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winnieismydog's review
4.0
It took me a while to get into the book and didn't really like it at first. It's an adventure - if you will - of an older man who dies and meets up with a Japanese woman in the afterlife. They visit memories from her past and then start visiting ones from his. Most of them were sad memories as if they needed to reflect on what had happened.
fluteplayer7's review
2.0
This book was a weird read for me. There is too much context left out of the book for the choice of narrators to make much sense. Why these two characters? The book is a bit hard to follow and the choice of scenes that are portrayed is never explained. You are hopped from time period to time period without much connection in between and no explanation as to why the scene is important. There is a hint of how we might regret some of the choices we make in life but there is no real story in that. There are a lot of good ideas in this book, but they were not connected in a very meaningful way. This book came to me highly recommended. It is very well written. For me, however, the story fails.
lorialdenholuta's review
5.0
Mr. Wolram E. Deaps mentions early in 100 Years of Vicissitude that “there is no neat beginning with which to start things.”Since Wolram is the central character and narrator of the story, I wondered what was to come. As this mysterious, thoughtful, and occasionally horrific story unfolded, I realized that while a neat beginning was never promised, the sum of a life can be tidily bundled into packets of time, which provide a workable method to scrutinize one’s existence.
We meet Wolram after his death. He’s understandably confused and having trouble putting everything into context. What he doesn’t yet know is that he’s about to start a journey through time and memory, pausing long enough at each scene to ponder what transpired and the effects that point in time had on the future.
Wolram is joined by a companion in what he assumes is his afterlife, named Kohana. She’s an intelligent, willful, beautiful, sassy, stubborn enigma of a woman who, we will learn, has lived an incredible life as she survived pivotal points in the history of Japan.
It is her life that Wolram explores, soundtracked by a breathtakingly detailed narrative provided by Kohana. Throughout the journey, changes of memory-locale arrive crisply and frequently, drawing protest, fear, anger, and a growing sense of curiosity from Wolram towards his companion. It’s not quite Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley, but one can’t help but recall that classic tale. Although, with old Scrooge and Marley, it was always clear who was calling the shots–not so with our deceased duo. While one definitely knows what is going on, we are left with just enough vagueness to question the ultimate goal of the Grand Tour. Was this a mutual benefit for two souls leaving this world? Was this an endurance test or an exercise in acceptance?
While the book delivers a satisfying ending, it leaves the reader wide open to questioning much about their own existence and place in history. I defy you to read this book and not think about your own past–as well as your present actions, which stack up like cordwood, defining your future. Will this book alter your future? I believe it may have already altered my own –why should I wait till the end of my lifespan to ponder the worth of my actions and choices? Why not truly live in my moments? And perhaps, one day, when I revisit my life on my final journey, I can take satisfaction from and comfort in the choices I’ve made.
( Review originally written for Steampunk Magazine http://www.steampunkmagazine.com )
We meet Wolram after his death. He’s understandably confused and having trouble putting everything into context. What he doesn’t yet know is that he’s about to start a journey through time and memory, pausing long enough at each scene to ponder what transpired and the effects that point in time had on the future.
Wolram is joined by a companion in what he assumes is his afterlife, named Kohana. She’s an intelligent, willful, beautiful, sassy, stubborn enigma of a woman who, we will learn, has lived an incredible life as she survived pivotal points in the history of Japan.
It is her life that Wolram explores, soundtracked by a breathtakingly detailed narrative provided by Kohana. Throughout the journey, changes of memory-locale arrive crisply and frequently, drawing protest, fear, anger, and a growing sense of curiosity from Wolram towards his companion. It’s not quite Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley, but one can’t help but recall that classic tale. Although, with old Scrooge and Marley, it was always clear who was calling the shots–not so with our deceased duo. While one definitely knows what is going on, we are left with just enough vagueness to question the ultimate goal of the Grand Tour. Was this a mutual benefit for two souls leaving this world? Was this an endurance test or an exercise in acceptance?
While the book delivers a satisfying ending, it leaves the reader wide open to questioning much about their own existence and place in history. I defy you to read this book and not think about your own past–as well as your present actions, which stack up like cordwood, defining your future. Will this book alter your future? I believe it may have already altered my own –why should I wait till the end of my lifespan to ponder the worth of my actions and choices? Why not truly live in my moments? And perhaps, one day, when I revisit my life on my final journey, I can take satisfaction from and comfort in the choices I’ve made.
( Review originally written for Steampunk Magazine http://www.steampunkmagazine.com )
stacialithub's review
3.0
Good & bad, making me have a hard time coming up with a rating.
Not sure if this is considered surreal, post-modern, or just a choppy book. I suspect it’s the latter. The writing issues with this novel bugged me & pulled me out of the story numerous times; there were brief snatches of snappy wording, glimpses of some thought-provoking settings, appearances by some intriguing characters. But, they were all too brief & none of it is ever really developed -- argh. I can see so, so much more for this story, but the author just didn’t pull it there. Plus, the author is a bit lazy (imo) in that the main characters (who are already dead) can just seemingly pop up at any time, in any scene from their lives. There’s no real explanation of how or why this happens (which is ok), it’s just a convenient way to stop one vignette & start another one. And it happens constantly (which is not ok). One of the main characters complained about too much popping about like that & I agree. Stop already.
Why did I keep reading? I’m not completely sure. Part of it was that it’s my first Nook book & I’m still trying to see how much I like reading e-books. So, I persevered. There were some interesting tidbits (many related to Japanese history over the past century); humorous, snide comments; some beautiful & horrifying settings (some of which will definitely give you pause). The ending, while still not well-written, had a nice (if sentimental) touch.
At the end of the book, there is a page from the publisher, Perfect Edge Books. I find their statement fascinating:
So, did the book meet the publisher’s criteria? Yes, I think so. Was it well-written? No. Does it have potential? Yes & that was agonizingly frustrating because, had this book been well-done, it could have been so much more. The glimpses of a greater work were there, but the greater work never put in an appearance. Did it make me think? A couple of times. I don’t want to give it a rating as low as 2 stars, yet it’s almost too jumpy & poorly-written to deserve 3 stars. Ultimately, I’ll give it 3 (grudging) stars.
Not sure if this is considered surreal, post-modern, or just a choppy book. I suspect it’s the latter. The writing issues with this novel bugged me & pulled me out of the story numerous times; there were brief snatches of snappy wording, glimpses of some thought-provoking settings, appearances by some intriguing characters. But, they were all too brief & none of it is ever really developed -- argh. I can see so, so much more for this story, but the author just didn’t pull it there. Plus, the author is a bit lazy (imo) in that the main characters (who are already dead) can just seemingly pop up at any time, in any scene from their lives. There’s no real explanation of how or why this happens (which is ok), it’s just a convenient way to stop one vignette & start another one. And it happens constantly (which is not ok). One of the main characters complained about too much popping about like that & I agree. Stop already.
Why did I keep reading? I’m not completely sure. Part of it was that it’s my first Nook book & I’m still trying to see how much I like reading e-books. So, I persevered. There were some interesting tidbits (many related to Japanese history over the past century); humorous, snide comments; some beautiful & horrifying settings (some of which will definitely give you pause). The ending, while still not well-written, had a nice (if sentimental) touch.
At the end of the book, there is a page from the publisher, Perfect Edge Books. I find their statement fascinating:
“We live in uncertainty. New ways of committing crimes are discovered every day. Hackers and hit men are idolized. Writers have responded to this either by ignoring the harsher realities or by glorifying mindless violence for the sake of it. Atrocities (from the Holocaust to 9/11) are exploited in cheaply sentimental films and novels.
Perfect Edge Books proposes to find a balanced position. We publish fiction that doesn’t revel in nihilism, doesn’t go for gore at the cost of substance – yet we want to confront the world with its beauty as well as its ugliness. That means we want books about difficult topics, books with something to say.
We’re open to dark comedies, “transgressive” novels, potboilers and tales of revenge. All we ask is that you don’t try to shock for the sake of shocking – there is too much of that around. We are looking for intelligent young authors able to use the written word for changing how we read and write in dark times.”
So, did the book meet the publisher’s criteria? Yes, I think so. Was it well-written? No. Does it have potential? Yes & that was agonizingly frustrating because, had this book been well-done, it could have been so much more. The glimpses of a greater work were there, but the greater work never put in an appearance. Did it make me think? A couple of times. I don’t want to give it a rating as low as 2 stars, yet it’s almost too jumpy & poorly-written to deserve 3 stars. Ultimately, I’ll give it 3 (grudging) stars.
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