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disastrouspenguin's review against another edition
3.0
The individual stories and characters - Mustafa, Salim, Amal - all felt well-written and relatable. The overall premise/story was confusing, disjointed, and almost felt like it was distracting from itself.
mschlat's review against another edition
2.0
An intensely aggravating read.
Ruff sets up an alternate history where --- on 11/9/2001 --- the Tigris and Euphrates towers in Baghdad were taken down by Christian fundamentalists as a strike against the United Arab Republic. The United States does not exist, and in its place we find "tribal" entities and loosely defined states. Chapters are introduced by entries from the user-created and edited Library of Alexandria (standing in for Wikipedia). It's overwhelmingly clever, and while I got a frisson of discomfort and interest from reading about Lutheran terrorists, by the time Ruff mentions CSI:Damascus (about page 70), I was tired of the conceit.
My main problem is that all that world-establishing crowds out any emotional response. It's not until about one-third of the way through the book that we start to understand what makes our protagonists tick. That got me back into the book until about the two-thirds mark, when Ruff pauses the whole thing to do more world-explaining (again in an all too clever way).
There's some good stuff here, including some great scenes with an alternate Saddam Hussein realizing the place of power he could have. However, I wish Ruff had spent more time on character development and left much of the setting in the background.
Ruff sets up an alternate history where --- on 11/9/2001 --- the Tigris and Euphrates towers in Baghdad were taken down by Christian fundamentalists as a strike against the United Arab Republic. The United States does not exist, and in its place we find "tribal" entities and loosely defined states. Chapters are introduced by entries from the user-created and edited Library of Alexandria (standing in for Wikipedia). It's overwhelmingly clever, and while I got a frisson of discomfort and interest from reading about Lutheran terrorists, by the time Ruff mentions CSI:Damascus (about page 70), I was tired of the conceit.
My main problem is that all that world-establishing crowds out any emotional response. It's not until about one-third of the way through the book that we start to understand what makes our protagonists tick. That got me back into the book until about the two-thirds mark, when Ruff pauses the whole thing to do more world-explaining (again in an all too clever way).
There's some good stuff here, including some great scenes with an alternate Saddam Hussein realizing the place of power he could have. However, I wish Ruff had spent more time on character development and left much of the setting in the background.
peachani's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Dysphoria, Confinement, Gun violence, Homophobia, Torture, Violence, War, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry
cawcaw8553's review
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
wah38's review against another edition
4.0
Most alt-history novels have a wink for the readers every so often: an important player is vaguely described and then revealed at the end of the chapter to be a historical figure. But this book has so many winks that if it were a person I'd think they were having a seizure. That could be a good or a bad thing depending on what you like.
Beyond that, I don't understand objections to this book that Bin Laden and Saddam are portrayed as evil: as a major character says, evil men are evil men in all universes. The same goes for all the American characters: they are as evil in this book as they are in real life. It's not Ruff's job to write a pro-bin Laden book any more than it would be his job to write a pro-Dick Cheney ("Quail Hunter" as he's hilariously called here) book.
Beyond that, I don't understand objections to this book that Bin Laden and Saddam are portrayed as evil: as a major character says, evil men are evil men in all universes. The same goes for all the American characters: they are as evil in this book as they are in real life. It's not Ruff's job to write a pro-bin Laden book any more than it would be his job to write a pro-Dick Cheney ("Quail Hunter" as he's hilariously called here) book.
dawnoftheread's review against another edition
4.0
http://www.unshelved.com/bookclub/2013-3-15#9780061976223
jcarter's review against another edition
4.0
The book flips history on its side and puts 9/11 as happening in the United Arab States instead of the USA. One value of the book was helping you imagine what life is like for the people of Iraq by having the post-tragedy invasion happen in America. I also enjoyed the little cultural asides; example: the TV show "24/7 Jihad" whose anti-terrorist hero Jafar Bashir lives out one 24-hour day each season. Ultimately, your enjoyment of the book will depend on whether you buy into the explanation of how this history aligns with ours. I bought it but I prefer something a little more down to earth.
jsmithborne's review against another edition
3.0
Mostly enjoyed the way Ruff managed to flip the world around--the details about the superpower UAS and the divided backward countries of the North American continent were really cool. Makes you think about how nothing was inevitable about how the world has sorted itself out so far. [a:Matt Ruff|40577|Matt Ruff|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1201179598p2/40577.jpg] is one of the best when it comes to bending your brain, but this book didn't rock me the way [b:Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls|71847|Set This House in Order A Romance of Souls|Matt Ruff|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170793917s/71847.jpg|2204766] and [b:Bad Monkeys|71845|Bad Monkeys|Matt Ruff|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1300479869s/71845.jpg|69564] did. I found it kind of odd that after explicitly naming every single middle eastern figure of importance, he played coy with the american names.
gruenlichst's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0