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lblythes's review against another edition
5.0
Everyone I know would hate this. Wonderfully dense and myth-like. Five stars.
desterman's review against another edition
2.0
Originally, I thought this prose-poem narrative was a reference to Loch Ness in Scotland, but it is Orford Ness in Suffolk, a 10 mile long shingle spit off the coast. After some research into this interesting little part of England I discovered that it is now a key site of nature conservation. However, it was formally administered by the Ministry of Defence over a long period of time, stretching from World War 1 through to the end of the Cold War. It was a site for experiments in long range radio navigation, as well as atomic weapons testing.
In Robert Macfarlane’s strange narrative poem, an odd group of characters meet at a Green Chapel on the Ness. They are the Armourer, the Engineer, the Botanist, the Ornithologist, and the Physicist. Here they seem to be planning some form of religious ceremony to release destruction on the world. Simultaneously, five natural forces, the “it”, the “he”, the “she”, the “they” and the “as”, join forces to thwart these disastrous plans.
Once you have the historical background information about the site, the messages of this allegory are clear, where the natural forces reclaim the earth from the mindless annihilation of humans. It proposes that this may be the only way to save the planet, and in times of pandemic, climate change and the possible resurgence of terrorism, you can see that this captures the zeitgeist perfectly. While the concept is thought provoking, and the narrative builds an effective pace leading to the climax, I found the poetry itself quite underwhelming. Aside from passages of irregular rhyme, broken lines and an abundance of metaphor, it doesn’t do much that is groundbreaking, nor did I find it very moving. The poetry is accompanied by sketches by Stanley Donwood which are based on the real site, which are quite beautiful. Ness offers an inventive idea, but it is not necessarily one I would come back to.
In Robert Macfarlane’s strange narrative poem, an odd group of characters meet at a Green Chapel on the Ness. They are the Armourer, the Engineer, the Botanist, the Ornithologist, and the Physicist. Here they seem to be planning some form of religious ceremony to release destruction on the world. Simultaneously, five natural forces, the “it”, the “he”, the “she”, the “they” and the “as”, join forces to thwart these disastrous plans.
Once you have the historical background information about the site, the messages of this allegory are clear, where the natural forces reclaim the earth from the mindless annihilation of humans. It proposes that this may be the only way to save the planet, and in times of pandemic, climate change and the possible resurgence of terrorism, you can see that this captures the zeitgeist perfectly. While the concept is thought provoking, and the narrative builds an effective pace leading to the climax, I found the poetry itself quite underwhelming. Aside from passages of irregular rhyme, broken lines and an abundance of metaphor, it doesn’t do much that is groundbreaking, nor did I find it very moving. The poetry is accompanied by sketches by Stanley Donwood which are based on the real site, which are quite beautiful. Ness offers an inventive idea, but it is not necessarily one I would come back to.
izzyhardern's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Absolutely stunning, and super quick to get through. The prose is stunning, it felt like it needed to be read aloud.
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
3.0
This is bizarre and fascinating - I'm not sure I would call this either horror or poetry - this is definitely a work in a liminal, intersectional space.
That being said, I have NO IDEA what to do with this or how to think about it, let alone describe it.
Got some good creepy moments, overall very short. Creepy ink illustrations spread throughout. Beautiful printing for any collection.
That being said, I have NO IDEA what to do with this or how to think about it, let alone describe it.
Got some good creepy moments, overall very short. Creepy ink illustrations spread throughout. Beautiful printing for any collection.
cartoonalien's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
froggoz13's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Beautifully written. The book creates a universe in which our current world is reflected. All the entities that play a role in the story are described is such a mysterious and poetic way.
thewritebooks's review against another edition
Nature vs Nuclear, a poetic expression of nature’s reclamation of earth, would love to see this as an illustrated short film
mosspussy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0