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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
A mixed bag of stories featuring Qfwfq, an anthromorphic being / sentient life-form who was there at the beginning of the universe and who is likely to be there at the end, and beyond. Qfwfq has existed in different forms: a single point, a dinosaur, a mollusca, a man.
Calvino is as inventive and playful as ever in these stories, basing their initial premise on a scientific fact. But it does not always work. Some of the stories felt too tiresome and contrived.
This edition is the definitive edition that includes all the Cosmicomic stories that Calvino wrote. I generally liked the early stories more than the later ones. Key highlights for me include "A Sign in Space", "The Aquatic Uncle" "How Much Shall We Bet?","The Dinosaurs", "The Chase", and "The Night Driver".
TL/DR: Qfwfq who was present at the beginning of the universe tells us of his adventures and how the world was like then. Each story starts with a scientific fact which Calvino uses as the germ of the idea for the story.
Recommended for: Fans of Calvino, Borges et al and more advanced readers of sci-fi / fantastic fiction.
Calvino is as inventive and playful as ever in these stories, basing their initial premise on a scientific fact. But it does not always work. Some of the stories felt too tiresome and contrived.
This edition is the definitive edition that includes all the Cosmicomic stories that Calvino wrote. I generally liked the early stories more than the later ones. Key highlights for me include "A Sign in Space", "The Aquatic Uncle" "How Much Shall We Bet?","The Dinosaurs", "The Chase", and "The Night Driver".
TL/DR: Qfwfq who was present at the beginning of the universe tells us of his adventures and how the world was like then. Each story starts with a scientific fact which Calvino uses as the germ of the idea for the story.
Recommended for: Fans of Calvino, Borges et al and more advanced readers of sci-fi / fantastic fiction.
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fascinating collection of short stories, all of them fun and inventive takes on different concepts within 20th century science. I found the quality of the stories quite variable; I'm very biased, I learned, towards Calvino's middle career. This book, a collection of stories from across his time as a writer, really does a fantastic job charting his stylistic development. I can understand a little better now how Calvino became Calvino.
Highlights:
the Distance of the Moon
Without Colors
the Light Years
the Spiral
t Zero
the Chase
Night Driver
Shells and Time
Highlights:
the Distance of the Moon
Without Colors
the Light Years
the Spiral
t Zero
the Chase
Night Driver
Shells and Time
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
read for uni course and quite simply i am very confused
It took an entire year for me to finish this collection but that was mostly because I had to sit with nearly every story afterwards and process it. I didn’t want to get to the end. Thankfully, there are over 30 stories in this collection. I LOVED pretty much every story in here and was blown away by the writing. With many of the stories, I can honestly say I had never read anything like it before. Italo Calvino is a mastermind. I have only read one of his novels but I will definitely read more. This is the type of thing you read and it makes you look at the world differently. I would highly recommend to anyone that wants their head just utterly scrambled but creatively.
Not sure how to rate an anthology book, but I'm giving it 5 stars because it IS a great collection of short stories.
Sure.. there are a couple of stories that are too difficult to comprehend and lack pacing but it shouldn't deter from the other stories that are absolutely brilliant and creative.
Sure.. there are a couple of stories that are too difficult to comprehend and lack pacing but it shouldn't deter from the other stories that are absolutely brilliant and creative.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
Some of my favorite books ever are the two original Cosmicomics collections. I read this to finish the rest. While I gave the first two books 5 stars, the later stories lack the originality, poetry & humor of the first group. Nonetheless, Calvino is a genius and these stories are a must read.
Soltanto un genio come Calvino poteva scrivere un libro di geografia astronomica, fisica e matematica e trasformarlo in un'opera d'arte della letteratura. Solo un genio come Calvino può tenere il fedele lettore incollato alle pagine del libro con un le avventure di gas, organismi mono- e pluricellulari. Super raccomandato, a scienziati e non. Anzi, soprattutto ai non-scienziati. Se avessi letto questo libro in seconda liceo - anno in cui si studiava geografia astronomica - la mia vita sarebbe stata più semplice. E non sto qua ad elencare ogni messaggio che ogni episodio, ogni teorema 'favolizzato' da Calvino nasconde. Scopritelo da voi. Io da parte mia vi dico che è un altro di quei libri che cambia.