Reviews

Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock

hakimbriki's review against another edition

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3.0

Basically:

description

I was very surprised at how hardcore some of this was. Imagine if this book came out in this day and age and won the Nebula award... Imagine the outrage on social media, the death threats against the author, the publishing company, or anyone who defends the book. I'm not sure if Moorcock faced any heat in 1969, but I really think this would not fly today. What he did took balls.

I really liked the first part of the novel. I thought it a brilliant way to introduce the intrigue and the characters. I was fully absorbed in the narrative, right until
SpoilerKarl reached Nazareth.
Then things just got a little too silly and immature for me. Some of the plot choices do not make much sense, and the rest of the novel didn't serve much of a purpose, since we all knew what was about to unfold.
Spoiler The way Karl carries out some of the miracles is laughable and quite lazy from the author, who even skips some of the big picture ones, like the Lazarus resurrection. A bit of a cop out, if you ask me.
Ontological paradoxes are always a hindrance in science fiction, in my book. One must be immensely crafty and imaginative to pull off a good time travel story. In the case of this novel,
Spoiler If Karl knew all about Jesus, and then becomes Jesus, how did it all start? Who came first?
On top of that, one of the love interests of the protagonist in the book,
SpoilerMonica
, has to be one of the most irksome I've ever encountered.

Read this if you enjoy time travel stuff. It is a flawed book, but it has its moments.

pryme's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

spikespiegel's review against another edition

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challenging dark fast-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

3.0

billymac1962's review against another edition

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5.0

Jesus, what a story. I mean that literally. A man gives his friend's new time machine a whirl and goes back 2000 years in the hopes of meeting Jesus Christ. What follows is disturbing, depressing, and funny.
It's bound to offend any fundamentalist. It's a quick read, although hard to find. I had to order it at my local bookstore and it was well worth the wait. If you have a problem with sacrilige, read the Bible instead.

pantelis's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.5

knightofswords's review against another edition

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3.0

Probably would have been WHOA MINDBLOWING in the 1960s, but kinds loses its impact in the 2020s when this story has been told before. I'm probably rating it unfairly because of that, but, eh.

eliathereader's review against another edition

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4.0

Kurgusu, yapısı çok iyiydi. Konusu bakımından rahatsız olanlar olabilir ama sonuçta bu yazarın kurgusu ve zaman makinesi üzerinden anlatmış o yüzden asıl odaklanılacak kısım bilimkurgusal kısmı olmalı.

ecleirs23's review against another edition

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5.0

A Cerebral Sci Fi. Absolutely mind boggling :)

Short novella but all Controversial.

symx's review against another edition

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3.0

İlginç bir kurgu. Nitekim bu kitabı da bilimkurgu klasiği olarak göremiyorum. Klasik olarak görebilmek için biraz araştırma yapmam ve Jung okumam gerekecek. Karakterin yer yer isyan edişinin altında yatan o temel sebebin derinliğini yakalayamadım. Yine de bu kitabı koleksiyonuma katmış olmam güzel!

zare_i's review against another edition

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4.0

Interesting story of troubled young man, suffering from what might be called martyr-syndrome (one could even say he was born in a era where ideals he holds dear are no longer cherished). He ends up in the most unexpected place of them all won t say where and when because it may ruin reading experience to some.[return][return]Gives a rather interesting view of how our own views on life and natural predispositions guide our actions and determine the way we end up.[return][return]Recommended.