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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
penleguin's review against another edition
4.0
A haunting, eerie novella about a group separated from society whose female members all die from a mysterious illness. Soon afterwards, a collective of mute, mushroom-like women meet the group and the men grapple with their newfound desires and connections to them.
amyainsy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
melissapigeon's review against another edition
4.0
I would have liked more detail, but I enjoyed it. Definitely open to interpretation and full of themes: leadership, the power of story, gender roles, pregnancy, lust, loneliness, freedom, groupthink -- lots of interesting stuff. For some reason, I was reminded of The Giver? Probably because of the emphasis on leadership, story, and color.
Anyway. I've already decided that 2023 is the Year of the Mushroom, so obviously I had to read this (adding to The Last of Us, What Moves the Dead, and Ghost Eaters).
Anyway. I've already decided that 2023 is the Year of the Mushroom, so obviously I had to read this (adding to The Last of Us, What Moves the Dead, and Ghost Eaters).
richardleis's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful writing leading to unexpected and strange places, with an undercurrent of weirdness and menace, makes for a swift and thought-provoking read. The included short story "Peace, Pipe" is equally as captivating. Highly recommended.
puddleslime's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was WEIRD but in a good way. It has such an interesting post apocalypse scenario, with only women being killed off, so the challenges that the characters face are so out of the realm of imagination, which makes their odd behavior seem almost reasonable? Like genuinely I would probably go crazy in their shoes. Also I love that they put men into the position of woman, putting into perspective how women are viewed in society and their expectations. Anyway I love reading stories that push way out of the realm of reality, and I think this book did it well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body horror and Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement
sylphus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
littlerachyb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-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
2.0
Dissappointing. A concept that could have been very clever, but was only used in such boring obvious binary terms that it fell short of its potential. The author seems to forget a plethora of things about the truth of humanity and it's diversity of gender, sexuality and personality.
This edition has an extra short story which is in some ways better, but equally underdeveloped so that it feels like a pitch rather than a story.
This edition has an extra short story which is in some ways better, but equally underdeveloped so that it feels like a pitch rather than a story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
beautyinruins_ca's review against another edition
3.0
The Beauty is a weirdly beautiful novella from Aliya Whiteley that feels disconcertingly unfinished. It is altogether fascinating, with a sinister progression of themes and ideas, but it ends too soon, and Nate's narration keeps much of the story at arms' length.
In an undefined future, the world has been overcome by a fungal infection that has taken the lives of every single woman, young and old. The men who survive them know that they are to be the last generation, and exist in a sad sort of limbo, living for stories of the past. When strange yellow mushrooms begin growing from the women's graves, curiosity leads a trio of lonely men into an encounter with new life - oddly beautiful, inexplicably arousing feminine figures formed of soft, spongy, organic material.
And that's only where it begins to get weird.
Beneath all the dystopian horror and sci-fi surrealism, this is a fascinating look at gender, gender roles, and what it means to be human. Strangely, however, it is only after the arrival of The Beauty that the men begin to change. Where the promise of impending doom brought them together in a sorrowful sort of brotherhood, the question of new life - creepy and disturbing as it is - rekindles in them a desire to survive, setting them at odds with one another. That's where the story gets really interesting, and where I wish there were another narrator to broaden the story. While we see how the men have changed, it's a superficial appreciation, without the deeper emotional understanding that I think would have kicked this up a notch.
There's so much I want to say about the body horror and gender bending here, but it's one of those stories that needs to be experienced. It's weird, creepy, unsettling, disturbing, and more, with ever-bigger secrets revealed along the way. I want more, whether it be a sequel or a companion piece, but what's here is fantastically compelling.
http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.ca/2018/04/scifi-review-beauty-by-aliya-whiteley.html
In an undefined future, the world has been overcome by a fungal infection that has taken the lives of every single woman, young and old. The men who survive them know that they are to be the last generation, and exist in a sad sort of limbo, living for stories of the past. When strange yellow mushrooms begin growing from the women's graves, curiosity leads a trio of lonely men into an encounter with new life - oddly beautiful, inexplicably arousing feminine figures formed of soft, spongy, organic material.
And that's only where it begins to get weird.
Beneath all the dystopian horror and sci-fi surrealism, this is a fascinating look at gender, gender roles, and what it means to be human. Strangely, however, it is only after the arrival of The Beauty that the men begin to change. Where the promise of impending doom brought them together in a sorrowful sort of brotherhood, the question of new life - creepy and disturbing as it is - rekindles in them a desire to survive, setting them at odds with one another. That's where the story gets really interesting, and where I wish there were another narrator to broaden the story. While we see how the men have changed, it's a superficial appreciation, without the deeper emotional understanding that I think would have kicked this up a notch.
There's so much I want to say about the body horror and gender bending here, but it's one of those stories that needs to be experienced. It's weird, creepy, unsettling, disturbing, and more, with ever-bigger secrets revealed along the way. I want more, whether it be a sequel or a companion piece, but what's here is fantastically compelling.
http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.ca/2018/04/scifi-review-beauty-by-aliya-whiteley.html
livmoll's review against another edition
3.0
this was like the ‘last of us’ if joel got really horny one day
etana_80's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75