Reviews

Tower by Bae Myung-hoon

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Series of connected short stories, all of which take place in the titular tower.
The book reminds me of Ursula K. Le Guin's portrayals of society and societal history and I appreciate very much the calm mood that permeates the stories. There's also a touch of absurdity in some of them, which I very much enjoy.

readerbot_lu's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Did I like it? Yes
Do I recommend it? Yes

Favorite Quote

"My mother made her own contribution to a family already in shambles. She scraped up our remaining fortune, down to the last coin, and ran off with some dude. I don’t know how she pilfered the money. It was decades ago now, but how she did it is still beyond the likes of me. I could study it for another ten years and never get it. She fled overseas, and my father passed away two years later. My father was like that. He was such a social man that when he was declared socially dead, he died biologically too." (43%)

Positives

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story collection, especially the absurdity used to satirize the ethically-questionable situations addressed (and the easter eggs). There are also diverse narrative styles and voices, which helped characterize the stories they told. One issue I usually have with short story collections is that after reading a couple, they all blend together and I either can’t remember them or can’t tell them apart after finishing the collection. This collection averted that issue by switching up the narrative voice and format.

Negatives

Some themes were heavier in specific stories, making me think they were limited to one story. Then, they would be referenced far later. For example, Taklamakan Misdelivery heavily discusses the Beanstalk = Tower of Babel comparison, but this does not come up again until Fully-Compliant (the last story in the collection). Additionally, while I found the majority of the world-building and moments of exploring Beanstalk as a setting and environment to be interesting, there were a few instances where it got a bit dry (particularly in The Elevator Maneuver Exercise).

ellamai's review

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

kastionsol's review

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

Three Wise Recruits - 3
In Praise of Nature - 2.5
Taklamakan Misdelivery - 4
The Elevator Maneuver Exercise - 3
The Buddha of the Square - 2
Fully-Compliant - 3
The Bear God's Afternoon - 2
Cafe Beans Talking - 4
Dog Interview - 3