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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
The thing about Daryl Gregory is always that he can *write*. Like, a lot of times he writes stuff I don’t especially want to read, but even so, it’s always well written. And when he does write stuff I want to read, generally I have a great time. And I had a — mostly great time with this? But there were issues.
First, though, what I liked. It’s well-written, obviously. It’s a very fast and compelling read. One of the things I love is when authors take improbable concepts — people with secret powers! Cthulhu living under a small town in Maine! — and really run with them, make them *real*, consider how things would really turn out. Gregory is great at that. I enjoyed reading about all the ways psychic powers make your life harder and more complicated. The plot had nice twists and turns. And, honestly, I enjoyed some of these characters a lot.
So, the not-great parts. Well, there’s a lot of public embarrassment in this, and I hate that. Also, there’s alsoa trans woman in here, as basically the sole queer rep, and she’s a sex worker. That felt a little stereotyping. But then, she has a fairly good outcome, even if it’s only in the final pages of the story. But, I don’t know. I still wasn’t comfortable with it.
Overall, I did enjoy this, though I’m not entirely sure who I’d recommend this to.
First, though, what I liked. It’s well-written, obviously. It’s a very fast and compelling read. One of the things I love is when authors take improbable concepts — people with secret powers! Cthulhu living under a small town in Maine! — and really run with them, make them *real*, consider how things would really turn out. Gregory is great at that. I enjoyed reading about all the ways psychic powers make your life harder and more complicated. The plot had nice twists and turns. And, honestly, I enjoyed some of these characters a lot.
So, the not-great parts. Well, there’s a lot of public embarrassment in this, and I hate that. Also, there’s also
Overall, I did enjoy this, though I’m not entirely sure who I’d recommend this to.
This was such an engaging, fun, and refreshing read about a gifted family.
Do you like the quirky, talented, dysfunctional Glass, Tenenbaum, and Bluth families but wish there were more psychic hijinks? Then this is the book for you.
I think this is the fifth of Daryl Gregory's books I've read. I absolutely adored Pandemonium and Raising Stony Mayhall. Both took interesting ideas and kept pushing them one step further, exploring ramifications far beyond where I would have expected the story to go. I quite enjoyed Unpossible, although I wanted a full-length book treatment of the short stories. Then came Afterparty, which sounded like it was going to do just that, taking the core idea of one of the short stories and pushing it to book length.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Weird book, wasn't what I expected. The basics are strong and I liked the general idea, but the direction the author took wasn't my favorite. Story is told in different perspectives each chapter from another family member. The character development was strong, but the storyline was weak and a bit odd. Still an entertaining read, but not one I'd recommend to many.
Loved this! I almost feel like this was like a mature version of The Incredibles, but at the same time not really because it's about psychic powers and more focused on suburban life (and MOB life)
I haven't read a book this hilarious in quite awhile, so this was very refreshing and fun.
Spoonbenders follows a family with various psychic powers and how they try to blend into the world in the 1990's, plus how they use their powers for good. It's fun, it's light, and it also has characters experiencing very real and complex emotions. It's a great read.
My favorite part was honestly the characters. In some ways, they are stereotypes. But the story is written from everyone's points of view - so everyone gets a turn to talk about their desires and motivations and part in the story. So you quickly get past the stereotypes and start understanding the deeper motivations and feelings of the characters.
You also get pretty deep into their family dramas and traumas and how these experiences affect the family's ability to get along and see eye to eye. It's a well-developed family drama that also happens to have a bunch of psychic powers thrown in.
Highly recommended for lovers of goofy fantasy or sci-fi.
Spoonbenders follows a family with various psychic powers and how they try to blend into the world in the 1990's, plus how they use their powers for good. It's fun, it's light, and it also has characters experiencing very real and complex emotions. It's a great read.
My favorite part was honestly the characters. In some ways, they are stereotypes. But the story is written from everyone's points of view - so everyone gets a turn to talk about their desires and motivations and part in the story. So you quickly get past the stereotypes and start understanding the deeper motivations and feelings of the characters.
You also get pretty deep into their family dramas and traumas and how these experiences affect the family's ability to get along and see eye to eye. It's a well-developed family drama that also happens to have a bunch of psychic powers thrown in.
Highly recommended for lovers of goofy fantasy or sci-fi.