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psoglav's review against another edition
4.0
OCENA ★★★✫ 3.5
* Radnja ★★★★ 4/5
* Okruženje ★★★ 4/5
* Stil ★★★ 3/5
* Likovi ★★★ 3/5
Odličan roman koji predviđa kraj kopnene civilizacije i sledeći korak ljudske evolucije. Pomalo mračno i depresivno, ali u skladu sa današnjom situacijom, iako pisano pre 50 godina.
* Radnja ★★★★ 4/5
* Okruženje ★★★ 4/5
* Stil ★★★ 3/5
* Likovi ★★★ 3/5
Odličan roman koji predviđa kraj kopnene civilizacije i sledeći korak ljudske evolucije. Pomalo mračno i depresivno, ali u skladu sa današnjom situacijom, iako pisano pre 50 godina.
milodatree's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
slow start, engaging middle and interesting ending. the very last chapter wrapped up the story very nicely
jenniferszhu's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
alexandreads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
el_entrenador_loco's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lauren_endnotes's review
"The future is forever a projection of the present."
.
From INTER ICE AGE 4 by Kōbō Abe, tr. from the Japanese by E. Dale Saunders, 1958/1970.
#JanuaryinJapan
Originally published in serialized form in SEKAI journal in 1958 -1959, Abe's early science fiction tale is psycho-ecological science fantasy & horror. Katsumi is a scientist creating a future forecasting machine. In searching for his first test subject, he uncovers a murder plot, AND a cabal of scientists harvesting bodies, and genetically engineering creatures to live in a post-flood underwater Japan.
There's a lot going on here in just 220 pages. There is an episodic nature to the story, no doubt due to its serialized origin.
The early part of the book was hard to grasp, but I am glad I stuck with it, as I was rewarded by a superb level of surrealist weirdness, and some intriguing philosophical thought experiments; an ontological question that comes up a few times, posed by the scientists: Is murder wrong because it ends a life or because it denies a future?
▪️Some comparisons / name dropping:
Abe's varied themes in INTER ICE AGE 4 reminded me of "future crimes" in Philip K. Dick's "Minority Report", the surveillance of Orwell's 1984, the slipstream weird + esoteric horror of Anna Kavan's ICE, refractions of Adolfo Bioy Casares' INVENTION of Morel, and H.G. Wells' body horror in THE ISLAND of Dr. Moreau.
While the pacing & flow were a little off, the concepts and questions here really interested me, and I'm eager to read more Abe after this first foray... Several of his others are in my stacks.
.
From INTER ICE AGE 4 by Kōbō Abe, tr. from the Japanese by E. Dale Saunders, 1958/1970.
#JanuaryinJapan
Originally published in serialized form in SEKAI journal in 1958 -1959, Abe's early science fiction tale is psycho-ecological science fantasy & horror. Katsumi is a scientist creating a future forecasting machine. In searching for his first test subject, he uncovers a murder plot, AND a cabal of scientists harvesting bodies, and genetically engineering creatures to live in a post-flood underwater Japan.
There's a lot going on here in just 220 pages. There is an episodic nature to the story, no doubt due to its serialized origin.
The early part of the book was hard to grasp, but I am glad I stuck with it, as I was rewarded by a superb level of surrealist weirdness, and some intriguing philosophical thought experiments; an ontological question that comes up a few times, posed by the scientists: Is murder wrong because it ends a life or because it denies a future?
▪️Some comparisons / name dropping:
Abe's varied themes in INTER ICE AGE 4 reminded me of "future crimes" in Philip K. Dick's "Minority Report", the surveillance of Orwell's 1984, the slipstream weird + esoteric horror of Anna Kavan's ICE, refractions of Adolfo Bioy Casares' INVENTION of Morel, and H.G. Wells' body horror in THE ISLAND of Dr. Moreau.
While the pacing & flow were a little off, the concepts and questions here really interested me, and I'm eager to read more Abe after this first foray... Several of his others are in my stacks.
bibliophagic's review
2.0
Well, it's no [b: Woman in the Dunes|9998|The Woman in the Dunes|Kōbō Abe|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361254930s/9998.jpg|58336].
[b: Inter Ice Age 4|956650|Inter Ice Age 4|Kōbō Abe|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1324359085s/956650.jpg|58326] starts with an interesting enough premise: several world nations have developed a computer technology that can, given enough input, predict the future. Various of the nations respond in different ways - the USSR computer MOSCOW II is under sanctions because it predicted a communist world government. In Japan, a government subcommittee demands that their researchers stay away from asking their computer anything with political applications.
That's the first premise. Things get weird when [a: Kobo Abe|6526|Kōbō Abe|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1315397169p2/6526.jpg] tries to connect this story to another one about a future where the majority of the planet is under water and humans have been genetically engineered to live out their lives in the ocean.
Unfortunately, both premises suffer - the political intrigue and implications of various nations' interpretations of the future get lost when the tale veers off into the aquatic future of humanity, which is disappointingly crammed into the last few pages of the book, and so also left largely unexplored.
[b: Inter Ice Age 4|956650|Inter Ice Age 4|Kōbō Abe|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1324359085s/956650.jpg|58326] starts with an interesting enough premise: several world nations have developed a computer technology that can, given enough input, predict the future. Various of the nations respond in different ways - the USSR computer MOSCOW II is under sanctions because it predicted a communist world government. In Japan, a government subcommittee demands that their researchers stay away from asking their computer anything with political applications.
That's the first premise. Things get weird when [a: Kobo Abe|6526|Kōbō Abe|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1315397169p2/6526.jpg] tries to connect this story to another one about a future where the majority of the planet is under water and humans have been genetically engineered to live out their lives in the ocean.
Unfortunately, both premises suffer - the political intrigue and implications of various nations' interpretations of the future get lost when the tale veers off into the aquatic future of humanity, which is disappointingly crammed into the last few pages of the book, and so also left largely unexplored.
atreyomitra's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kaseyd's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0