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georgiakirkegard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Fatphobia, Police brutality, Death, Child death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Gore
kylegarvey's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Slade House is the seventh novel by David Mitchell, an author I quite like but haven't yet read much from. It's a book started as a Twitter story (though how much of that was Mitchell himself and how much was his publisher's press dept, either creatively or advertorially, I just don't know), but I kind of wish it had stayed that way for more of its run. In balancing swift intrigue with flat exposition, it seems to me heavy genre mysteries would do well to lean a little toward the funner part. Maybe I just don't have the experience, haven't read enough of this type; and btw, don't listen to sneering elitists like me who supposedly look down their noses at low 'genre' in favor of high 'literary', we don't know much. Supposedly.
And also btw (by another way?), the Twitter thing I started was barely a novel at all, more just a clashing series of stupidities. So Mitchell has me beat pretty squarely already! Personally. Supposedly.
Part 1, before all the exposition's laid out, offers some fun intrigue. The Right Sort it's called. Nathan Bishop is our initial hero, a precocious lad. In the second part, Shining Armor, we get a little fun but mostly some bland details, like when our villains show up, "the man—Jonah—looks at his sister—Norah—with fond smugness. 'For fifty-four years, our souls have wandered that big wide world out there, possessing whatever bodies we want, living whatever lives we wish, while our fellow birth-Victorians are all dead or dying out. We live on. The operandi works.' / 'The operandi works provided our birth-bodies remain here in the lacuna, freeze-dried against world-time, anchoring our souls in life. The operandi works provided we recharge the lacuna every nine years by luring a gullible Engifted into a suitable orison. The operandi works provided our guests can be duped, banjaxed and drawn into the lacuna. Too many provideds, Jonah'" (99).
Sorry if that spoils anything, but I thought i'd quote it, since that just lays everything out in a dry way -- and I mean everything.
Oink Oink, the third part, has a preamble with some paranormal-interested kids investigating the previous Kidnappings, but then their investigations take them to a college party. Or what they think is a college party. You Dark Horse You, the penultimate part, has a lot of promising stuff about death and mortality, but it doesn't cohere into much plot-wise. The last part, Astronauts, concludes nicely with some sociology: "from feudal lords to slave traders to oligarchs to neocons to predators like you. All of you strangle your consciences, and ethically you strike yourselves dumb" (263). It's a decent arrival, but not so skilled of a departure or flight I don't think.
And also btw (by another way?), the Twitter thing I started was barely a novel at all, more just a clashing series of stupidities. So Mitchell has me beat pretty squarely already! Personally. Supposedly.
Part 1, before all the exposition's laid out, offers some fun intrigue. The Right Sort it's called. Nathan Bishop is our initial hero, a precocious lad. In the second part, Shining Armor, we get a little fun but mostly some bland details, like when our villains show up, "the man—Jonah—looks at his sister—Norah—with fond smugness. 'For fifty-four years, our souls have wandered that big wide world out there, possessing whatever bodies we want, living whatever lives we wish, while our fellow birth-Victorians are all dead or dying out. We live on. The operandi works.' / 'The operandi works provided our birth-bodies remain here in the lacuna, freeze-dried against world-time, anchoring our souls in life. The operandi works provided we recharge the lacuna every nine years by luring a gullible Engifted into a suitable orison. The operandi works provided our guests can be duped, banjaxed and drawn into the lacuna. Too many provideds, Jonah'" (99).
Sorry if that spoils anything, but I thought i'd quote it, since that just lays everything out in a dry way -- and I mean everything.
Oink Oink, the third part, has a preamble with some paranormal-interested kids investigating the previous Kidnappings, but then their investigations take them to a college party. Or what they think is a college party. You Dark Horse You, the penultimate part, has a lot of promising stuff about death and mortality, but it doesn't cohere into much plot-wise. The last part, Astronauts, concludes nicely with some sociology: "from feudal lords to slave traders to oligarchs to neocons to predators like you. All of you strangle your consciences, and ethically you strike yourselves dumb" (263). It's a decent arrival, but not so skilled of a departure or flight I don't think.
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Stalking, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Body horror, and Slavery
Minor: Police brutality
nick13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I thought this book was a really cool idea and even though I haven't read the book that goes with this one, I still really liked my time spent with it overall. my favorite story is a tie between the second to last one and the last one as they both were told really interestingly and even though the second to last one in the bar is a little bit of a horror trope, I always find it a really cool idea that is always gets me a little race in my heart.
A solid 4, I'm giving bonus points because I really liked how it was written.
A solid 4, I'm giving bonus points because I really liked how it was written.
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Drug use
Moderate: Child death, Police brutality, and Racism
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