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atagarev's review against another edition
4.0
I thought I had no idea what to expect when I started this book and I still ended up surprised. It started out as a postapocalyptic utopia about a hippie commune living in perfect harmony with each other and their environment while only needing to get high on alien weed for sustenance. Eventually the protagonist left the commune and went exploring to learn more about the world or maybe on a quest to become a Medieval-style holy hermit or maybe to chase a girl or maybe for a different reason or all of them or no reason at all.
On a slightly deeper level, there are many themes and ideas running through the book about... oh, just so many different things. In the end, it felt somewhat like doing a tarot reading- with some imagination, you can rearrange and combine them to mean all sorts of different things. I am pretty sure that if I reread the book a decade down the line, I will get something completely different out of it.
Unfortunately, the primary thing I got out of it on this reading was not really something I like too much. There was a bit too much stress on claiming objective things are irrelevant while subjective experience is the only thing that really matters and also too much reliance on the noble savage concept- that small simple societies are inherently harmonious and idyllic while technology and expansion are inherently evil and harmful.
In short, a very interesting read and surprisingly easy to get through (although I still feel like 500 pages of events and story were crammed into 200 pages here) even if I had some issues with the specific ideas I got out of it.
On a slightly deeper level, there are many themes and ideas running through the book about... oh, just so many different things. In the end, it felt somewhat like doing a tarot reading- with some imagination, you can rearrange and combine them to mean all sorts of different things. I am pretty sure that if I reread the book a decade down the line, I will get something completely different out of it.
Unfortunately, the primary thing I got out of it on this reading was not really something I like too much. There was a bit too much stress on claiming objective things are irrelevant while subjective experience is the only thing that really matters and also too much reliance on the noble savage concept- that small simple societies are inherently harmonious and idyllic while technology and expansion are inherently evil and harmful.
In short, a very interesting read and surprisingly easy to get through (although I still feel like 500 pages of events and story were crammed into 200 pages here) even if I had some issues with the specific ideas I got out of it.
nazli82's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
terrypaulpearce's review against another edition
5.0
Of course it's lovely to find that something held up as amazing, like say Infinite Jest or Catch-22, is actually amazing, but there's something extra wonderful about finding a book quite randomly, that it seems nobody ever heard of, that is in that same bracket. I did that with The Red Tent (through a recommendation from a friend), and now I've done it with this book, which I picked up for £2.99 quite randomly at a little bookshop local to my wife's workplace.
This is proper old 70s scifi, and among veterans of that scene I'm given to understand that it's a cult classic. But I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away. I've never seen an imagined world (in this case, a far-future Earth) detailed and thought out so well, and explained so beautifully. It feels fully realised, not created just for the benefit of the reader, and not over-explained for the benefit of the reader. In fact, you are often not sure what's happening. But Crowley seems to know so well himself, and keeps you engaged as you are wondering with such beautiful and real moments, that you trust he will make it good by the end, that you will understand as much as you need to.
And by the end, you do. Although I wanted to take this new understanding and go back and read the whole novel again with it in mind, to better understand many of the sentences and moments in themselves. I've resisted doing it again straightaway, though, and will save it as something to look forward to.
This is proper old 70s scifi, and among veterans of that scene I'm given to understand that it's a cult classic. But I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away. I've never seen an imagined world (in this case, a far-future Earth) detailed and thought out so well, and explained so beautifully. It feels fully realised, not created just for the benefit of the reader, and not over-explained for the benefit of the reader. In fact, you are often not sure what's happening. But Crowley seems to know so well himself, and keeps you engaged as you are wondering with such beautiful and real moments, that you trust he will make it good by the end, that you will understand as much as you need to.
And by the end, you do. Although I wanted to take this new understanding and go back and read the whole novel again with it in mind, to better understand many of the sentences and moments in themselves. I've resisted doing it again straightaway, though, and will save it as something to look forward to.
adru's review against another edition
5.0
Täiuslik sygiselugemine, saab aeglaselt lugeda ja mõtiskleda, et mis seal siis ikka toimub ja kuidas maailm selliseks on saanud, aga siis on ootamatult raamat läbi ja liigutus peal. Crowleyt peaks kindlasti veel lugema.
orlion's review against another edition
5.0
I am kinda in literary shock right now. It is clear from my rating that I felt this novel was fantastic... it is just...
Engine Summer is the third novel by John Crowley. It is definitely at this point that he begins to become the writer that would later write the better known novel: Little, Big. There is quite a bit similar between Little, Big and Engine Summer. Seasons play a huge role both symbolically and plotwise in both, and you could sum up both by saying they are about "The Tale" (to use Little, Big terminology)/"Snake's-hands"(Engine Summer terminology). Essentially, stories about stories.
Engine Summer also marks the end of John Crowley as a science fiction writer. Even in this book, you can see that he is starting to lay out his tools to write fantasy. The next time he will write science fiction will be in short story form ("Snow", followed by "Great Work of Time", both of which you should totally read).
This is, at least on the surface, a coming of age story (Bildungsroman for you snobs out there) set in a post apocalyptic New York state. (the exact location is never mentioned in the novel, but when in doubt, it's New York in John Crowley's writings). Our protagonist, Rush That Speaks, is setting off on a voyage of discovery. Hoping to bring back knowledge that is lost, find his first true love, and/or become a saint; he actually sets off on a path to become something...else... greater, perhaps.
Aside from being a fantastic novel, Engine Summer could actually act as a treatise to the writing style of John Crowley. It is always the 'snake's-hands' (side-plots that do not necessarily go anywhere except to deviate from the main plot for a bit)that are the important parts, nay, the best parts of a story (and review. Further, it is also the jarring change(s) in perspective that make a John Crowley novel fantastic. These changes in frames of references really change the meaning of the story, even though the narrative itself does not change. Or rather, it adds depth and complexity to what otherwise may be a standard, sinuous fantasy.
Engine Summer is the third novel by John Crowley. It is definitely at this point that he begins to become the writer that would later write the better known novel: Little, Big. There is quite a bit similar between Little, Big and Engine Summer. Seasons play a huge role both symbolically and plotwise in both, and you could sum up both by saying they are about "The Tale" (to use Little, Big terminology)/"Snake's-hands"(Engine Summer terminology). Essentially, stories about stories.
Engine Summer also marks the end of John Crowley as a science fiction writer. Even in this book, you can see that he is starting to lay out his tools to write fantasy. The next time he will write science fiction will be in short story form ("Snow", followed by "Great Work of Time", both of which you should totally read).
This is, at least on the surface, a coming of age story (Bildungsroman for you snobs out there) set in a post apocalyptic New York state. (the exact location is never mentioned in the novel, but when in doubt, it's New York in John Crowley's writings). Our protagonist, Rush That Speaks, is setting off on a voyage of discovery. Hoping to bring back knowledge that is lost, find his first true love, and/or become a saint; he actually sets off on a path to become something...else... greater, perhaps.
Aside from being a fantastic novel, Engine Summer could actually act as a treatise to the writing style of John Crowley. It is always the 'snake's-hands' (side-plots that do not necessarily go anywhere except to deviate from the main plot for a bit)that are the important parts, nay, the best parts of a story (and review. Further, it is also the jarring change(s) in perspective that make a John Crowley novel fantastic. These changes in frames of references really change the meaning of the story, even though the narrative itself does not change. Or rather, it adds depth and complexity to what otherwise may be a standard, sinuous fantasy.
hackman's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stitch_reads's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
misterfix's review against another edition
2.0
Huh? I truly tried to get into this book and appreciate what all the rave reviewers gushed about. Initially I gave up after about 80 pages but I started again a few months later and pushed on until the end because it had come so highly recommended by a friend.
Meh - I do not even want to expend the energy to explain why I did not enjoy except to say I distinctly remember the Rush fellow suddenly using the expression "Tricked out" and then returning to his rambling, disjointed, semi-poetic, semi incoherent babbling.
Can someone please help me appreciate this book? What did I miss? Was I just not in the right state of mind? Maybe my friend will help me...
Update & spoiler: OK I must be an idiot but apparently the wandering folks are cats. Huh?! At least that is what the person who convinced me to read says. I still say MEH.
Meh - I do not even want to expend the energy to explain why I did not enjoy except to say I distinctly remember the Rush fellow suddenly using the expression "Tricked out" and then returning to his rambling, disjointed, semi-poetic, semi incoherent babbling.
Can someone please help me appreciate this book? What did I miss? Was I just not in the right state of mind? Maybe my friend will help me...
Update & spoiler: OK I must be an idiot but apparently the wandering folks are cats. Huh?! At least that is what the person who convinced me to read says. I still say MEH.
tessabessa's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book makes me feel like I've been put through a paper shredder. One out of two of my fav books ever