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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
This was an interesting read from the first page as it is structured in the form of an academic paper (complete with footnotes!). We are looking at the events that take place in the novel from some distant point in the future and it uses a combination of neuromapped data (the memories of the main character and an AI), an article reflecting on the night by one of the people present, and transcripts of communications from various technology sources.
This was a relatively quick read despite the heaviness of the content and while I did enjoy it, I found myself wanting more at the end. The author "referenced" court cases and other materials that were never fleshed out in the story since they took place outside of the single night being examined and I think would have added to the narrative.
I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a relatively quick read despite the heaviness of the content and while I did enjoy it, I found myself wanting more at the end. The author "referenced" court cases and other materials that were never fleshed out in the story since they took place outside of the single night being examined and I think would have added to the narrative.
I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
THIS WAS SO GOOD, I cannot stop thinking about this book !! It was a Hamlet retelling so obviously I loved all the references but I thought it was so awesome how Hamlet has such heavy themes of death and this book centers around the creation of an immortality formula! So good, I really enjoyed the dimensions it added to this book; I loved the formatting of this book, I liked that the chapters had different formats and mediums; ok the characters! they are all so good and morally wack and I loved seeing them struggle with grief and love and pain but omfg HORATIO my boy I LOVED him he was my favorite character and his relationship with Hayden??!!! unexpected! like I knew they were going to care for each other but was NOT expecting the romance?! It was kind if wack as fuck but I loved it,, like who needs monster romance I want more of whatever Horatio and Hayden had going on
ebook
ebook
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this and immediately raved about it to several of my friends.
Clever, effective use of a frame story. Largely epistolary narrative, but with a sci fi twist (neuromapping) so it has plenty of interiority and vivid first-hand experiences (something which to me can be lacking from some epistolary works). Jumping from one piece to the next, there's this ever-present sense of doubt... an awareness of what's sure to be missing between one fragment of the story and the next. Brilliantly uses the particular strengths/weaknesses/biases of different kinds of records to include and exclude certain kinds of details (the Hayden/Horatio POV via neuromapper, Felicia's post-mortem retelling, security camera footage via Horatio, transcripts of in-the-moment recordings made by Felicia, etc. etc.). Brilliant. A wildly effective tactic for teasing out a lot of the same questions as Hamlet--and similarly refusing to answer any of them.
I even liked the asides... usually. Sometimes footnotes feel too self-indulgent to me, but for the most part I thought these earned their keep. Kind of another layer of the meta-narrative? The whole thing is a Hamlet retelling, yes, but it's distinct in its own ways--feels more like it is in conversation with Hamlet than trying to be that, commenting on the characters and scenes and overall story that we know and making it fresh.
[[ some vague spoilers from here ]]
I really appreciated Felicia in this. Others have said it, I'm not the first, but she's kind of Ophelia and Laertes in one--a great choice to give her character agency and depth that, frankly, we don't get in og Ophelia. Rasmussen embodies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, a tidy elision to condense the cast and do more with less. Hayden (Hamlet)'s mother and her relationship with uncle Charles has a few layers for sure but I appreciated the emphasis on her betrayal being more professional than anything else. Very "in bed with the enemy" vibes but angled more for personal gain.
Then there's Horatio. I do not even have words for how much I adore this take on that character, the addition/expansion into a messy, co-dependent relationship, and the conclusion of it. I will come back and reread this just to feel those feelings again. Can't recommend enough.
Clever, effective use of a frame story. Largely epistolary narrative, but with a sci fi twist (neuromapping) so it has plenty of interiority and vivid first-hand experiences (something which to me can be lacking from some epistolary works). Jumping from one piece to the next, there's this ever-present sense of doubt... an awareness of what's sure to be missing between one fragment of the story and the next. Brilliantly uses the particular strengths/weaknesses/biases of different kinds of records to include and exclude certain kinds of details (the Hayden/Horatio POV via neuromapper, Felicia's post-mortem retelling, security camera footage via Horatio, transcripts of in-the-moment recordings made by Felicia, etc. etc.). Brilliant. A wildly effective tactic for teasing out a lot of the same questions as Hamlet--and similarly refusing to answer any of them.
I even liked the asides... usually. Sometimes footnotes feel too self-indulgent to me, but for the most part I thought these earned their keep. Kind of another layer of the meta-narrative? The whole thing is a Hamlet retelling, yes, but it's distinct in its own ways--feels more like it is in conversation with Hamlet than trying to be that, commenting on the characters and scenes and overall story that we know and making it fresh.
[[ some vague spoilers from here ]]
I really appreciated Felicia in this. Others have said it, I'm not the first, but she's kind of Ophelia and Laertes in one--a great choice to give her character agency and depth that, frankly, we don't get in og Ophelia. Rasmussen embodies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, a tidy elision to condense the cast and do more with less. Hayden (Hamlet)'s mother and her relationship with uncle Charles has a few layers for sure but I appreciated the emphasis on her betrayal being more professional than anything else. Very "in bed with the enemy" vibes but angled more for personal gain.
Then there's Horatio. I do not even have words for how much I adore this take on that character, the addition/expansion into a messy, co-dependent relationship, and the conclusion of it. I will come back and reread this just to feel those feelings again. Can't recommend enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes