybe character depth was the thing I missed, as the protagonist was the only one we really got to know. But there is a reason behind why we don't get to know the others so can't quite argue with that. I don't know it felt like something was missing, especially in the plot. It felt slow-paced sometimes, but in the end we didn't get as much information or intense scenes as I initially thought before reading this book. Feel disappointed.
03. August 2024
Where lies the strangling fruit that came from the hand of the sinner I shall bring forth the seeds of the dead to share with the worms … to share with the worms that gather in the darkness and surround the world with the power of their lives.
I watched the film when it came out and I did know there was a book, but didn't read it till now. But here we are!
(And before you ask: The film is VERY different from the book. Some ideas were implanted into the film, but most didn't even exist in the book)
As said near the beginning of the book all characters were trained to leave personal stuff behind; Meaning that one is only there for the task to discover Area X and should only focus on that. So we of course don't get any friendship or the sort there. But we get the backstory of our main character which at least makes us connect a bit with her.
There were so many crazy things happening, but can't mention them as that would spoiler the fun. But they were so cool and interesting to read about!
The backstory we got of the main character was so detailed. We get every now and then a bit new information or just general memories of her. It made me feel more connected to the character, especially with relatable scenes like this:
"I didn’t care about politics except in how politics impinged upon the environment. I wasn’t religious. All of my hobbies were bound up in my work. I lived for the work, and I thrilled with the power of that focus but it was also deeply personal."
Some might disagree now but the nickname the husband gave the protagonist sounds so special and original. Like I never got called like that and the best thing is; It doesn't sound cringe (since there is a meaning behind it).
I like third and first person, but for this story I would say the third person would have been better (bonus points for different POV's as that would make the story more exciting).
We are reading this story to DISCOVER. How do you discover a story the best? By having a narrator that knows everything and isn't RESTRICTED.
We had only 4 characters and it felt too little, honestly. Originally it was 5, but 1 left us already before they even got introduced to us readers. Or maybe character depth was the thing I missed, as the protagonist was the only one we really got to know. But there is a reason behind why we don't get to know the others so can't quite argue with that. I don't know it felt like something was missing, especially in the plot. It felt slow-paced sometimes, but in the end we didn't get as much information or intense scenes as I initially thought before reading this book. Feel disappointed.
03. August 2024
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Sexual content, Excrement, Grief, and Alcohol
crybabybea's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Indescribable. Literally. This book is beautifully weird. It feels like a fever dream.
I wouldn't say the book necessarily surprised me in terms of plot twists; it was easy to guess what was happening from the very beginning. By about 20% I had a good idea what was going on, but it didn't stop me from wanting to know more. Which is so crazy because that's exactly what happens to the main character, who continually chooses to exhaust her curiosity even in the face of death and danger. And even then, at the end, there are no answers. We don't even know if the story we are reading actually happened how it is told. Our main character is unreliable and almost in a state of dissociation throughout the entire narrative. And, even though it was clear what was going to happen, my jaw still dropped. Many times.
I loved the way this was written. We are essentially reading the journal entry of the main character, written in retrospect after everything takes place. Each event unfolds with uncanny intrigue. We're pulled forward alongside our main character by the unstoppable force that is Area X. The overall tone, yes it's creepy, but in a dreamlike way. We are stuck in, more or less, solitude with our main character as she tries to uncover the mystery of the island.
Naturally, being stuck in solitude lends itself to intense self-reflection. The story of the biologist's journey on Area X is intertwined with her journey in her relationship with her husband. So in a sense the exploration of the force of Area X becomes an exploration of humanity, relationships, and connection. How do we find meaning in life when nothing actually matters? Do we repeat the same cycle over and over again for generations until the sun consumes the planet? Is there a sort of gauntlet we must all pass, an end goal we must all reach, a higher power we must all answer to? What makes us as humans different from the land we inhabit, the invisible ecosystems that live under our noses every single day? The book never answers these questions. But it sure does make you think about them.
I was, however, really surprised by the writing. There are some insanely profound quotes to be found here. Things I reread over and over again. Some lines written by VanderMeer could have found their place in a classic literary novel. His attention to detail makes the land feel immersive. Having a biologist be the main character/narrator was such a genius choice. You begin to see parallels between the biologist's experience in Area X with your own experience as a reader. The biologist's eye for miniscule details gives VanderMeer the opportunity to make the world feel incredibly detailed and real. The imagery used throughout, but especially in the more horror-esque portions of the book are beautifully portrayed.
Despite leaving with more questions than answers, I'm super satisfied by this book.
I wouldn't say the book necessarily surprised me in terms of plot twists; it was easy to guess what was happening from the very beginning. By about 20% I had a good idea what was going on, but it didn't stop me from wanting to know more. Which is so crazy because that's exactly what happens to the main character, who continually chooses to exhaust her curiosity even in the face of death and danger. And even then, at the end, there are no answers. We don't even know if the story we are reading actually happened how it is told. Our main character is unreliable and almost in a state of dissociation throughout the entire narrative. And, even though it was clear what was going to happen, my jaw still dropped. Many times.
I loved the way this was written. We are essentially reading the journal entry of the main character, written in retrospect after everything takes place. Each event unfolds with uncanny intrigue. We're pulled forward alongside our main character by the unstoppable force that is Area X. The overall tone, yes it's creepy, but in a dreamlike way. We are stuck in, more or less, solitude with our main character as she tries to uncover the mystery of the island.
Naturally, being stuck in solitude lends itself to intense self-reflection. The story of the biologist's journey on Area X is intertwined with her journey in her relationship with her husband. So in a sense the exploration of the force of Area X becomes an exploration of humanity, relationships, and connection. How do we find meaning in life when nothing actually matters? Do we repeat the same cycle over and over again for generations until the sun consumes the planet? Is there a sort of gauntlet we must all pass, an end goal we must all reach, a higher power we must all answer to? What makes us as humans different from the land we inhabit, the invisible ecosystems that live under our noses every single day? The book never answers these questions. But it sure does make you think about them.
I was, however, really surprised by the writing. There are some insanely profound quotes to be found here. Things I reread over and over again. Some lines written by VanderMeer could have found their place in a classic literary novel. His attention to detail makes the land feel immersive. Having a biologist be the main character/narrator was such a genius choice. You begin to see parallels between the biologist's experience in Area X with your own experience as a reader. The biologist's eye for miniscule details gives VanderMeer the opportunity to make the world feel incredibly detailed and real. The imagery used throughout, but especially in the more horror-esque portions of the book are beautifully portrayed.
Despite leaving with more questions than answers, I'm super satisfied by this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
msladyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
charlieeee's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Body horror, Cancer, Cursing, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
ajay913's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness
ashleybakerwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
It was pretty good! Definitely unlike any book I've ever read. I thought the writing was very interestingly technical. I can say it probably won't work for everyone- but if you settle in for the atmosphere rather than the character development- you'll have a good time. The stuff was spooky- and I'd recc this to all my sciencey/foragey friends. I feel like they'd get a kick out of this. May return to the series later if I keep thinking about this like I am now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
jess2obsess's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Sexual content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
smolbeez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis