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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This started off amazing, with a visceral sense of the world, characters that drew you under their skin and the deep, gut-wrenching sort of anxiety-producing events that needed no writing tricks to make you turn the next page. And then, much like the ascent into the tower, it devolved from there.
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Things to love:
-The setting. The Tower of Babel is really the focal point in this story, and it really does feel quite awe-inspiring.
-The anxiety-ridden parts. I said the main plot point, which occurs either chapter one or two in the book to a bunch of adults in relationships--people who like creepy things and horror--and to a man, all of them shivered and looked sick. Until we got to the Baths (and even part of that), I had a pit in my stomach. Real spoiler here:
-The writing. I always enjoy pseudo-Victorian settings and modes of communication. I thought this did a decent job creating that tone.
-The attempts at gender discussions. There were several moments throughout where we see Senlin sort of struggle with the inherent grotesqueness of the fact that men and women are treated differently, and his role in holding up the patriarchy/the objectification and subjugation of women. I thought this was subtly and often smartly done.
Things that detracted for me:
-The sense of time. Really inconsistent here. In terms of man hours and dollar-hours, we're given very skewed timetables. On top of that, I think we lost sight of the central plot--how long would you wait for someone you needed to find in one location you didn't expect to find them? A couple days? Weeks? Would you wait WHOLE MONTHS for someone who may or may not stumble into you in a place they have no real reason to be? Yeah, me either.
-The fights. These were messy,poorly choreographed/plotted, confusing and boring for me. It's boring watching people who don't know how to fight in a battle. There's a reason Tolkien knocked Bilbo out early and had him miss the action. Also, another timing issue. 20 people with guns in the open don't take 30 minutes to settle something. A LONG sword fight lasts maaaybe 2 minutes if they're not showboating.
-The women. I think every woman we meet is being threatened with rape, or has been raped. Despite all the MC's musings on the strength of women, they're all still made either for men's pleasure or for the sympathy of a man. Kinda gets in the way of the cookies I wanted to give the author for having a man MC who wasn't just a misogynist brute. I was also kind of upset that we kept hearing "woe is Senlin" when uh....HE'S STILL FREE AND HAS AGENCY, unlike all of the women and kids in this story.
-Bouts of hedonism. We really got lost in the Baths, I think, where this turned from a fantastical horror story to a heist. Spending time on the day-to-day activities and conversations that didn't forward the plot began a decline for me.
-The end. It didn't end, it just stopped. We have no resolution, a massive cliff-hanger that makes no goddamn sense, and our hero doesn't look at all heroic. I'd throw him overboard at this point, his wife is better off without this lead weight of a human.
As you can see, it really fell apart right at the point I should have been cheering, which is not a great final impression. Still fun, glad I read it for those early chapters, but I doubt I'll continue on.
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Spoiler
body horror, attempted rape, misogyny, heights, all the stuff from your childhood nightmares.Things to love:
-The setting. The Tower of Babel is really the focal point in this story, and it really does feel quite awe-inspiring.
-The anxiety-ridden parts. I said the main plot point, which occurs either chapter one or two in the book to a bunch of adults in relationships--people who like creepy things and horror--and to a man, all of them shivered and looked sick. Until we got to the Baths (and even part of that), I had a pit in my stomach. Real spoiler here:
Spoiler
The Parlor?? With all the actors? Holy crap. That reveal made me actually throw the book away in horror. But not for long!-The writing. I always enjoy pseudo-Victorian settings and modes of communication. I thought this did a decent job creating that tone.
-The attempts at gender discussions. There were several moments throughout where we see Senlin sort of struggle with the inherent grotesqueness of the fact that men and women are treated differently, and his role in holding up the patriarchy/the objectification and subjugation of women. I thought this was subtly and often smartly done.
Things that detracted for me:
-The sense of time. Really inconsistent here. In terms of man hours and dollar-hours, we're given very skewed timetables. On top of that, I think we lost sight of the central plot--how long would you wait for someone you needed to find in one location you didn't expect to find them? A couple days? Weeks? Would you wait WHOLE MONTHS for someone who may or may not stumble into you in a place they have no real reason to be? Yeah, me either.
-The fights. These were messy,poorly choreographed/plotted, confusing and boring for me. It's boring watching people who don't know how to fight in a battle. There's a reason Tolkien knocked Bilbo out early and had him miss the action. Also, another timing issue. 20 people with guns in the open don't take 30 minutes to settle something. A LONG sword fight lasts maaaybe 2 minutes if they're not showboating.
-The women. I think every woman we meet is being threatened with rape, or has been raped. Despite all the MC's musings on the strength of women, they're all still made either for men's pleasure or for the sympathy of a man. Kinda gets in the way of the cookies I wanted to give the author for having a man MC who wasn't just a misogynist brute. I was also kind of upset that we kept hearing "woe is Senlin" when uh....HE'S STILL FREE AND HAS AGENCY, unlike all of the women and kids in this story.
-Bouts of hedonism. We really got lost in the Baths, I think, where this turned from a fantastical horror story to a heist. Spending time on the day-to-day activities and conversations that didn't forward the plot began a decline for me.
-The end. It didn't end, it just stopped. We have no resolution, a massive cliff-hanger that makes no goddamn sense, and our hero doesn't look at all heroic. I'd throw him overboard at this point, his wife is better off without this lead weight of a human.
As you can see, it really fell apart right at the point I should have been cheering, which is not a great final impression. Still fun, glad I read it for those early chapters, but I doubt I'll continue on.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a fantastic vacation that turns into an epic adventure, and an unassuming hero that you can't help but root for. I like this book a lot, but I did feel like the ending felt like there was in a cliffhanger for the sake of it and not to drive the story or improve the anticipation for the next book, so that left me feeling a bit awkward at the end. But overall a really great book with characters you really do fall in love with!
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 rounded up. This was really a 3 star because honestly I thought the audio wasnt the best choice for this. This book is a sprawling mess of an adventure with many different locations and a huge cast of characters. Right now my audiobook time is limited to while I'm doing other things (making dinner, driving or exercise etc) and I think this needed more attention than I gave it to be able to fully absorb the story. I've no doubt that I would have given it 5 stars if I'd read it in print tho because I've never read anything like it and I'm a sucker for unique books. I also love a good heist story so this book really did have a lot going for it, so maybe I'll read it again if I can find it in print someday.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes