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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
DNF. I think it's meant to be funny. I didn't think it was, and I suspect there are aspects of it that I wouldn't think were funny even if I'd been in the most receptive possible mood.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one is WILD! You really get to see Leiber's early genius shining through. Tons of bizarre characters and an absolutely insane plot.
Despite its farcical premise and characters, the commentary on the consumerist culture can, in some ways, be considered ahead of its time. While it incorporates elements of sci-fi and satirical themes, at its essence, it is a story about a guy and a cat caught in increasingly absurd situations. Still, it's quite an entertaining tale of light 50s sci-fi, but it definitely helps if you like cats.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just an awful read with no real plot to it. The only up side is that there is a cat as a main focus of the book.
Boy oh boy what a Cold War classic by my boy Fritz. Our last minute hero, Phil, meets a magical green cat named Lucky that turns in his life around. In 24 hours he grows a pair, falls in love, interrupts a kidnapper and USSR spies, and ends up uniting the world in a beatific radiance. Oh - did I mention some alien satyrs disguising as Italians make a brief, but pivotal appearance? This novel was so ridiculous that I had to control my laughter and read certain passages to my partner. Granted, I deliberately chose this novel as a palate cleanser after some of the heftier and headier novels that I've read in the past month. It was not a good but, but it was entertaining and served its purpose. Perhaps Fritz loved cats so much that he believed they could truly create world peace. I feel that way about pontoon boats.
"Then Lucky came out from under the bar and jumped on it and walked up and down in a very lordly way but with a definite lurch. After a bit he jumped down in front of the bar and the crowd parted for him. The drunken green creature zigzagged with dignity towards an exit.
"Then Lucky came out from under the bar and jumped on it and walked up and down in a very lordly way but with a definite lurch. After a bit he jumped down in front of the bar and the crowd parted for him. The drunken green creature zigzagged with dignity towards an exit.
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I could not tell you what I just read, the story made no sense what so ever. Phil finds a mysterious green cat, which leads him to various adventures with several outlandish characters. It might sound interesting, but the plot was a confusing mess, throwing in psychics, government agents, Communist spies and a bunch of anarchists who were against everyone else.
Kind of felt like a fever dream. Very odd, and a lot of the characters felt like the same person. Interesting point that corporations and government are similar, bad entities, but as a result confusing as hell. Ending was weird and the book is super sexist. Quick read though so if you want to see what 1950s sci-fi is without caring about whether you understand every facet of the plot, it'll be a fun ride. Otherwise, easy enough to skip it.
Phil Gish is a man who feels out of place in an increasingly hectic world. Into his life comes a small green kitten that he names Lucky that changes his life and involves him in a conspiracy that will change the world.
I don't really have an awful lot to say about this book. The last Leiber that I read was a collection of short stories that I loved, but this was a fairly straightforward adventure with some fairly odd characters. There is some wry comment on America with prescient views of a vulgarised society and the 'Federal Bureau of Loyalty' that I quite enjoyed though.
Possibly the most memorable thing about the book, however, is its truly awful cover.
I don't really have an awful lot to say about this book. The last Leiber that I read was a collection of short stories that I loved, but this was a fairly straightforward adventure with some fairly odd characters. There is some wry comment on America with prescient views of a vulgarised society and the 'Federal Bureau of Loyalty' that I quite enjoyed though.
Possibly the most memorable thing about the book, however, is its truly awful cover.