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ghostbustersofficial's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i love how earnestly grossout the body horror is here, i think he really masters subtlety later but you have to respect someone jus throwing all their ideas out like this too
truly impressive how i can read a vandermeer from 20 years ago and he was still asking questions like “what if a tech city was bad” or “what if a whale was really big”
truly impressive how i can read a vandermeer from 20 years ago and he was still asking questions like “what if a tech city was bad” or “what if a whale was really big”
mfromm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
smarbles's review against another edition
Well written but a little too gruesome for me
steak_gyllenhaal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
bedtimesnack's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
This might be the most coherent storytelling I've read by Jeff Vandermeer. It's also one of the most gruesome. Felt like a lot of gore, compared to his later work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement and Gun violence
Minor: Drug use
miseraya's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
clareoz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
As usual Jeff Vandermeer provides many eerie and odd ideas over the course of the novel. And as usual he mentions tide pools at least once a I found myself wishing Nicola and Nicolas’s sections were longer by the end - Shadrach somehow felt less real than the others - though his story was more interesting. Idk I’ll have to think on it more.
cato_g's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Great world building and character development. Character relationships really drive the plot of the story forward so more focused on how the protagonist is navigating the world than on the world itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
violet_j_rose's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lucilla_17's review against another edition
1.0
I think I would have loved this when I was 20. It was well written, and the plot/characters were fine, I just did not enjoy the style.