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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
What a ride. This was wonderfully written and gripping.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was underwhelmed by this one. I like the concept for this retelling, but I feel like the final version didn’t achieve what I was hoping for. Realistic sci-fi isn’t always easy, and I do feel like some of these concepts were accomplished well.
Unfortunately, I think the format of the story made it less tense than I wanted. It was isolating and removed the emotion from the story. This story would have done better from a stable first or third person perspective.
Mild spoilers: I felt that Horatio and Haden’s relationship was unnecessary. It felt salacious, instead of interesting. I don’t love romantic subplots though, so this may be a personal preference.
I loved the way the “ghost” was done and wish the book had leaned more into the sci-fi horror vibes. Liu captured these elements well and I’d love to read her take on this genre.
Unfortunately, I think the format of the story made it less tense than I wanted. It was isolating and removed the emotion from the story. This story would have done better from a stable first or third person perspective.
Mild spoilers: I felt that Horatio and Haden’s relationship was unnecessary. It felt salacious, instead of interesting. I don’t love romantic subplots though, so this may be a personal preference.
I loved the way the “ghost” was done and wish the book had leaned more into the sci-fi horror vibes. Liu captured these elements well and I’d love to read her take on this genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Murder
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a complicated story, with the unreliability of humans, of memory, of story, of history, all foregrounded. It was fascinating and twisty, and should have been exactly my kind of thing, but I’ve been finding excuses not to read it for a week.
Several things (mostly reviews, I think) referenced Hamlet, which may be a useful thing for someone familiar enough with the play to distinguish it from others, but I am not, and I found that the thought of it kept throwing me out of the story.
Also, while I actually loved the prologue, there are details in it that muddied the waters on other parts of the story, and maybe it would have been better for me to have skipped it.
Several things (mostly reviews, I think) referenced Hamlet, which may be a useful thing for someone familiar enough with the play to distinguish it from others, but I am not, and I found that the thought of it kept throwing me out of the story.
Also, while I actually loved the prologue, there are details in it that muddied the waters on other parts of the story, and maybe it would have been better for me to have skipped it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting reimagining of Hamlet in a science-fiction context, told in what I found to be a really beautiful and engaging format: multiple points of view that include traditional-style third-person storytelling but also various transcripts, interviews, a first-person journal article, and footnotes. I’d recommend this novel less to sci-fi fans and more to lovers of Hamlet who’d enjoy seeing the play played-around with. I certainly did.
This book is less directly about the implications of the science-fictional technologies it presents and more about re-writing Hamlet and what it means: it means changing the characters, it means changing the story (!!!), and it means a deep-dive into what memory is and what “living forever” is.
This novel’s version of Hamlet, the character – named Hayden here – is as whiney and morally-grey as the original, and I felt that liking and identifying with him is always overlayed with a frustration for how much patience and sympathy this privileged loser is afforded. I liked his strange and strangely-sensual relationship with Horatio, but with everything else going on – and the fact that the entire plot takes place over the course of a single night – it felt a bit disparate and unbelievable. I mostly found it hard to believe because of how quick it felt: I get that Hayden and Horatio have known each other for basically their entire lives, but we don’t really see any of their previous interactions, and their relationship takes several significant turns during that one night.
The novel’s highest point is definitely Felicia – the Ophelia equivalent here – who is just an amazing character, and her recounting of events is most interesting, complex, and emotionally-resonant. The entire book is well-written, but the writing really shines in the Felicia segments.
I came into this novel also expecting a mystery – and a locked-room mystery, more specifically. It does start out that way, with Graham Lichfield (=Hamlet Sr.) found dead in a room, and with many open questions about how it happened. The way things develop is tense and captivating – I especially loved the “ghost” scene – but it doesn’t really feel like a mystery because to anyone who knows Hamlet, it’s pretty obvious what happened, or at least it’s not much of a surprise when it’s discovered.
But knowledge of the original text that this novel is based on absolutely makes for another high point in reading. It was enjoyable to notice all the plot beats of the original play woven through this quick-paced plot. As far as I could tell, the original language of the play is only very subtly referenced occasionally (e.g. “her eyes like daggers”; and “the rest is silence” turns into “the rest is details”) – a smart choice.
Despite the academic framing and the use of footnotes, the novel ultimately leaves a lot for the readers to think about and figure out for their own, which I also appreciate.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eh it was alright. This book is marketed as a mystery, but there really is no mystery to speak of. I've never read Hamlet, but even I know who killed the MC's father, so the whole who-did-it was just entirely missing from the beginning. Additionally, there is a mystery person introduced later in the book but it's immediately obvious who it is, so nothing surprising yet again.
The book is also described as 'queer' and while yes some aspects are certainly there I did expected more going into it
The book is also described as 'queer' and while yes some aspects are certainly there I did expected more going into it