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nigellicus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
All three volumes, but not, sadly, the appendices to City Of Saints And Madman. Bronson Pinchot reading the Hisotircal Guide is an absolute blast, especially as the footnotes head into triple figures. Forgot how much Shriek was almost a dialogue between Duncan and Janice, nice effect. Finch has a lot of torture in it, making it a bit grueling at times.
ewh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Easily one of the best books I have ever read. Definitely the best world building I have ever encountered in a book series.
daniellemarie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
lnoronha's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
janaswrite's review against another edition
I am having a hard time keeping track of all the characters and timeline. Something about the pace isn’t connecting well with me right now. I will put it down and revisit it later in the year.
bhirts's review against another edition
4.0
The version I finished is the original four novellas plus “the cage” (i.e. the version included in the Ambergris Omnibus collection of the trilogy). Weird! Cool!
stanalogue's review against another edition
5.0
Having read and loved the Area X, the Borne books, and Hummingbird Salamander, this trilogy was on my radar for a long time. Something about the descriptions of the Ambergris books (the mushroom people and sort-of fantasy setting, the way the books were not a traditional trilogy, the fact that they were VanDermeer's older works) put me off. Having finally read them makes me regret not getting around to it sooner. I think these books have some of the most unique and engrossing world/character building I have ever read. While certainly a long haul at almost 900 pages, I'm glad I stuck with it.
The stories of the first book, City of Saints and Madmen introduce the city of Ambergris, its knowable and unknowable inhabitants, and its violent and colonial history. While I liked some stories more than others, it did really well to showcase the world from the perspectives of different characters and even mediums. One of the stories, ostensibly a travel guide to Ambergris written by an overqualified and disillusioned scholar, features dozens upon dozens of footnotes elaborating upon what is written in the text. A somewhat irritating conceit in practice, but it served well to show the character's voice and personality through while really fleshing out the details of the world.
The second book takes this meta-fictional conceit further, and filters the world of Ambergris through the lens of a work being written and commented upon by two characters who have lived long and eventful lives in Ambergris, the events filtered through their lived experiences, intersecting with characters we met in the first book as well as expanding upon the wonders, horrors, and history of Ambergris. I found this book to be a little too long, but ultimately a far more touching and personal story than I thought it would be going into it.
The third book does something completely unexpected - it keeps the setting we learned so much about in the first two books, but creates a hard-boiled detective novel out of it. The prose completely changes. The sentences are clipped; the characters gruff. The world far more oppressive and totalitarian than in the previous books, a changed but recognizable extrapolation. Given how fleshed out Ambergris is in the previous two books, the events of the third book have a weight to them feeling consequential, weighty, and satisfying until the very end.
Imaginative, grim, violent, hopeful, sometimes funny, always picturesque, the world of Ambergris is not one I will soon forget.
The stories of the first book, City of Saints and Madmen introduce the city of Ambergris, its knowable and unknowable inhabitants, and its violent and colonial history. While I liked some stories more than others, it did really well to showcase the world from the perspectives of different characters and even mediums. One of the stories, ostensibly a travel guide to Ambergris written by an overqualified and disillusioned scholar, features dozens upon dozens of footnotes elaborating upon what is written in the text. A somewhat irritating conceit in practice, but it served well to show the character's voice and personality through while really fleshing out the details of the world.
The second book takes this meta-fictional conceit further, and filters the world of Ambergris through the lens of a work being written and commented upon by two characters who have lived long and eventful lives in Ambergris, the events filtered through their lived experiences, intersecting with characters we met in the first book as well as expanding upon the wonders, horrors, and history of Ambergris. I found this book to be a little too long, but ultimately a far more touching and personal story than I thought it would be going into it.
The third book does something completely unexpected - it keeps the setting we learned so much about in the first two books, but creates a hard-boiled detective novel out of it. The prose completely changes. The sentences are clipped; the characters gruff. The world far more oppressive and totalitarian than in the previous books, a changed but recognizable extrapolation. Given how fleshed out Ambergris is in the previous two books, the events of the third book have a weight to them feeling consequential, weighty, and satisfying until the very end.
Imaginative, grim, violent, hopeful, sometimes funny, always picturesque, the world of Ambergris is not one I will soon forget.
ceredonia's review against another edition
2.0
DNF at book 2. I can't care. I keep looking at it to read more and haven't found any willpower to trudge through the rest. 4 stars for the first book of the trilogy.
tiffani_reads's review against another edition
Did not love the third person narrative.
laurareads87's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
I have long wanted to read the books of Ambergris having previously really enjoyed Vandermeer's Area X books. While this trilogy represents his earlier work, it is absolutely masterful in its worldbuilding; each of the books reveals something about the others and through all of them, Ambergris emerges as a fully developed and entirely living world, complete with history, culture, religions, and social norms. It reflects some of the the wide range of Vandermeer's talents, with the first book ultimately a collection of novellas, the second written in biographical style (complete with interjections from the presumed dead subject of the biography), and the third a detective story. It is not for the faint of heart and not a quick read, but this trilogy is vital reading for fans of the 'new weird.'
Content warnings: torture (on page), body horror (extensive, graphic), blood, gore, violence, murder, death, colonial violence / colonization, genocide, suicide, grief
Content warnings: torture (on page), body horror (extensive, graphic), blood, gore, violence, murder, death, colonial violence / colonization, genocide, suicide, grief
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Death, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Colonisation, Genocide, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt