A review by the_scribbling_man
The Affirmation by Christopher Priest
I have not rated this book, because I do not know what to rate this book. I do not know what to rate this book because I'm not entirely sure if I understood it, and if I don't understand it then I can hardly judge it.
It's either incredibly flawed and slap-in-the-face pretentious, or it's bloody flipping clever. Either way, I wouldn't give it any more than 4 or any less than 3. I enjoyed it, I was gripped; it was an experience, and I'm a little sad not to have someone else to talk about it with who has also read it.
Would I recommend it? That would depend. If you like ideas, then yes. It's brimming with ideas. It's quite wellsian in prose, but there isn't much depth to the characters. Despite this, and it's slow pace, it does keep you turning the pages.
This is my 3rd Priest novel and I feel like I have a good grasp on his style now, though I don't know if I like him as an author. I loved The Prestige, though once again, it's not a massively enjoyable read until the pay off at the end. I liked Inverted World very much, but the ending was way too Deus Ex Machina. This I enjoyed but I haven't quite made my mind up on it yet. Maybe one day I'll reread it. I'll almost certainly be reading more of priest, since there seems to be something captivating in his stories and ideas regardless of whether they end well or not.
It's either incredibly flawed and slap-in-the-face pretentious, or it's bloody flipping clever. Either way, I wouldn't give it any more than 4 or any less than 3. I enjoyed it, I was gripped; it was an experience, and I'm a little sad not to have someone else to talk about it with who has also read it.
Would I recommend it? That would depend. If you like ideas, then yes. It's brimming with ideas. It's quite wellsian in prose, but there isn't much depth to the characters. Despite this, and it's slow pace, it does keep you turning the pages.
This is my 3rd Priest novel and I feel like I have a good grasp on his style now, though I don't know if I like him as an author. I loved The Prestige, though once again, it's not a massively enjoyable read until the pay off at the end. I liked Inverted World very much, but the ending was way too Deus Ex Machina. This I enjoyed but I haven't quite made my mind up on it yet. Maybe one day I'll reread it. I'll almost certainly be reading more of priest, since there seems to be something captivating in his stories and ideas regardless of whether they end well or not.