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mar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
i'm not entirely sure how i feel abt this book.
on one hand this is an outstanding case of sci-fi as social critique. the biting commentary on the tourism industry, colonialism and capitalism - the very clear allegory to the treatment of Cuba and other third-world countries by the West - is really strong, honest and unflinching. still, its brutality and obsceneness make for a difficult and disturbing read; a lot of it is clearly a purposeful choice, yes, but there were still times when it felt gratuitous, and others when i found it hard to tell just how much of the unpleasant shitty parts was by design and how much might've been the author's prejudices bleeding through.
on one hand this is an outstanding case of sci-fi as social critique. the biting commentary on the tourism industry, colonialism and capitalism - the very clear allegory to the treatment of Cuba and other third-world countries by the West - is really strong, honest and unflinching. still, its brutality and obsceneness make for a difficult and disturbing read; a lot of it is clearly a purposeful choice, yes, but there were still times when it felt gratuitous, and others when i found it hard to tell just how much of the unpleasant shitty parts was by design and how much might've been the author's prejudices bleeding through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Slavery
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Suicide, and Trafficking
hereforthefunofit's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
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? No
4.0
Wow, so that was a ride and a half. It's a lot to get through and wrap your head around, but it definitely gets easier. It's a decent (definitely accurate) allegory of the entire planet Earth as the colonised, trampled, corrupted and tourist-ran third-world countries some of us have the pleasure of being born in filled with some intricately constructed character-led short stories. As a third worlder myself, I understand and relate to your whole world being people who want to escape, so to get to see every character's journey of escape or attempted escape was really interesting.
Cynically, seeing all of Earth be relegated to third world status was nice for me because I am a contempt-filled towards the Earthly powers that be as the humans of this book are to the xenoids.
TRIGGER WARNING!!
The pedophilia is horrific and absolutely disgusting. I think the normalisation of it is purposeful for the dystopianess of the novel, but jesus christ, it is uncomfortable. So genuine warning for that and other things that may or may not be for the novel or a reflection of the author's opinions: flippant misogyny and dehumanisation of sex workers.
Cynically, seeing all of Earth be relegated to third world status was nice for me because I am a contempt-filled towards the Earthly powers that be as the humans of this book are to the xenoids.
TRIGGER WARNING!!
The pedophilia is horrific and absolutely disgusting. I think the normalisation of it is purposeful for the dystopianess of the novel, but jesus christ, it is uncomfortable. So genuine warning for that and other things that may or may not be for the novel or a reflection of the author's opinions: flippant misogyny and dehumanisation of sex workers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
tealover02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A Planet for Rent is novel that feels like a series of interlinked short stories. Each perspective is from a human that depicts different ways humans live and are treated by xenoids - aliens who view and treat Earth and its inhabitants as the lowest and most basic forms of entertainment, which are predominantly sport, sex, and violence.
Yoss takes the tropes of dystopian sci-fi and really hunkers down into its grimdark potential. There are moments of poeticism and interesting imagery, as well as brilliant ideas and scenarios that I can see as being the inspiration for future writers. However, I was bogged down with every character's persistent preoccupation with sex and money. I understand the intent behind it, but it did detract from my overall enjoyment. I was also hoping for a more distinct plot that would connect all of these perspectives together, but it did not quite get there. I do appreciate the acknowledgements as it gave me greater understanding for the book's context and premise.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to try out an experimental, almost literary, dystopian scifi. Those who want clear plotlines and character arcs may not find this enjoyable.
Yoss takes the tropes of dystopian sci-fi and really hunkers down into its grimdark potential. There are moments of poeticism and interesting imagery, as well as brilliant ideas and scenarios that I can see as being the inspiration for future writers. However, I was bogged down with every character's persistent preoccupation with sex and money. I understand the intent behind it, but it did detract from my overall enjoyment. I was also hoping for a more distinct plot that would connect all of these perspectives together, but it did not quite get there. I do appreciate the acknowledgements as it gave me greater understanding for the book's context and premise.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to try out an experimental, almost literary, dystopian scifi. Those who want clear plotlines and character arcs may not find this enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, and Police brutality
goatsrsexy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ahhhhh. I didn't know what to expect at all going into this book and I truly feel it was a life changing read. This is a collection of short stories that all take place in the same world with an overarching narrative, which is one of my favourite formats for a novel.
It takes place in a dystopian future where earth has been colonized and oppressed by the rest of the universe and it's much more technologically advanced beings. It's an analogy for Cuban politics in the 90s which I'll admit I don't know enough about to understand the references, but there's lots I did pick up on, and even without that context the stories are breathtaking.
This book made me laugh, cry and at times feel like I was literally gonna pass out. The world building is immaculate and the characters are so nuanced. No one in this book is really a villain, even if they seem like they might be at first.
I would recommend reading this book quickly so that you don't forget previous chapters and can recognize recurring characters. I would also recommend checking trigger warnings as there are a LOT. But if you can stomach it, this book is so so so worth it.
It takes place in a dystopian future where earth has been colonized and oppressed by the rest of the universe and it's much more technologically advanced beings. It's an analogy for Cuban politics in the 90s which I'll admit I don't know enough about to understand the references, but there's lots I did pick up on, and even without that context the stories are breathtaking.
This book made me laugh, cry and at times feel like I was literally gonna pass out. The world building is immaculate and the characters are so nuanced. No one in this book is really a villain, even if they seem like they might be at first.
I would recommend reading this book quickly so that you don't forget previous chapters and can recognize recurring characters. I would also recommend checking trigger warnings as there are a LOT. But if you can stomach it, this book is so so so worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Trafficking
Minor: Sexual violence
bonfeld's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A Planet for Rent is a very straight forward critique of capitalism and life in Cuba under the Castro regime through the metaphor of Earth being colonized by extraterrestrial life. Made up of 7 chapter pairs - each with a short 3-4 page mini chapter and then a 20-30 page short story detailing the experience of a different human, all of which contain references to other characters/stories in a way that connects them all with out being intertwined with each other. It's a thoughtful book that brings issues of colonialism, imperialism, and capitalism to the forefront, specifically looking at the extent people (humans) will go to survive/feel like they have control over their lives. Its message is clear, even if the content itself is unfamiliar. The writing style of each story is very different, which can be a bit jarring, especially since the book is short - you barely have time to get used to it before it's over. A good book for people who like experimental writing, heavy description/internal dialogue type lens. Definitely a book that could use a second read.
My main disappointment was in the last chapter. I was hoping for this last chapter to tie the previous 6 together in some cohesive way. Instead it felt disconnected from the rest and also seemed kind of messed up to presentthe sexualization of a 10-year old girl as a coming of age moment for shock value. The purpose of this could definitely been achieved differently.
My main disappointment was in the last chapter. I was hoping for this last chapter to tie the previous 6 together in some cohesive way. Instead it felt disconnected from the rest and also seemed kind of messed up to present
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Rape
Contains vivid descriptions of body mutilation (by the character themself, but not in a self harm/mental health context) in one chapter. Contains sexualization of minors.