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cmvcaulfield's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
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? Yes
5.0
tomstbr's review against another edition
4.0
Not what you expect. A good example of lit crossed with SF. Beautifully written with some fantastic characters, the symbolism is what really drove it home for me.
lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
The premis of the book was fascinating to me - Christian missionary to alien planet. As a child of missionaries I am always interested in where stories of missionaries go and I love science fiction - what could be better. What I most enjoyed about the book was the questions is raised in my thoughts (about cultural norms, time, individuality, conflict, interpersonal contection) - perhaps not in the ways intended - questions about the author and his views on culture and race(some of which I felt in disagreement with) as well as my own experiences and thoughts about this. I definitely questioned if the author has truly experienced culture shock. I could not decide if I was irritated by the main character or if he just did not make any sense - all the individual components of him made sense but together it just seemed a very unlikely combination of characteristics that just made no sense to me and seemed to be unlikely in an individual. Definitely do not read this book for the plot as it doesn't go very far and it ends quite suddenly for no apparent reason. Overall I am more interested in this book as a starting point for discussions than for the writing or the story.
ryan885's review against another edition
4.0
First I have to start by saying I have never read a book like this before; by this I mean a romantic drama with Christianity built into its heart but taking place in a dystopian future where space flight and planetary conquest is possible! Certain parts of the book kept me intrigued while overall I was left wanting more! Would recommend reading this if looking for a little romantic inspiration.
savh4's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
the premise is really interesting. i wish there was more about the aliens and less descriptions of his balls sweating
thatotherlisa's review against another edition
3.0
Another frustrating foray into gussied up genre literature. This time it’s science fiction, with an admittedly pretty great twist. Peter, our protagonist is a missionary going to minister to alien population. He leaves his wife back on earth, where, as we learn through a series of communications, everything is falling apart. Life in space is going splendidly, and the protagonist has to decide between his mission and his wife. Sounds super interesting, right?
And it was, maybe 40% of the time. At 500 pages long, this book just felt bloated, indulgent, and just not as good as all the glowing reviews suggested. There were a lot of meditations on faith and love and loss that just never connected for me. We spend a lot of time in Peter’s head, and I didn’t find him particularly compelling or comprehensible. This is, in part, my fault, as I find his particular brand of Christianity (close personal relationship with a God who is in charge of your life, all you need to do is have faith, and everything will be ok, etc.) hard to stomach. We experience this world and these events primarily through him, and he is the least interesting thing happening (except perhaps for the subplot with Grainger’s father, which… no).
That said, there’s still some pretty great stuff in here. The dynamics of the world’s longest distance relationship where everything is great for one party and everything is awful for the other was super compelling. I’d be 100% into an epistolary novel of the messages between Peter and his wife. The shadowy corporation running the settlement was intriguing and the twisty little pay-off on that was pretty fun.
I guess what I’m saying is that I loved all of the genre stuff and just couldn’t connect with the literary stuff. This got me thinking that maybe I DON’T love lit-fic/genre mash-ups as much as I thought. But then I remember The Bone Clocks, Station Eleven. I remember Margaret Atwood. I remember Kazuo Ishiguro.
I’ll keep this odd little sub-genre (or super-genre? I don’t know). And I’ll keep expecting more than this.
And it was, maybe 40% of the time. At 500 pages long, this book just felt bloated, indulgent, and just not as good as all the glowing reviews suggested. There were a lot of meditations on faith and love and loss that just never connected for me. We spend a lot of time in Peter’s head, and I didn’t find him particularly compelling or comprehensible. This is, in part, my fault, as I find his particular brand of Christianity (close personal relationship with a God who is in charge of your life, all you need to do is have faith, and everything will be ok, etc.) hard to stomach. We experience this world and these events primarily through him, and he is the least interesting thing happening (except perhaps for the subplot with Grainger’s father, which… no).
That said, there’s still some pretty great stuff in here. The dynamics of the world’s longest distance relationship where everything is great for one party and everything is awful for the other was super compelling. I’d be 100% into an epistolary novel of the messages between Peter and his wife. The shadowy corporation running the settlement was intriguing and the twisty little pay-off on that was pretty fun.
I guess what I’m saying is that I loved all of the genre stuff and just couldn’t connect with the literary stuff. This got me thinking that maybe I DON’T love lit-fic/genre mash-ups as much as I thought. But then I remember The Bone Clocks, Station Eleven. I remember Margaret Atwood. I remember Kazuo Ishiguro.
I’ll keep this odd little sub-genre (or super-genre? I don’t know). And I’ll keep expecting more than this.
hoorayleigh's review against another edition
3.0
There wasn't a single likable character in this novel.
bhoggard's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
doritobabe's review against another edition
4.0
June 2018: while re-shelving I feel myself wanting to give this a higher grade because I have fond memories of the story now that some time has gone by... 3.5/5
I am having a hard time deciding my feelings about this book. I would like to give it 2/5 stars, and not 3, but since goodreads does not allow this I will settle for 3/5 symbolizing a whopping "2.5" stars.
This is my second foray into M Faber's 'fiction' (so obviously science fiction, yet not labeled as such) as I began with "Under the Skin" which I adored for its succinctness, simplicity, and thought provoking themes about "vegetarianism" (if you have read the text, you will understand the need for quotation marks) that made it a thoughtful piece of literature rather than a mindless summer read. I was hoping for the same from The Book of Strange New Things as it appears to encapsulate my favorite things to read about: aliens.
However, this text was too filled with literal and thematic preaching and endless conversational dribble that did not advance the plot. Really, the book has so much potential for being a very exciting read that borders on anthropological-science-fiction, but I feel like it lost much of its momentum part way through. Most of the time, it felt as though Faber realized that he was paid to write a 500 page text instead of something like Under the Skin--which averaged maybe 300-- and decided his best to do so. For instance, many of the exciting elements introduced in the introduction of the novel quickly fell to the way side. The mystery shrouding the missing people on Oasis could have turned suspenseful and adventurous; the quiet-yet-suspicious members of USIC could have yielded cool plot advancement and danger for our protagonist and is friend Grainger (who was most definitely wasted potential of a character); Bea, being the readers only link to the desperation and suffering of those on Earth, took a selfish and pathetic turn for the worse and definitely brought down the excitement level of the book IMMENSELY with her self-pitying... maybe I am being too harsh with her? If not for her use to support the plot and the reason for the USIC colony, which was very minor, this information could have been delivered otherwise... I cannot tell you how tired I was reading about clothing and consoling neighbours and what the cat was doing...blah blah blah. Not exciting stuff.
After awhile, within sight of the end of this book, I was hoping for some plot twist that would throw me back into what excited me in the first place about this book, but alas, Faber neatly wrapped up all he started with--in a brown wrapped paper package that was sealed with scotch tape-- and ended the text with our character a changed man.
I will have to admit that Peter was an interesting character; displaying how people can exist in extreme states of being and habit as this is how they feel change can come about for them. What I mean by this, is that Peter was once an alcoholic drug addict (typical) who was saved by his wife, Bea, because she introduced him to God. Much of the story revolves around this dependency and guidance from God. Faber endlessly quoting scripture and biblical history to the reader in what feels like an attempt to convert them. By the end, Peter doesn't know where he stands (I suppose the humor in this is literal as during this self-transformation period he is usually literally lost or traversing a desert or some other liminial position) and this is where this entire book ends up: after affecting others positively, I suppose he is to return to Earth to save it (at least for his wife) from ruin. How heroic! Or boring? Maybe this book just wasn't for me...
I am having a hard time deciding my feelings about this book. I would like to give it 2/5 stars, and not 3, but since goodreads does not allow this I will settle for 3/5 symbolizing a whopping "2.5" stars.
This is my second foray into M Faber's 'fiction' (so obviously science fiction, yet not labeled as such) as I began with "Under the Skin" which I adored for its succinctness, simplicity, and thought provoking themes about "vegetarianism" (if you have read the text, you will understand the need for quotation marks) that made it a thoughtful piece of literature rather than a mindless summer read. I was hoping for the same from The Book of Strange New Things as it appears to encapsulate my favorite things to read about: aliens.
However, this text was too filled with literal and thematic preaching and endless conversational dribble that did not advance the plot. Really, the book has so much potential for being a very exciting read that borders on anthropological-science-fiction, but I feel like it lost much of its momentum part way through. Most of the time, it felt as though Faber realized that he was paid to write a 500 page text instead of something like Under the Skin--which averaged maybe 300-- and decided his best to do so. For instance, many of the exciting elements introduced in the introduction of the novel quickly fell to the way side. The mystery shrouding the missing people on Oasis could have turned suspenseful and adventurous; the quiet-yet-suspicious members of USIC could have yielded cool plot advancement and danger for our protagonist and is friend Grainger (who was most definitely wasted potential of a character); Bea, being the readers only link to the desperation and suffering of those on Earth, took a selfish and pathetic turn for the worse and definitely brought down the excitement level of the book IMMENSELY with her self-pitying... maybe I am being too harsh with her? If not for her use to support the plot and the reason for the USIC colony, which was very minor, this information could have been delivered otherwise... I cannot tell you how tired I was reading about clothing and consoling neighbours and what the cat was doing...blah blah blah. Not exciting stuff.
After awhile, within sight of the end of this book, I was hoping for some plot twist that would throw me back into what excited me in the first place about this book, but alas, Faber neatly wrapped up all he started with--in a brown wrapped paper package that was sealed with scotch tape-- and ended the text with our character a changed man.
I will have to admit that Peter was an interesting character; displaying how people can exist in extreme states of being and habit as this is how they feel change can come about for them. What I mean by this, is that Peter was once an alcoholic drug addict (typical) who was saved by his wife, Bea, because she introduced him to God. Much of the story revolves around this dependency and guidance from God. Faber endlessly quoting scripture and biblical history to the reader in what feels like an attempt to convert them. By the end, Peter doesn't know where he stands (I suppose the humor in this is literal as during this self-transformation period he is usually literally lost or traversing a desert or some other liminial position) and this is where this entire book ends up: after affecting others positively, I suppose he is to return to Earth to save it (at least for his wife) from ruin. How heroic! Or boring? Maybe this book just wasn't for me...
mcearl12's review against another edition
2.0
I so wanted to like it! Love the title, the cover, the concept.
The premise of this book was original, clever, thought-provoking, and yet...the book itself completely missed the mark for me. I found the author's description of another universe to be interesting both in terms of landscape/atmosphere detail and the other life forms described. Things going haywire on earth was scarily believable. Unfortunately the main character was just too one dimensional. I didn't feel empathy or sympathy for him. He wasn't unlikable, nor was he likable. I just didn't care. The protagonist's wife was the most fully-fleshed character, to me, which is ironic since most of what we know of her is through intra-universe correspondence with her husband. I like the premise, and I really wanted to like the book, but it just laid flat for me.
The premise of this book was original, clever, thought-provoking, and yet...the book itself completely missed the mark for me. I found the author's description of another universe to be interesting both in terms of landscape/atmosphere detail and the other life forms described. Things going haywire on earth was scarily believable. Unfortunately the main character was just too one dimensional. I didn't feel empathy or sympathy for him. He wasn't unlikable, nor was he likable. I just didn't care. The protagonist's wife was the most fully-fleshed character, to me, which is ironic since most of what we know of her is through intra-universe correspondence with her husband. I like the premise, and I really wanted to like the book, but it just laid flat for me.