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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Creo que lo he entendido todo más o menos bien, pero ha costado.
Maybe not the best choice for post Lemony Snicket I don’t even know what universe I am in anymore.
I expect that upon re-read, that I may raise my rating, because I enjoyed it, but it also makes you work for it like few books do. And I’ll probably like it more on a second go ten years from now. It’s especially tricky via audio - I’m surprised they even recorded it😳
I expect that upon re-read, that I may raise my rating, because I enjoyed it, but it also makes you work for it like few books do. And I’ll probably like it more on a second go ten years from now. It’s especially tricky via audio - I’m surprised they even recorded it😳
challenging, probably a fine story, but it needs more focus than i have currently
far too long! but an interesting idea, well written
I struggled with this one a bit (to put it mildly.) It was like reading Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco in my teens and not being able to follow it at all, but I’m an adult now and have read my fair share of books. So this should be a cakewalk. Nope, despite having finally understood Foucault’s Pendulum a few years ago after a reread (still didn’t care for it much, and not that difficult only tedious,) but Gnomon was... I’m at a loss with words. It is tedious too, yes; the plot is twisted, and you have to work hard to follow what is going on, yet, there is something strangely alluring about it. The utopian world, the encounter with the shark opening a new perspective, the death, the surveillance, immigration, and the list is endless, makes this book appealing. The characters are compelling. We get to spent time with them and their thoughts. Still, I would like to say, it tries too much; it is too pretentious; it is too full as there is beauty in the simple which can portray the complex idea in a few sentences.
But am I being too harsh? Does it lose the meaning when everything is crammed into a small pace? 700 pages are comparatively short for all the subjects handled in this book. As it is a detective story, it is a dystopian utopia of surveillance and governmental control; it is about transcending consciousness; it asks a question your memories or mine; questions the use of AIs; it gives us an opportunity to glance back into history, to Rome; it plays with the concept of fear and fame mixed with self-realization. That is a lot for a book. And there were times I was wondering is this a deliberate misdirection or mess left there for the readers to piece together what on earth is going on. But mysteries are fun, books that make you work hard are fun? Sometimes I think, oh yes. Other times, I appreciate the simplicity portraying the complexity still not missing anything.
If the previous sounds swell, then you might have a good time with Gnomon. I have this weird notion that I will return to this book when the time is right and see if my first thoughts were correct, or did I miss the point entirely. And definitely choose text version (physical over digital) as with listening to an audiobook, there is no keeping up.
Thank you for reading, have a utopian day!
But am I being too harsh? Does it lose the meaning when everything is crammed into a small pace? 700 pages are comparatively short for all the subjects handled in this book. As it is a detective story, it is a dystopian utopia of surveillance and governmental control; it is about transcending consciousness; it asks a question your memories or mine; questions the use of AIs; it gives us an opportunity to glance back into history, to Rome; it plays with the concept of fear and fame mixed with self-realization. That is a lot for a book. And there were times I was wondering is this a deliberate misdirection or mess left there for the readers to piece together what on earth is going on. But mysteries are fun, books that make you work hard are fun? Sometimes I think, oh yes. Other times, I appreciate the simplicity portraying the complexity still not missing anything.
If the previous sounds swell, then you might have a good time with Gnomon. I have this weird notion that I will return to this book when the time is right and see if my first thoughts were correct, or did I miss the point entirely. And definitely choose text version (physical over digital) as with listening to an audiobook, there is no keeping up.
Thank you for reading, have a utopian day!
I think I could read this four or five times and keep uncovering gems. The stories nest inside each other, a little like David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, but not exactly. The whole book is also about questioning what identity and reality are, and those are some heavy questions.
As with Angelmaker and Edie Investigates, Harkaway writes strong women well; not all men do. The key? They're just normal people, with the same kinds of internal drives as anyone else. Fundamentally, we're all very different, but we're also fundamentally all the same. Many male writers, especially in science fiction, write their female characters as the literary equivalent of cartoon characters -- add a bow or some eyelashes, and presto, your character is now a "girl". The problem with that approach is that is assumes the default "person" is male. As a very un-girly girl, it always drives me crazy. You don't have to give a character a shoe-shopping habit in order to make her female; just write about a person.
Anyway, Harkaway is one of my favorite authors, and this book doesn't disappoint.
As with Angelmaker and Edie Investigates, Harkaway writes strong women well; not all men do. The key? They're just normal people, with the same kinds of internal drives as anyone else. Fundamentally, we're all very different, but we're also fundamentally all the same. Many male writers, especially in science fiction, write their female characters as the literary equivalent of cartoon characters -- add a bow or some eyelashes, and presto, your character is now a "girl". The problem with that approach is that is assumes the default "person" is male. As a very un-girly girl, it always drives me crazy. You don't have to give a character a shoe-shopping habit in order to make her female; just write about a person.
Anyway, Harkaway is one of my favorite authors, and this book doesn't disappoint.
A fantastic, dense novel packed with ideas and puzzles. It had me reaching for my dictionary more than once. Certainly a book that I will go back and read again to unpack the ideas. It has siblings in Cloud Atlas and Inception, but stands apart. It is not a reworking of previous ideas.
My goodness. What a tome! The Illuminatus Trilogy has prepared me for mind boggling books of this ilk but I still don't get along with them very well, and yes, I do understand the ending but my brain hurts and after reading through this epic I was hoping for a bigger payoff.
One of the reviews compares the author to Terry Pratchett but I didn't pick up much of this. The author in real life is an energetic delight. I'll definitely try his others.
One of the reviews compares the author to Terry Pratchett but I didn't pick up much of this. The author in real life is an energetic delight. I'll definitely try his others.