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mbenzz's review against another edition
2.0
What the hell did I just read?
I was under the impression this was a political/societal dystopian novel about a world where there are two groups of people...Pats and Quads. Pats 'belong' and have gas masks and carry around gas canisters to kill any Quads they deem a threat, and Quads are immigrants who have no rights, are branded on their cheeks, and have their thumbs removed for easy identification. Whenever they leave their designated areas, they are at the mercy of the Pats. I thought this would be a deep look into what that kind of society means and how it affects people.
That is not what I got.
Instead, I got a book of four short stories that are only connected by their environment/location and society, but nothing else. Yes, the last story (The Letter) is about the wife of the teacher from the first story, but other than that none of them are connected and none of them are FINISHED. I really hate when authors fail to follow-through with their stories and try to leave endings as 'mysterious' and 'thought-provoking'. "What do you THINK happened at the end?"
I don't know, how about you FINISH THE DAMN STORY AND TELL US YOURSELF!?!
It's lazy writing and very few authors pull it off successfully. I want to know...what happened to Lethe?? Did she make it home? Was she attacked? What was the fate of the Infanta and why does that festival even take place? Did they ever find Ollie? What happened to the boy who was supposed to watch him?
I found the prose and overall structure of this book to be grating and pretentious. There are no quotations to let you know when people are speaking and the author tries WAY too hard to sound vague and dreamy. It comes off as insipid. We're never really told WHY things are the way they are. There's a short spot at the beginning where the author uses classroom time to try and lay down the structure of this society, but it feels rushed and unfinished.
I could go on, but you know what? I'm done. This book isn't worth any more of my time. This was the first Jesse Ball book I've ever read and it will certainly be my last.
I was under the impression this was a political/societal dystopian novel about a world where there are two groups of people...Pats and Quads. Pats 'belong' and have gas masks and carry around gas canisters to kill any Quads they deem a threat, and Quads are immigrants who have no rights, are branded on their cheeks, and have their thumbs removed for easy identification. Whenever they leave their designated areas, they are at the mercy of the Pats. I thought this would be a deep look into what that kind of society means and how it affects people.
That is not what I got.
Instead, I got a book of four short stories that are only connected by their environment/location and society, but nothing else. Yes, the last story (The Letter) is about the wife of the teacher from the first story, but other than that none of them are connected and none of them are FINISHED. I really hate when authors fail to follow-through with their stories and try to leave endings as 'mysterious' and 'thought-provoking'. "What do you THINK happened at the end?"
I don't know, how about you FINISH THE DAMN STORY AND TELL US YOURSELF!?!
It's lazy writing and very few authors pull it off successfully. I want to know...what happened to Lethe?? Did she make it home? Was she attacked? What was the fate of the Infanta and why does that festival even take place? Did they ever find Ollie? What happened to the boy who was supposed to watch him?
I found the prose and overall structure of this book to be grating and pretentious. There are no quotations to let you know when people are speaking and the author tries WAY too hard to sound vague and dreamy. It comes off as insipid. We're never really told WHY things are the way they are. There's a short spot at the beginning where the author uses classroom time to try and lay down the structure of this society, but it feels rushed and unfinished.
I could go on, but you know what? I'm done. This book isn't worth any more of my time. This was the first Jesse Ball book I've ever read and it will certainly be my last.
tomrubenreads's review against another edition
4.0
My goodness those last pages. I finished it while listening to Koyaanisqatsi by Philip Glass. Goose-fucking-bumps.
chillcox15's review
1.0
That's a no from me. The central conceit is as obvious and thudding as a sack of potatoes with the word DYSTOPIA and CLASS WARFARE written on them being dropped on your head. Feels totally tossed off and uninterested in itself.
lucyremitz's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book in two sittings - and I will be thinking long after reading it. I didn’t know a thing about it before reading, which is definitely a good thing. After reading about this book after finishing and learning more about the author, I’m appreciating it more. The world created is fascinating, scary and engrossing. I’ve realized what I dislike often is unfinished aspects to stories, and this book has several. Therefore while I don’t feel entirely satisfied after finishing this book, I do feel mentally stimulated! The person who I am would like a follow-up to wrap up some of the plots brought up, but I understand that’s not the point of this book.
bookburnetticus's review against another edition
4.0
The Divers' Game is an examination of what a society that divides people and propagates violence does to the individual person, as shown through multiple perspectives. Jesse ball has this profound style in which he is able to succinctly show moments of incredibly earthborn and paramount thoughts and emotions.
zellm's review against another edition
2.0
Very allegorical, lots of metaphor for our world. I think the gas masks were an interesting choice, but not one that really worked for me. I liked the commentary on society, but I feel like the characters were used as devices rather than people, and would have preferred this book to be more of a character study rather than disjointed stories about people we aren't made to care about.
daisysbookmusings's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this book and the socio-political-dystopian aspect, its refreshing to see the same word told from so many points of view in such a realistic and authentic way considering how short the book is. I would have loved for some of the stories to feature more than others and at times it is confusing as to what is really going on as you enter the lives of these characters mid way through the new world they live in rather than the traditional beginning middle and end timeline. Overall a 3.5.