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magnetgrrl's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved this book. It's about Sam Breen, an earthling who has decided to teach English on far away and vastly different water-atmosphere planet Octavia, where the native species has eight tentacles. Sam, being fed up with Earth's cultural domination across the galaxy, chooses Octavia precisely for its difference and distance. A lot of the book is about not culture shock per se, but getting used to different cultures and kinds of people.
The book has a meandering quality that might annoy readers hoping for a bit more space opera or some overarching plot, but I really liked all the characters and was happy enough just watching them wander around in their lives for a bit. The alien world of Octavia and its residents were fascinating and beautifully rendered. The ending seemed a little disjointed and confusing, but overall was not a huge letdown because the book was not spent building up to something that wasn't there. In the end, though I might have preferred an ending that was a little longer and more cohesive, I still really liked the book.
The book has a meandering quality that might annoy readers hoping for a bit more space opera or some overarching plot, but I really liked all the characters and was happy enough just watching them wander around in their lives for a bit. The alien world of Octavia and its residents were fascinating and beautifully rendered. The ending seemed a little disjointed and confusing, but overall was not a huge letdown because the book was not spent building up to something that wasn't there. In the end, though I might have preferred an ending that was a little longer and more cohesive, I still really liked the book.
nickfourtimes's review against another edition
3.0
1) "'Thanks for the beer, asshole,' I said as I turned away.
A few steps from the door there was the familiar music of cheap bar glass smashing against... what was that? I turned around. Ah. Fuckwad had thrown his glass into the display of expensive liquor bottles. His back was to me, and his arms were crossed in a sullen way.
The charliebot was immobile. One of the lights in his neck way through the door.
'You owe the bar 450 credits for the damages incurred.'
It made me smile, but it wasn’t a real smile, just skin pulled tighter."
2) "'Hmm,' I said, thinking about my more successful quest for tribe. 'I became a ghost walking around the school. The conversations didn’t die on my approach, and so I got to listen to vacuous stupidities which simply deepened my gloom. Nattering about clothing without talking about aesthetics; they discussed scandal after scandal, but never ethics; drinking and self-destruction without nihilism; sport without catharsis.'"
3) "I followed her back into the Living Garden and into the tunnels. I was thinking about how awful it would be if she actually did want to have sex now, finally, when all she inspired in me was despair. But what the hell did I want, anyway? A militant Earth-resister? Of course she thought Earth was great — it was like her hobby. Was she supposed to look at the loss of a few traditions that were probably really boring to her as some kind of crime? When it brought with it new, modern, liberating ideas? When it made her as a female — and as a female who spoke English — a lot more powerful?"
A few steps from the door there was the familiar music of cheap bar glass smashing against... what was that? I turned around. Ah. Fuckwad had thrown his glass into the display of expensive liquor bottles. His back was to me, and his arms were crossed in a sullen way.
The charliebot was immobile. One of the lights in his neck way through the door.
'You owe the bar 450 credits for the damages incurred.'
It made me smile, but it wasn’t a real smile, just skin pulled tighter."
2) "'Hmm,' I said, thinking about my more successful quest for tribe. 'I became a ghost walking around the school. The conversations didn’t die on my approach, and so I got to listen to vacuous stupidities which simply deepened my gloom. Nattering about clothing without talking about aesthetics; they discussed scandal after scandal, but never ethics; drinking and self-destruction without nihilism; sport without catharsis.'"
3) "I followed her back into the Living Garden and into the tunnels. I was thinking about how awful it would be if she actually did want to have sex now, finally, when all she inspired in me was despair. But what the hell did I want, anyway? A militant Earth-resister? Of course she thought Earth was great — it was like her hobby. Was she supposed to look at the loss of a few traditions that were probably really boring to her as some kind of crime? When it brought with it new, modern, liberating ideas? When it made her as a female — and as a female who spoke English — a lot more powerful?"
rdebner's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this as much as the other books of Munroe's that I've read, but it was very creative and an intelligent story.
j00j's review
3.0
Some aspects of this are a bit heavy-handed, but as usual Jim Munroe tells a fun (and funny) story with interesting characters and thoughtful social commentary. I'd especially recommend it to people interested in reading about the experience of living in a culture very different from one's own.
icameheretoread's review
4.0
There are some great laugh out loud moments in this book! I really enjoyed it. Sam has gone to Octavia to teach English to students. He's there because he has realized that everything he stood for on Earth was meaningless. This is part reflection about the human (male) condition, part reflection on stronger government influence on surrounding governments (here, planets). Sam is not alone. He has a core group of fellow teachers. The book delves into many deep ideas (such as racism) and can be read on a deeper level or taken at face value as an entertaining read. I have never read anything like it before, but I saw some correlations that made me smile. Dolphins, in this story, are monsters that terrorized the poor Octavians in a war (Hitchhiker's Guide-Dolphins are like supreme beings). And no matter how hard I tried, I could not help picture Octavia to look like Bikini Bottom. The "pug" subculture harks back to Fight Club (not surprising in a book called "angry young" spaceman). This is a good read.
What brought me to this book was the really great cover. I know, I know.
What brought me to this book was the really great cover. I know, I know.
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