anastasiaadamov's review against another edition
3.0
For some reason the plot and the characters were much weaker than I expected.
Most of my impression can be summarized with Mister Tagomi's search for meaning in the last quarter of the book.
The constant religious aspect was baffling to me - and I don't mean so much the I Ching readings the characters indulged so much in, but the Christian saints and authors mentions that jumped out in tandem with eastern religious beliefs sometimes on the same page...
This is my second try with this author and I strongly suspect that I'm not using enough recreations drugs to get into his books...
Most of my impression can be summarized with Mister Tagomi's search for meaning in the last quarter of the book.
The constant religious aspect was baffling to me - and I don't mean so much the I Ching readings the characters indulged so much in, but the Christian saints and authors mentions that jumped out in tandem with eastern religious beliefs sometimes on the same page...
This is my second try with this author and I strongly suspect that I'm not using enough recreations drugs to get into his books...
remarkableinchworm's review against another edition
3.0
Can't decide if this is a short story with delusions of grandeur, the set-up for a much longer story that is never realized, or perfect as-is.
tamouse's review against another edition
3.0
I hesitate to label this science fiction, except it involves an alternate universe
The book does really well in depicting a society that has lost a war, and is controlled by the winning societies. The defeated people mostly trying to impress their rulers, and become as much like them as possible. There is a great deal of racism in this book, which I don't find a detraction because PKD writes it with such an obvious distaste and condemnation of his characters' behaviour and attitudes.
The last third of the book, however, became highly predictable, and the ending was such a let-down, basically becoming a "Bobby Ewing in the shower" ending, which I felt was a huge cop-out.
Still a decent read, but don't get too involved.
Spoiler
where the Allies lost World War II and the Axis won.The book does really well in depicting a society that has lost a war, and is controlled by the winning societies. The defeated people mostly trying to impress their rulers, and become as much like them as possible. There is a great deal of racism in this book, which I don't find a detraction because PKD writes it with such an obvious distaste and condemnation of his characters' behaviour and attitudes.
The last third of the book, however, became highly predictable, and the ending was such a let-down, basically becoming a "Bobby Ewing in the shower" ending, which I felt was a huge cop-out.
Still a decent read, but don't get too involved.
alexismsw's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
anastasia_okodure's review against another edition
2.0
Bought it under the impression that it is a dystopian book and I read it during the lockdown. Thought the story tried to be too complex and unnecessarily nuanced, with pointless uses of philosophical theory to (unsuccessfully in my opinion) present an alternate reality. I expected something similar to Malorie Blackman's 'Noughts and Crosses' with George Orwell's '1984' but was left disappointed.
pepper_mind's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jvs2000's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
brassduke's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the world building was good but was never really totally invested in any of the characters.