Reviews

Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith

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doku's review against another edition

5.0

I picked up this book based solely on Alastair Reynolds insane props:

"I owe an equally obvious debt to Bruce Sterling, whose 'Shaper/Mechanist' sequence blew my mind on several levels. Sterling's future history, even though it consists of only a single novel and a handful of stories, still feels utterly plausible to me twenty years after I first encountered it. Part of me wishes Sterling would write more 'Shaper/Mechanist' stories; another part of me admires him precisely for not doing so. Read Schismatrix if you haven't already done so: it will melt your face."

That is exactly what it did too, melt my face. I still remember when I finished it, I honestly sat there for 30 minutes utterly stunned by what I had just read. This isn't typical cyberpunk either, but it was written a year after Nueromancer and was also one of the books that has heavily influenced and defined what cyberpunk has become. Schismatrix Plus is everything ever written about the 'Shaper/Mechanist' Universe. It includes every short story as well as the full length novel Schismatrix, what's more is that it is all arranged in the way the Sterling intended it to be read. It is difficult, abstract, and intense beyond anything I could have imagined, but when you finish, you will utterly agree with Reynolds description.

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kittymamers's review

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2.0

nah. loetav, aga ma ei leidnud sells midagi erilist, tundus lihtne lastekas.

dar_muzz's review against another edition

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3.0

The 55 Bone comics were compiled into 9 books. Smith creates a very strange world by mashing up comic book conventions, such as buffoon relatives, with fantasy elements, such as medieval worlds and monsters. The first volume is clearly a set-up for an epic adventure.

librariandest's review

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3.0

I don't really get Bone. I mean, what are the bones? They're like these doughy-shaped people who live in a world with humans, dragons, rat creatures (who, by the way, don't really look very much like rats), talking possums, giant talking bugs, and some kind of super-evil villain who wears a hood like the Emperor from Star Wars. It's just inexplicably weird.

But it's also high quality fantasy. The characters are well-drawn, the jokes work, the action flows, the world is interesting... Even though I'm perplexed by it, I want to read more. In fat, I can't believe I only bought volume 1. When you finish volume 1, you're going to want to read volume 2 immediately.

asimilarkite's review

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4.0

Oh how fun. How could you not like this book? There are adorable bone creatures and a tiny leaf bug named Ted and a grandma who races cows. Speaking of which, I am very much looking forward to the next volume so I can see an epic cow race. Are you intrigued yet?

yourbookishgamermom's review

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5.0

So I got to read this for my last English class in College just for fun and this was definitely a fun little piece to read. It was nice to end off the semester with such a fun and easy read like this. the story is quite interesting and I adore the artwork.

hamckeon's review against another edition

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1.0

I read this because many of my students enjoy the series. I just found the whole concept stupid and the characters annoying. I know many people would disagree with me, but this series is just not for me.