Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this more than I did. Self is a great, albeit dense, writer which makes for an entertaining read. The problem with this novel is that there is too much time spent on a build up that honestly leads nowhere.
The story of the protagonist's tutorage (or corruption)in the beginning of the book was more interesting than his eventual decent into madness and depravity. On the note of said depravity, I did not find this as disturbing as some other readers have noted.
If you are looking for a better dark satire on corporate culture with an unreliable narrator, I would recommend "American Psycho". Ellis's novel is much funnier and has some very unpleasant passages that are an absolute blast to read.
Regardless, I felt like I could have skipped this one. Self's short story collection, "the quantity theory of insanity", was much more entertaining. If you wish to get a taste of Self's verbose and clever style, I would recommend that.
The story of the protagonist's tutorage (or corruption)in the beginning of the book was more interesting than his eventual decent into madness and depravity. On the note of said depravity, I did not find this as disturbing as some other readers have noted.
If you are looking for a better dark satire on corporate culture with an unreliable narrator, I would recommend "American Psycho". Ellis's novel is much funnier and has some very unpleasant passages that are an absolute blast to read.
Regardless, I felt like I could have skipped this one. Self's short story collection, "the quantity theory of insanity", was much more entertaining. If you wish to get a taste of Self's verbose and clever style, I would recommend that.
Stop me if you've heard this one:
A magician moves into a trailer park. He befriends an awkward prepubescent kid, guides him through adolescence, teaches him some mystical rites, and takes him on as an apprentice. Later it turns out that he might be the devil (or, as he'd probably prefer you to put it, The Devil). The kid goes into marketing and into therapy to forget about his supernatural dalliances, but the pact he made with his instructor looms heavily over his head. It's two parts Doctor Faustus, one part Great Expectations, and a liberal sprinkling of American Psycho.
2.5 stars out of 5. I forgave it its slow start because once it's worked up a good head of steam this one really takes off, but then it sputters and stalls out again midway through. It is uneven with several laggy spots throughout (most frequently when the supernatural stuff takes back burner to a more standard bildungsroman) and it really loses focus towards the ending. Some have complained about the overblown vocabulary and pompous "purple prose" but honestly that was my favorite part. The sections where this all works are really enjoyable, but it's not consistent.
A magician moves into a trailer park. He befriends an awkward prepubescent kid, guides him through adolescence, teaches him some mystical rites, and takes him on as an apprentice. Later it turns out that he might be the devil (or, as he'd probably prefer you to put it, The Devil). The kid goes into marketing and into therapy to forget about his supernatural dalliances, but the pact he made with his instructor looms heavily over his head. It's two parts Doctor Faustus, one part Great Expectations, and a liberal sprinkling of American Psycho.
2.5 stars out of 5. I forgave it its slow start because once it's worked up a good head of steam this one really takes off, but then it sputters and stalls out again midway through. It is uneven with several laggy spots throughout (most frequently when the supernatural stuff takes back burner to a more standard bildungsroman) and it really loses focus towards the ending. Some have complained about the overblown vocabulary and pompous "purple prose" but honestly that was my favorite part. The sections where this all works are really enjoyable, but it's not consistent.
I [started] read reading this because I'd been mildly amused by Will Self on Shooting Stars. I thought his smugness might mean he actually had some nouse, and would be able to write decent fiction. I soon came to think I'd been wrong.
Self is one of my favorite authors but this was not one of my favorite books of his. It had moments of flash, but then connecting segments of almost incomprehensible narrative. Too disjointed. Too little happening. I would suggest starting into his canon of work with this one.
I hated this book. It gets one star because Self's an interesting writer (the only reason I made it to the end). I would like to read more of him, but sans the horrific, nightmare-inducing, quease-fest of this book's content. I read it years ago, and some of the stuff is seared onto my brain and still creeps me out.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Awful. Self indulgent ranting. My first and last attempt at Wil Self.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is absolutely unhinged, chaotic, deranged. It was good, but there were several times I had to set the book down, put my head in my hands, and say “What the actual f*ck?” It’s like if Freud decided to write fiction in England in the 90s. If you want to feel a little pretentious and like you have an expanded vocabulary, this is also a great book for that.