Reviews

Something New Under the Sun by Alexandra Kleeman

caitlinhume's review

1.0

DNF

velvet_snow's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

rosielazar1's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

brattyreads's review

dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

ignorantplebeian's review

adventurous funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

sofstem's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

cindy_f's review

4.0

This was a book club pick which I surprisingly enjoyed. I’m trying to wrap my head around what I just read. To me this is speculative fiction with very strong climate change sci-fi themes which takes place in noir Hollywood. It’s definitely worth reading for the very descriptive writing elements and humorous undertones.

othersociologist's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

rogelbooger's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This was so frustrating - an extremely cool concept that just did not delivery for me

tomstbr's review against another edition

4.0

There's just something about California. Maybe it's something in the water, or should I say, WAT-R. When you write about that great Western state it has to involve cults, conspiracies or celebrities. Something New Under the Sun covers all three.

While the last chapter somewhat went all woo-woo on me, it still held up well, and the majority of the book was a riot. This is a satire set in a near-future California, and if you've seen Under the Silver Lake you'll probably dig this.

There are a lot of clever lines and paragraphs about a variety of philosophical topics, and the metaphors are rich. Mostly I think of WAT-R, the artificial stand-in for the real stuff that is not quite right, it's a metaphor for a few things. It could be taking a swipe at things like Mass Vaccination/Medicalisation, how we don't know what's really going into our bodies. It could be a metaphor for Post-Modernism, a fake-phony take on reality that sticks in our brains and warps how we think. It could be a lot of things.

Whatever the case, there's a lot going on here, and it entertains even as it makes you think. Recommended.