Reviews

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

benny_g's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Steven Hall had me in the first half and then… he kind of lost me. The Raw Shark Texts was a great read don’t get me wrong, but out of all of its meta-laden pages and pop culture connections what we have here is something I and many others have seen before in other mediums. Once we get past the whole intrigue of Eric Sanderson’s total amnesia and search for the truth, what we’re left with is just ideas thrown at a dartboard but with Spielberg’s Jaws thrown into the mix. Having the titular Shark or Ludovican be an unstoppable threat to our MC was fantastic! The dread it brought was palpable and the pages in the story where you could see the physical creature inching towards you was pure genius. It just sucks that the fear and tension was muddled by a lukewarm plot and honestly unlikable MC.  Next time, give me more strange and cool ideas like the shark, but hold all the Jaws references for sometime else please.

amandairene's review against another edition

5.0

A good friend recommended this to me, and initially I was very reluctant to read it. I put it off for a couple of weeks because I was so set on the idea that I wouldn't like it. The picture I had in my head of the story did not even come close to what the book was actually about. I am so glad I managed to get past my first hesitations, as this is now one of my favourite books.

While I was reading The Raw Shark Texts, I couldn't stand to put it down, and after I was finished I thought about it for weeks. It is the kind of book that stays with you long after you have finished, and I still find myself thinking about the characters and the story years later. Everyone should read this book.

trendingline221's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

amypitts's review against another edition

Just not feeling it right now. Will pick up again. 

kdawn999's review against another edition

4.0

3.5--This was fun but imperfect. The beginning is exciting since both we and the protagonist don't know who he his, so it's interesting and mysterious to put the pieces of his life together from clues his former self left behind. But the Memento plot is fully supplanted when we break reality and our protagonist goes on the run from a fantastical, thought-eating shark. The creative and witty turns the story takes make it worth reading. The imperfect parts have to do with the romance in which we're treated to the manic-pixie-dream-girl trope. Things are just a little to cutesy and awkward here as we see the author reaching for poignant insight on loss and memory--something like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I also wish the new world of "unspace" had been explored and that more characters had been introduced in this realm. But I won't soon forget the creative recasting of the end of the movie Jaws or the grumpy cat who makes the entire journey with them.

lilacwhisker's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

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

2.0

utterly boring. all the characters are completely flat, especially the main character who is the least interesting person in the world.

did not like how over-sexualized Scout was, either (Hall CANNOT write women for his life omg).

the world-building was somewhat confusing, but not in a good, mysterious way.

the whole thing about Mycroft Ward was just… bad. why are we meant to care about him?? he literally NEVER ONCE actually appears. you think he might but just…nothing.

anyways the pictures were nice.

sian_m's review against another edition

2.0

This was a real disappointment for me. I expected to love it and it just wasn’t for me.

kirstentangedal's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was so unique and cerebral. While some of the ideas, such as the light bulb fragment code, were fantastical, the majority of the book is really just a raw ode to love and loss. 

mokey81's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

robotswithpersonality's review against another edition

The truly original imaginative elements introduced around concepts, thoughts and the physical world, how books and words are used, was highly entertaining. However, this book is primarily about a man struggling to deal with grief after a great loss. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with ongoing mental health concerns. Ian the Cat, with his multitude of creatively described unimpressed glares, was not harmed in the making of this story. 😼
⚠️Suicidal ideation