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Murakami writing his latest novel on crack. Leopold Bloom taking LSD during his wanderings in Dublin. Alice in Wonderland translated into cyberpunk. You get the picture. Yet, when I finished, it didn't seem vibrant or cutting edge. It was simply a story of small time addicts who sought an escape from reality. A sad story that was hard to get excited about.
However, it was a fresh look at a possible future and I did appreciate some of the crafting of moods and innovative ideas (Beetle going fractal). The story also had a solid ending, which is rare these days. There were certainly redeeming qualities and if the plot line listed in its synopsis intrigues you then certainly pick it up off the shelf. For me though, it just barely eeked out 3 stars.
However, it was a fresh look at a possible future and I did appreciate some of the crafting of moods and innovative ideas (Beetle going fractal). The story also had a solid ending, which is rare these days. There were certainly redeeming qualities and if the plot line listed in its synopsis intrigues you then certainly pick it up off the shelf. For me though, it just barely eeked out 3 stars.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After the first 20 pages I realized this is less of a sci-fi and more of a surreal thing, and once I accepted that, it flowed better. Eventually I liked that in this book you just don't get how this universe is working. But that's a problem too, because you're not sure about the weight/consequence of things that happen. I didn't really feel the pain of the characters, but sometimes I felt their disgust.
[minor spoilers from here on about what kind of ending the book has, but not about what it is]
I really liked the ending, it was a great visionary scene with a non-traditional ending, but the last two pages were superfluous, they explained something I didn't want explained, and it had no bearing on characters or story. The book should end at that minor fourth wall break at the end. It would be a perfect way to end it.
It was a very enjoyable read with a great (then botched) ending, but it's missing something for me to be really great. Maybe if the book had more of that ending scene (it has some in the middle), and less of characters just running around getting stuff and random people helping them because why not. Maybe the universe of the book is already so surreal it couldn't really top it in the drug scenes. But then again, it's kind of the point I guess.
[minor spoilers from here on about what kind of ending the book has, but not about what it is]
I really liked the ending, it was a great visionary scene with a non-traditional ending, but the last two pages were superfluous, they explained something I didn't want explained, and it had no bearing on characters or story. The book should end at that minor fourth wall break at the end. It would be a perfect way to end it.
It was a very enjoyable read with a great (then botched) ending, but it's missing something for me to be really great. Maybe if the book had more of that ending scene (it has some in the middle), and less of characters just running around getting stuff and random people helping them because why not. Maybe the universe of the book is already so surreal it couldn't really top it in the drug scenes. But then again, it's kind of the point I guess.
This book is a fever dream. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. Would I read it again? Possibly…I almost want to dive back in on page one just to try and make some sense of it all. Which is pointless as I know this style of book well by now and it’s best to let most if not all its quirks wash over you. I enjoyed many elements of this. It felt like the love child of Irvine Welsh, Philip K Dick and Christopher Nolan with a sprinkling of Vandermeer or Mieville🤔 as much as I loved how adventurous it was, how multi- dimensional it was and damn right weird, there are some uncomfortable things that I really hope don’t reflect Noon’s beliefs…see trigger warnings. Other than that I’d have liked the characters to have been a bit fuller, with a real sense of identity. Absolutely mad reading here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Violence
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
No
Reading this book was a little like chewing glass. Really thought it might be a good idea but likely to leave you with a mouth full of sand.
That metaphor makes about as much sense as 90% of the book, and that's not including the weird incest, alien creatures and strange interludes.
I think I need to just stop reading books with a vague computer science basis because I don't enjoy them.
OH SHIT I FORGOT THE DOGS??????? THe DOG sEX?? and Dog PEoplE??
(I was gifted a copy of vurt by @angryrobotbooks)
That metaphor makes about as much sense as 90% of the book, and that's not including the weird incest, alien creatures and strange interludes.
I think I need to just stop reading books with a vague computer science basis because I don't enjoy them.
OH SHIT I FORGOT THE DOGS??????? THe DOG sEX?? and Dog PEoplE??
(I was gifted a copy of vurt by @angryrobotbooks)
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
This is a brilliant and hugely original urban fantasy with hints of A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and Dhalgren by Samuel R Delaney.
The narrator/ protagonist Scribble and his mates Beetle, new girl Mandy, shadowgirl Bridget and The Thing-from-Outer-Space are the Stash Riders; they buy and use feathers which provide shared hallucinogenic experiences akin to playing computer games. Pink feathers are pornovurts, blue feathers offer safe desires, black are bootleg vurts, "one sliver beyond the law" and yellow feathers are the most extreme, offering experiences you can't jerk out of: "if you die in a yellow dream, you die in real life." Scribble is searching for his sister Desdemona, who got left behind in the vurtual (sic) world; he needs to find the right feather and re-enter the world to bring her back.
So the story is a classic hero's adventure in which Scribble, a superbly flawed hero, aided by his friends, must enter another realm, presided over by Game Cat, perform tasks, build up knowledge, win things of value, rescue the princess and return to the real world. Perhaps there is a bit of Orpheus going down to the underworld to rescue Eurydice. It's a story of heroism and sacrifice. There are twists. (To be honest, I got a little bit lost in the middle of the book: it;s a complicated plot.)
The world-building is gradual and brilliant. The streets of Manchester form a real backdrop to a world people by 'pure's and hybrids between humans and shadows and robots and dogs and vurts. There's a lot of action. There are cops and robocops and shadowcops, there is sex and there are drugs and there is rock'n'roll, there are car chases and shoot-outs and The Thing-from-Outer-Space. There is 'dripfeed' (state benefits) and 'droidlocks' (dreadlocks on a robocrusty) and The Haunting (a sort of deja-vu which muddles rality with vurt) and Cortex Jammers and pedheads (pedestrians) and jerkouts and Karmachanics. It is a vivid combination of the real and the surreal, the everyday and the fantastic. It works superbly.
The narrator/ protagonist Scribble and his mates Beetle, new girl Mandy, shadowgirl Bridget and The Thing-from-Outer-Space are the Stash Riders; they buy and use feathers which provide shared hallucinogenic experiences akin to playing computer games. Pink feathers are pornovurts, blue feathers offer safe desires, black are bootleg vurts, "one sliver beyond the law" and yellow feathers are the most extreme, offering experiences you can't jerk out of: "if you die in a yellow dream, you die in real life." Scribble is searching for his sister Desdemona, who got left behind in the vurtual (sic) world; he needs to find the right feather and re-enter the world to bring her back.
So the story is a classic hero's adventure in which Scribble, a superbly flawed hero, aided by his friends, must enter another realm, presided over by Game Cat, perform tasks, build up knowledge, win things of value, rescue the princess and return to the real world. Perhaps there is a bit of Orpheus going down to the underworld to rescue Eurydice. It's a story of heroism and sacrifice. There are twists. (To be honest, I got a little bit lost in the middle of the book: it;s a complicated plot.)
The world-building is gradual and brilliant. The streets of Manchester form a real backdrop to a world people by 'pure's and hybrids between humans and shadows and robots and dogs and vurts. There's a lot of action. There are cops and robocops and shadowcops, there is sex and there are drugs and there is rock'n'roll, there are car chases and shoot-outs and The Thing-from-Outer-Space. There is 'dripfeed' (state benefits) and 'droidlocks' (dreadlocks on a robocrusty) and The Haunting (a sort of deja-vu which muddles rality with vurt) and Cortex Jammers and pedheads (pedestrians) and jerkouts and Karmachanics. It is a vivid combination of the real and the surreal, the everyday and the fantastic. It works superbly.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes