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gemmadee's review against another edition
5.0
Matt Ruff's first book. Reading it again now, it's not actually five star good, but I read it the summer after my freshman year in college and it has been one of my favorite books ever since. Ruff writes a lot like Tom Robbins, except a little lighter on the political and spiritual messages, and a little heavier on the three-dimensional characters you can actually care about. Oddly, the stories are also a little easier to believe in, despite the fact that he uses a lot of magical realism.
bowienerd_82's review against another edition
4.0
Quirky and entertaining, especially for anyone who is a writer.
selenophilebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
danizwerg's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was probably the weirdest thing Ive read so far. It was funny and charming and everything but very weird. Plus the ending felt very rushed, which was a bit disappointing.
sylyons's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it. I think there was a little too much going on in the book to really grab my attention. The chapters sometimes skipped so violently from on character to another, I had to reset. It was a great story though and the characters were fun. The favorite part of the book I enjoyed was the story of Blackjack and Luther. That was the part of the story that kept me compelled. Overall, though, I did enjoy, but it was a little hectic.
judd's review against another edition
4.0
Would this book be as much fun if I didn't read it during a lazy week in the middle of an Ithaca summer?
I'm not sure.
But it was a lazy week in the middle of an Ithaca summer and it was a fun read.
Bad Monkeys by Ruff was also pretty damned solid, Ithaca summer or no.
I'm not sure.
But it was a lazy week in the middle of an Ithaca summer and it was a fun read.
Bad Monkeys by Ruff was also pretty damned solid, Ithaca summer or no.
survivalisinsufficient's review against another edition
3.0
I love Matt Ruff - I've read all of his books and given 5 stars to three of the five [b:Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls|71847|Set This House in Order A Romance of Souls|Matt Ruff|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1385227307s/71847.jpg|2204766], [b:Bad Monkeys|71845|Bad Monkeys|Matt Ruff|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1300479869s/71845.jpg|69564], and [b:The Mirage|12067161|The Mirage|Matt Ruff|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388374136s/12067161.jpg|17034630], all awesome). This (his first book) is definitely not my favorite, and I'd probably recommend skipping it, but I can definitely see how it would appeal more to other people (people who went to Cornell, people who enjoy tiny fairies, people who like madcap random adventure books where everything ties together in the end?)
figliadiathena's review against another edition
4.0
i loved it very much
quite the refreshing fantasy
book
quite the refreshing fantasy
book
gtbenathan's review against another edition
4.0
A book for people that love books. I suggest it highly for lots of people. Not to mention that Matt Ruff does this amazing thing where every book he writes is completely different, but wonderful in its own way. This was his first and completely different from all of his others. The dog/cat story line was unique and delightful. The sprites were lots of fun. George and Aurora were great characters that I'd love to actually meet. This is one of those where I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could, but figure 4 is a bit better fit than 5. That said, great story and characters.