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jelundberg's review against another edition
5.0
In modern Moscow, a werefox prostitute falls in love with a werewolf FSB (formerly KGB) agent, and seeks enlightenment through philosophy and Buddhism. Sexy and smart, and full of Nabokovian turns of phrase. Just as the fox's tail spins a glamour on her clients, Pelevin's wordplay ensorcells the reader, and a satire of contemporary Russia transmutes into a profound exploration of the very notion of existence itself.
The only quibble I had at all was a minor one, that of the werefox nomenclature; A Hu-Li is our first-person protagonist, and her name is set up as a linguistic joke in that, in Russian, it's a vulgar obscenity. In its original Chinese, it simply means "the fox named A," with "Hu-Li" as her surname. However, this is counter to Chinese naming, where the surname actually comes first, and the correct form should have been "Hu-Li A," although "A" would not be used as a Chinese given name (mostly because the letter by itself gives no clue as to its pronunciation); again, with the protagonist and her sisters ("A," "E," "U," and supposedly the other vowels as well), the linguistic conventions are expressed in a Russian mindset that just would not make sense for creatures who originated from China.
But as I say, this is a very minor beef for such an incredible novel. Absolutely brilliant, and easily the best book I've read this year. Highly recommended.
The only quibble I had at all was a minor one, that of the werefox nomenclature; A Hu-Li is our first-person protagonist, and her name is set up as a linguistic joke in that, in Russian, it's a vulgar obscenity. In its original Chinese, it simply means "the fox named A," with "Hu-Li" as her surname. However, this is counter to Chinese naming, where the surname actually comes first, and the correct form should have been "Hu-Li A," although "A" would not be used as a Chinese given name (mostly because the letter by itself gives no clue as to its pronunciation); again, with the protagonist and her sisters ("A," "E," "U," and supposedly the other vowels as well), the linguistic conventions are expressed in a Russian mindset that just would not make sense for creatures who originated from China.
But as I say, this is a very minor beef for such an incredible novel. Absolutely brilliant, and easily the best book I've read this year. Highly recommended.
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
1.0
There are some things about this that are super clever and some that are bizarre and gross and almost insulting, and a lot that just sounds clever and philosophical but doesn't really make a ton of sense. I can't tell if it's brilliant or total trash. Apparently this author is very popular, like a Chuck Palahniuk or David Foster Wallace of Russia, so maybe it's just cultural differences. I should read some other Pelevin books to be sure, but I probably won't... at least not for a while. I read this originally in 2013 and gave it 1 star, which is something. I don't recall my original impressions really and probably wouldn't go that far down again, so I'm upping it to two, but ugh. This is going on my give-away pile, which is why I re-read it, to see where it belonged. Not on my shelves!
cdeane61's review against another edition
5.0
My first experience with Pelevin, hopefully not my last.
I will have to rank him right up there with Don DeLillo, as one of my favorites.
I have to admit, a good portion of this book may have gone over my head, and some of the references to Russia and its culture were also lost on me, but i enjoyed the journey nevertheless.
Ultimately a book of ideas, about creating our own reality, and about the absurdness of our daily lives and routines. At times very funny.
Highly recommended.
I will have to rank him right up there with Don DeLillo, as one of my favorites.
I have to admit, a good portion of this book may have gone over my head, and some of the references to Russia and its culture were also lost on me, but i enjoyed the journey nevertheless.
Ultimately a book of ideas, about creating our own reality, and about the absurdness of our daily lives and routines. At times very funny.
Highly recommended.
erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review against another edition
5.0
The title of strangest book I've ever read must now go to The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin. Pelevin, one of the finest contemporary Russian writers, released the book in his native language in 2005. It was released in English in 2008, translated by Andrew Bromfield.
Werewolf is narrated by A Hu-Li. Apparently, the Russian translation of her name is "So F---ing What," though in the original Chinese it means "A Fox Named A."
A Hu-Li is a werefox, but she's so much more than that. She's 2,000 years old, one of a sisterhood of werefoxes from ancient China. These foxes are a kind of energy vampires, using prostitution as a cover to feed off the sexual energy of men. Through a kind of hallucinogenic effect they produce with their fox-tails, A Hu-Li and her sisters never actually have to touch these men. A Hu-Li is, in fact, a 2,000-year-old virgin.
For the first time in her extremely long life, A Hu-Li is faced with the prospect of falling in love. She goes a little too far with a client who offends her; her imaginary whip draws real blood. This arouses the suspicions of an SVR (what used to be the KGB) officer named Alexander. Alexander is a werewolf. He may be Fenrir, the wolf from Norse mythology who, at the end of time, catches the sun and devours it. The two were-creatures are drawn to each other. By twining their tails together, they can act out any fantasy imaginable in their minds.
A Hu-Li has a sister who lives in England, with a husband who's obsessed with esoteric magic and believes in the coming of a super-werewolf. Alexander is convinced he is the super-werewolf, and together he and A Hu-Li embark on a strange journey through their own minds, over which they discuss the meaning of existence itself.
My favorite quote is this one: "The energy that serves for the conception of life does not belong to people. Entering into the act of love, a human being becomes a channel for this energy and is transformed from a sealed vessel to a pipe that is connected for a few seconds to the bottomless source of the life force. I simply require access to that source, that's all." Don't we all?
Werewolf is narrated by A Hu-Li. Apparently, the Russian translation of her name is "So F---ing What," though in the original Chinese it means "A Fox Named A."
A Hu-Li is a werefox, but she's so much more than that. She's 2,000 years old, one of a sisterhood of werefoxes from ancient China. These foxes are a kind of energy vampires, using prostitution as a cover to feed off the sexual energy of men. Through a kind of hallucinogenic effect they produce with their fox-tails, A Hu-Li and her sisters never actually have to touch these men. A Hu-Li is, in fact, a 2,000-year-old virgin.
For the first time in her extremely long life, A Hu-Li is faced with the prospect of falling in love. She goes a little too far with a client who offends her; her imaginary whip draws real blood. This arouses the suspicions of an SVR (what used to be the KGB) officer named Alexander. Alexander is a werewolf. He may be Fenrir, the wolf from Norse mythology who, at the end of time, catches the sun and devours it. The two were-creatures are drawn to each other. By twining their tails together, they can act out any fantasy imaginable in their minds.
A Hu-Li has a sister who lives in England, with a husband who's obsessed with esoteric magic and believes in the coming of a super-werewolf. Alexander is convinced he is the super-werewolf, and together he and A Hu-Li embark on a strange journey through their own minds, over which they discuss the meaning of existence itself.
My favorite quote is this one: "The energy that serves for the conception of life does not belong to people. Entering into the act of love, a human being becomes a channel for this energy and is transformed from a sealed vessel to a pipe that is connected for a few seconds to the bottomless source of the life force. I simply require access to that source, that's all." Don't we all?
nick_jenkins's review against another edition
4.0
It's strange because I actually am very interested in (and have a little knowledge of) some of the Eastern philosophy that grows increasingly important to the book as it wears on, but Pelevin seems to grow bored with the mechanics of the novel by the last 50 or so pages and puts less and less effort into integrating the philosophy/mysticism into what had been a pretty fun plot.
That said, everything but the last fifty pages works really, really well.
That said, everything but the last fifty pages works really, really well.
fishface's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fusion of were-creature fantasy and satire of modern Russia works surprisingly well! Our protagonist A Hu-Li, prostitute and werefox extraordinaire is highly entertaining. There however are some lengthy musings on the nature of reality (etc) that feel out of place where they crop up in the plot.
nicoleme1212's review against another edition
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? Yes
1.0
frosted_croissant's review against another edition
Good lord this wasn’t my book. The whole werewolf plot was just an excuse for the author to write out his political ideologies and sound smart. < / spoiler And he sexualized a younger body and then there were rape scenes >
tilikon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
engel_9's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0