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rufus666's review
5.0
The ending was very satisfying. There was a moment where I doubted whether the author would actually go through with that sort of ending. But then he did, and gained my admiration. Very philosophical, heady, psychological. A real book of ideas.
djotaku's review
5.0
This book is clearly a reaction to Japanese society, but it's also prescient (given when it was written) about our current situation where no one wants to experience anything that could bother them. It's incredible that he saw this coming 11 years ago. This is not to say that I'm one of those people who rails against "cancel culture" and so forth. I think it's a positive thing, in general, that folks who traditionally did not have a voice in the world now can speak out against injustice. But there is definitely a vocal minority who refuses to deal with anything that might unnerve or challenge them. Of course this thin line (which I imagine myself to be on the correct side of) is why I originally considered starting off this review with the sentence "This book is dangerous." I could definitely see some people taking this book as an example of why everyone should be able to say and do anything; who cares what others think?
As to the Japanese part (I am, admittedly, speaking second-hand), there has been a growing sentiment (certainly extant when Project Itoh was writing this book) that the society has become polite to a fault. That those who express their discomfort or issues with others are committing a faux pas against the greater society. And so Harmony conceives of a Utopia that is also a dystopia for some. The suicides mentioned in the book mirror the increasing numbers of Japanese men checking out and/or committing suicide. (And we see some evidence of the same happening in China and maybe among Gen Z here in America)
The other brilliant aspect of this book is the way it shifts between parts. Originally you think the story is going a certain way and then with each part, it shifts and now you're in a different story than you thought it was going to be.
I think the fact that I liked it so much and had such a hard time truly explaining it to others, means it'll probably be incredibly divisive. Still, I recommend it to folks as more relevant now in 2021 than it was when it came out in 2010.
As to the Japanese part (I am, admittedly, speaking second-hand), there has been a growing sentiment (certainly extant when Project Itoh was writing this book) that the society has become polite to a fault. That those who express their discomfort or issues with others are committing a faux pas against the greater society. And so Harmony conceives of a Utopia that is also a dystopia for some. The suicides mentioned in the book mirror the increasing numbers of Japanese men checking out and/or committing suicide. (And we see some evidence of the same happening in China and maybe among Gen Z here in America)
The other brilliant aspect of this book is the way it shifts between parts. Originally you think the story is going a certain way and then with each part, it shifts and now you're in a different story than you thought it was going to be.
I think the fact that I liked it so much and had such a hard time truly explaining it to others, means it'll probably be incredibly divisive. Still, I recommend it to folks as more relevant now in 2021 than it was when it came out in 2010.
greenskydragon's review
2.0
I'd heard good things about this book. Sadly, I feel that perhaps I've outgrown the target age group by the time I found out about it.
The fundamental flaw with this novel lies in its core idea. If a society is truly perfect, one in which evil truly can't exist, is it really worth rebelling against? If humans are made morally good and cured of their negative shortcomings, should they strive to throw off such progress? Would they even want to? These were the questions I had within the opening segment of the novel, and by the time I gave up the novel had yet to address, or even raise, these questions.
What was left was a group of selfish individuals who, rather than be heroes, were left to be utter villains. The system of morality of the main characters makes no differentiation between the freedom to choose evil and not act on it, and simply choosing to be evil. They behave in evil fashions as demonstrations of their "freedom" from a system designed to create paradise on earth.
Perhaps I missed something. Perhaps I quit before the point at which the novels justifies itself. But rebelling against perfection, simply because it is perfect, leaves me no room to root for these characters. There's nothing redeemable about pure, unadulterated evil
The fundamental flaw with this novel lies in its core idea. If a society is truly perfect, one in which evil truly can't exist, is it really worth rebelling against? If humans are made morally good and cured of their negative shortcomings, should they strive to throw off such progress? Would they even want to? These were the questions I had within the opening segment of the novel, and by the time I gave up the novel had yet to address, or even raise, these questions.
What was left was a group of selfish individuals who, rather than be heroes, were left to be utter villains. The system of morality of the main characters makes no differentiation between the freedom to choose evil and not act on it, and simply choosing to be evil. They behave in evil fashions as demonstrations of their "freedom" from a system designed to create paradise on earth.
Perhaps I missed something. Perhaps I quit before the point at which the novels justifies itself. But rebelling against perfection, simply because it is perfect, leaves me no room to root for these characters. There's nothing redeemable about pure, unadulterated evil
alexanderpaez's review
3.0
Tiene ideas buenísimas, pero el desarrollo de la novela, tanto personajes como trama me ha resultado muy insatisfactorio. Especialmente los personajes protagonistas. Insufribles. Sería un libro de 2 estrellas, pero la subo a 2,5 porque el planteamiento me ha gustado lo suficiente como para aguantar todo el libro.
krisis86's review
1.0
I don't know if it was just a bad translation or what, but this book is awful. I didn't finish it, didn't get much past page 50 because the writing is so bad. Yuck.
kasss's review
4.0
We all know there's no such thing as Utopia. Utopia is always Dystopia. And oh boy do I love a good dystopian novel.
Harmony is told from the perspective of Tuan Kirie. As a teenager she is troubled, attempting to escape the pressure this 'perfect' society puts on her. And while her friend Miach finds a way out, Tuan grows up to become a member of the World Health Organization.
This book is typically the kind of novel that one should just shut up about and read. I don't want to go into the plot too much because it's so easy to spoil and take away the fun of readingand also the plot is too complicated to write down properly. But I encourage fans of hard sci-fi, as well as readers who enjoy dystopia and its social implications, to give this book a try. It raises a lot of interesting questions about humanity, and while I'm sure sci-fi fans are familiar with these questions, the novel doesn't feel like a cliché.
The first thing you notice when you open this book is the coding. Initially it doesn't seem to have much of a function, and I was afraid I'd get tired of it. But it's clever and I'll leave it at that. In case you're worried, it's not overpowering the 'normal' text (unlike what the photo of the first page would suggest).
In 2009 this book won both the Seiun award for speculative fiction and the Japan SF award. The book was put in a different perspective when I got to the end and read that the author, 'Project Itoh', aka Keikaku Itō (born as Satoshi Itō), revised this book while in the hospital receiving cancer treatment. Sadly Itō passed away in 2009, Harmony was his second and final novel.
Harmony is told from the perspective of Tuan Kirie. As a teenager she is troubled, attempting to escape the pressure this 'perfect' society puts on her. And while her friend Miach finds a way out, Tuan grows up to become a member of the World Health Organization.
This book is typically the kind of novel that one should just shut up about and read. I don't want to go into the plot too much because it's so easy to spoil and take away the fun of reading
The first thing you notice when you open this book is the coding. Initially it doesn't seem to have much of a function, and I was afraid I'd get tired of it. But it's clever and I'll leave it at that. In case you're worried, it's not overpowering the 'normal' text (unlike what the photo of the first page would suggest).
In 2009 this book won both the Seiun award for speculative fiction and the Japan SF award. The book was put in a different perspective when I got to the end and read that the author, 'Project Itoh', aka Keikaku Itō (born as Satoshi Itō), revised this book while in the hospital receiving cancer treatment. Sadly Itō passed away in 2009, Harmony was his second and final novel.
tarabyt3's review
4.0
This was a fantastic book. I really enjoyed the pacing and the plotting and the nods to classic SF. I felt that it dealt with some issues that are especially concerning to Japanese culture in regards to membership in society and what it means to value your place as part of a whole against the value of your individuality. But it also brought into play some other interesting concerns. I loved the framing and formatting and think that if you like Orwell's 1984 or Naam's Nexus or Huxley's Brave New World, you'll probably like this. The only drawbacks were some inconsistencies with the characters and a few minor hiccups here and there in the plot that covered up some issues. Overall, definitely worth a read.
barnesm31's review
5.0
This is my favourite novel so far this year.
Project Itoh's novels are always engaging thought works, but this is the best I think. With all the dystopian themes the author has explored to date it's this world of conquest by medical wonder that leads to the inevitable horrifying apocalypse. It really couldn't end any other way.
With discussions on the mind and conciousness it touches on many of my current nightmares.
Great read.
Project Itoh's novels are always engaging thought works, but this is the best I think. With all the dystopian themes the author has explored to date it's this world of conquest by medical wonder that leads to the inevitable horrifying apocalypse. It really couldn't end any other way.
With discussions on the mind and conciousness it touches on many of my current nightmares.
Great read.