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eddyos25's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
dee9401's review against another edition
2.0
This was a book that mixed high tech hacking, a Latin American country's movement from dictatorship to something akin to democracy (Bolivia is setting), how to deal both personally and nationally with political violence committed by people who are still in power, or at least wield power, and grassroots movements. It's a lot to cover and many writing techniques are deployed to move the story from start to finish.
This book took me forever to get through. This was in part due to my writing and not wanting to get distracted by reading fiction. Turns out, that hurt me. I need to keep reading even when I'm in the midst of heavy writing.
But, it couldn't be just that. I'm not sure if it was me, the translation (original was in Spanish) or the original author's story, but it took forever to get into the book and I didn't feel it really moving until after 200 pages (it's a 291 page book in the hardcover edition I have).
It was an interesting exercise, though, as the author experimented with different techniques. Chapters would switch between first, second and third person point of view. He also used stream of consciousness, narrative, dialogue and internal monologues, keeping consistency within each short chapter.
Time was also something he played with. The beginning of the next chapter would often start before the end of the last, and then "catch up" and surpass it, but always from a different point of view. I found that kind of neat.
One cool quote, towards the end:
"You're delirious."
"We all are. It's just that some people's delirium is less offensive than others."
This book took me forever to get through. This was in part due to my writing and not wanting to get distracted by reading fiction. Turns out, that hurt me. I need to keep reading even when I'm in the midst of heavy writing.
But, it couldn't be just that. I'm not sure if it was me, the translation (original was in Spanish) or the original author's story, but it took forever to get into the book and I didn't feel it really moving until after 200 pages (it's a 291 page book in the hardcover edition I have).
It was an interesting exercise, though, as the author experimented with different techniques. Chapters would switch between first, second and third person point of view. He also used stream of consciousness, narrative, dialogue and internal monologues, keeping consistency within each short chapter.
Time was also something he played with. The beginning of the next chapter would often start before the end of the last, and then "catch up" and surpass it, but always from a different point of view. I found that kind of neat.
One cool quote, towards the end:
"You're delirious."
"We all are. It's just that some people's delirium is less offensive than others."
tonythep's review against another edition
3.0
at times i was really into this Bolivian cyber-political thriller, at times it left me flat. author switched person (from third to second) and tense depending on the character which may have something to do with my mixed emotions. the chapters featuring Turing of the title (nicknamed for the historical Alan Turing) were in the second person: you do this, you do that. and yet he may have been the most passive character in the book. by design perhaps? anyway, it was intriguing enough to make me want to check out more of the author's work.
edward_wilsher's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A bit of a mixed bag. There were a few occasions and storylines that felt completely pointless and had no character progression or story arc. On the other hand, the twists at the end and the main storyline was intriguing with a satisfying ending. Not enough to bring it up higher than 3.5.
roisinsreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lenni's review against another edition
I was so excited to read a book by a Bolivian author but beyond place names and a potentially Goni-like character it had no colla-camba flavor. The mishmash of writing styles was frustrating and the plot slow.
pogue's review
1.0
It took me so long to read this book, if this had not been for my reading around the world challenge I would have not finished it.
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