bigleebowski's review
3.0
Heart of Darkness meets The Lost World, with a subtle splash of Annihilation. I’d like to see this turned into a limited series.
es42's review
4.0
Ballard puts a heavy emphasis on the psychology of his characters and the relations between their inner workings and the "drowning world". In a way this novel reminded me of Tarkovsky's "Solaris" movie, but with some "Planet of the Apes" also added to the mix. Great descriptions of Triassic landscapes and flora.
paprikapanini's review
4.0
if it wasnt for the villainising of black characters and the objectification of the singular female character in the story(does not pass the bechdel test) i wouldve given 5 stars
ultreaux's review against another edition
Maybe I'm not in the right head space but I didn't like the style, I'll try again soon I suppose
martizmeroni's review
1.0
Tematica interessante. Ballard sembra aver predetto un futuro in cui il cambiamento climatico prende il sopravvento e segna la fine della realtà come noi la conosciamo. E’ davvero sorprendente tenendo conto che il libro e’ stato scritto nel 1962.
Nonostante ciò la storia non e’ riuscita a prendermi come dovrebbe, non ho ben capito il personaggio di Kerans (il protagonista) e l’evolversi delle vicende. Ho fatto fatica a seguire. Non lo rileggerei
Nonostante ciò la storia non e’ riuscita a prendermi come dovrebbe, non ho ben capito il personaggio di Kerans (il protagonista) e l’evolversi delle vicende. Ho fatto fatica a seguire. Non lo rileggerei
kingofblades113's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rosekk's review against another edition
3.0
This edition is beautiful. I love the illustrations, and I think it genuinely made a difference to how much I enjoyed the story.
The tale itself I am less sold on. I love the setting, and the general premise. There's a little too much time spent explaining psuedo-science for my tastes. I'm totally willing to invest my attention in impossible things, but I don't really want the mechanics of them explained in such a way as to highlight how impossible it all is.
Then there's a definite air of sexism about the one and only female character. She's meant to be part of this exploratory team, but all she seems to do is laze around, reading old vogue magazines. She doesn't really do anything in the whole story - she's just sort of acted around. There's a touch of racism as well, but it's concentrated in such a way as to make me wonder if the writer didn't deliberately make certain bits conform to certain stereo types to make certain other characters look deliberately icky in a sort of evil-colonial-master sort of way. It's unclear.
The tale itself I am less sold on. I love the setting, and the general premise. There's a little too much time spent explaining psuedo-science for my tastes. I'm totally willing to invest my attention in impossible things, but I don't really want the mechanics of them explained in such a way as to highlight how impossible it all is.
Then there's a definite air of sexism about the one and only female character. She's meant to be part of this exploratory team, but all she seems to do is laze around, reading old vogue magazines. She doesn't really do anything in the whole story - she's just sort of acted around. There's a touch of racism as well, but it's concentrated in such a way as to make me wonder if the writer didn't deliberately make certain bits conform to certain stereo types to make certain other characters look deliberately icky in a sort of evil-colonial-master sort of way. It's unclear.
livvvvh777's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kapsberger's review
2.0
I have to agree with other reviewers after reading this novel in that it's only redeeming feature is it's absolutely stunning descriptive landscaping of a world inundated by water and archaic jungle. So while I might read a couple pages of almost lyrical prose, I also had to deal with the insufferable plot, characters, and dialogue. Copious and unwarranted use of creaky British phrases like "Chap" and "Darling". Some questionable racist material and extensive descriptions of a "voodoo" cult. Makes claims to scientific accuracy, but is woefully bereft of any believable science. The plot pacing made little to no sense, and in the end I have no idea who any of these people are or what their stories are, nor do I care. In short, this would be a painful novel to read if it were not for Ballard's knack for painting a world of despair and decay that does manage to take hold on the readers mind. Most enjoyable when we only see our brave British scientist Kerans heroically stumble through the "phantasmagoria" of this world, less enjoyable when Ballard tries to introduce plot or, god forbid, supporting characters.
hcube3's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0