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nekreader's review against another edition
2.0
Would that this book had ended with the end of the mission to Mars. That was a decent, well-written story. Sadly hundreds of pages followed that made me wish I felt less compelled to finish every book I start. Just not for me.
avidreadr's review against another edition
4.0
It may not be the best book of all time, but I remember it as silly and super fun and kind of creepy
dontpanic42's review against another edition
3.0
I think I echo the reviews of many other people when I say that the structure of this novel leaves something to be desired. The basic overall concept is that in the year 2025, a wannabe writer gets the opportunity to make money writing the novelization of an old B-movie, The Crawling Hand, about a mission to the moon from which the only returning memento is the infected hand of an astronaut that lands on the San Diego beach and proceeds to go on a killing spree and to infect a local teenager with its madness. The majority of the book, then, is the reworked movie plot, this time with the mission being to Mars and the infected hand ending up in the deserts near Tucson, Arizona (redubbed Rio Blanco). To his credit, Moody even manages to clean up the plot line to make it a believable story (at least, as much so as any such story is going to be).
As a novelization of a wonderfully awful old sci-fi/horror flick, the pieces of the novel that constitute Book 1 and Book 2 are great (overall, Book 2 works much better and is more engaging in its storytelling, but the background story presented in Book 1 is tolerably good if a bit too interested in going on tangents). But the hundred or so pages of the novel as a whole that focus in on the fictional author of the novelization of the movie presented in Books 1 and 2 should have been left on the cutting room floor. His story of himself is beyond uninteresting; it is distracting from the rest of the book, which is full of great characters, interesting musings on a huge variety of subjects, and an engaging plot. Before Book 2, there is a footnote from the fictional author describing how one could have read the book out of order, and looking back, I wish I had read that footnote, because though the offer is obviously not meant to be taken so seriously, I do think I would enjoyed my experience more had I just read Books 1 and 2 (or heck, maybe just Book 2).
As an aside, I recommend that anyone interested go find the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode where they watch The Crawling Hand.
As a novelization of a wonderfully awful old sci-fi/horror flick, the pieces of the novel that constitute Book 1 and Book 2 are great (overall, Book 2 works much better and is more engaging in its storytelling, but the background story presented in Book 1 is tolerably good if a bit too interested in going on tangents). But the hundred or so pages of the novel as a whole that focus in on the fictional author of the novelization of the movie presented in Books 1 and 2 should have been left on the cutting room floor. His story of himself is beyond uninteresting; it is distracting from the rest of the book, which is full of great characters, interesting musings on a huge variety of subjects, and an engaging plot. Before Book 2, there is a footnote from the fictional author describing how one could have read the book out of order, and looking back, I wish I had read that footnote, because though the offer is obviously not meant to be taken so seriously, I do think I would enjoyed my experience more had I just read Books 1 and 2 (or heck, maybe just Book 2).
As an aside, I recommend that anyone interested go find the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode where they watch The Crawling Hand.
jervonyc's review against another edition
1.0
I finished Rick Moody's "The Four Fingers of Death" last night, and thank God, because I'm not sure I've ever been so impatient with a book. Look, I love long books. I generally prefer to read long books. I read quickly, and I love to read, so the more time I get to spend with a book, the better. And the description of this book is totally up my alley - a postmodern literary sci-fi novelization of a schlocky monster movie from the 50s? YES PLEASE. And yet it was beyond tedious. He does this thing, when he gets into the inner monologues of his characters, where everything is just one long sentence, with lots of commas, and he dwells on the tiniest minutia of insignificant thoughts, as if that somehow makes what's happening somehow more meaningful, and he does this on almost every page, and I'm getting tired just trying to copy that style right now, and this is only one paragraph, and meanwhile his book is 736 pages of this shit, and meanwhile there's a sort-of interesting story taking place, which you (as the reader) are wanting him (the author) to get back to, but there's all these meaningless digressions, and there's a meta-reason for all these meaningless digressions, which is funny the first time you realize what he's doing, but, again, there's over 700 pages of this kind of thing, and it's ridiculous, and I'm glad it's over.
kymme's review against another edition
3.0
Parts of this book are set in Tucson (re-named Rio Blanco here), and the Tucson descriptions are hauntingly delightful for a homesick displaced Tucsonan.
The beginning of this book, the set-up to the "real story," is so funny I got weird looks for laughing on a plane as I read it.
The middle is a fantastic sci-fi book in itself, set in space/on Mars. A thousand times better than the last Mars book I [tried to] read (Green Mars? Red Mars? One of those.)
The final section is. um. really really really really really really odd. But set it Tucson! So it's fun in some senses, and there are quite compelling sections and characters, but this part is much slower going, with new characters that take a very long time to understand/like, fairly strong but also rather annoying voices (one character goes on stream-of-consciousness rants for pages on end with every other word being f*ck, for example) and a jumpy structure... and there is super strange disgusting sex stuff with an animated-but-dead dismembered arm (if that makes no sense, well...), and some annoying meta-bits where something or someone gets introduced, then developed solely and explicitly for the reason that if something/someone is going to be killed, they need to be fleshed out first--so that got a little old, and it felt there as if Moody were being paid by the word.
I would wish for an entirely different spin on the last 200 pages or so, and it could have been a 5 start kind of delightful book. The first two sections are awesome, and that last section is simply not. I'm still grateful to have read it, though, for the Tucson moments only people who actually live in Tucson are likely to notice/pay attention to, such as: city lights from the foothills, the Happiness is Submission to God building, the Buffet (not mentioned by name but there nonetheless), and the way shorts seems like normal clothing there all year around. The line about that was brilliant. [One thing: For some reason Moody spells Mount Lemmon with one m. Not sure if that's a mistake on his part or an editor's part, but I think it's neither, and rather part of the "this isn't realllllly Tucson" signposts.]
Despite that final section being, did I mention, weird?!, it has powerful moments. I'm talking about lines like this one:
"Truths are lubricated and personal things, and there is an adherent for every truth under the sun" (509). Lines like that actually make me want to read the book again.
The beginning of this book, the set-up to the "real story," is so funny I got weird looks for laughing on a plane as I read it.
The middle is a fantastic sci-fi book in itself, set in space/on Mars. A thousand times better than the last Mars book I [tried to] read (Green Mars? Red Mars? One of those.)
The final section is. um. really really really really really really odd. But set it Tucson! So it's fun in some senses, and there are quite compelling sections and characters, but this part is much slower going, with new characters that take a very long time to understand/like, fairly strong but also rather annoying voices (one character goes on stream-of-consciousness rants for pages on end with every other word being f*ck, for example) and a jumpy structure... and there is super strange disgusting sex stuff with an animated-but-dead dismembered arm (if that makes no sense, well...), and some annoying meta-bits where something or someone gets introduced, then developed solely and explicitly for the reason that if something/someone is going to be killed, they need to be fleshed out first--so that got a little old, and it felt there as if Moody were being paid by the word.
I would wish for an entirely different spin on the last 200 pages or so, and it could have been a 5 start kind of delightful book. The first two sections are awesome, and that last section is simply not. I'm still grateful to have read it, though, for the Tucson moments only people who actually live in Tucson are likely to notice/pay attention to, such as: city lights from the foothills, the Happiness is Submission to God building, the Buffet (not mentioned by name but there nonetheless), and the way shorts seems like normal clothing there all year around. The line about that was brilliant. [One thing: For some reason Moody spells Mount Lemmon with one m. Not sure if that's a mistake on his part or an editor's part, but I think it's neither, and rather part of the "this isn't realllllly Tucson" signposts.]
Despite that final section being, did I mention, weird?!, it has powerful moments. I'm talking about lines like this one:
"Truths are lubricated and personal things, and there is an adherent for every truth under the sun" (509). Lines like that actually make me want to read the book again.
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
This may or may not have spoilers.. I only got to 140-150 of 700 plus pages.
I don't think it's fair for me to give this book a rating. Because I didn't finish it is one reason, but another is the reason for the first reason. I couldn't get past the super unexpected and equally explicit gay sex scene. It came out of nowhere! Some dudes traveling in space for three months, on their mission to colonize Mars, the usual stuff, then BAM. Banging happens. And the other dude has a rather large space arm (narrator's words, not mine. Not ever mine.), and this point was very firmly driven home. So, I couldn't take the 5th or so instance of this rather revealing and frightening metaphor. I'm sorry, book. I'll miss the bloody mess that a four-fingered hand will make across the nation. And the pretty entertaining picture of our near future. But please. Don't ever assault me with this content again..
I don't think it's fair for me to give this book a rating. Because I didn't finish it is one reason, but another is the reason for the first reason. I couldn't get past the super unexpected and equally explicit gay sex scene. It came out of nowhere! Some dudes traveling in space for three months, on their mission to colonize Mars, the usual stuff, then BAM. Banging happens. And the other dude has a rather large space arm (narrator's words, not mine. Not ever mine.), and this point was very firmly driven home. So, I couldn't take the 5th or so instance of this rather revealing and frightening metaphor. I'm sorry, book. I'll miss the bloody mess that a four-fingered hand will make across the nation. And the pretty entertaining picture of our near future. But please. Don't ever assault me with this content again..
jensbrede's review against another edition
3.0
Well, what I've read in many other reviews here on Goodreads is certainly true. This book is in dire need of an editor! It is way too long, Moody introduces endless characters, often just as a means to start yet another rant about one of the many, many subjects addressed in his work, including (in no particular order) but not limited to: moral implications of physical/bodily enhancements (in sport), the space race, NASA (and other government agencies), abuse of power, drug trafficking, artificial intelligence, (interstellar) law and property rights, cybersex, bad scientific practice, animal rights, love (male-male, male-female, father-daughter...), burning man, the demise of American (western) economy, the inevitable rise of the east, petty struggles of superiority, and many more. For me, not one of the topics is thought through to the end and almost never goes beyond a simple rant, offering no lessons, insights, let alone solutions, and even very little food for thought.
Without any substantial loss in quality I believe this book could be cut down to 300 pages...
Nonetheless, I enjoy Moody's writing and people who know me, know that I'm always ready for a good rant myself. I was thoroughly entertained, especially by the story told in book I (the enveloping story as well as book II were not so much to my liking). This book, with a great editor, could have been 4 star material, but in it's lengthy presentation it is no more than 3 stars for me (mainly because it touches many aspects that I'm familiar with and interested in) but probably only 2 stars for the majority of people.
Without any substantial loss in quality I believe this book could be cut down to 300 pages...
Nonetheless, I enjoy Moody's writing and people who know me, know that I'm always ready for a good rant myself. I was thoroughly entertained, especially by the story told in book I (the enveloping story as well as book II were not so much to my liking). This book, with a great editor, could have been 4 star material, but in it's lengthy presentation it is no more than 3 stars for me (mainly because it touches many aspects that I'm familiar with and interested in) but probably only 2 stars for the majority of people.
robbschuneman's review against another edition
5.0
If you just read the beginning and ending section, you'd have a book which resonates more closely to the experience of a loved one's death than any I've read. The book is worth it for that.
The rest is experimental, and you know - Rick Moody, from his books and everything I read about the man, seems to be a beautiful person. I'll proudly support any limb that he would like to climb out on.
The rest is experimental, and you know - Rick Moody, from his books and everything I read about the man, seems to be a beautiful person. I'll proudly support any limb that he would like to climb out on.
a_mulhols's review against another edition
4.0
A Dickensian tale for the modern day, the narrative drift of this novel runs back and forth from relevant to absurd in the quickest of increments while maintaining equal devotion to both sides of the equation. For example an early section devotes nearly two pages to the impingement of age and increasing girth on the narrator's person, from the outside surely an excessive use of verbiage, but the section retains a playfulness that results in a riff that is anything but monotonous. In fact, it includes one of my favorite bits (to reveal my own biases) in which the author refers to his sideburns as having the "pelt of woodland animals". Though one must be prepared to dive in deep on this one, as it is not a quick read, it is certainly worth the effort that one might expend to traverse the many pages of this tome. I would highly recommend!
storyonlystory's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve seen in negative reviews for this book that there are complaints of pointless dialogs and tangents. But I realized early on in Book Two that the author is treating each character and aspect of the story as it’s own little novel. So from the homeless guy who you know is going to be dead in mere seconds because he just disrupted the arm’s resting place, to the retarded boy who will laughingly witness his loving brother’s brutal death, to the history of the founding of a strange and seemingly aimless but popular new religion, you will get life stories, explanations of theology, intimate insights into character’s personalities, etc. There are many mini stories inside the main story. Perhaps people become frustrated because we will never hear of the homeless man and the retarded boy again and it seems pointless but what the author is doing is drawing a picture of a town, a broken society, and the individuals that live in it. The main story isn’t the entire point in this book. What you’re experiencing is many little books inside of a larger one, each having it’s own purpose, just as we have our own complete stories inside the stories of the places and societies we live in - hell, the world we live in. I really enjoy this writing style and hope it is appreciated by future readers and not so misunderstood.