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benji_dw's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The system of shadow blood capitalist condo magic is so fascinating that it saves my review. It’s a good book, but so grimdark that finishing it felt more of a chore than a good read. But it’s a book set in Toronto that pushes new boundaries so I don’t regret reading it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
tacochelle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
A neat existential body-horror/dystopia about a distant future Toronto, where rich assholes continue to build towers that physical can't hold up much longer. A sentient mold is spreading under the city and through the plumbing, as we follow a large cast of characters piecing together how it came to be this way. The narrative bouncing around like this slows it down a lot, but no one perspective ruined the story. Watching the pieces come together was beautiful and tragic. I love me some fungal horror, gotta find some more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Murder, Alcohol, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
tigger89's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a novel that had a lot of very interesting ideas in it, but ultimately didn't really do it for me. Starting with the good, I loved the Wet and what it represented. It was creepy, disgusting, and brought the horror whenever it showed up. The reveal of how and why it thrived made sense and worked to drive home the novel's critique of urban development and runaway capitalism. In fact, the concept of this novel combined with the imagery used was so solid that it was very frustrating that it didn't land well for me.
I think the novel's biggest issues had to do with its length, as well as the number and variety of characters. What we have is a medium-length novel(350 pages) packed with a huge cast of recurring characters, as well as many more one-off characters introduced through various vignettes. This meant that I spent most of the novel struggling to remember names and who people were, constantly wondering if so-and-so was important or if we'd never hear from them again. This led to the first two thirds of the book dragging pretty hard, with my opinion somewhat soured by the time the pace picked up for the final push. At the end of the book I felt exhausted more than anything else, which isn't really the emotion you want a good horror novel to end on. I think it would have worked better either trimmed down to be shorter and snappier, or expanded to give everything more room to breathe and develop.
Does the dog die?At one point, a character adopts a coyote-dog-thing. The dog survives to the end of the narrative, but his ultimate fate is unclear.
I think the novel's biggest issues had to do with its length, as well as the number and variety of characters. What we have is a medium-length novel(350 pages) packed with a huge cast of recurring characters, as well as many more one-off characters introduced through various vignettes. This meant that I spent most of the novel struggling to remember names and who people were, constantly wondering if so-and-so was important or if we'd never hear from them again. This led to the first two thirds of the book dragging pretty hard, with my opinion somewhat soured by the time the pace picked up for the final push. At the end of the book I felt exhausted more than anything else, which isn't really the emotion you want a good horror novel to end on. I think it would have worked better either trimmed down to be shorter and snappier, or expanded to give everything more room to breathe and develop.
Does the dog die?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Violence
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
I had fun with this one - a dark story of a future Toronto crumbling under the costs of doing business. I thought it was just a little bit too long (some parts were repetitive) but overall I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Gun violence, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Dementia, Excrement, and Sexual harassment
trippyotter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
When I read the blurb, I was immediately intrigued and thought of a dark, sinister version of the slimy goo from Ghostbusters II.
What you'll get is so much more…
Corruption, greed, avoidance, hatred, manipulation, vengeance
All the classics that make a horror story with a unique eco-villain that feeding on psychological "trauma."
Yet, the thriller of the story is lost within the various point-of-views. I eventually lost track, but there's no less than 6 different perspectives and all of their individual interactions. Basically, dozens of people pulled into the story that might not have been needed?
But, I do have to say, I did like Cathy. She reminded me a lot of Anne Heche's character in Volcano ('97).
What you'll get is so much more…
Corruption, greed, avoidance, hatred, manipulation, vengeance
All the classics that make a horror story with a unique eco-villain that feeding on psychological "trauma."
Yet, the thriller of the story is lost within the various point-of-views. I eventually lost track, but there's no less than 6 different perspectives and all of their individual interactions. Basically, dozens of people pulled into the story that might not have been needed?
But, I do have to say, I did like Cathy. She reminded me a lot of Anne Heche's character in Volcano ('97).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
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