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mollietherose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Gore
dannymorrison97's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
drecords's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this, but I didn’t. Some funny scenes and satire, but it felt belabored. There wasn’t too much of a plot until I stopped caring and just wanted the book to end. Maybe it was better right after the Vietnam War.
rsehrlich's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5. I think Doctor Rat stands as an impressive piece of satire, science fiction, and speculative fiction all mashed together, and I don't regret reading it. There's some terrific, heart-rending writing buried in Doctor Rat, but it gets lost in underwhelming detours and prose that bounces between biting satire and unfitting comedy. 30 fewer pages and more focus would have done Doctor Rat a world of good--as would a more consistent tone, a punchier last page, and just a touch less interjection of Doctor Rat's neuroticism. What this book lacks is mostly fine-tuning.
Something else to consider is that this was authored in the 1970s and historical context, as well as a knowledge of what is and isn't fabricated by Kotzwinkle for the purposes of storytelling, is imperative for this to work well. A lot of that perspective has been lost to time and I think the annoyance of having to do the legwork for the book you're reading is another point of disconnection for modern readers, which is unfortunate but in some ways unavoidable. If you pick Doctor Rat up, I highly recommend reading some opinion pieces on it as well--ones from the 1970s as well as the modern ones.
Something else to consider is that this was authored in the 1970s and historical context, as well as a knowledge of what is and isn't fabricated by Kotzwinkle for the purposes of storytelling, is imperative for this to work well. A lot of that perspective has been lost to time and I think the annoyance of having to do the legwork for the book you're reading is another point of disconnection for modern readers, which is unfortunate but in some ways unavoidable. If you pick Doctor Rat up, I highly recommend reading some opinion pieces on it as well--ones from the 1970s as well as the modern ones.
aropuzzler's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
pine_wulf's review against another edition
1.0
Maybe more like a 1.5. It started interesting, but then the premise got a bit old. And the ending was kind of ridiculous. Also, I thought there was going to be a serious argument for humanity, and was very disappointed to find it was only "It's for science! We have to to get grants!" by someone who is self-declared to be insane.
wlwism's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
georgekn__'s review against another edition
3.0
Not bad, but also not great! A nice satire about both the horrors of animal experimentation whilst also commenting on the chemical warfare used during the Vietnam war
jucebar's review
3.0
Me gusto como inicia, la verdad si fue dificil para mi, leer todas las cosas que sucedian en el laboratorio.
La parte de pensamientos como tipo religiosos, sinceramente no los comprendi y no llegue a entenderlos del todo. Podria decir que la conclusion no me gusto.
La parte de pensamientos como tipo religiosos, sinceramente no los comprendi y no llegue a entenderlos del todo. Podria decir que la conclusion no me gusto.