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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I liked Zoo City better (it just felt more vivid in every aspect), but Moxyland was pretty great. It jumps around a lot - the story is told from four different viewpoints all with completely different lifestyles and agendas, and I had mixed feelings with all of them - like was I supposed to root for them or hate their guts? Lots of political statements being made about the direction society is headed in the near future (2018) - and of course none of it is for the best. Unfortunately there are some parts of the story that flounder - like why is it called Moxyland when that seemed like such a small stepping stone in the plot. And what exactly was Kendra's connection to the dogs or did Damien have similar problems? The connection between corporate and government and everyone's productive lives is the underlying theme, but only loosely described with specific examples - like we should already know the way things are in this setting. And we get the gist of it as the tale progresses so eventually things are less puzzling and more revealing of the distopia. It's fast-paced, clever, and exciting with not a dull moment.
A fun read. Initially I was frustrated by futuristic tech, customs, and language popping up with no explanation and very little contextual cues, but it just took a few chapters to get the lingo down. All of the main characters were interesting. Toby in particular reminded me of a slightly more sociopathic Zaphod Beeblebrox. What happens to each main character after the climax is not made 100% explicit, but there are just hints enough to make the ending feel resolved.
So this book ended up being a painful read. The author attempts to make Moxyland hip, new, fresh - but it falls flat. Many authors create new words and slang in their books, particularly dystopian novels - whereas this might work in A Clockwork Orange, it just appears amateur and unnecessary here.
Moxyland is about government oppression, corporate domination, freedom of speech, and the blurred lines between anarchism and terrorism. These topics are interesting, but the book just doesn't pull it off, and I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction, like I'd just wasted a day of my life (which I have, I suppose).
Also, I'd like to comment on the quote on the cover by Charles Stross - "full of spiky originality, a new kind of sf munching it's way out of the intestines of the wasp-paralysed caterpillar of cyberpunk"... What? WHAT? Can that be repeated in English? As soon as I read that, I should have known. Sometimes, you should definitely judge a book by its cover.
Moxyland is about government oppression, corporate domination, freedom of speech, and the blurred lines between anarchism and terrorism. These topics are interesting, but the book just doesn't pull it off, and I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction, like I'd just wasted a day of my life (which I have, I suppose).
Also, I'd like to comment on the quote on the cover by Charles Stross - "full of spiky originality, a new kind of sf munching it's way out of the intestines of the wasp-paralysed caterpillar of cyberpunk"... What? WHAT? Can that be repeated in English? As soon as I read that, I should have known. Sometimes, you should definitely judge a book by its cover.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
slow-paced
Probably more like 3 1/2 stars.
This is the fourth Lauren Beukes book I have read, and probably my second favorite. It captured my attention right away, and I was extremely interested in what was going to happen. All of her books tend to have subpar endings, (the kind of ending extremely typical of science fiction in which everything seems to wrap up way too quickly--see William Gibson, especially) - and Moxyland is no exception. A certain aspect of the ending really bothered me and left me puzzled and irritated for awhile. However, as a whole, the book is thought provoking and entertaining.
This is the fourth Lauren Beukes book I have read, and probably my second favorite. It captured my attention right away, and I was extremely interested in what was going to happen. All of her books tend to have subpar endings, (the kind of ending extremely typical of science fiction in which everything seems to wrap up way too quickly--see William Gibson, especially) - and Moxyland is no exception. A certain aspect of the ending really bothered me and left me puzzled and irritated for awhile. However, as a whole, the book is thought provoking and entertaining.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I don't really know where to start with this.
I initially started with this book due to the fact that it was recommended as a 'must read' after I had watched Black Mirror.
I enjoyed it don't get me wrong but I felt it was very slow paced with the last 2/3 chapters tying everything together in a way.
All in all it was ok but if I had known it was going to be so slow and it was going to have so many narratives that I didnt really care for I dont know if I would have read it.
All in all it was the Extras that intrigued me the most where Lauren gave the real life mirrors that had inspired her novel.
I initially started with this book due to the fact that it was recommended as a 'must read' after I had watched Black Mirror.
I enjoyed it don't get me wrong but I felt it was very slow paced with the last 2/3 chapters tying everything together in a way.
All in all it was ok but if I had known it was going to be so slow and it was going to have so many narratives that I didnt really care for I dont know if I would have read it.
All in all it was the Extras that intrigued me the most where Lauren gave the real life mirrors that had inspired her novel.
I spent so long tracking this down and then put it down after 10 pages to get a glass of water or something and never thought about it ever again.