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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3/4 of this book seemingly written to annoy you, coming to a crescendo with the change to crass tone before turning into prime weird that makes you reflect fondly on the rest
I do not even know where to begin but will start with, LONG LIVE THE TYRANT, LONG MAY SHE REIGN. I will give no further explanation. Read the book.
Once again we return to AAX or Area X for short. The novel is broken up into three sections and while each has a similar unsettling beauty they are wildly different. If you are looking for answers to things left in the original trilogy you will be either pleasantly surprised by what's given or extremely upset by twhut is not.
Part 1, Dead Town, is (for lack of better terms) fucked. It is wildly interesting, disturbing, beautiful, and grotesque. It is the start of insane things to come and really plays on Centrals willingness to do anything and everything possible to reach their shadowy means. You shift through the accounts with Old Jim and alongside him become enveloped by the bonkers story being told. There is no way that could have happened right?
Part 2, The False Daughter, is my personal favorite. A psychological thriller following Old Jim as his life and mind seem to unravel. Puppeted by his "old friend" and boss Jack. This sections twists and turns were exciting. The unsettling feeling the deeper into it you got was anxiety inducing. Old Jim and Cass are great characters and their chemistry was perfect. It started pretty straight forward and ended in insanity and brutality. Honestly, I could have a whole novel around this section and would have been happy.
Part 3, The First and the Last, follows Lowry. Who, if you're familiar with the series, you'll know but not at all like this. A drug induced stream of consciousness told to you by a real piece of work who, in his drugged state, can't stop thinking and saying FUCK. It is a lot at first. Like every other word is fuck. No issues with the fucks but makes sentences a bit wonky. It does cool down a bit and the first exped/mish goes by fast and in a blur. Area X and VanderMeer's writing in general are always an exciting challenge but make sure you pay extra close attention here as this is Area X newly born and at its most opaque. Beautiful and haunting visuals, reality distorted even more then I expected, hallucinations that make no sense but also all the sense? Lowry not my favorite character or narrator but think that's kind of the point.
By the end you'll probably feel a little hollow and that's not a bad thing. At least to me. Area X is a phenomenon not known fully to anyone and should (to me) remain a mystery. A cosmic horror of such an abstract nature you can only let it wash over you. You can only ACCEPT it. See what I did? Silly aside, I do feel that way and is that not what we do everyday in life anyway?
Thanks to NetGalley and MCD for the ARC of Absolution. Cannot wait to have a physical copy in my collection.
Once again we return to AAX or Area X for short. The novel is broken up into three sections and while each has a similar unsettling beauty they are wildly different. If you are looking for answers to things left in the original trilogy you will be either pleasantly surprised by what's given or extremely upset by twhut is not.
Part 1, Dead Town, is (for lack of better terms) fucked. It is wildly interesting, disturbing, beautiful, and grotesque. It is the start of insane things to come and really plays on Centrals willingness to do anything and everything possible to reach their shadowy means. You shift through the accounts with Old Jim and alongside him become enveloped by the bonkers story being told. There is no way that could have happened right?
Part 2, The False Daughter, is my personal favorite. A psychological thriller following Old Jim as his life and mind seem to unravel. Puppeted by his "old friend" and boss Jack. This sections twists and turns were exciting. The unsettling feeling the deeper into it you got was anxiety inducing. Old Jim and Cass are great characters and their chemistry was perfect. It started pretty straight forward and ended in insanity and brutality. Honestly, I could have a whole novel around this section and would have been happy.
Part 3, The First and the Last, follows Lowry. Who, if you're familiar with the series, you'll know but not at all like this. A drug induced stream of consciousness told to you by a real piece of work who, in his drugged state, can't stop thinking and saying FUCK. It is a lot at first. Like every other word is fuck. No issues with the fucks but makes sentences a bit wonky. It does cool down a bit and the first exped/mish goes by fast and in a blur. Area X and VanderMeer's writing in general are always an exciting challenge but make sure you pay extra close attention here as this is Area X newly born and at its most opaque. Beautiful and haunting visuals, reality distorted even more then I expected, hallucinations that make no sense but also all the sense? Lowry not my favorite character or narrator but think that's kind of the point.
By the end you'll probably feel a little hollow and that's not a bad thing. At least to me. Area X is a phenomenon not known fully to anyone and should (to me) remain a mystery. A cosmic horror of such an abstract nature you can only let it wash over you. You can only ACCEPT it. See what I did? Silly aside, I do feel that way and is that not what we do everyday in life anyway?
Thanks to NetGalley and MCD for the ARC of Absolution. Cannot wait to have a physical copy in my collection.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
i can imagine that the masterpiece that is the lowry “fuck” chapters does not translate well from written to audio medium because it really works best trying to read thru it yourself, struggling, getting a headache, and when it clears up it is the same time as lowry’s head clearing in the book.
anyways not my favorite in the southern reach series but i still enjoyed it nonetheless
anyways not my favorite in the southern reach series but i still enjoyed it nonetheless
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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
An unexpected but yet not unwelcome beating of a dead horse. I appreciate the direction of attempting to widen the universe rather than expand the narrative that Vandermeer takes, but his writing style is becoming increasingly obtuse.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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