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byorgey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kellynanne's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ms Clarke thank you for blessing me with this wonderful piece of literature
macliffe's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The 3 stars I gave this book are purely because Susanna Clark is a genius. I still can barely believe this book was written in The 21st Century. It perfectly captures the 19th or early 20th century British literary style, down to spellings and slang. The footnotes made the world feel so real, like a lost piece of history, grounded in reality yet fantastical. It could have been a perfect book.
The fatal flaw of this book is simply its length. If it had been about 300 pages like Piranesi, it would have been flawless. But 800+ pages of no plot, or at most a vague and confusing plot, does not work, at least for me. This book could have easily been condensed to half its size, and I have no clue why it’s so long and slow. I think she learned from this book because Piranesi is the perfect length while still maintaining the fantastical magic, worldbuilding, and plotless mystery that she does so well.
The fatal flaw of this book is simply its length. If it had been about 300 pages like Piranesi, it would have been flawless. But 800+ pages of no plot, or at most a vague and confusing plot, does not work, at least for me. This book could have easily been condensed to half its size, and I have no clue why it’s so long and slow. I think she learned from this book because Piranesi is the perfect length while still maintaining the fantastical magic, worldbuilding, and plotless mystery that she does so well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Confinement, and Racism
Minor: Antisemitism
hairlikestardust's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
truncarlos's review against another edition
Lo dejo porque me estaba costando horrores. Veo lo que quería hacer y creo que empieza bien, pero termina por no funcionar.
sarahch's review against another edition
DNFed. I couldn't deal with the footnotes, the never-ending exposition and the pretentious tone. I don't usually mind "pretentious" writing and can suspend my disbelief to see what the author is trying to do, but not here. I came back to it twice and still couldn't stop rolling my eyes. Bon! I'm glad others found a satisfying fantasy world in this book. I'm still looking.
hdavra's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
zubin's review against another edition
0.25
What an incredibly hyped up book!
It goes on and on without anything really happening. I find is hard to belive it has such raves reviews for such a mundane story. It would make a fine 50 page short story, certainly not a 1000 page snail paced rivalry between two annoying magicians. The magic has no structure or system...things just happen or they dont. For 700 pages next to nothing happens and then when in the final part something happens you feel like a whole continent has been moved because of the pace set in the first 3/4 of the book.
It goes on and on without anything really happening. I find is hard to belive it has such raves reviews for such a mundane story. It would make a fine 50 page short story, certainly not a 1000 page snail paced rivalry between two annoying magicians. The magic has no structure or system...things just happen or they dont. For 700 pages next to nothing happens and then when in the final part something happens you feel like a whole continent has been moved because of the pace set in the first 3/4 of the book.