book_darner's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I loved the beginning and the end. I felt the middle was rushed and would have loved more. I haven't read the Lovecraft story that this is based around. That may have helped me understand the middle journey part better.
clauleesi's review against another edition
3.0
My rating: 3.5 stars
This tiny little novella is 165 pages and it has taken me eleven bloody days to finish. Eleven. Did I think it was a horrible book, that it was dull and bland? Not at all - the new season of Sense8 just came out, it has been sunny in Sweden and I've discovered an amazing manhwa. Poor Vellitt Boe was simply, and unfortunately, put to the side. Still, I'm very happy that I finally finished this.
'The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe' starts off slow, and the writing continues in that way, mostly focusing on describing the beautiful and vivid dream world that is our setting. I did feel that it dragged at times, and that I would have liked more dialogues or action or character exploration - but it was without a doubt masterfully done, and even though I haven't read anything of H.P Lovecraft's work - that this story is heavily influenced by - I still got a clear picture of the dream world and all its strangeness. Granted, I was a bit confused at the beginning, and I do believe that someone who has read and enjoy Lovecraft would like this book even more.
From what I've heard though, Lovecraft wasn't the nicest guy - his books seem to lack female characters and tend to be a tad racist. And so I really love what [a:Kij Johnson|110153|Kij Johnson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1220146486p2/110153.jpg] has done - taken his beautiful world and made an old woman it's main character. It's also feminist in many other ways, Vellitt always going her own way and being so damn tough and selfless, something you can also see in Jurat, who I adored in the few pages we actually got to spend with her.
So even though my reading experience unfortunately was somewhat lacking, it wasn't due to the book. If you love worldbuilding and detailed descriptions of everything I would recommend you pick up this book. Or if you just read Lovecraft and felt that you just wanted something more feminist. Because even though Vellitt wonders to herself "when were women anything but footnotes to men's tales?" this book is the lovely opposite of just that.
This tiny little novella is 165 pages and it has taken me eleven bloody days to finish. Eleven. Did I think it was a horrible book, that it was dull and bland? Not at all - the new season of Sense8 just came out, it has been sunny in Sweden and I've discovered an amazing manhwa. Poor Vellitt Boe was simply, and unfortunately, put to the side. Still, I'm very happy that I finally finished this.
'The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe' starts off slow, and the writing continues in that way, mostly focusing on describing the beautiful and vivid dream world that is our setting. I did feel that it dragged at times, and that I would have liked more dialogues or action or character exploration - but it was without a doubt masterfully done, and even though I haven't read anything of H.P Lovecraft's work - that this story is heavily influenced by - I still got a clear picture of the dream world and all its strangeness. Granted, I was a bit confused at the beginning, and I do believe that someone who has read and enjoy Lovecraft would like this book even more.
From what I've heard though, Lovecraft wasn't the nicest guy - his books seem to lack female characters and tend to be a tad racist. And so I really love what [a:Kij Johnson|110153|Kij Johnson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1220146486p2/110153.jpg] has done - taken his beautiful world and made an old woman it's main character. It's also feminist in many other ways, Vellitt always going her own way and being so damn tough and selfless, something you can also see in Jurat, who I adored in the few pages we actually got to spend with her.
So even though my reading experience unfortunately was somewhat lacking, it wasn't due to the book. If you love worldbuilding and detailed descriptions of everything I would recommend you pick up this book. Or if you just read Lovecraft and felt that you just wanted something more feminist. Because even though Vellitt wonders to herself "when were women anything but footnotes to men's tales?" this book is the lovely opposite of just that.
brookeworm18's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
_nne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
rhysciar's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting concept, good writing style and story, weird entities: though I couldn't compare this to anything Lovecraft wrote, it did felt similar to Stephen King's style in the Dark Tower series. Maybe this is because Lovecraft was an inspiration to King as well?
Anyway, as I said it earlier, this is an interesting concept, however I felt bored while reading this, so I can't give this more than 3 stars. Though I am excited to read Johnson's other stuff in the future.
Anyway, as I said it earlier, this is an interesting concept, however I felt bored while reading this, so I can't give this more than 3 stars. Though I am excited to read Johnson's other stuff in the future.
flower_mail's review against another edition
3.0
quietly charming but lacking in some unnameable quality
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
3.0
The thing about short stories or, in this case, novellas is that they never overstay their welcome. The downside of that, of course, is the missed opportunities, especially when the length of the story feels too short for the world that it is supposed to contain. The result is a novel that feels like it could have been more. It is an endless series of tasting plates but without the main course being served. While tantalising, it feels somewhat dissatisfying at the same time.
I also feel that a fan of Lovecraft books would get more out of this novella than others like myself. References to characters, creatures and locations will have great resonation to those that are relatively familiar with Lovecraftian works, or at least the material that this novella is based on, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. Several times in this novella, I had to look up certain characters and places in Lovecraftian lore to know who they are, where it is and what it all means. While in-depth knowledge is not exactly necessary for the enjoyment of this book, to author Kij Johnson's credit, I think it is akin to a trip to Egypt: you want at least some passing knowledge of Egypt, right? It is unfair to criticise this book for this point, but I thought I should raise it nonetheless.
At times, this book also comes across as a travelogue through Lovecraft's world. While it is perfectly passable for a longer book like, say, The Lord of the Rings, which have been criticised often to read like a travelogue through Middle-earth, at least that book series has a few hundred pages to play with. When you only have a hair over a hundred pages, you want the story to move. The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, on the other hand, spends a tad too much time describing every blade of grass and every underground cavern.
With all of that said, I think this book is still a worthwhile read. I enjoy the feminist perspective that Kij Johnson has introduced to the Lovecraftian world. In fact, I quite enjoy the modern take on Lovecraftian stories, which do not have the most positive reputation in the literary world.
I also feel that a fan of Lovecraft books would get more out of this novella than others like myself. References to characters, creatures and locations will have great resonation to those that are relatively familiar with Lovecraftian works, or at least the material that this novella is based on, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. Several times in this novella, I had to look up certain characters and places in Lovecraftian lore to know who they are, where it is and what it all means. While in-depth knowledge is not exactly necessary for the enjoyment of this book, to author Kij Johnson's credit, I think it is akin to a trip to Egypt: you want at least some passing knowledge of Egypt, right? It is unfair to criticise this book for this point, but I thought I should raise it nonetheless.
At times, this book also comes across as a travelogue through Lovecraft's world. While it is perfectly passable for a longer book like, say, The Lord of the Rings, which have been criticised often to read like a travelogue through Middle-earth, at least that book series has a few hundred pages to play with. When you only have a hair over a hundred pages, you want the story to move. The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe, on the other hand, spends a tad too much time describing every blade of grass and every underground cavern.
With all of that said, I think this book is still a worthwhile read. I enjoy the feminist perspective that Kij Johnson has introduced to the Lovecraftian world. In fact, I quite enjoy the modern take on Lovecraftian stories, which do not have the most positive reputation in the literary world.
brokenrecord's review against another edition
3.0
This was another novella I read because it was nominated for a Hugo, and I don't think it helped my enjoyment any that I've never read any Lovecraft, so I don't think I fully got everything this was trying to do. I found the very beginning and very end really fascinating and intriguing, but lost interest basically throughout the entire middle. The journey just kind of went on too long and bored me.
colinmeldrum's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Imaginative and poetic, with a genuinely admirable, intriguing heroine at its heart.