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lizzieh96's review against another edition
It's not that I didn't finish because I didn't like it. I just got way to busy and had a hard time getting back into it. That said, this is a fun read. Think Frankenstein meets the Twilight Zone meets a good dose of problematic 19th-century racism/sexism. It's definitely up there in terms of my favorite decadent novels. It's a good study in the fears of the time, and overall I enjoyed it. Not sure how much background in decadence you need to make it work, but I'd recommend it.
violetlily13's review against another edition
3.0
The Victorians came up with a great deal of strange and fantastical stories, but this one might be the weirdest of all. It's horrible in the way only Victorian Gothic and science fiction can be, veering from an Arctic adventure to a post-apocalyptic tale of survival and madness, at last to an awkward re-creation of Adam and Eve. The story as a whole is disturbing, inconsistent, and often perplexing, making it a must-read for anyone interested in Victorian weird fiction and the history of SF.
(The only other comment I can think of is that Bulwer-Lytton would have loved this story. It reminds me rather too much of his ghastly novels.)
(The only other comment I can think of is that Bulwer-Lytton would have loved this story. It reminds me rather too much of his ghastly novels.)
irasobrietate's review
I pit this book down almost two weeks ago and basically completely forgot about it. I'm 40% into the book and nothing has happened. He's just been wandering around being dumb for an interminable amount of time. Mostly I can't see what this book is trying to do. Why are they telling this story? If I don't have the vaguest idea of what this book is for almost halfway in, then I don't really feel there's a point in continuing.
lbrex's review against another edition
5.0
I first finished this in September 2013. This most recent read was a review. I have a lot of new thoughts but I'm not going to edit my review from 2013...it's probably better to just go straight to writing the conference paper!
Here's the original:
_The Picture of Dorian Gray_ meets _I Am Legend_...and it is really rather absurdly good. The middle of the book drags a bit, but the impressive catalogues and ornate descriptions, along with borderline insane observations about the state of humanity, sustain the reader. The ending, however, sees _The Purple Cloud_ becoming a page turner. This is a great read for those interested in science fiction, apocalyptic writings, and late-Victorian fiction, but I don't know how interesting it would be for those outside of these groups. I suspect they might find themselves bored.
I would like to share some passages and events from _The Purple Cloud_ I found especially amusing and bizarre, but this would involve giving away key points of the novel. Let's just say that the telephone calls between France and England were one of the most ridiculous and unexpected aspects of this novel.
Here's the original:
_The Picture of Dorian Gray_ meets _I Am Legend_...and it is really rather absurdly good. The middle of the book drags a bit, but the impressive catalogues and ornate descriptions, along with borderline insane observations about the state of humanity, sustain the reader. The ending, however, sees _The Purple Cloud_ becoming a page turner. This is a great read for those interested in science fiction, apocalyptic writings, and late-Victorian fiction, but I don't know how interesting it would be for those outside of these groups. I suspect they might find themselves bored.
I would like to share some passages and events from _The Purple Cloud_ I found especially amusing and bizarre, but this would involve giving away key points of the novel. Let's just say that the telephone calls between France and England were one of the most ridiculous and unexpected aspects of this novel.