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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a friend of mine has been telling me about this book for the entire time we've known each other, and in fact, summarized the entire thing at one point. luckily for me, i forgot, so by the time i bought a used copy with the intention of giving it to him when i was done, i was basically going in blind. after i finished it, it got passed around our friend group like a bong at a frat party (literally - we all sat on the couch and read it straight through. it was insane). all of us got the same amount of info when we started: "they f*ck the mushrooms."
this book is not, however, weird fungus erotica. it's a haunting story about gender, loss, and the strange and beautiful things that grow from that loss. it's also about stories; how much can you recontextualize history before it becomes a different thing entirely? as strange as this book gets (and oh boy, does it perpetually up the ante in that department), it's not difficult to tell what points the author was making.
the thing that caught me off-guard the most when i started was the prose, though. it was a little bit flowery for my own personal tastes, but it also makes complete sense considering who's narrating it and where. if i were a storyteller in an apocalypse, i'd probably get a little verbose too, and it's clear based on dialogue that nate is just Like That when he talks anyway. speaking of nate, this book is pretty strong character-wise. it's shocking how much development is crammed into 103 pages, and it all makes sense for what's going on around them.
the worldbuilding is pretty interesting, to say the least. even before the events of the book really kick into gear, the fact that all the women are just straight up dead is a WILD concept to start your book with, and there are hints that other apocalypse-y things happened even before they began to die. it's a neat setting, and it is blessedly not gross about it, either in a misogynistic way or a "men are inherently terrible" way.
overall, it's an eerie and very fast-paced read, and i highly recommend reading it like i did, in a group.i'm totally not trying to spread it like an ant mind control fungus by leaving my home in search of other packs of humans! i promise!
this book is not, however, weird fungus erotica. it's a haunting story about gender, loss, and the strange and beautiful things that grow from that loss. it's also about stories; how much can you recontextualize history before it becomes a different thing entirely? as strange as this book gets (and oh boy, does it perpetually up the ante in that department), it's not difficult to tell what points the author was making.
the thing that caught me off-guard the most when i started was the prose, though. it was a little bit flowery for my own personal tastes, but it also makes complete sense considering who's narrating it and where. if i were a storyteller in an apocalypse, i'd probably get a little verbose too, and it's clear based on dialogue that nate is just Like That when he talks anyway. speaking of nate, this book is pretty strong character-wise. it's shocking how much development is crammed into 103 pages, and it all makes sense for what's going on around them.
the worldbuilding is pretty interesting, to say the least. even before the events of the book really kick into gear, the fact that all the women are just straight up dead is a WILD concept to start your book with, and there are hints that other apocalypse-y things happened even before they began to die. it's a neat setting, and it is blessedly not gross about it, either in a misogynistic way or a "men are inherently terrible" way.
overall, it's an eerie and very fast-paced read, and i highly recommend reading it like i did, in a group.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I really wanted to love this novella. I didn't even realize that it was a novella when I grabbed it. There was another story behind (which I didn't read). This added to the feeling that it just wasn't finished. It felt like there was room for that entire other novella to continue the story and tie up some ends and settle some questions.
The book had an almost ethereal feeling about it, but an unsettled one; one that never got resolved and you really wish it had. There was so much at the end that I didn't understand. It felt like the author was trying to delve into some deep topics, but never quite got to a point with them.
It's okay if you are just looking for something to pass the time, since it is very short. Otherwise, use your time on better things in your to-be-read list.
The book had an almost ethereal feeling about it, but an unsettled one; one that never got resolved and you really wish it had. There was so much at the end that I didn't understand. It felt like the author was trying to delve into some deep topics, but never quite got to a point with them.
It's okay if you are just looking for something to pass the time, since it is very short. Otherwise, use your time on better things in your to-be-read list.
This was a tough one for me. The writing style is very unique...I dont think I've ever read anything quite like it. It's not bad...but it's not for me. I really struggled to make myself read this because I just didnt enjoy the writing style. The story itself was definitely interesting and weird and different...but I just couldn't get into it unfortunately.
Rounding up a star because the second story in this book, “Peace,Pipe” was so profound that it shook me to my core.
The first story, “The Beauty”, was creepy and eery and unsettling. I’m not sure I understood the world, but it creeped me out and left me afraid of mushrooms. Yeah...
But that second story. DAMN. A few quotes from the story:
“How we all rub off on each other, and lose what is special about us along the way.”
“The wars were won and the winners took what they wanted: resources, people, and the words that suited them. They pillaged each language and concept that appealed. A large language, containing over one million words, will hold so many corpses within it. In the process of ingestion many original meanings will be lost, and new ones born.”
A story of language, of regret, of impacts we have upon each other and the world at large...this one will stick with me.
The first story, “The Beauty”, was creepy and eery and unsettling. I’m not sure I understood the world, but it creeped me out and left me afraid of mushrooms. Yeah...
But that second story. DAMN. A few quotes from the story:
“How we all rub off on each other, and lose what is special about us along the way.”
“The wars were won and the winners took what they wanted: resources, people, and the words that suited them. They pillaged each language and concept that appealed. A large language, containing over one million words, will hold so many corpses within it. In the process of ingestion many original meanings will be lost, and new ones born.”
A story of language, of regret, of impacts we have upon each other and the world at large...this one will stick with me.
I am super into the way this author sees language and humanity! I can’t even imagine having a mind that works like hers!! I enjoyed Peace, Pipe a bit more than The Beauty, but I appreciate both of the stories.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
This book starts off worryingly like what I think an incel’s dream scenario would be, but quickly gets very lord of the flies.
Disturbing, disgusting and surreal.
Disturbing, disgusting and surreal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder
Feels like the best parts of Annihilation wrapped in cozy, literary post apocalyptia. Very strange, very fucked up, very good.