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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
When I read 'City of Saints and Madmen' I'd formed a mental mosaic of the city of Ambergris - its history, its inhabitants, its aesthetic. It was so fantastic and ethereal and weird that every insight left me slack jawed and awed.
When I read 'Shriek: An Afterword' I was shocked at the level of (comparative) normalcy it imposed upon the city. It became too *real* for me, too *regular*. It was I felt like it had robbed me of some of the wonder with which the city had instilled me.
When I read 'Finch', I was presented with an Ambergris so extremely unlike that which I has encountered in the earlier books that it's almost difficult to consolidate. It brought back the strangeness I'd found in 'City' while leaving the functional normalcy of 'Shriek'. And I loved it. It was the perfect balance.
The story is set in a post-Rising Ambergis. Now an occupying force, the grey caps have flooded a large portion of the city (and what's left had already been war-worn during the War of the Houses), they've got most of the city's inhabitants imprisoned in work camps toiling away on a pair of ominous towers the purpose of which no one knows, and those left relatively "free" are policed by the fungal-enhanced human agents of the grey caps known as Partials. This is the world in which Finch lives and works.
Finch is a detective. "Employed" by the grey caps to investigate crimes throughout Ambergris, he is more or less considered a traitor by the humans. When he is tasked with solving a double murder involving a grey cap and an unidentified human, things start to get very bad for Finch very quickly. Because 'Finch' is basically a mystery story, I won't go into any greater detail than that.
The prose took a little bit of getting used to. Composed of short, curt, pointed sentences interposed with bursts of measured introspection on the part of Finch, it seems to adhere to conventions of noir fiction which I'd not been exposed to before. I became endeared to the style before long, and view it very favorably in retrospect; it supports and deepens the strength of the mood and tone of the novel wonderfully.
It is said that one could read 'Finch' without first having read the other books in the Ambergris cycle. I suppose this is true - it is definitely strong enough a story to stand by itself - but I feel that having read the other books could be the difference between just *enjoying* 'Finch', and really appreciating it. It ties together threads that were lingering from the earlier books and makes startling revelations about the history of, and prior events within, Ambergris - the impact of which would obviously be greatly weakened had the reader not been pondering these already.
When I read 'Shriek: An Afterword' I was shocked at the level of (comparative) normalcy it imposed upon the city. It became too *real* for me, too *regular*. It was I felt like it had robbed me of some of the wonder with which the city had instilled me.
When I read 'Finch', I was presented with an Ambergris so extremely unlike that which I has encountered in the earlier books that it's almost difficult to consolidate. It brought back the strangeness I'd found in 'City' while leaving the functional normalcy of 'Shriek'. And I loved it. It was the perfect balance.
The story is set in a post-Rising Ambergis. Now an occupying force, the grey caps have flooded a large portion of the city (and what's left had already been war-worn during the War of the Houses), they've got most of the city's inhabitants imprisoned in work camps toiling away on a pair of ominous towers the purpose of which no one knows, and those left relatively "free" are policed by the fungal-enhanced human agents of the grey caps known as Partials. This is the world in which Finch lives and works.
Finch is a detective. "Employed" by the grey caps to investigate crimes throughout Ambergris, he is more or less considered a traitor by the humans. When he is tasked with solving a double murder involving a grey cap and an unidentified human, things start to get very bad for Finch very quickly. Because 'Finch' is basically a mystery story, I won't go into any greater detail than that.
The prose took a little bit of getting used to. Composed of short, curt, pointed sentences interposed with bursts of measured introspection on the part of Finch, it seems to adhere to conventions of noir fiction which I'd not been exposed to before. I became endeared to the style before long, and view it very favorably in retrospect; it supports and deepens the strength of the mood and tone of the novel wonderfully.
It is said that one could read 'Finch' without first having read the other books in the Ambergris cycle. I suppose this is true - it is definitely strong enough a story to stand by itself - but I feel that having read the other books could be the difference between just *enjoying* 'Finch', and really appreciating it. It ties together threads that were lingering from the earlier books and makes startling revelations about the history of, and prior events within, Ambergris - the impact of which would obviously be greatly weakened had the reader not been pondering these already.
Read it. Loved it. Wanted more.
Although I'd have preferred that more of the sentences contained have subjects. Stylistic quibble. Noir response. Atmospheric. Called it annoying at times, but read the whole thing. Regardless.
Although I'd have preferred that more of the sentences contained have subjects. Stylistic quibble. Noir response. Atmospheric. Called it annoying at times, but read the whole thing. Regardless.
I’ve come to the conclusion that VanderMeer writes books (or at least this trilogy) for men. Obviously there are many women who enjoy this series and I will not deny that I found it to be well written and creative, but something about it has such a male-centered aura. Noirs only work for me in the vaguest sense of the word—reiterating my previous point, but they somehow always end up a little sexist. This was not as offensive as some others but the way Sintra was written still makes me crazy. I am glad I had read the previous books before this one for context, but it still was not a satisfying ending to the trilogy of the Shrieks. I did find this the most captivating of the trilogy seeing as I finished it in record time when compared to it predecessors. It was also an interesting choice to set this so much later than the previous books considering the fact that despite the city becoming a bit more fungal, nothing else seemed to have change. Wyte and Rathven were the two most interesting characters to me, and, while Finch was mysterious, I just didn’t care much about him. I definitely see myself reading more my VanderMeer in the future despite the fact that all of my reviews thus far have veered toward negativity because, again, he is a good writer and world-crafter! After spending around 1000 pages in Ambergris, I feel like I truly know the city and its people inside and out (an impressive feat by the author)! So, did I like this story? Not a ton, but I think it’s probably a good book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
Gritty is perhaps an understatement; the world was interesting and original, but so brutal
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finch by Jeff VanderMeer
Book 11/60 of 2023
A really fun read! Well paced and such an interesting universe, which makes me wish I’d tackled the other two books in the series first. I did find there were a few too many characters to care about and it got a bit convoluted, but the amazing world building and plot made up for that! First and definitely not final VanderMeer :)
Book 11/60 of 2023
A really fun read! Well paced and such an interesting universe, which makes me wish I’d tackled the other two books in the series first. I did find there were a few too many characters to care about and it got a bit convoluted, but the amazing world building and plot made up for that! First and definitely not final VanderMeer :)
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes