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icarusabides's review
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
jordanian_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
I loved Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan novels, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Martine’s forthcoming novella. Rose/House combines a murder mystery with speculative fiction set in the near future. Preeminent architect Basit Deniau passed away one year ago, leaving his archive locked within his most legendary creation: Rose House, a fantastical house built as an artificial intelligence. Dr. Selene Gisil, Deniau’s former disciple, thought she had successfully cut ties with Deniau until she was appointed his executor and the only individual permitted access to Deniau’s legacy. Selene is determined to resist the posthumous sway of Deniau and Rose House, when Selene receives notice that a dead body is on the property and she’s a prime suspect.
Martine initially tees up Rose/House as a police procedural with Detective Maritza Smith trying to solve the case with Selene’s conflicted assistance. Rose/House is infused with a deliciously creepy yet understated atmosphere reminiscent of film noir. Further, its desert setting is stark and magnificent. However, in this novella, ideas predominate over everything (including the plot) – ideas on artificial intelligence and legacy, narrative and language, ego and volition. Rose/House is a very smart, philosophical work; reading it I highlighted over thirty lines. It made for an especially good buddy-read.
Rose/House also left me with a number of questions, making me wish Martine had fleshed Rose/House out into a full length novel and provided us with a few more answers. Even so, I found it extremely thought-provoking and look forward to her next work.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy upon request via NetGalley.com.
Martine initially tees up Rose/House as a police procedural with Detective Maritza Smith trying to solve the case with Selene’s conflicted assistance. Rose/House is infused with a deliciously creepy yet understated atmosphere reminiscent of film noir. Further, its desert setting is stark and magnificent. However, in this novella, ideas predominate over everything (including the plot) – ideas on artificial intelligence and legacy, narrative and language, ego and volition. Rose/House is a very smart, philosophical work; reading it I highlighted over thirty lines. It made for an especially good buddy-read.
Rose/House also left me with a number of questions, making me wish Martine had fleshed Rose/House out into a full length novel and provided us with a few more answers. Even so, I found it extremely thought-provoking and look forward to her next work.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy upon request via NetGalley.com.
jordanian_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
I loved Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan novels, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of Martine’s forthcoming novella. Rose/House combines a murder mystery with speculative fiction set in the near future. Preeminent architect Basit Deniau passed away one year ago, leaving his archive locked within his most legendary creation: Rose House, a fantastical house built as an artificial intelligence. Dr. Selene Gisil, Deniau’s former disciple, thought she had successfully cut ties with Deniau until she was appointed his executor and the only individual permitted access to Deniau’s legacy. Selene is determined to resist the posthumous sway of Deniau and Rose House, when Selene receives notice that a dead body is on the property and she’s a prime suspect.
Martine initially tees up Rose/House as a police procedural with Detective Maritza Smith trying to solve the case with Selene’s conflicted assistance. Rose/House is infused with a deliciously creepy yet understated atmosphere reminiscent of film noir. Further, its desert setting is stark and magnificent. However, in this novella, ideas predominate over everything (including the plot) – ideas on artificial intelligence and legacy, narrative and language, ego and volition. Rose/House is a very smart, philosophical work; reading it I highlighted over thirty lines. It made for an especially good buddy-read.
Rose/House also left me with a number of questions, making me wish Martine had fleshed Rose/House out into a full length novel and provided us with a few more answers. Even so, I found it extremely thought-provoking and look forward to her next work.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy upon request via NetGalley.com.
Martine initially tees up Rose/House as a police procedural with Detective Maritza Smith trying to solve the case with Selene’s conflicted assistance. Rose/House is infused with a deliciously creepy yet understated atmosphere reminiscent of film noir. Further, its desert setting is stark and magnificent. However, in this novella, ideas predominate over everything (including the plot) – ideas on artificial intelligence and legacy, narrative and language, ego and volition. Rose/House is a very smart, philosophical work; reading it I highlighted over thirty lines. It made for an especially good buddy-read.
Rose/House also left me with a number of questions, making me wish Martine had fleshed Rose/House out into a full length novel and provided us with a few more answers. Even so, I found it extremely thought-provoking and look forward to her next work.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy upon request via NetGalley.com.
feastofblaze's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
wheemsicott's review against another edition
4.0
Like Flaubert, Arkady Martine needs a few merciless friends-slash-critics anchoring her creativity to a concrete nucleus, lest she get too cerebral.
That said, this was fun. Makes no sense--compels me though.
That said, this was fun. Makes no sense--compels me though.
katieconrad's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gwenswoons's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was way outside my comfort zone - I’ve ended up reading many of those this year because of the StoryGraph Genre Challenge, which has been really fun! The writing is certainly excellent - I find books in the sci-fi/thriller/horror spectrum not often super poetic and flowery in their language, but this really was. I listened on audio, and after a while, despite well-done narration, I ended up finding the constant florid language and the cadence of it over the course of the novella a little bit repetitive and exhausting - I had to take sizable breaks from listening, even in such a short book. I would not likely listen to this or similar works again; but I do think that it was very atmospheric and tense in a way that felt unusual and sometimes quite captivating, so if you are a sci-fi or horror reader, I think you might really enjoy it if you’re up for something a little outside the box.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Murder, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gaslighting
zeebookdragon's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
farrington's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5