Scan barcode
unluckycat13's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This is a portal fantasy-adjacent book in the long line of men who go to another world made up of their childhood dreams, ambitions and etc-- But are still incredibly sad and depressed and kind of losers even though they're also really cool. This seems to happen to men a lot in western fiction. Weirdly common plot point.
The setting has moments of being interesting but it's not all that unique once you strip the clown paint off, and at times it's a bit cringe. It's the plot structure of a western, pasted onto a dream world that's considerably more interesting. The whole book falls apart when you actually think about it though, which large chunks ultimately not making much sense when inspected against other parts of the book or the meaning of the plot. The whole thing becomes cringe when the author tries to undercut it all by showing how the book isn't taking itself too seriously, except all the times the book really wants you to take it as a serious work of literary fiction.
Overall I finished it and didn't hate the experience of reading it, but don't like it none the less.
The setting has moments of being interesting but it's not all that unique once you strip the clown paint off, and at times it's a bit cringe. It's the plot structure of a western, pasted onto a dream world that's considerably more interesting. The whole book falls apart when you actually think about it though, which large chunks ultimately not making much sense when inspected against other parts of the book or the meaning of the plot. The whole thing becomes cringe when the author tries to undercut it all by showing how the book isn't taking itself too seriously, except all the times the book really wants you to take it as a serious work of literary fiction.
Overall I finished it and didn't hate the experience of reading it, but don't like it none the less.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, War, Child death, and Grief
More...