I haven't digested this yet; however, with the magnitude of this story line, a few rough transitions make their way into the unstable bedrock of the cI haven't digested this yet; however, with the magnitude of this story line, a few rough transitions make their way into the unstable bedrock of the crazy timeline and sometimes leaps without mindful follow through. Certainly being able to follow the editing process would have been a charming pursuit.
This novel has a unique approach to a character chronology. It basically doesn't have one. And a slow reader or drunk one will not figure out till half way through who's who and what's progressed.
The story and characterization has the faint honey smell of The Subtle Knife and a funky god craze like feel of Mark Chadbourn's Age of Misrule.
One can't help but notice the Frank Herbert influence on Jemisin's writing especially the beginning inscriptions on each chapter.
If you like traveler epics in the vein of Hyperion or The Dark Tower, this might be for you. I've ordered the second book in the trilogy.
You can't read The Dog Stars without comparing it to The Road. The Dog Stars has a skimming of the dark tone of The Road; however, it fearlessly offerYou can't read The Dog Stars without comparing it to The Road. The Dog Stars has a skimming of the dark tone of The Road; however, it fearlessly offers redemption for the fall of humanity to the point that loss is overcome by hope to show that personal compassion might exist in an apocalyptic love fest regardless of hard humans and our savagery. I think the best apocalyptic novels are survival manuals geared toward annihilation but letting love in somewhat like a weed in the ruins....more
Unpredictable plot, protagonist, antagonist, excitement, reads quickly....original: so you want to know more about motivations with spoilers galore...Unpredictable plot, protagonist, antagonist, excitement, reads quickly....original: so you want to know more about motivations with spoilers galore...it's not here...I'm tired of giving people book reports! Read it for yourself, slob!...more
Started slow and picked up with the introduction of the Sumerian myth and kind of fizzled...just not what I expected of Stephenson. I'm stalled in theStarted slow and picked up with the introduction of the Sumerian myth and kind of fizzled...just not what I expected of Stephenson. I'm stalled in the middle of his Cryptonomicon...I'm finding that his notorious "info dumps" are beginning to wear very thin with me...come on Neal you're more of an artist than that!...more
Humans who eat zombie flesh in stews seasoned with Rosemary and a 15 year old gurka knife wielding female protagonist...hell, I was totally prepared tHumans who eat zombie flesh in stews seasoned with Rosemary and a 15 year old gurka knife wielding female protagonist...hell, I was totally prepared to give this 5 stars but like so many other wanna be modern fiction writers Bell leads us along the primrose path to the ever lasting bonfire with relish...the dear reader looks forward to it. However, once we cross into Texas the problems start, for the writer that is. And it spirals on down into madness...I've never understood why an author who builds hope for a whole novel wants to tear it down at the end...WTF gives with that? It's a complete crapout...just like in Cold Mountain!...more
Oryx & Crake and The Year of the Flood should be read back to back without any interruptions so one can keep the myriad characters straight in one's mOryx & Crake and The Year of the Flood should be read back to back without any interruptions so one can keep the myriad characters straight in one's mind especially if one is over oh, say 30.
I loved the hymns and environmental messages, but I'm a poke for verse.
There will be an Atwood folder now in My Books...looking forward to Cat's Eye and The Blind Assassin....more
What really makes a modern novel is the realism of the men and women copulating...the desire building behind it and the torture of taboo and the thrilWhat really makes a modern novel is the realism of the men and women copulating...the desire building behind it and the torture of taboo and the thrill of possibilities even though death lurks.
Of course, death well done is the work of master engineers of prose.
Atwood's plotting and setting are almost masterful; however, like many contemporaries, she cops the ending and loses her focus with the bullshit, in-the-future epilogue...how I fucking hate that ending. I relish puking when I stumble across them...a good firm purge for all of modern literature.
If you remember, dear reader, in Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, after all that suffering and hope how the main character is killed off at the end...there should be a federal law to strip authors of their citizenship and put them in Guantanamo Bay for two months to let them contemplate his or her literary sins.
Take, Uncle Cormac's The Road where the reader is ready for the end and not betrayed by it...after the roller coaster of emotions are grinding to an end we don't necessarily want the grim reaper to appear but we accept it when he does!
Anyway, taking Atwood's frustrating ending, the situation seems costum construed for a sequel. Just like with Oryx & Crake, she should have finished her job with dignity and nobility not bothering about the mosquito-whine of a second book because I shan't be bothered to pick it up.
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