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pacifickat's review
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"His alien spirit would travel far, into the Fiend's keeping." -Beowulf
Thoroghly enjoyed the author-narrated audiobook. Sci-Fi short fiction is truly one of my favorite sub-genres, and this didn't disappoint. It's witty, smart, and irreverent even as it plays with great literary stories and tropes. The twist was fun and horrible, even if I saw it coming a long way off. I love a well executed use of an unreliable narrator!
I know Tchaikovsky is a smart dude, and was trying to figure out how monster horror fit into a more clever overarching story. The novella feels like part twisted hero quest, meets Alice In Wonderland, Howl's Moving Case, The Martian, Frankenstein, and Shaun of the Dead. He sprinkles on references to other literary works, as well as forboding mentions of "intelligent design" and the theory of relativity. I knew I was missing some obvious point. In the end, it was another reviewer who mentioned his name being G. Rendell, his many references to Mother, and his arm being torn off: Beowulf. Duh. This is a play on that ancient tale. I'd like to think that given enough time and patience, I would have figured that out myself.
Now I want to re-read it and pick out all the references and easter eggs.
Thoroghly enjoyed the author-narrated audiobook. Sci-Fi short fiction is truly one of my favorite sub-genres, and this didn't disappoint. It's witty, smart, and irreverent even as it plays with great literary stories and tropes.
I know Tchaikovsky is a smart dude, and was trying to figure out how
Now I want to re-read it and pick out all the references and easter eggs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Cannibalism, and Confinement
Moderate: Excrement and Gun violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
gilnean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Genocide, Vomit, Homophobia, and War
steffiraquel's review against another edition
I lost interest a long time ago...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
More...