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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I want to give this 4.5 stars. It's not perfect, but it deserves more than 4. This is a mind bender. For 500 pages you are trying to keep everything straight and understand what the heck is going on. In the last 150 you are trying to remember the correlations from earlier. I may have to read this again in the spirit of now that I know what's going on - maybe then I can understand the brilliance.
I would love to write a long explanation review of this book, but I'm not completely sure what happened and I'd hate to ruin that effect for others as well.
You got me, book. You got me.
I would love to write a long explanation review of this book, but I'm not completely sure what happened and I'd hate to ruin that effect for others as well.
You got me, book. You got me.
Another masterpiece from the impeccable mind of Mr. Harkaway.
I'll admit up front that Harkaway's debut, [b:The Gone-Away World|3007704|The Gone-Away World |Nick Harkaway|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328322676s/3007704.jpg|3038235], is one of my favourite books and his subsequent novels aren't too shabby either, but his fourth is quite remarkable. It is set partially in a near-future Britain run by the System, a data network that both organises the citizenry into an active direct democracy and keeps their lives efficient and safe. Data privacy is a thing of the past; you can query someone's identity and life by direct access to the System and Harkaway skillfully shows how this affects social mores.
This set up, of course, immediately makes the hairs of discomfort prickle on the napes of our necks; whether liberal or conservative or whatever mix, such phrases as "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear", "Those who give up liberty for safety, deserve neither" and "Panopticon" cannot help but spring to mind, thought the author does an excellent job of being even-handed in his presentation of the view.
The book starts with a death of a subject in interrogation by the Witness, the security arm of the System. This is presented as a unique occurrence, and immediately taken seriously and handed to the talented and driven Inspector Mielikki Neith. The manner of the interrogation is disturbing and reinforces fears about the ubiquitously invasive arm of the state, but this is leavened over time by the seriousness with which this event is treated and, well, by the fact that the System seems to work, and seems to be benevolent and effective.
I had said the book is set partially here. We soon are introduced to narratives which seem entirely unrelated - centred around a brilliant Greek mathematician who, following personal tragedy, has turned his skills to the stock market; the former lover of the 4th/5th century Bishop Augustine of Hippo, herself a philosopher and alchemist; and a talented Ethiopian artist who (barely) escaped his country for England in the political chaos following the fall of Haile Selassie.
Each thread is superbly written, capturing the differing voices and setting and moods. The writing contains a density of allusion and meaning and texture - yet with a lightness of touch - that immediately brought to mind [a:Umberto Eco|1730|Umberto Eco|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455915753p2/1730.jpg] or [a:Neal Stephenson|545|Neal Stephenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430920344p2/545.jpg] at his more focused, and [a:Paul Auster|296961|Paul Auster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455603276p2/296961.jpg]. It seems clear that these stories cannot be divergent and Harkaway indeed begins to weaves threads between them, though some of the clues turn out to be fish that, at the least, seem to be scarlet in certain light.
In weaving the threads together we are treated to an exploration of liberty versus safety and convenience, public transparency and the dangers of the malicious hacking of the democratic process (I cannot possibly imagine where that last idea came from...) but, as well as the clues to the central mystery, the nested narratives also show real human stories of tragedy and love and loss and betrayal and reconciliation and hope. There are also some beautiful metaphors about books, and the power of good ideas and arguments to succeed by literally changing the person who hears them.
This novel is a tour-de-force, brilliant and important and a bloody fantastic read. It could be argued that, toward the end, Harkaway explains things a little too clearly and leaves less ambiguity than Eco or Auster would, but this is, I think, due to the wider audience for whom he is writing; frankly, this book already asks a great deal of the reader and such ambiguities on top of that are not to the taste of a lot of people. However, this book deserves plaudits and huge sales and awards scifi and literary alike. It will stay with me for a long time and I am sure that, when i re-read it, I will find layers I missed this time around.
A word on format. I read this on my Kindle, partly as the 700 page paperback appears to be printed in 8-point font (yes, the info page says 11.5-point, but I suspect that to be the System gaslighting me) and found this all the more useful as I could immediately check unfamiliar words and references. If you are reading a hard copy and don't have a thorough knowledge of Greek mythology, I suggest keeping close to wikipedia.
This set up, of course, immediately makes the hairs of discomfort prickle on the napes of our necks; whether liberal or conservative or whatever mix, such phrases as "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear", "Those who give up liberty for safety, deserve neither" and "Panopticon" cannot help but spring to mind, thought the author does an excellent job of being even-handed in his presentation of the view.
The book starts with a death of a subject in interrogation by the Witness, the security arm of the System. This is presented as a unique occurrence, and immediately taken seriously and handed to the talented and driven Inspector Mielikki Neith. The manner of the interrogation is disturbing and reinforces fears about the ubiquitously invasive arm of the state, but this is leavened over time by the seriousness with which this event is treated and, well, by the fact that the System seems to work, and seems to be benevolent and effective.
I had said the book is set partially here. We soon are introduced to narratives which seem entirely unrelated - centred around a brilliant Greek mathematician who, following personal tragedy, has turned his skills to the stock market; the former lover of the 4th/5th century Bishop Augustine of Hippo, herself a philosopher and alchemist; and a talented Ethiopian artist who (barely) escaped his country for England in the political chaos following the fall of Haile Selassie.
Each thread is superbly written, capturing the differing voices and setting and moods. The writing contains a density of allusion and meaning and texture - yet with a lightness of touch - that immediately brought to mind [a:Umberto Eco|1730|Umberto Eco|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455915753p2/1730.jpg] or [a:Neal Stephenson|545|Neal Stephenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430920344p2/545.jpg] at his more focused, and [a:Paul Auster|296961|Paul Auster|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455603276p2/296961.jpg]. It seems clear that these stories cannot be divergent and Harkaway indeed begins to weaves threads between them, though some of the clues turn out to be fish that, at the least, seem to be scarlet in certain light.
In weaving the threads together we are treated to an exploration of liberty versus safety and convenience, public transparency and the dangers of the malicious hacking of the democratic process (I cannot possibly imagine where that last idea came from...) but, as well as the clues to the central mystery, the nested narratives also show real human stories of tragedy and love and loss and betrayal and reconciliation and hope. There are also some beautiful metaphors about books, and the power of good ideas and arguments to succeed by literally changing the person who hears them.
This novel is a tour-de-force, brilliant and important and a bloody fantastic read. It could be argued that, toward the end, Harkaway explains things a little too clearly and leaves less ambiguity than Eco or Auster would, but this is, I think, due to the wider audience for whom he is writing; frankly, this book already asks a great deal of the reader and such ambiguities on top of that are not to the taste of a lot of people. However, this book deserves plaudits and huge sales and awards scifi and literary alike. It will stay with me for a long time and I am sure that, when i re-read it, I will find layers I missed this time around.
A word on format. I read this on my Kindle, partly as the 700 page paperback appears to be printed in 8-point font (yes, the info page says 11.5-point, but I suspect that to be the System gaslighting me) and found this all the more useful as I could immediately check unfamiliar words and references. If you are reading a hard copy and don't have a thorough knowledge of Greek mythology, I suggest keeping close to wikipedia.
This is a dense and confusing book which will be absolutely brilliant to re-read. I enjoyed it but it took me a while. There were some bits I liked more than others which is something that (necessarily?) happens in a book like this – one with many different stories going on at once. Even though it was long, there are some aspects I would have liked to have been made more explicit. The ending was satisfying enough, again I would have liked a little bit more.
This book is 99% metaphor and misdirection, but the small thread that winds through connects it all to a rather incredible ending. I found it hard to read because there is just a ton of dense dense dense stuff that rarely seems to fit and doesn't appear interesting or meaningful at first blush, and only really comes into proper perspective and meaning near the end. But it is certainly a great book, in terms of ideas, scope, and execution, and I don't regret the time I spent on it at all, and I will certainly read it again with a view to really digest some of the more complex ideas!
Overall, I recommend it, but only if you know you are willing to wade through a long, difficult literary journey to get to the compelling ending and only then understand what you've just read. The Gone Away World and Angelmaker are different beasts entirely than this one!
Overall, I recommend it, but only if you know you are willing to wade through a long, difficult literary journey to get to the compelling ending and only then understand what you've just read. The Gone Away World and Angelmaker are different beasts entirely than this one!
Mini-Review:
3 Stars for Narration by Ben Onwukwe (Good Narrator but bad fit for this book.)
4 Stars for Concepts
2 Stars for Plot Execution, Abrupt POV Shifts, Hazy Setting
1 Star for Preachy Narrative
3.5 Stars for Characters (Some were better than others.)
** Recommend Reading Print vs Listening to Audio
Narration: Onwukwe is a good narrator but he was not a good fit for the story because there are multiple POVs. He's the kind of storyteller that has a narrative voice and adds emotional inflections with tone, speed, etc. However, he doesn't try to have a different voice for males/females/etc.
I decided to read Gnomon as my intro to Harkaway because it was one of the latest releases at the time.
Gnomon is a quirky story about what it would be like if there was a computer system in place to watch every move & stopping people from enacting crimes or catching them. I think the story would have been stronger if the author had chosen a linear time line and focused on having one main character vs a handful of notables. Why? I enjoyed the character focused parts more than the stream of consciousness rant/preach/rambles.
Harkaway has a cool way of making the story feel textured. Like its a physical object that you can touch. Then he goes off in a thought experiment or emotional abstract and things get fuzzy. There's not enough science to make the story a hard SF. It's a decent speculative fiction set in some future time.
A few things about one of the characters, placement of the story and other minor but key points made me ask why. It didn't feel like I was reading about an African man. It generally felt like I was reading about a white guy in future-ish London.
In the end, the story was okay but failed to leave a lasting impression. I may have enjoyed it more by reading but I'm not sure. I'll definitely try out another story by Harkaway. There were good phrases & sequences in the book. I hope to read a story that is more cohesive & not as preachy.
3 Stars for Narration by Ben Onwukwe (Good Narrator but bad fit for this book.)
4 Stars for Concepts
2 Stars for Plot Execution, Abrupt POV Shifts, Hazy Setting
1 Star for Preachy Narrative
3.5 Stars for Characters (Some were better than others.)
** Recommend Reading Print vs Listening to Audio
Narration: Onwukwe is a good narrator but he was not a good fit for the story because there are multiple POVs. He's the kind of storyteller that has a narrative voice and adds emotional inflections with tone, speed, etc. However, he doesn't try to have a different voice for males/females/etc.
I decided to read Gnomon as my intro to Harkaway because it was one of the latest releases at the time.
Gnomon is a quirky story about what it would be like if there was a computer system in place to watch every move & stopping people from enacting crimes or catching them. I think the story would have been stronger if the author had chosen a linear time line and focused on having one main character vs a handful of notables. Why? I enjoyed the character focused parts more than the stream of consciousness rant/preach/rambles.
Harkaway has a cool way of making the story feel textured. Like its a physical object that you can touch. Then he goes off in a thought experiment or emotional abstract and things get fuzzy. There's not enough science to make the story a hard SF. It's a decent speculative fiction set in some future time.
A few things about one of the characters, placement of the story and other minor but key points made me ask why. It didn't feel like I was reading about an African man. It generally felt like I was reading about a white guy in future-ish London.
In the end, the story was okay but failed to leave a lasting impression. I may have enjoyed it more by reading but I'm not sure. I'll definitely try out another story by Harkaway. There were good phrases & sequences in the book. I hope to read a story that is more cohesive & not as preachy.
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was just a bit dense and long - I think it could have been edited down. It has some really beautiful writing.
I liked it but I'm still not completely sure what happened...
I cannot lie; I was confused for a great portion of this book.