Scan barcode
hoytreads's review against another edition
3.0
Whew! This one was a bit of a slog for me... It was an interesting story, in a setting I haven't really read before (African inspired fantasy world), but I struggled with the way it was written. I think my main issues were 1) it was told as a nested series of stories within stories, as the main character was telling his story to someone else, but then other characters within HIS story were telling their stories to him and it was sometimes difficult to track what was what; and 2) the various characters came from different lands and spoke different languages and the author communicated this by having their English be rearranged a bit. This really slowed down my reading so that this took me twice as long to read as a book this size would normally take.
This was also a truly brutal story. I'd probably put in the dark fantasy genre, with tons of violence, sexual assault, and body horror. The main character is truly unlikeable, as are most of the side characters. I really don't know if I want to continue the series. I might try some of the authors other works...
This was also a truly brutal story. I'd probably put in the dark fantasy genre, with tons of violence, sexual assault, and body horror. The main character is truly unlikeable, as are most of the side characters. I really don't know if I want to continue the series. I might try some of the authors other works...
teadregon's review against another edition
When I realized I kept re-reading the same pages over and over and over again AND it's been months since I thought about it, I think its not the right time for me to read it
ujjwalala17's review against another edition
5.0
Even better as a reread.
Listened to the audiobook this time and damn I love this book so much. It's not for the faint hearted but it's gorgeously complicated and twisted and satisfying to decipher.
Listened to the audiobook this time and damn I love this book so much. It's not for the faint hearted but it's gorgeously complicated and twisted and satisfying to decipher.
cooksta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
remjunior's review against another edition
3.0
Oof. This is...a difficult book. To read, to rate, to like, to hate.
First, the good. Marlon James is an excellent writer. He can turn a phrase and writes in a way that reminds me of Cormac McCarthy or Marilynn Robinson--not that they are similar, but that they all seem to have a unique way of writing that feels dreamlike or other worldly. That may not make sense unless you've read some of their works, but it has a *feel* to it that is hard to describe.
The overall story is meh, but the individual stories within the novel are often compelling and the setting is unique. This was part of the hard part of listening to the audiobook--there were a lot of names, phrases, places, and mythologies that were hard to understand without reading or without any knowledge of African mythology. It's interesting, although it is very foreign to almost everything I've read. Again, the poetic language lends itself to the jungle and the creatures and stories that are told.
Now, the other side (bad? not-so-great?). This is a REALLY hard book to read. I recognize that I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I am well read, have a BA in English, and generally think about what I'm reading. James does literally no favors for you here. If you go into this wanting to read a good yarn, find something else. This is one of the few books that I regret listening to because I think I needed to slow down and see what was on the page--hence the reason it took me so long to finish as opposed to my normal speed. The structure of the story is obtuse, motivations are hidden, the story is not told in a straight-forward manner, and the writing is abnormal (although beautiful). This is not an easy read.
The book has also been (James claims he was joking, but it caught) compared to Game of Thrones, as in an African Game of Thrones. That's...a stretch. Where G.R.R. Martin writes mostly about political intrigue, family dynamics, etc. with some really intense violence in spurts, this is virtually no political intrigue but filled to the brim with violence. And not just the run-of-the-mill cut your head off with a sword violence. Oh no. There is rape, incest, bestiality, vampirism, body mutilation, raped and murder children/babies, etc. This sits at the top of my short list of most violent books I've ever read.
I'm not saying the violence is *wrong*, and I even had the thought that most of this happens to some people in the world unfortunately, but it just pushed and pushed and pushed and left me exhausted, worn out, and not wanting to continue. This is part of why the book is so hard to read--the characters, even the main character, are not likable and have all done pretty bad things. There is literally no one to root for.
I'm not sure if I liked this book, tolerated it, or hated it. Honestly. It is an enigma to me and I don't usually leave books feeling so mixed up, but this one has done it. I don't recommend this if you have a low tolerance for the ugliness of the world, because it is all on display here and then some. It is nihilistic to an extreme and makes Game of Thrones look tame in comparison. It also isn't as subtle as the dark fantasy that I usually like.
Maybe that's the point. There are supposed to be two more books, the same story told from two different perspectives. I don't know if I will read them. I'm not sure I want to be in this world longer than I have to. I need some more time to think on this one.
First, the good. Marlon James is an excellent writer. He can turn a phrase and writes in a way that reminds me of Cormac McCarthy or Marilynn Robinson--not that they are similar, but that they all seem to have a unique way of writing that feels dreamlike or other worldly. That may not make sense unless you've read some of their works, but it has a *feel* to it that is hard to describe.
The overall story is meh, but the individual stories within the novel are often compelling and the setting is unique. This was part of the hard part of listening to the audiobook--there were a lot of names, phrases, places, and mythologies that were hard to understand without reading or without any knowledge of African mythology. It's interesting, although it is very foreign to almost everything I've read. Again, the poetic language lends itself to the jungle and the creatures and stories that are told.
Now, the other side (bad? not-so-great?). This is a REALLY hard book to read. I recognize that I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I am well read, have a BA in English, and generally think about what I'm reading. James does literally no favors for you here. If you go into this wanting to read a good yarn, find something else. This is one of the few books that I regret listening to because I think I needed to slow down and see what was on the page--hence the reason it took me so long to finish as opposed to my normal speed. The structure of the story is obtuse, motivations are hidden, the story is not told in a straight-forward manner, and the writing is abnormal (although beautiful). This is not an easy read.
The book has also been (James claims he was joking, but it caught) compared to Game of Thrones, as in an African Game of Thrones. That's...a stretch. Where G.R.R. Martin writes mostly about political intrigue, family dynamics, etc. with some really intense violence in spurts, this is virtually no political intrigue but filled to the brim with violence. And not just the run-of-the-mill cut your head off with a sword violence. Oh no. There is rape, incest, bestiality, vampirism, body mutilation, raped and murder children/babies, etc. This sits at the top of my short list of most violent books I've ever read.
I'm not saying the violence is *wrong*, and I even had the thought that most of this happens to some people in the world unfortunately, but it just pushed and pushed and pushed and left me exhausted, worn out, and not wanting to continue. This is part of why the book is so hard to read--the characters, even the main character, are not likable and have all done pretty bad things. There is literally no one to root for.
I'm not sure if I liked this book, tolerated it, or hated it. Honestly. It is an enigma to me and I don't usually leave books feeling so mixed up, but this one has done it. I don't recommend this if you have a low tolerance for the ugliness of the world, because it is all on display here and then some. It is nihilistic to an extreme and makes Game of Thrones look tame in comparison. It also isn't as subtle as the dark fantasy that I usually like.
Maybe that's the point. There are supposed to be two more books, the same story told from two different perspectives. I don't know if I will read them. I'm not sure I want to be in this world longer than I have to. I need some more time to think on this one.
charlietuna92's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I’m somewhat divided on this book. Although I found the overall plot interesting, I had a hard time getting invested in it. I loved the setting, the mythology, and the world building in this novel. However, I did find the narrator’s speech to be difficult at times to follow (this is due to dialect and colloquial phrases, which get easier to follow over time, but is initially a barrier) and the time jumps between the narrator speaking to the inquisitor and the actual story were sometimes a bit confusing as they aren’t defined or pointed out, just kind of there. It was an interesting story and I liked the end. I know this is supposed to be book one in a trilogy, but I don’t really know what else the trilogy could entail with the way the characters were left in the story. It felt very final. Maybe it will deal with other characters or locations in the world.
I’m somewhat divided on this book. Although I found the overall plot interesting, I had a hard time getting invested in it. I loved the setting, the mythology, and the world building in this novel. However, I did find the narrator’s speech to be difficult at times to follow (this is due to dialect and colloquial phrases, which get easier to follow over time, but is initially a barrier) and the time jumps between the narrator speaking to the inquisitor and the actual story were sometimes a bit confusing as they aren’t defined or pointed out, just kind of there. It was an interesting story and I liked the end. I know this is supposed to be book one in a trilogy, but I don’t really know what else the trilogy could entail with the way the characters were left in the story. It felt very final. Maybe it will deal with other characters or locations in the world.
caladium's review against another edition
4.0
I liked it! Haven't used goodreads in a long time and just remember being confused, not knowing exactly what's happening, but thoroughly entertained by this dark, unfamiliar mythology fantasy novel.
Got the second book waiting to be read.
Got the second book waiting to be read.
janey's review against another edition
I'm really bummed out by this but I'm giving up on this one. I really wanted to love it, but I get tied down in details and, well, it just isn't clicking for me so I'm putting it down.
allowvera's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 30%. I loved a lot of things about this book but the characters were not likeable or even relatable. The story was told in such a sporadic fashion that is is extremely hard to follow. Its an ambitious book with a lot of beautiful cultural references and folklore but it could have been executed way better.
nic_na's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25