rbriese7's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
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
3.25
You can finish this in two hours. A double-feature episode of mid-aughts Criminal Minds with a practical effect budget to rival God's—go into this with a sense of humor. The narrator is much like the author, I assume: a white straight guy unclear on where he stands regarding altered ability philosophy or consciousness transplants, but ready and willing to bite a dick off. Knuckle through a snooze ending for American Guinea Pig fun. If you find that kind of thing fun. I do.
tyler_j's review against another edition
DNF on page 175 of 353.
Nope. Not doing it. Already excused some ableism and poorly worded things and some odd homophobia I wasn't sure exactly what to think of because I know the book is older and it looked like it still showed some interesting promise and might be a good read in some way...but that was dashed. Wish I had read some of the reviews before I bought this.
So not only are the mustache twirling villain's disabled (well one of them) they are also gay. I can't do this. When thinking of DNFing i'll skip ahead to skim and read some reviews...I did that and i'm DNFing. Not doing it.
Nope. Not doing it. Already excused some ableism and poorly worded things and some odd homophobia I wasn't sure exactly what to think of because I know the book is older and it looked like it still showed some interesting promise and might be a good read in some way...but that was dashed. Wish I had read some of the reviews before I bought this.
So not only are the mustache twirling villain's disabled (well one of them) they are also gay. I can't do this. When thinking of DNFing i'll skip ahead to skim and read some reviews...I did that and i'm DNFing. Not doing it.
vfee's review against another edition
dark
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? No
1.0
Are you disabled? Are you gay? Are you gay and disabled? This is not the book for you!
This was written, in what, the early 2000s? So it's not the best time for mainstream queer literature, certainly, but I think it's worth mentioning that the villains are gay specifically to gross out the audience. The ableism is your standard pre-2010 body horror--you know, the "god I can't imagine someone wanting to live after *gasp* losing an arm!" kinda thing.
This was written, in what, the early 2000s? So it's not the best time for mainstream queer literature, certainly, but I think it's worth mentioning that the villains are gay specifically to gross out the audience. The ableism is your standard pre-2010 body horror--you know, the "god I can't imagine someone wanting to live after *gasp* losing an arm!" kinda thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Homophobia, Ableism, and Body horror
Spoiler
To showcase how "evil" the gay guy is, he--and I'm not exaggerating--keeps the still-living head of his partner's son in a jar and forces him to suck his dick. This comes out of nowhere about halfway through the book, for no real reason (not that I think there is a justifiable reason for something like that...)persypie's review against another edition
2.0
This started out promising but spiraled into a cheesy, gross (and not in a good way) scary story that could be told around a campfire. I feel obliged to say it also involved men sexually aroused by the sight of amputees/severed heads on life support and referenced it way more times than I was comfortable reading.
The author had me for the first 1/3 of the book, which is what got this 2 stars, but the weird spiral it took was sickening, graphic, and this is coming from a dedicated fan of horror fiction and film. Big Yikes.
The author had me for the first 1/3 of the book, which is what got this 2 stars, but the weird spiral it took was sickening, graphic, and this is coming from a dedicated fan of horror fiction and film. Big Yikes.
acknud's review against another edition
4.0
While the story has enough medical holes to sink it, it is a very fascinating read. The premise is a deranged neurosurgeon that goes to extreme lengths to develop advanced neurologic treatments. He in effect becomes a modern day Frankenstein.
darthprez's review against another edition
2.0
Man this was a chore to finish... cheesy, poorly written, and boring. I almost didn’t want to finish. The story thinks cartoonishly manic scientists are scary. Also, the overly sexual behavior was just ridiculous. There was a multitude of unnecessary details that somehow made this already short story feel too long.
This would’ve been a 1 star if not for the interesting concept.
This would’ve been a 1 star if not for the interesting concept.
midnightlibrarymouse's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. I'm honestly speechless. This book had me like 😱 the whole time and I loved it! It's definitely not for everyone, cause it's a super super dark book, but for anyone who likes that stuff, it's a great read!
Full review here: https://danasreadingroom.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/book-review-the-jigsaw-man/
Full review here: https://danasreadingroom.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/book-review-the-jigsaw-man/
lunchbox89's review against another edition
5.0
My guilty pleasure is twisted horror stories and this book lived up!! Probably the most original and just plain tormenting book I've read. Great imaginative plot and unbelievable weirdness. Let me just say that my mom was disgusted when I was telling my sister part of the book; which means it passes the "too freaky for moms" test.