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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I loved this book! Zinzin December is the bomb! I love a strong female character. Classic detective storyline, which slowly develops into a murder mystery. Lauren Beukes creates a believable story weaved with magic ans suspense. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. This is the first book by this author that I have read and I want to read more from her.
Excellent urban fantasy set in Johannesburg. Interesting riff on Philip Pullman's daemon idea.
MMD Reading Challenge 2017- For Fun
Category: Book chosen for the cover
I really don't read a lot of urban fantasy, but this cover just grabbed me, and that is what this category is all about! I really enjoyed this. It was very well-written, and hard to put down. The language is pretty graphic at times as is the violence, which mostly happens in the second part of the book. It was set in an alternative Johannesburg "ghetto" in South Africa, though, so it wasn't really unnecessary, just too descriptive for me at times. The ending was sad, but still hopeful. Zoo City is the name of the ghetto where "Zoos", people who have committed a serious crime and have an Animal counterpart linked to them as a result. It has more to do with guilt of the individual than a specific crime. The magic system was very unique, at times creepy, but always engaging. I would really like to see a sequel to this book.
Category: Book chosen for the cover
I really don't read a lot of urban fantasy, but this cover just grabbed me, and that is what this category is all about! I really enjoyed this. It was very well-written, and hard to put down. The language is pretty graphic at times as is the violence, which mostly happens in the second part of the book. It was set in an alternative Johannesburg "ghetto" in South Africa, though, so it wasn't really unnecessary, just too descriptive for me at times. The ending was sad, but still hopeful. Zoo City is the name of the ghetto where "Zoos", people who have committed a serious crime and have an Animal counterpart linked to them as a result. It has more to do with guilt of the individual than a specific crime. The magic system was very unique, at times creepy, but always engaging. I would really like to see a sequel to this book.
Essentially a noir PI story in urban fantasy clothes. I liked it but did not love it. I've found it hard to figure out what was lacking for me--I think that ultimately there was just too much going on in too short a space. I had a hard time keeping the secondary characters separate. I appreciate that we got the world building without massive info dumps, but there was a lot to take in, and I wound up feeling slightly distanced from the book by confusion.
Having said that, the story is interesting and inventive and Beukes is a fantastically talented prose stylist. I will definitely read more from her.
Having said that, the story is interesting and inventive and Beukes is a fantastically talented prose stylist. I will definitely read more from her.
An impression of a future oh-so-similar-but-ever-so-slightly-twisted. Excellent put together. Very credible. Like.
Wow.
Zoo City is one of the more original, complicated fantasy books that I’ve read this year. I’m not even sure how to tag it, that’s how many elements come into play. Urban fantasy? Johannesburg is a major city, after all, and the animal angle is clearly unreal. Dystopia? Almost, but not quite; despite the animals, this is a current version of Johannesburg and African politics. Mystery noir? After all, there’s a missing person and an investigator of questionable character. Horror? A little witchcraft, a little mutilation, but mostly it’s only horror in that way that shows us our own hearts, evil enough to cut out. Literary fiction? It thoughtfully explores the human condition, guilt and identity. Mostly, it’s just interesting, creative and just a bit uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, since Goodreads can't decide if the 2010 Terms of Service are the current ones, or the ones that Kara references in the"Important Announcements" thread, I'm going to have to post the rest of my review at places it won't be deleted:
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/zoo-city-by-lauren-burkes/
OR
http://carols.booklikes.com/post/732112/zoo-city
Zoo City is one of the more original, complicated fantasy books that I’ve read this year. I’m not even sure how to tag it, that’s how many elements come into play. Urban fantasy? Johannesburg is a major city, after all, and the animal angle is clearly unreal. Dystopia? Almost, but not quite; despite the animals, this is a current version of Johannesburg and African politics. Mystery noir? After all, there’s a missing person and an investigator of questionable character. Horror? A little witchcraft, a little mutilation, but mostly it’s only horror in that way that shows us our own hearts, evil enough to cut out. Literary fiction? It thoughtfully explores the human condition, guilt and identity. Mostly, it’s just interesting, creative and just a bit uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, since Goodreads can't decide if the 2010 Terms of Service are the current ones, or the ones that Kara references in the"Important Announcements" thread, I'm going to have to post the rest of my review at places it won't be deleted:
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/zoo-city-by-lauren-burkes/
OR
http://carols.booklikes.com/post/732112/zoo-city
I really wanted to like this book -- it's got a great concept and is both tech-savvy and culturally interesting. Perhaps because I mostly read it on my phone, I found it really hard to keep the characters straight. The characters that have animals associated with them are sometimes referred to by the character's first name, last name, sometimes by the animal types, and sometimes by various nicknames. It made it hard to keep everything straight.
If I had known this and kept the references a little more straight in my head (or on paper) I would probably have loved it. Part mystery, part thriller, part dystopian fantasy, it hits a lot of my buttons. But as it was, I merely liked it. Will probably reread it sometime.
If I had known this and kept the references a little more straight in my head (or on paper) I would probably have loved it. Part mystery, part thriller, part dystopian fantasy, it hits a lot of my buttons. But as it was, I merely liked it. Will probably reread it sometime.
A gut-wrenching, raw, and honest window into how some of the weakest among us are devoured by the cultures, systems, and people around them. This novel is not for the faint of heart as it covers the full range of "harsh" - harsh language, harsh setting, and harsh descriptions. I would place this book more fully in the horror genre, as I was horrified by much of what occurs in Zoo City though there are elements of science fiction and fantasy also at the center. All in all I find this novel to be skillfully imagined and skillfully rendered.
Really good book, well crafted sci-fi elements, but characters were somewhat hard to track due to name changes.
I enjoyed this book, the concept and the setting were original and different. I didn't feel any strong emotional investment to the characters or story though and found the plot confusing at times, hence only three stars.