Reviews

The Hair Carpet Weavers by Andreas Eschbach

lisavegan's review against another edition

4.0

From the beginning I thought this had to do with

Spoiler

unthinking devotion vs. thinking for oneself

and it does, but by the end I was thinking the story addressed

Spoiler

the futility of life, anti- any tradition or religion or belief system if the origin and meaning of it is not known,

and so much more.

The first chapter was originally written as a short story, and it’s a good short story. The entire story is interesting, and I love how it folds back over itself and how every chapter both stands on its own and is interconnected.
I love how, even though I got frustrated by many characters, I could see things from the point of view of each character. The various twists are fun.

I particularly love Piwano the triflutist, and his mentor.

I did get lost once or twice, but only temporarily. The main downside is I missed some of the earlier characters as I got to know new ones. It’s hard to become invested in a bunch of casts of characters, each one replacing the previous ones.

A couple of quotes I liked:

“It only becomes art if it touches other people.”

“But shame is like a wound that is never exposed and therefore never heals.”

This is a rather brilliant book, and I think it would make for a fascinating reread.

4 ½ stars

malapatasg's review against another edition

4.0

Un libro que va creciendo poco a poco, construyendo la narración a través de historias que, como las alfombras que están en su centro, se tejen hebra a hebra.

Construido a través de pequeñas narraciones sólo ligeramente engarzadas entre sí, que van creciendo desde lo particular a lo general, dejando que la información fluya poco a poco de manera que el lector no tenga nunca claro hacia donde le llevará la siguiente la historia, pero consiguiendo que todas las piezas encajen de manera natural.

deb_dangermouse's review

5.0

I loved every page of this. While it is a science fiction, it's also a sweeping history, beautifully realised and gorgeously written. Highly recommended

iristh's review

5.0

this book actually made me realize how incredibly tiny we are in this universe. Great sci-fi book, incredible storyline.

steffsteff's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

uncleanjoe's review against another edition

5.0

I came into this novel with no expectations, and I was very impressed. I loved how the author weaved these short stories together to not only showcase the culture of this one planet, but of an entire galaxy spanning empire. There is a great mystery at the center of this novel (what are they doing with the carpets?) and it tackles themes of religion, culture and empire. I also got some WH40k vibes with the God-Emperor character, and the conclusion of this novel would fit well with the horror aspects of the 40k universe. My only criticism would be that certain stories (and characters) felt abandoned with no real closure, but perhaps that was on purpose to add a sense of mystery frustration to the novel.

4.5/5

candiceausten's review against another edition

4.0

Absolutely epic.

elenatejedor's review against another edition

4.0

Es una historia muy original, bien urdida y bien escrita mediante pequeñas historias independientes que se van entrelazando. Para mi gusto falla en que genera poca conexión emocional con los personajes, y también en ciertos ralamazos de señoro.

grimsouffle's review against another edition

3.25

kind of a lame ass twist ngl. i found the style of storytelling through vignettes appealing for showing off different aspects of the worldbuilding though

drestar's review against another edition

4.0

Defina "alcance"