Reviews

City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer

apatrelle's review

mysterious medium-paced

4.25

bbkeoerrr's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

sironigiri's review against another edition

DNF.
This is a tough one. Because I can see the brilliance and the book is by no means bad. But I simply could not get invested in anything. I think the interesting voices in each story made it harder for me. But I won't push myself in a book that I have trouble keeping my concentration over already 40 pages in when it's this thick. Which is a shame since this book will blow many peoples minds

cimoore1999's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

libristella's review

dark slow-paced

3.0

samuel_kane_horrigan's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

4.5

sateenkaari's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

rahn's review

4.0

Tough to review. A 5 star book in many ways. 5 stars of vision, creativity, novelty, world building, and breadth of ideas and styles explored. However the book was a plodding reading experience at times. Including a section with a hundred plus footnotes and a lengthy glossary. One of those books that is better upon reflection post completion than it was during reading (but only applicable to some of the short stories contained within, some provided a brilliant reading experience during and after completion). And it is required to read through some of these slower portions as even though the shoe stories are stand alone they all enhance the world building and lend extra depth to previously read stories. And while this is fascinating and an achievement the odd and staccato pacing certainly requires patience and it took me a while to get through some sections of this book. Which is ultimately what's knocked it down a point in my review.

dylanger's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

segaln17's review

5.0

I WILL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT THIS ONE