ono_odog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Cursing
Moderate: Terminal illness
kibbles15's review against another edition
I just could not get interested in the characters or the plot of this book. The story just moved to slow for me. 2 hours in I would have expected a little bit of action. No such luck. Pretty much the first two hours is the main characters talking to each other. I may give the book another chance later, but at the moment it doesn't feel worth finishing.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing
tofutofutofu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
2.0
For the first few tales, I really couldn't tell if we were supposed to sympathize with these characters. I thought, maybe this is horror told from the perspective of the monster, and each of these characters is terrorizing the people of hyperion and then being punished for their sins of misogyny, homophobia, colonialism, racism, greed... but then we got to the scholar's tale, which was beautiful and sad and sympathetic. It got me to wonder if we're actually supposed to relate to the priest who treats the people he meets as subhuman and the soldier who doesn't even ask the woman he's having sex with her name. Maybe she conveniently never speaks not because she is inside a parody but because the author is vile. I was expecting them to all die at the end, but unfortunately we are given no such satisfaction, only a cliffhanger. Without a resolution, it really seems that all of the specific 20th century bigotry that the characters have somehow preserved in the far distant future is just... 20th century bigotry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Torture, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/injury detail, Gore, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Islamophobia and Homophobia
babudarabu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Animal death, Colonisation, Grief, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Genocide, and War
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