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tothebookcave's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
metaphorosis's review
3.0
reviews.metaphorosis.com
2.5 stars
Rug merchant and con artist, Korvas has had a hard life. It gets no easier when he finds himself suddenly on the wrong side of the infamous Captain Shadows of the King's Guard, nor when a priestess and her cohort attach themselves to him. Least helpful of all is a mysterious and powerful box that never seems to give him what he wants.
Sometime around 1985, I was sitting in the Railroad Square theater, listening to Barry Longyear. Memory is fickle; I don't recall whether I knew who he was - whether I'd already read his long-ish contribution to the Liavek anthology (which I liked a lot). I think he was speaking in advance of a showing of Enemy Mine - his story adapted to a depressingly poor movie. In any case, I ended up with a copy of Longyear's collection It Came from Schenectady - his stock answer to where stories come from. The stories (like the phrase) were funny and unexpected. On the strength of that, I eventually bought The God Box.
Like his short stories, this book is consistently funny and unusual. Korvas is a likeable rogue just trying to make the world a better place - for himself - and his self-centered efforts are charmingly amusing. The writing is smooth, the humor neither too broad nor to subtle. On a chapter by chapter basis, the story succeeds admirably.
Unfortunately, while the haphazard nature of Korvas' adventures keeps us guessing, the ending confirms all too well that Longyear was making it all up as he went along. The last third of the book falls apart almost completely, leaving a jumble of badly mismatched pieces. Nothing fits together, and Longyear's proffered resolution simply doesn't work. It's not quite in the "and it was all a dream" category, but it's not much better. That's a real shame, because the bulk of the story is a lot of fun.
A quarter century after my first reading, I retained only a vague memory that Longyear was funny, but the book was not great. I was right on both fronts. I had fun reading the first two thirds, but had I recalled the morass of the ending, I wouldn't have bothered.
Overall, hard to recommend. If you like the journey more than the destination, read this for some pretty fun and funny travels. If you insist on finding some sort of satisfaction or resolution in a story, this isn't the book for you.
sisyphus_dreams's review
5.0
Some books are bad. Some books are great. And some books...are special.
The God Box is special.
It's a fantasy; the story of Korvas, who has been (among many other things) a crooked rug-seller in a great city. His first-person recounting of his adventures while on the run from the bloodthirsty Captain of the city guard and his men is extremely funny, exciting, and in the end, deeply touching. I never fail to have a lump in my throat and a warm feeling as I finish the last page - and I read the book at least a couple of times each year.
As a fantasy, The God Box is top-notch. It has a sheer emotional depth that's simply exceptional. The setting, too, is refreshing and vivid. And it's all packed into a book that's far smaller than 90% of the monster-sized fantasy tomes which are the staple of modern genre fiction.
The story flows well; it's told in first person by Korvas himself to a (literally) captive audience, and a very engaging tale it is.
But it's the idea of the god box itself which really stays with me - and with other people I know who've read the book. It is based, I believe, on a concept that originated in rehabilitation therapy for addicts; addiction recovery is a frequent theme in much of Longyear's later work, since he had to struggle with the issue himself. But The God Box was the first novel in which the subject came up, I believe, and it's handled with a very light touch.
I don't want to spoil the concept of the god box in this review. But as Longyear presents it, it's a fascinating idea: you ask the box for you what need, and give it what you don't want. Fear, for example.
And the funny thing is that it really works! No, I'm not saying that it's really magic (it is in the book, of course). I'm a rock-ribbed atheist, myself, so I'm not going to go all mystical on you. But when I am feeling particularly stressed, or afraid, or sad, I visualize a god box. I give it some of the emotions that causing me pain, and ask it for whatever I need to cope. And to my amazement, I feel an astonishing feeling of calm and peace come over me. I'm not the only one who has experienced this, by the way.
It's just a creative use of imagination and visualization, of course. Perhaps there's a touch of self-hypnosis involved. But who cares? The key thing is that it works.
The God Box was out of print for many years, and it never gained the popularity it deserved. But it's back in print now - unfortunately only in paperback. I'd gladly buy a hardcover edition.
It should also be noted that there's another book with the same name, by a writer named Alex Sanchez. I haven't read it, and have no idea what it's about.
I can't recommend Barry Longyear's The God Box highly enough. It's a real gem, and is a must on any fantasy reader's bookshelf - and should be on the reading list of anyone who likes lively stories, imaginative ideas, and interesting philosophy.
The God Box is special.
It's a fantasy; the story of Korvas, who has been (among many other things) a crooked rug-seller in a great city. His first-person recounting of his adventures while on the run from the bloodthirsty Captain of the city guard and his men is extremely funny, exciting, and in the end, deeply touching. I never fail to have a lump in my throat and a warm feeling as I finish the last page - and I read the book at least a couple of times each year.
As a fantasy, The God Box is top-notch. It has a sheer emotional depth that's simply exceptional. The setting, too, is refreshing and vivid. And it's all packed into a book that's far smaller than 90% of the monster-sized fantasy tomes which are the staple of modern genre fiction.
The story flows well; it's told in first person by Korvas himself to a (literally) captive audience, and a very engaging tale it is.
But it's the idea of the god box itself which really stays with me - and with other people I know who've read the book. It is based, I believe, on a concept that originated in rehabilitation therapy for addicts; addiction recovery is a frequent theme in much of Longyear's later work, since he had to struggle with the issue himself. But The God Box was the first novel in which the subject came up, I believe, and it's handled with a very light touch.
I don't want to spoil the concept of the god box in this review. But as Longyear presents it, it's a fascinating idea: you ask the box for you what need, and give it what you don't want. Fear, for example.
And the funny thing is that it really works! No, I'm not saying that it's really magic (it is in the book, of course). I'm a rock-ribbed atheist, myself, so I'm not going to go all mystical on you. But when I am feeling particularly stressed, or afraid, or sad, I visualize a god box. I give it some of the emotions that causing me pain, and ask it for whatever I need to cope. And to my amazement, I feel an astonishing feeling of calm and peace come over me. I'm not the only one who has experienced this, by the way.
It's just a creative use of imagination and visualization, of course. Perhaps there's a touch of self-hypnosis involved. But who cares? The key thing is that it works.
The God Box was out of print for many years, and it never gained the popularity it deserved. But it's back in print now - unfortunately only in paperback. I'd gladly buy a hardcover edition.
It should also be noted that there's another book with the same name, by a writer named Alex Sanchez. I haven't read it, and have no idea what it's about.
I can't recommend Barry Longyear's The God Box highly enough. It's a real gem, and is a must on any fantasy reader's bookshelf - and should be on the reading list of anyone who likes lively stories, imaginative ideas, and interesting philosophy.
gracecrandall's review
3.0
The God Box is one of the more interesting fantasy books I've had the pleasure of reading, and I enjoyed it mainly for the narrative voice of Korvas. A petty criminal, Korvas first appears to us trying to sell off his stock of rugs as magic carpets; his constant roguery makes for an extremely fun read, and his habit of understatement is hilarious.
Korvas aside, however, there's very little in the book that's presented clearly enough to love. The plot is a bit confusing, taking place in several different versions of reality and involving a prophecy, a pantheon of gods and goddesses, and a journey through several different lands and cultures, all of which were interesting but not clearly explained. To be honest, 'not clearly explained' covers a lot of the book, though it seems to be written from a fairly agnostic point of view, so this might have been intentional. I found the book's casual attitude towards sex a little disturbing as well.
All in all however, it's an odd, fun and thoughtful read, full of interesting elements and an awesome protagonist, and I enjoyed it immensely :)
Korvas aside, however, there's very little in the book that's presented clearly enough to love. The plot is a bit confusing, taking place in several different versions of reality and involving a prophecy, a pantheon of gods and goddesses, and a journey through several different lands and cultures, all of which were interesting but not clearly explained. To be honest, 'not clearly explained' covers a lot of the book, though it seems to be written from a fairly agnostic point of view, so this might have been intentional. I found the book's casual attitude towards sex a little disturbing as well.
All in all however, it's an odd, fun and thoughtful read, full of interesting elements and an awesome protagonist, and I enjoyed it immensely :)
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