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avesmaria's review against another edition
3.0
Poetic and atmospheric but also not a very easy read. The plot isn’t linear time-wise and it makes it kind of a struggle to finish.
lureads2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Awesome sci fi and great characters, with a very interesting reversed narrative style but ultimately too abstract for me which mde it difficult to read; the first 1/4th of the book was difficult to grasp which made it slow but it picks up by the middle of the book, worth the read for Vandermeer fans!
vgk's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
1.5
I mostly knew what was going on for the first 200 pages, but after that I lost hold of it. Very dark and disturbing. I skimmed the last 100 pages or so.
doctor_km's review against another edition
5.0
You either going to love this book or you going to hate it. For me I absolutely loved it, but I have pretty much loved everything that VanderMeer has written.
Is this book deeply complicated and philosophical? Yes it absolutely is. Is it the kind of book you can just breeze through without reading every single word and thinking about their context? No it is absolutely not. But if you like to be challenged by what you read and your mind is open to new ideas and new philosophy and new ways of thinking about words and story and this might be the book for you.
It may be the hardest book I've ever read, but also one of the most fulfilling.
Is this book deeply complicated and philosophical? Yes it absolutely is. Is it the kind of book you can just breeze through without reading every single word and thinking about their context? No it is absolutely not. But if you like to be challenged by what you read and your mind is open to new ideas and new philosophy and new ways of thinking about words and story and this might be the book for you.
It may be the hardest book I've ever read, but also one of the most fulfilling.
doormatt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Jeff Vandermeer continues to be very hit or miss, this time within one book. He's always got great ideas but sometimes the writing just doesn't come across correctly. That said, the fourth short story "can't remember" is one of the best (kinda) time loop shorts I've read.
claraeileen99's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
chelseamguy's review against another edition
4.0
That was really weird and I really liked it. (Except maybe the amount of violent imagery.)
adelopycruz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
leakyeyelugo's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I thought i’d like this book, as i’m a huge fan of Vandermeer’s other works (SR Trilogy, Borne), but this was just a chore.
The story felt hard-to-follow with not much payoff in the end. Maybe its ideas were too complex for my simpleton brain, but i just simply was not a fan. It was well-written and had some ideas i did like. Others…not so much.
The story felt hard-to-follow with not much payoff in the end. Maybe its ideas were too complex for my simpleton brain, but i just simply was not a fan. It was well-written and had some ideas i did like. Others…not so much.