Reviews

The Seventh Perfection by Daniel Polansky

ypineda's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

lydiainspace's review against another edition

5.0

This novel draws you in and demands your attention and curiosity: if you lend it some, you become complicit in the story, embodying an investigator or interviewer yourself as you try to piece together the narrative of this world, and of its undefined protagonist. I love experimental and post-modern writing styles, but they can be hard to execute well while simultaneously trying to build fantastic worlds and plots. This book manages to do it all. As an audiobook, The Seventh Perfection is a tight, fast-paced, 3-hour listen: I was absolutely amazed at how much story could happen in so little time.

nelsonseye's review

4.0

The Seventh Perfection is a very unusual book. Trippy even. I found it very interesting, but I don’t know that I fully understood everything that happened. Which I guess makes sense in a book about memory and truth. Once I got used to it, I also liked the second person narration style. While I found the world intriguing, I would have liked to learn more about it. As a final note: the cover and its design are beautiful. All in all, The Seventh Perfection was a good start to my 2021 Goodreads Challenge.

enteka's review against another edition

5.0

An experimental sort of book, I think. Told through dialogue, no, a monologue... rather, told through the experience of the protagonist. Second-person. Mostly just speech, occasionally more. 

Destiny is ambition gilded, so bright and so beautiful it might excuse anything in its service, which is to say, in yours. What kindling did your God use, to see that blaze rise higher? 

The story unravels quite wonderfully, masterfully, for a book written like this. Or maybe it was the way it was written that makes the story unravel so wonderfully. The world that is built sounds so personal, and I love it a lot.

themorbidcorvid's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

quellek's review against another edition

5.0

I was very into this - unique and rewarding. I will say, although I am a habitual audiobook listener, I am grateful to have read this one in print. I think I would have struggled with comprehension and done a good bit of rewinding in audio.

andropupsi's review against another edition

not my kind of book

hawaiianabyss's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emmiemk's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

alana_rr's review against another edition

4.0

3.5

I enjoyed this book for its unique storytelling. 2nd person perspective and on top of that we only hear the person's answers to our silent protagonist (like a phonecall) definitely changed my listening experience with the audiobook. After characters spoke during questioning and there was a brief silence, I caught myself on the edge of my seat (metaphorically, because I was cooking) wondering what our protagonist must be saying or asking, and what the answer is going to be. As a mystery, I think this unique way of storytelling was great. Unfortunately, because this is a novella, there isn't a lot to get attached to enough and I wasn't very intrigued by its world which is a shame.