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belladoyle's review against another edition
The first book was wild and entertaining.... I just couldn't stand reading more about his "rea" life. Stuff in the back looked cool.
daja57's review against another edition
4.0
This novel combines a sociological novel exploring the death of a society with an autobiography of the artist. It incorporates aspects of metafiction, for example, in the sequence of the parts (Book 3, Prologue, Book 1, Book 2, Book 4) and in the Epilogue (placed within Book 4) which incorporates the author discussing the plot with the protagonist, footnotes and an 'Index of Plagiarisms' directing the readers attention to the literary sources of the novel.
I enjoyed books one and two which followed a lad called Thaw through childhood, school and art college to his first commission, a period in which he repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempts to lose his virginity, and at the end of which he suffers a breakdown.
The frame narrative (books three, which comes before one, and four, which follows two) follows the picaresque adventures of a lad called Lanark, who is presumably Thaw, post breakdown. The narrative starts in a city we later learn is called Unthank into which Lanark has strayed having forgotten his name (this was very like the beginning of Dhalgren by Samuel R Delaney). Soon Lanark is swallowed (Book of Jonah?) and falls into an underground world (Alice in Wonderland?) which is run by the sinister Institute. Later he leaves the Institute to travel through an intercalendrical zone back to Lanark where he endeavours to prevent the destruction planned for the city. So, a dystopia, with hints of The Time Machine by H G Wells mixed with You Only Live Twice? In this experimental fiction phase of the book, the author's ever-fertile imagination spawns lots of incidents and loads of characters and somehow fails to present a narrative that gels. Whilst I had been invested in the trials and tribulations of wannabe-artist Thaw, I never really cared what happened to Lanark or his world.
In the end, whilst appreciating the author's erudition (all those sources!) and his skill, I was disappointed.
But there is humour ("Do you abuse yourself? Certainly, if I've been stupid in public."; Ch 18) and there are wonderful descriptions ("The yellow or purple spots of occasional roadside flowers shrieked like tiny discords in an orchestra where every instrument played over and over again the same two notes."; Ch 18) and the text is saturated with ideas.
I enjoyed books one and two which followed a lad called Thaw through childhood, school and art college to his first commission, a period in which he repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempts to lose his virginity, and at the end of which he suffers a breakdown.
The frame narrative (books three, which comes before one, and four, which follows two) follows the picaresque adventures of a lad called Lanark, who is presumably Thaw, post breakdown. The narrative starts in a city we later learn is called Unthank into which Lanark has strayed having forgotten his name (this was very like the beginning of Dhalgren by Samuel R Delaney). Soon Lanark is swallowed (Book of Jonah?) and falls into an underground world (Alice in Wonderland?) which is run by the sinister Institute. Later he leaves the Institute to travel through an intercalendrical zone back to Lanark where he endeavours to prevent the destruction planned for the city. So, a dystopia, with hints of The Time Machine by H G Wells mixed with You Only Live Twice? In this experimental fiction phase of the book, the author's ever-fertile imagination spawns lots of incidents and loads of characters and somehow fails to present a narrative that gels. Whilst I had been invested in the trials and tribulations of wannabe-artist Thaw, I never really cared what happened to Lanark or his world.
In the end, whilst appreciating the author's erudition (all those sources!) and his skill, I was disappointed.
But there is humour ("Do you abuse yourself? Certainly, if I've been stupid in public."; Ch 18) and there are wonderful descriptions ("The yellow or purple spots of occasional roadside flowers shrieked like tiny discords in an orchestra where every instrument played over and over again the same two notes."; Ch 18) and the text is saturated with ideas.
als_adventures's review against another edition
challenging
4.25
Stick with it. Page 480 gets interesting.
saraturtleduck's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
maxhyner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pruadh's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book (or 4 books) is one where it's hard to know where to begin discussing it. It's one of my favourite books that I'd recommend to basically no-one. Gray himself said, "I want Lanark to be read in one order but eventually thought of in another." Even after reading it in one order and thinking of it in another, I think I still need to return to it some day to uncover what I've missed.
Lanark stands out in Scottish literature in how romantically - however dark - the city of Glasgow is described. The novel, despite it being a depiction of hell, gave me a new appreciation for my home. It's both jarring and in a way validating to see the city and country I grew up depicted imaginatively instead of in news or documentary, and it was honestly refreshing however bleak Lanark might be.
Lanark is a challenging read, but remains one of the most imaginative and unique science-fiction novels I've ever read, yet still manages to be thoroughly human in the way it explores our shared experience with enough depth that one reading simply isn't enough.
Lanark stands out in Scottish literature in how romantically - however dark - the city of Glasgow is described. The novel, despite it being a depiction of hell, gave me a new appreciation for my home. It's both jarring and in a way validating to see the city and country I grew up depicted imaginatively instead of in news or documentary, and it was honestly refreshing however bleak Lanark might be.
Lanark is a challenging read, but remains one of the most imaginative and unique science-fiction novels I've ever read, yet still manages to be thoroughly human in the way it explores our shared experience with enough depth that one reading simply isn't enough.
clari's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lanadelgray's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
jimgibreads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
calebchou's review against another edition
Sometimes really good and sometimes infuriating and boring. The main character has a tendency to be the most insufferable incel freak loser I’ve ever seen in a book but manages to still have his likable moments. I preferred the books that took place in Unthank, especially book 3.