Don't go into this book expecting answers. There is only one question that is posed throughout the whole novel: Philosophy wrapped in a sci-fi novel.
Don't go into this book expecting answers. There is only one question that is posed throughout the whole novel: what is it that makes us human? Our protagonist, an unnamed woman only referred to as 'the child' ala Baby Yoda, ruminates on this topic in one way or another across the span of her story.
Although written originally in French nearly 3 decades ago, I've seen it explode across the book social media sphere in the last few years. I think, in part, this was due to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns that occurred. Humanity as a whole became very lonely and isolated, and we could connect to this book that was so different to our own world.
But what about the setting of the book? The endless plain our 40 women trekked across, the mild seasonal changes, the lack of any discernible life? I've seen people write about nuclear war, or a planet that wasn't Earth. But the one idea that I found most appealing was a trip some 400 million years to the past. Everyone is still on Earth, but they're just so far back that it's unrecognisable. Also, the guards were all still on Earth but had instead travelled further underground.
I feel this is a book that will mull around in my head for quite some time. ...more
What is it about NYC that makes people write love letters to it? What draws people to the city, a place that is just brick and cement and dirt and smoWhat is it about NYC that makes people write love letters to it? What draws people to the city, a place that is just brick and cement and dirt and smog, and has them dedicate songs, poetry, art, their entire personality to it? What makes NYC differ from any other city in such a way?
Anthropomorphising is nothing new... and this book doesn't really answer the philosophical why behind my question. Each borough has a flavour, a type of person who lives there, but that could be said the same of any suburb in Perth, and nobody is writing love letters to my tiny city. But the personification as a concept is a fun idea, even if it suffers from a touch of repetition.
I almost DNF'd this one. Much like The Fifth Season, I found it very slow to start. Jemisin, I think, loves world building. And yes, that's very fun, I agree! But it drags on and on and I wanted her to just get to the point of it. There's also a heavy handedness to it (and subtlety is only a dream here), with the most obvious candidates being the villains and antagonists... but you want the plucky group of personified boroughs to win. Who wouldn't want New York to come out on top?
As much as I did ultimately enjoy this, once our band of characters had all come together and went on a mission to save the day, I don't know if I'll strap myself in for the sequel. I doubt the direction I'd like the books to go in will be explored and the interactions I'd like to see actually happen....more
I wish I liked TJ Klune's writing more, as his books feel like such a big, warm hug, but something about the overly-twee, everyone-loves-everyone stylI wish I liked TJ Klune's writing more, as his books feel like such a big, warm hug, but something about the overly-twee, everyone-loves-everyone style does my head in. The first half of the book, as a result, was a bit of a slog but I'm glad I got through it. Once the characters had had time to marinate with one another and their personalities started to grow, I could handle it a bit better.
Also... I think it was the audiobook that contributed to my distaste. Particularly the way Rambo's voice was narrated was grating.
The bodily function and sexual humor seemed a little out of place, given the 'softness' of the writing and the fact Victor, out main character, is asexual... though I suppose it could be argued that robots would find these two topics unusual and curious given they don't excrete or copulate.
Anyway, I'm glad I forced myself to finish this one. The second half makes up for the first half... though funnily enough it seems some people disagree. ...more
This is one of those books that I expect will linger with me in the coming weeks. I watched the movie when it was released, and although my partner waThis is one of those books that I expect will linger with me in the coming weeks. I watched the movie when it was released, and although my partner wasn't a fan, I enjoyed it... and not just because of Jonathan Groff. Reading the book, however, provides a different experience and it gave a bit more of a gut punch at the end.
The idea of the apolcalypse being true or all four people just being varying shades of mentally unwell and sharing a delusional teeters back and forth throughout the book. Eric's own visions fall into a similar realm; is he just a faintly religious man with a bad concussion or is he being visited by a force greater than they know?
As much as I liked Leonard in the film, here he annoyed me. Just a little. He wanted to be calm and stoic throughout, while also being kind to Wen, but it just came across a little grating.
Wen's death was so much more important here, than how the ending was rewritten for the film. I don't know why they changed it- to make it more appealing? To not have any kind of backlash? The weight of the story loses it's impact. Like Tremblay writes in the endnotes, Eric and Andrew's life has already been destroyed by what has happened to them; that's not to say it wouldn't be as painful if one of them were to be sacrificed. But here it was an accident and not a conscious decision. Humanity might survive, it might not, but either way they have to go on with the choice that either Andrew's choice to have a gun destroyed their life forever, or Wen's death was for nothing.
A strange, post-modern/post-apocalyptic semi-prose novel in which some very bizarre things happen. I can't tell if I like this book or not, but I haveA strange, post-modern/post-apocalyptic semi-prose novel in which some very bizarre things happen. I can't tell if I like this book or not, but I have a feeling it will linger with me for a while.
If read as a straight novel, then certain liberties to be taken in order for it to make sense. The idea of tigers possibly being anthropomorphic, watermelon sugar being both something that can be consumed but also used to build things. People being able to read but there being only a couple dozen novels.
The whole text feels more like an allegory to me. The tigers, to me, were possibly a human faction (such as the Tamil Tigers. Did they eat people? Ech, probably not, but they no doubt caused a lot of harm. I viewed inBOIL and his crew being a representation of the US military at the time- harming themselves/their people for no discernable reason. Margaret was an initial supporter of the military, before finding herself unwittingly harmed (such as a mother whose son died in the Vietnam War).
I'd like to see the movie. I'd like to see how it's presented....more
I love epistolary novels, and this book has it in spades. However, I keep getting hung up on the heavy sci-fi aspOkay, I'll be honest: I don't get it.
I love epistolary novels, and this book has it in spades. However, I keep getting hung up on the heavy sci-fi aspect of it, and this is where I become confounded. I'm simply not good with written sci-fi.
If I move past the sci-fi and simply go back to the story- Red and Blue falling in love with one another over the written word, the romantic language that surrounds them, the somewhat Austenian way of falling in love... oh, I'd rather this 4/5 stars, with an ache that goes so deep.
But then the heavy sci-fi hits me again and I find myself struggling to come to grips with it.
My girlfriend has said she loves the audiobook, and while I do struggle with listening to things like that, I might need to give this a crack....more
The sole reason I've given this book three stars as opposed to two is because it's a classic. That doesn't mean it's particularly good or insightful..The sole reason I've given this book three stars as opposed to two is because it's a classic. That doesn't mean it's particularly good or insightful... it's just a classic.
If this were written today, I imagine the story would be more connected. As it stands, triffids were possibly engineered by the USSR and the blindness that occurs is a spontaneous event caused by comets. I'd expect these two things to be connected if written today. So, too, I imagine the resulting plague would either be connected to the triffids and blindness, or to be explained as a result of the deceased infecting the water supplies.
There's also a wildly strong misogynistic streak through the book. It's wild. There's also several examples of men writing women badly, particularly when Josella is introduced.
Her voice was good too - probably not stage or movie acquired, for it had not deteriorated under stress. [...] She looked as if she had strength if it were necessary, but [...] had most likely not been applied to anything more important than hitting balls, dancing, and, probably, restraining horses.
The writing is evocative and a little hypnotic (which is something the book deals with). It is awash with sI'm a bit stuck on how to review this book.
The writing is evocative and a little hypnotic (which is something the book deals with). It is awash with scenery and psychogeographical horror. The world around our lead character, the nameless biologist, is mysterious and bizarre and unsettling. Nothing is as it seems... not even the other characters.
It's also tremendously dull.
The book is very much driven by the surroundings. The interactions between the characters is limited and stilted. While this works for the setting (the researchers are stripped of everything, including their names, before they enter Area X), it makes for a tough read. I feel like we only just got to know the biologist by the end of the novel before she was taken away and transformed.
Maybe I'm biased because I watched the movie first and it stuck with me, but I feel everything translated better on the screen, even if it was a 'memory' retelling....more
A lush coffee table book that gives a brief overview of a number of religious ideas of the afterlife- namely heaven, hell and those in between. Brook-A lush coffee table book that gives a brief overview of a number of religious ideas of the afterlife- namely heaven, hell and those in between. Brook-Hitching goes rather in depth about Biblical (eg Jewish and Christian) concepts of heaven and hell, but also addresses other religions like Egyptian, Mayan, Islam and a handful of others sprinkled in.
The main draw of this book is the artwork within it. Every page has something new to show, which were gorgeous to look at. I loved the variety of art and how it tied in to what was being written about.
What I found interesting was the idea of people, namely those in Biblical religions, that tried to measure the dimensions of heaven and hell. How curious how people tried to combine science and religion together like this... and how heaven and hell now seem to be considered in an entirely different plane of existence these days....more
Two things: I am a huge fan of Battle Royale. The book, the manga, the film, all of it. I have been for the past eleven/twelve years. I have always coTwo things: I am a huge fan of Battle Royale. The book, the manga, the film, all of it. I have been for the past eleven/twelve years. I have always compared The Hunger Games to Battle Royale.
Secondly, I saw the films before I read this book, and I really enjoyed the three that have been released so far. I've actually spent a lot of time on The Hunger Games wikia and reading various theories and what have you.
So in saying all that, it was inevitable I was going to be a little bit let down with this book. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed most of it, but it had a lot to prove.
The biggest problem I faced was the writing. I read this book quickly, in less than a day total, but the writing was mediocre at best. This is sub-standard YA fare. People who read my reviews often will know I have an unabashed love of YA (particularly fae-themed or dystopian-themed YA), but the writing here was a little less than average. It wasn't bad, just... well, dull. It lacked a certain passion and spark that I thought would be a bit more apparent. It dragged in parts, mostly in the cave scenes between Peeta and Katniss.
Throughout the book, it seemed as though things just happened. There was no real build up, no ever-increasing crescendo. Things just happened to Katniss. What I enjoyed about the movies was that you got to see the Capitol planning it all, and life beyond Katniss. I think being written in first person really limited it all. Even if it was written in third person, with a focus on Katniss, it could have still occasionally cut back to the Capitol.
Being an American YA novel, it was inevitable that it would have a 'happy ending', so to speak. The only truly sympathetic person that dies in this book is Rue (though I'd argue Foxface, too). In Battle Royale, there's Shinji, the lighthouse girls, Yukiko and Yumiko, Shogo... every character gets some screen time, as it were, and the reader gets to know them. This doesn't happen in this book, so it's clear who's going to leave the arena from the start. And although Battle Royale had a similar ending in terms of general concept, it also made you get really attached to 42 teenagers, whereas Hunger Games only makes you concerned with a handful.
All this talk of Battle Royale makes me want to read it again.
Anyway, I did enjoy this book, and it was a really quick read. I'm going to read Catching Fire and Mockingjay just to read them. I enjoy this topic of story, so it's not a pain or a drag. I just don't think the writing is all that great, mostly....more
I Am Legend. What can be said? It's a cornerstone of horror and sci-fi, it's been remade a number of times, some being more successful than oth[image]
I Am Legend. What can be said? It's a cornerstone of horror and sci-fi, it's been remade a number of times, some being more successful than others. But nothing quite beats the original, in terms of isolation, loneliness, and general sense of foreboding of this book.
This is what so many current horror books are based off on, and what so many legends (excuse the word) are built around. While the creatures in this book are vampires, not zombies as I have it tagged, many of the same traits and tropes are started here.
One thing I love about reading classic books (or books from this general time period) is how short they are. This first struck me with Breakfast at Tiffanys, then Catcher in the Rye. They're so short, but are remembered as being these huge, epic texts- or that's how they're talked about in pop culture. But I Am Legend is barely 160 pages long. It just amuses me....more
One thing I've noticed about fantasy novels these days is that they tend to be incredibly dense. I understand a lot of world building tends to go intoOne thing I've noticed about fantasy novels these days is that they tend to be incredibly dense. I understand a lot of world building tends to go into these novels, especially when set in other worlds but our own, but I tend to find that there's just far too much world building than what I like. Furthermore, a lot of authors tend to include scenes that don't advance to plot. I'm not saying this is a bad thing- I don't want heaps of never-ending plot, but I find it really starts to drag the novel down.
Maybe it's because I've just finished reading it, but I found this book to be a lot like Raymond E Feist's Magician: Apprentice. Very dense, bogged down, that kind of thing.
Anyway, this book is good all the same, although slow to start with. I didn't find the plot to really start moving until the last three or so chapters, and then it just whipped by, in the way these things kind of do. I have the second book in the trilogy, too, so there's no doubt I'll be reading it shortly....more
Delirium by Lauren Oliver offers another dystopian novel for teens/young adults. In this case, set in some indeterminable time in the future, but probDelirium by Lauren Oliver offers another dystopian novel for teens/young adults. In this case, set in some indeterminable time in the future, but probably not too far from now, love has been dubbed a disease and the US government is trying to eradicate it. Apparently the US is alone in this view and the rest of the world (dubbed the uncured/Invalids) are trying to fight against them.
The main romance between Lena and Alex in this story is fairly simple. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, run run run. The entire time I was reading this, I kept expecting Hana to reveal that she is in love with Lena. I don't have anything to hold up this belief, it was just a feeling I got while reading.
One thing that really stood out to me was how similar it is to Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I'm yet to decide if this is a good thing or bad thing. I love the Uglies series, and while I don't think Delirium brings much to the plate in terms of new ideas, I definitely think it has potential- I'll be checking out the last two of the trilogy when they're released, anyway.
Finally, I kept wanting more history. Just how did the government turn love into a disease? How was that law passed? How long ago did it happen? I've found some people saying that it was only a couple of generations ago (beg pardon if it's stated in the book)- surely peoples memories couldn't have changed that quickly? If Oliver could add more history in the subsequent books, that'd be great....more
A fantastic debut novel! This is achingly realistic, and wrought with emotion that lingers, especially since it was written during the Avian/Swine fluA fantastic debut novel! This is achingly realistic, and wrought with emotion that lingers, especially since it was written during the Avian/Swine flu scare last year (which it was no doubt inspired by).
The characters are all fairly realistic. Some are likable, some aren't, but they all have their strong points and weaknesses. Buckley also carefully developed them and fleshed them out, so the audience got to know them and feel for them. I could feel the characters ups and downs, and felt their hurt and hope.
This is an excellent book, and should definitely be read....more
It took a while for me to get into this series. It was a bit all over the place, and it took a while for the real plot to go into motion. But when it It took a while for me to get into this series. It was a bit all over the place, and it took a while for the real plot to go into motion. But when it did- wow! I really love it. It's a very gritty novel, but it reflects society in that way. Society isn't nice or friendly, and while day-to-day life may not be as sordid and bleak as it is in Transmetropolitan, but there are circles that are similar. And society is reflected in this piece.
I can't exactly pinpoint what it is about this edition of Transmetropolitan that grabbed me. Maybe it was the city's view of Spider- cute, cuddly, 'defanged' as he said it. Or the way previous characters emerged once again. I do like that- Ellis has good continuity going on here. Or the final few pages, as the world starts to react to Spider's huge revelation.
Now I just need to poke my partner to go and buy #7.
Final conclusion? Futurama cranked up to 11....more
When people die, they go and live in The City so long as someone who is still alive remembers them. Then a lethal virus is released (unintentionally bWhen people die, they go and live in The City so long as someone who is still alive remembers them. Then a lethal virus is released (unintentionally being spread by Coca-Cola) and everybody on Earth starts dying.
How are you meant to conclude a book like this? This is the problem I could sense Brockmeier facing. Obviously Laura would have to die at some point and The City would fade away. The ending was satisfactory, but it wasn't brilliant. It could have been expanded more, and I would have liked to have read about Laura's transition or the population in The City dealing with Laura's death. When Laura dies, they die, too, in a sense.
Brockmeier has wonderful prose, but it did feel a little too heavy handed at times. I get the sense he wanted to share this idea with people, but he didn't know how to finish it. It was a little bit of a rip-off for me, admittedly....more
**spoiler alert** This book is recommended quite often when the question of books about the land of faerie comes up, and so having heard a lot about i**spoiler alert** This book is recommended quite often when the question of books about the land of faerie comes up, and so having heard a lot about it, I bought it when I found it at my local bookshop. I do like the cover a lot, particularly the simplicity of it, and I also though the blurb could be interesting. Hooray for faeries, hooray for magical worlds! So I looked forward to reading it. From the first page, this book reminded me a lot of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.
The pacing is all off in this book. By the third chapter (all of which are short), Liza was off on her mission and the reader is left reeling over the sudden onset of action. I would have liked a lot more worldbuilding to have been done here. How did Liza, her family and her town get to be where they are? What was done? Do the faeries still live in the world? How do children get their powers? Why is her father so cruel? Who, what, when, where, why and most importantly, how?
So Liza goes on her adventure with her far-too aware and complying cat, Tallow. I'll accept that Tallow sits on her shoulder. None of my cats would have ever done that, not without me holding their bum, but I'll accept it. Maybe it's to do with Liza's powers. And then some action scenes occur and I'm left confused and need to re-read the past few pages. Simner has a bit of difficulty with writing clear action scenes, particularly with her pacing of them.
And then we wind up with a much to adult-speaking young girl, Allie, and more odd pacing issues and then there's radiation poisoning and mirrors and... dead cats.
I felt that the pacing got worst towards the end of the book. It started to get under my skin, and I wanted to tell at Simner to SLOW DOWN and DESCRIBE. Especially about the history here. How was the arch built? How does it connect with the faerie world? How did the war start- why did the war start? And what is Liza's ability, truly?
I was able to enjoy the book, though, despite all this, which is why I'm giving it three stars. The pacing does annoy me to bits, but I liked the twist on the faerie world situation....more
What a bizarre but wonderful novel. The whole premise is absolutely nuts, and the execution is just as insane. A woman from 1896 is flung millions of What a bizarre but wonderful novel. The whole premise is absolutely nuts, and the execution is just as insane. A woman from 1896 is flung millions of years into the future, where one of two naturally born people exist (the rest are creations or time travellers), falls in love with her and on it goes. Anything that can possibly be thought up exists, and people follow their whims, whether that involves having sex with one's parents, shooting an arrow through twenty palm trees and turning into a goat. Space travel is considered exceedingly dull, and time travel is a rare occurrence. When one can do anything they want to at a touch of a finger (or ring), why wouldn't it be that way?
This has all the makings of a book I should hate. The main character is horrendously naive, and there's a running theme of women-as-items, which may be par for course given the time Amelia's from and the time Moorcock lived in. It's also frighteningly bizarre, and it takes a couple of chapters to get the head around. It also droned on for periods and I got a touch bored towards the end. But Michael Moorcock's writing saves it. It's very touching and sweet. The romance between Jherek and Amelia is quaint, and the growth of both characters was realistic. I found Jherek's desperate attempts at wooing her to be cute.
I also enjoyed Mongrove's depression, and the Lat. I found Mr Underwood and the police to be a little grating towards the end, but I think they had played their part and simply had to be explained away. The last book could definitely have been shortened, at least, or even separated into two books.
But overall, this was very enjoyable for me, but not for everyone. It can be a hard read if one doesn't accept the fact it is going to be extremely abstract while going in. ...more
Well, all things considered, I did enjoy it. I chuckled at a few points, I finally got a heap of references (what can I say? Nothing, really), and I cWell, all things considered, I did enjoy it. I chuckled at a few points, I finally got a heap of references (what can I say? Nothing, really), and I can even see why it's such a popular book. It's sci-fi, but it's sci-fi for the average Joe. It's comedy sci-fi, too, which is good for people like me who enjoy sci-fi, but don't enjoy hard sci-fi (Peter, I'm looking at you).
Buuut it's definitely not one of my favourite novels. It's enjoyable, yes, but I'm not creaming myself over it.
I liked this book, and I can't quite put my finger on why. I guess it has something to do with the fact that all the other books I've read recently haI liked this book, and I can't quite put my finger on why. I guess it has something to do with the fact that all the other books I've read recently have been quite heavy on the brainpan. This one is quite easy.
I didn't even know it was a sequel until I started Googling the author and book, as I tend to do when starting a new book. I was a bit worried at first, that I would be lost and losing it, but it stands alone on its own quite well. Of course, there are parts to it (such as the fire, the other town, the sort of thing) that I didn't follow as much as I probably would have if I'd read the first book, but it still stands well on its own.
Horror can be a tricky genre. I'm not a huge horror book fan, so I can't hypothesise about what people do and don't like, but I can see it being a fine line between crime and fantasy. Horror stands on its own in that way. This book fell into a little bit of the zombie-horror genre. Characters died who I didn't expect to die, and I got a feeling there would be a third book on the horizon.
There were a lot of loose ends that weren't tied up that I think should have been. Also, I didn't connect to any of the characters in a way that left me upset or happy whether they lived or died. Everyone was just sort of 'blah'. But it's still enjoyable- quite enjoyable in fact, and a good, easy, and quite quick read....more
Loading...
