You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Cannot be made to care about anyone in this book.
I thought this book was so well done. I particularly loved the structure (I love footnotes and metanarratives), and I thought it suited a Hamlet retelling very well. Weirdly, though, I have to say that, while I would probably not have read this book if it weren't Hamlet (scifi that goes really into the ethics of the science and what it could mean for the future is generally Too Scary for me), I actually think I would have liked it more in the end if it hadn't been Hamlet.
I fully admit this is mostly a me problem because I have spent (and continue to spend) way more time thinking about Hamlet than most people, but I do tend to struggle with retellings of stories that I love when the author interprets the characters differently than I do. Again, this is a me problem! Em X. Liu's interpretations are not bad or wrong, they're simply different than my own, and I get stuck on that. Because of that, the book started to lose me a bit later on because I just kept thinking, "well, that's not how I would have done that." (I particularly struggle with Ophelia because I feel like everyone always thinks they have to make her a completely different person with different plotlines in order to make her interesting, and I don't agree, but I've literally never been convinced by an Ophelia in a Hamlet retelling, so that is very much not exclusive to this book).
On a less-specific-to-me note, I also think the book suffered a little bit by being a retelling because it would treat something as a mystery and then a big reveal, but like...I've read Hamlet. I figured that out a hundred pages before you even introduced that mystery. Why are we pretending? If you aren't super familiar with Hamlet (or don't mind being able to predict plot points by being familiar with the source material, which, frankly, is a category I fall into), though, that's obviously not going to be an issue.
I'm sorry this review was all about Hamlet, but I have yet to figure out how to talk about retellings without doing that so it is what it is. I liked this book. I would read it again. I think I will like Em X. Liu's novella more.
I fully admit this is mostly a me problem because I have spent (and continue to spend) way more time thinking about Hamlet than most people, but I do tend to struggle with retellings of stories that I love when the author interprets the characters differently than I do. Again, this is a me problem! Em X. Liu's interpretations are not bad or wrong, they're simply different than my own, and I get stuck on that. Because of that, the book started to lose me a bit later on because I just kept thinking, "well, that's not how I would have done that." (I particularly struggle with Ophelia because I feel like everyone always thinks they have to make her a completely different person with different plotlines in order to make her interesting, and I don't agree, but I've literally never been convinced by an Ophelia in a Hamlet retelling, so that is very much not exclusive to this book).
On a less-specific-to-me note, I also think the book suffered a little bit by being a retelling because it would treat something as a mystery and then a big reveal, but like...I've read Hamlet. I figured that out a hundred pages before you even introduced that mystery. Why are we pretending? If you aren't super familiar with Hamlet (or don't mind being able to predict plot points by being familiar with the source material, which, frankly, is a category I fall into), though, that's obviously not going to be an issue.
I'm sorry this review was all about Hamlet, but I have yet to figure out how to talk about retellings without doing that so it is what it is. I liked this book. I would read it again. I think I will like Em X. Liu's novella more.
PHENOMENAL!!! hamlet + gay + science fiction = i will be devouring
i love the format (piecing the story together from footage, memoirs, transcripts) and it felt very organic. the way a lot of the pain and emotion is actually told from horatio’s point of view is such a good touch. it feels very raw. really the only place i have notes is that i wish it were a little more like hamlet in the end? i still love it so much (i somehow forgot ophelia even HAD a brother until felicia mentioned art for the first time, so some changes worked fine for me) but i was expecting total carnage and many of the very famously killed hamlet characters ended up surviving as they were represented here. still! i loved being able to use my familiarity with hamlet to add things up right before they happened which was sooo satisfying. especially when i thought oh my god he’s gonna give charles the wrong code and then paul is going to die in the private lab and then i turned the page and it started unfurling. i thought that part in particular was very cleverly done.
i also love when authors have a degree in something other than english and get to show their passions in their work. i saw that liu has a degree in biochem and it really shows in the love they’ve written for the science.
favorite line (if i had to pick one):
“I know you, Horatio says, a splay of sensation at his jaw as if to prove it. And you know me. You're carrying me with you, Hayden. This is a two-way street. Even if I'm gone from Elsinore, you have my neural patterns. Just like I know what you sound like when you cry.”
i love the format (piecing the story together from footage, memoirs, transcripts) and it felt very organic. the way a lot of the pain and emotion is actually told from horatio’s point of view is such a good touch. it feels very raw. really the only place i have notes is that i wish it were a little more like hamlet in the end? i still love it so much (i somehow forgot ophelia even HAD a brother until felicia mentioned art for the first time, so some changes worked fine for me) but i was expecting total carnage and many of the very famously killed hamlet characters ended up surviving as they were represented here. still! i loved being able to use my familiarity with hamlet to add things up right before they happened which was sooo satisfying. especially when i thought oh my god he’s gonna give charles the wrong code and then paul is going to die in the private lab and then i turned the page and it started unfurling. i thought that part in particular was very cleverly done.
i also love when authors have a degree in something other than english and get to show their passions in their work. i saw that liu has a degree in biochem and it really shows in the love they’ve written for the science.
favorite line (if i had to pick one):
“I know you, Horatio says, a splay of sensation at his jaw as if to prove it. And you know me. You're carrying me with you, Hayden. This is a two-way street. Even if I'm gone from Elsinore, you have my neural patterns. Just like I know what you sound like when you cry.”
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
Minor: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Gaslighting
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 stars
I was looking for something different and boy did this book fit the bill. I’m no Shakespeare expert and hadn’t read Hamlet since high school (many many years ago) but that didn’t affect my overall understanding or enjoyment of the story. This was superbly written and it immediately made me wish I was part of a book club so I could talk about it with someone. I need a Horatio in my life and if AI in real life is anything like him, I’m on board.
I was looking for something different and boy did this book fit the bill. I’m no Shakespeare expert and hadn’t read Hamlet since high school (many many years ago) but that didn’t affect my overall understanding or enjoyment of the story. This was superbly written and it immediately made me wish I was part of a book club so I could talk about it with someone. I need a Horatio in my life and if AI in real life is anything like him, I’m on board.
dark
emotional
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
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes