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bookish_whispers's review against another edition
5.0
Somehow in not even a hundred pages Mary Robinette Kowal created an entire futuristic world, and then explained how it was going to be toppled. Which was not what I was expecting from this book at all from what I read on the back. What I thought I was going to get was a strange story about our main Katya and that time she was kidnapped in the woods. And, while that's what I got, it somehow in less than a hundred pages was so much more than that.
A hundred percent was impressive.
I loved that we learned about this future as the story went on. As Katya talked about being offline, that was affecting her. While she was figuring out how "Johnny" was working without being connected to the smart dust around her. You get to see how our world has turned into her world, and they live inside of it. Even living on the ground isn't something everyone does. Sky cities have become a thing where people live. It's one of my favorite ways that authors' world build. Instead of chapters, or page after page, dedicated to the world, it's seen through the main character(s) eyes. For me, it makes the world a little more real that way.
Also, I want to say this world terrifies me more than the fact that whoever kidnapped Katya was tracking her every moment. The latter is creepy enough, but the fact that every little thing you do is streamed lived, and archived into the cloud. Hard pass. I had a time just glossing over that bit when she talked that. Like, I understand privacy isn't really a concept in this current world, but there are still barriers. Barriers that seem to be gone in this world.
So hard pass on twenty-four me TV. I'm not that exciting. Not really.
But, back to Forest of Memory! I can't decide which part I liked more about this book. That Katya was typing it on an old-school typewriter so the text included spelling mistakes. Because if you've ever used one of those, there is no backspace. Which made the book feel like the document she was writing or the all-around actual plot of this book. While the former gave the book more wabi-sabi, to steal a phrase from the book, it gets a little hard to read in places. But, the later, oh let me tell you that snuck up on me in the last like twenty or so pages.
Like, I was wrapped up in what these people wanted with Katya that I was like oh yeah the deer. This all started because was doing something with the deer. Then as she was finishing the story I started to see what she was laying down with all of this. Why the deer was so important, why her communication with the cloud went offline, it all sort of came together and I had this sort of 'aha' moment.
Honestly, this was a delight to read, and it messed with my head. So good, probably my favorite read of the month!
A hundred percent was impressive.
I loved that we learned about this future as the story went on. As Katya talked about being offline, that was affecting her. While she was figuring out how "Johnny" was working without being connected to the smart dust around her. You get to see how our world has turned into her world, and they live inside of it. Even living on the ground isn't something everyone does. Sky cities have become a thing where people live. It's one of my favorite ways that authors' world build. Instead of chapters, or page after page, dedicated to the world, it's seen through the main character(s) eyes. For me, it makes the world a little more real that way.
Also, I want to say this world terrifies me more than the fact that whoever kidnapped Katya was tracking her every moment. The latter is creepy enough, but the fact that every little thing you do is streamed lived, and archived into the cloud. Hard pass. I had a time just glossing over that bit when she talked that. Like, I understand privacy isn't really a concept in this current world, but there are still barriers. Barriers that seem to be gone in this world.
So hard pass on twenty-four me TV. I'm not that exciting. Not really.
But, back to Forest of Memory! I can't decide which part I liked more about this book. That Katya was typing it on an old-school typewriter so the text included spelling mistakes. Because if you've ever used one of those, there is no backspace. Which made the book feel like the document she was writing or the all-around actual plot of this book. While the former gave the book more wabi-sabi, to steal a phrase from the book, it gets a little hard to read in places. But, the later, oh let me tell you that snuck up on me in the last like twenty or so pages.
Like, I was wrapped up in what these people wanted with Katya that I was like oh yeah the deer. This all started because was doing something with the deer. Then as she was finishing the story I started to see what she was laying down with all of this. Why the deer was so important, why her communication with the cloud went offline, it all sort of came together and I had this sort of 'aha' moment.
Honestly, this was a delight to read, and it messed with my head. So good, probably my favorite read of the month!
notnaru's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.25
rocky_road_7's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
pearlc's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bibliophilicwitch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This will need a reread and some thought.
jakegray's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kellkie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
nicklindgren's review against another edition
4.0
An engaging sci-fi novella about a dealer in Authenticities (non-reproduction objects) and Captures (audio/visual files of experiences) who gets cut off from all network services, as well as the personal AI that she has come to rely on. The story has been written on the typewriter she found during her time off the grid. The world-building is immersive without drowning out the story, and the book as a whole is a charming meditation on the reality of things remembered, forgotten, and documented.
And like most good novellas, I wish it was much longer.
And like most good novellas, I wish it was much longer.