Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
The Village meets Annihilation. Starts out interestingly weird and turns to absolute horror on the double. Lots to unpack for such a short story.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn’t not enjoy The Beauty in the slightest. It was uncomfortable, but not in a particularly thought-provoking manner, and I just found myself itching to be done with it. The story didn’t stick with me in any meaningful way (other than the fact that I would actively recommend against reading it). Peace, Pipe, on the other hand, was actually somewhat interesting to read. I enjoyed this protagonist much more the message behind it seemed pertinent was just exciting to read. I didn’t totally love it, and I think that, in general, Whiteley’s style just isn’t for me, but it was still a major step up from the first story.
The weirdest book I’ve ever read, very happy it was a short read. I’m sure that many would like this but it just wasn’t for me. Almost a DNF
3.5 Stars
If you are a fan of the weird and bizarre than ‘The Beauty’ is definitely the book for you! Imagine a world set in the future; there is a valley of people who have come together based on a fused set of ideals. They live off the land, don’t take more than they need, eschew all forms of excess. They are content. And then suddenly, quickly, all the women begin to die from a fungal like disease that consumes their bodies. This doesn’t just happen to the women in the valley, it happens to every woman in the world, but since this story never leaves the valley that doesn’t much matter. The men feel a loneliness and futility deeper than they ever could have imagined. They live, but know that there is nothing worth living for because they are the last of their kind. They can leave nothing behind. Years pass.
Then one day, while visiting the graves of their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters, the men see mushrooms rising quickly from ground. Mushrooms shaped like women. Mushrooms that move and think and make noise. Mushrooms that will quickly receive a collective name – The Beauty. The men, despite themselves, are drawn to The Beauty. They love them (literally and metaphorically) and hate them at the same time. They have been given a reprieve from their loneliness, but that gift has some terrible drawbacks. Still, the men learn quickly that they are unable to resist. More time passes.
Then one day, one of the men finds a lump at his side. He is pregnant, and as the child within him grows (half man, half…mushroom?), his body changes. By the time the baby is born, the man has nearly transformed into a shadow of the women who years before had ceased to exist.
As I said at the outset, this story is utterly bizarre, just WEIRD. But also strangely good. The writing is especially thoughtful, with very interesting insights into humanities prowess and pitfalls.
~*~*
The edition of the book also had a short story called ‘Peace, Pipe’, which was less strange, but equally intriguing. In it, the main character (whose name we never learn), is in a three month quarantine after returning from a mission to negotiate trade deals from creatures in another planet. Throughout the course of the story, the reader learns that he is from a future hundreds of years away from present day. The humans of earth have discovered dozens to hundreds of other planets with sentient creatures, and people like our protagonist are sent to those planets to transfer of goods. Upon return from every mission, the negotiator must submit to quarantine - to make sure he is not unknowingly harboring a dangerous disease from the new planet. He is supposed to be completely sealed off from any type of living, sentient being, though he does have a computer that allows him to learn, somewhat, the news of the outside world.
At the beginning of this quarantine, the negotiator notices there is pipe just outside one of his walls, a signal that there has been a break in the imposed bubble. At first he thinks it is just a pipe making automatic pipe sounds. But then, slowly, he comes to realize that the watery burbles he hears come from the ‘mouth’ of a sentient being. The Pipe has it’s own form of language. Man and Pipe spend hours ‘talking’ and learning the other’s language (as much as possible anyways). It is a great comfort to our main man, as he is trying to work through the canyon deep guilt that has swallowed him since his last mission (one that failed and resulted in the near destruction of multiple species). The negotiation comes to understand that what he thought he knew about language was all wrong. With that comes the realization that what he thought he understood about life is wrong as well.
I found ‘The Beauty’ interesting, but I really liked ‘Peace, Pipe’. It had a stark, sterile quality to it. At the same time it flowed with the calming and melodic notes of water. Time and time again I found myself wanting to underline a certain sentence or paragraph.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of the unusual, those Alice in Wonderland types. I myself am now a fan of Whitely and will be looking for more of her stories to read.
If you are a fan of the weird and bizarre than ‘The Beauty’ is definitely the book for you! Imagine a world set in the future; there is a valley of people who have come together based on a fused set of ideals. They live off the land, don’t take more than they need, eschew all forms of excess. They are content. And then suddenly, quickly, all the women begin to die from a fungal like disease that consumes their bodies. This doesn’t just happen to the women in the valley, it happens to every woman in the world, but since this story never leaves the valley that doesn’t much matter. The men feel a loneliness and futility deeper than they ever could have imagined. They live, but know that there is nothing worth living for because they are the last of their kind. They can leave nothing behind. Years pass.
Then one day, while visiting the graves of their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters, the men see mushrooms rising quickly from ground. Mushrooms shaped like women. Mushrooms that move and think and make noise. Mushrooms that will quickly receive a collective name – The Beauty. The men, despite themselves, are drawn to The Beauty. They love them (literally and metaphorically) and hate them at the same time. They have been given a reprieve from their loneliness, but that gift has some terrible drawbacks. Still, the men learn quickly that they are unable to resist. More time passes.
Then one day, one of the men finds a lump at his side. He is pregnant, and as the child within him grows (half man, half…mushroom?), his body changes. By the time the baby is born, the man has nearly transformed into a shadow of the women who years before had ceased to exist.
As I said at the outset, this story is utterly bizarre, just WEIRD. But also strangely good. The writing is especially thoughtful, with very interesting insights into humanities prowess and pitfalls.
~*~*
The edition of the book also had a short story called ‘Peace, Pipe’, which was less strange, but equally intriguing. In it, the main character (whose name we never learn), is in a three month quarantine after returning from a mission to negotiate trade deals from creatures in another planet. Throughout the course of the story, the reader learns that he is from a future hundreds of years away from present day. The humans of earth have discovered dozens to hundreds of other planets with sentient creatures, and people like our protagonist are sent to those planets to transfer of goods. Upon return from every mission, the negotiator must submit to quarantine - to make sure he is not unknowingly harboring a dangerous disease from the new planet. He is supposed to be completely sealed off from any type of living, sentient being, though he does have a computer that allows him to learn, somewhat, the news of the outside world.
At the beginning of this quarantine, the negotiator notices there is pipe just outside one of his walls, a signal that there has been a break in the imposed bubble. At first he thinks it is just a pipe making automatic pipe sounds. But then, slowly, he comes to realize that the watery burbles he hears come from the ‘mouth’ of a sentient being. The Pipe has it’s own form of language. Man and Pipe spend hours ‘talking’ and learning the other’s language (as much as possible anyways). It is a great comfort to our main man, as he is trying to work through the canyon deep guilt that has swallowed him since his last mission (one that failed and resulted in the near destruction of multiple species). The negotiation comes to understand that what he thought he knew about language was all wrong. With that comes the realization that what he thought he understood about life is wrong as well.
I found ‘The Beauty’ interesting, but I really liked ‘Peace, Pipe’. It had a stark, sterile quality to it. At the same time it flowed with the calming and melodic notes of water. Time and time again I found myself wanting to underline a certain sentence or paragraph.
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of the unusual, those Alice in Wonderland types. I myself am now a fan of Whitely and will be looking for more of her stories to read.
This was the weirdest most fucked up book I've read but it was great. Really interesting original story and you're never sure where it's going to go. Fantasy dystopian something. I dont even know what you would call this genre. Definitely recommend if you like WTF books
dark
medium-paced
Unsettling but still charming, horrific yet warm. It's a delicate balance that Aliya Whiteley achieves in this novella, and one that for the most part works. In a world where humanity has been decimated and women have disappeared, salvation (or is it damnation?) appears in a haunting form. At once a chilling fable and a meditiation on society, gender roles,and more. A very worthwile read.
dark
tense
I don’t know how to truly rate this book. I had heard such great things about this book going into it, which perhaps colored my experience of reading it. The writing was fantastic and I plan on reading more Aliya Whiteley in the future.
However, I could NOT STAND the main character, Nate. And since the book is written through Nate’s perspective it was challenging to fully dive in and enjoy. I loved the premise, I loved the social commentary, and I loved all the discomfort that came with it….but NATE! I usually love a main character I find unlikeable or has a bit more grey morality but this character ugggghh. I can’t really explain it.
However, I could NOT STAND the main character, Nate. And since the book is written through Nate’s perspective it was challenging to fully dive in and enjoy. I loved the premise, I loved the social commentary, and I loved all the discomfort that came with it….but NATE! I usually love a main character I find unlikeable or has a bit more grey morality but this character ugggghh. I can’t really explain it.