Reviews

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

emilypeartree's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense 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

2.5

pizzamyheart's review against another edition

2.0

After just over 200 pages, it's time to throw in the towel. I had so much hope for this book. In short, Alif the Unseen is about a hacker named Alif who gets into trouble with the government. While on the run he receives an ancient copy of One Thousand and One Nights, and meets a real life Jinni. It's part quest, part love story, part retelling, part love story, part hot mess. I was really into the plotline, but I couldn't get behind the cast of characters. Most of it seemed rather predictable, and the other pieces just made little sense. I read a summary of the second half and am glad to be throwing in the towel. Most of it made me roll my eyes.

I'd be interested to see this made into a teen tv series. The rest of the book is a hard pass

mary_soon_lee's review against another edition

3.0

A fantasy novel with a contemporary urban Arabian setting that combines computer hacking and jinns in an unlikely but mostly successful blend. The book also contains romance elements that were, likewise, mostly successful. I liked Alif, the young protagonist well enough, and liked several of the secondary characters more, including Vikram and Sheikh Bilal. I found the software technobabble a little unconvincing and the book maybe in need of a little tightening, but I enjoyed it.

em_bear's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.75

kayteeem's review against another edition

5.0

Really enjoyed this one. It's rare that I find a book involving computer hackers in it that doesn't strike a wrong note somewhere, but this one made the programming metaphorical instead of concrete, which helped a great deal. It's not all about the tech, of course. Alif sums up his adventure late in the book, "It seemed absurd that in his attempt to put a few simple things right he should have made such astronomical miscalculations. A girl he loved had decided she did not love him--at least, not enough. How was such a problem usually addressed? Surely not with the clandestine exchange of books and computer surveillance and recourse to the jinn."

The book is at turns philosophical and an action thriller, with a dose of levity to balance the heavy bits. Recommended.

sophietica's review against another edition

3.0

I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't the Middle-Eastern-fantasy-cyberpunk-thriller mashup I got. Entertaining read, and it was refreshing to read a book set in a country/culture different to my own. (I presume Middle-Eastern readers are glad to be on familiar ground for once. so win-win)

lilelelel's review against another edition

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

camam4's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The beginning of this book is a slog and the main character is utterly unlikeable. The jinn were delightful and the only reason I kept reading. 

mollysticks's review against another edition

3.0

Meh...it was interesting but I didn't care for the main character. Sure he is probably a typical young adult guy? But, eh. It was an entertaining read though.

jmoses's review against another edition

5.0

This book wasn't at all what I was expecting. I was expecting something that was a lot more "sci fi" and a lot less "fantasy/mythology".

That being said, this was a superb read. The blending of "current day middle east" and "past mythology" was delightful, and *very* well done. It never felt like a scifi novel that had some fantasy hack in the middle for appeal, or vice versa.

The characters all felt like they were real people, with their own thoughts and concerns, and there was nothing "Mary Sue" or contrive about them. Everything was believable, and you (or at least I) could really identify with them, and their motivations.

The look into the root Islamic mythology, and how that ties into the Qur'an was also very interesting, and I almost want to find a non-fiction book that discusses the same.

Read this book.