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aoc's review against another edition
3.0
All Flesh Is Grass might not be the most popular "city in a dome" story out there, and it has somewhat scattershot approach to themes it wants to touch upon, perhaps due to its publication date, but I still rather liked how it works as sum of all parts. Uneven as it was and all.
Going by the blurb it all takes place in Milville where nothing of importance ever really happens. For the returning Brad Carter it's a place filled with memories. He didn't have his father's green thumb so the florist shop is bound to go out of business with even his phone being taken away as he has no means to pay for it. As he decides to go meet with a friend for drinks before leaving the place forever something surreal happens - an invisible dome surrounds this quaint little town. Nothing living can seemingly pass through and all hell breaks loose among the confused populace as their survival is now threatened. Wondering how and why this came to be Brad acquires him a weird telephone device, one without a landline, and receives instructive calls from a mysterious intelligence on how he should become their representative. Why? Well, because his old man once found and grew some purple flowers than no one had ever seen before...
Before the reveal of who is behind the dome takes center stage and Brad gets unwittingly dragged along I rather enjoyed how much vital space gets allocated to portraying the kind of upset this would cause in a small town. Think about it. It's the pre-internet days and no believes whatever nonsense the local drunk is spouting. Not to mention the barrier didn't perfectly cut off Milville, as demonstrated when a mother cannot get to her children because they're on the other end of the house. You also have to keep general medical situation in mind as they have one aging doctor, limited food supplies, and plain inability to go to work. This naturally boils over time as people's nerves get tested. Add to that the suspense of this telephone intelligence that has apparently been influencing many, MANY people prior to this partitioning and could potentially do more. There's also a child that's been missing for decades making a mysterious visitation to Brad on behalf of his "employers". I won't spoil anything, but let's just say stakes escalate towards the end as full extent of what this enigmatic caller can pull off globally is revealed. Concerns regarding ecology, morality and nuclear warfare abound.
As far as characters go there's Brad himself as the protagonist and he kinda falls into the "very capable man" kind of role, but one tempered by failure and inability to get out of it. He is quick when it comes to figuring things out and making common sense assumptions, but I couldn't tell you much beyond that about him as a person. Some humanizing features like an old childhood bully coming back into the picture and Brad finding the resolve to deal with him, and Nancy as would-be romantic interest do add some nuance. Other characters are very much there to serve a purpose or be obstacles, former aligned with the wireless voice and latter being frustrated townspeople or government doing what government does best.
What did I think about All Flesh Is Grass in the end? It's a solid story, albeit I would've personally went for a more tangible ending. Conclusion hinges on a pretty big assumption coming from the unlikeliest of sources, and Brad just goes along with it out of sheer desperation. Reader sadly never gets to see it through.
Going by the blurb it all takes place in Milville where nothing of importance ever really happens. For the returning Brad Carter it's a place filled with memories. He didn't have his father's green thumb so the florist shop is bound to go out of business with even his phone being taken away as he has no means to pay for it. As he decides to go meet with a friend for drinks before leaving the place forever something surreal happens - an invisible dome surrounds this quaint little town. Nothing living can seemingly pass through and all hell breaks loose among the confused populace as their survival is now threatened. Wondering how and why this came to be Brad acquires him a weird telephone device, one without a landline, and receives instructive calls from a mysterious intelligence on how he should become their representative. Why? Well, because his old man once found and grew some purple flowers than no one had ever seen before...
Before the reveal of who is behind the dome takes center stage and Brad gets unwittingly dragged along I rather enjoyed how much vital space gets allocated to portraying the kind of upset this would cause in a small town. Think about it. It's the pre-internet days and no believes whatever nonsense the local drunk is spouting. Not to mention the barrier didn't perfectly cut off Milville, as demonstrated when a mother cannot get to her children because they're on the other end of the house. You also have to keep general medical situation in mind as they have one aging doctor, limited food supplies, and plain inability to go to work. This naturally boils over time as people's nerves get tested. Add to that the suspense of this telephone intelligence that has apparently been influencing many, MANY people prior to this partitioning and could potentially do more. There's also a child that's been missing for decades making a mysterious visitation to Brad on behalf of his "employers". I won't spoil anything, but let's just say stakes escalate towards the end as full extent of what this enigmatic caller can pull off globally is revealed. Concerns regarding ecology, morality and nuclear warfare abound.
As far as characters go there's Brad himself as the protagonist and he kinda falls into the "very capable man" kind of role, but one tempered by failure and inability to get out of it. He is quick when it comes to figuring things out and making common sense assumptions, but I couldn't tell you much beyond that about him as a person. Some humanizing features like an old childhood bully coming back into the picture and Brad finding the resolve to deal with him, and Nancy as would-be romantic interest do add some nuance. Other characters are very much there to serve a purpose or be obstacles, former aligned with the wireless voice and latter being frustrated townspeople or government doing what government does best.
What did I think about All Flesh Is Grass in the end? It's a solid story, albeit I would've personally went for a more tangible ending. Conclusion hinges on a pretty big assumption coming from the unlikeliest of sources, and Brad just goes along with it out of sheer desperation. Reader sadly never gets to see it through.
ladyjedi's review against another edition
5.0
Classic
I can see why this book was nominated for a Nebula Award. This is a strong story that defies time.
I can see why this book was nominated for a Nebula Award. This is a strong story that defies time.
neg_g's review against another edition
2.0
Frustrating.
It's either me failing to understand this book or that All Flesh is Grass is an example of fully prioritizing the ideas over storytelling.
It's either me failing to understand this book or that All Flesh is Grass is an example of fully prioritizing the ideas over storytelling.
drakaina16's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
bigenk's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
My second Simak after reading City. Gotta say that I'm a bit disappointment by this one.
The best thing I can say about it is that Simak has moments of really elegant and and eloquent prose. I would be reading along and suddenly be taken aback by a really strong few paragraphs that pulled me in and left me thinking. It was really enjoyable to see some of that level of writing that I saw in City again. All Flesh Is Grass has a melancholic and austere tone that pairs well with its condemnation of humanity. Simak makes it clear that he thinks that humanity is not ready for first contact with another intelligence species. The ideas/technology and aliens themselves are also interesting.
My main point of criticism is that it's just so damn boring. There are very few moments of actual excitement or intrigue. Most of the time the reader has to endure the characters hand wringing over the events of the plot, or giving massive text block exposition on background information, other characters, or the way that the world works. This is all exacerbated by the mostly dead simple writing style, and the painfully slow plotline. I don't think it's nessasarily bad, but I just can't get all that excited about anything this book does or has to say because of the drudgery it entails.
Oh, yeah, I should mention the ending too I suppose. F-tier ending. Not only did it resolve so quickly that I nearly had whiplash, but the ending itself was schmaltzy to the point that I laughed. Ah yes, love and ability to perceive beauty, that's what sets us humans apart. If we could only all learn that, and harness its power, we could do anything. Ugh.
This hasn't put me off from reading more of Simak, mostly because of how strong City was, but dang. What a bummer.
The best thing I can say about it is that Simak has moments of really elegant and and eloquent prose. I would be reading along and suddenly be taken aback by a really strong few paragraphs that pulled me in and left me thinking. It was really enjoyable to see some of that level of writing that I saw in City again. All Flesh Is Grass has a melancholic and austere tone that pairs well with its condemnation of humanity. Simak makes it clear that he thinks that humanity is not ready for first contact with another intelligence species. The ideas/technology and aliens themselves are also interesting.
My main point of criticism is that it's just so damn boring. There are very few moments of actual excitement or intrigue. Most of the time the reader has to endure the characters hand wringing over the events of the plot, or giving massive text block exposition on background information, other characters, or the way that the world works. This is all exacerbated by the mostly dead simple writing style, and the painfully slow plotline. I don't think it's nessasarily bad, but I just can't get all that excited about anything this book does or has to say because of the drudgery it entails.
Oh, yeah, I should mention the ending too I suppose. F-tier ending. Not only did it resolve so quickly that I nearly had whiplash, but the ending itself was schmaltzy to the point that I laughed. Ah yes, love and ability to perceive beauty, that's what sets us humans apart. If we could only all learn that, and harness its power, we could do anything. Ugh.
This hasn't put me off from reading more of Simak, mostly because of how strong City was, but dang. What a bummer.
crowfood's review against another edition
2.0
Some interesting ideas, not least of which is the similarity to Stephen King's The Dome (but written decades earlier) but tiring characters and flat dialogue failed to hook my interest.
While it shared themes with his other novel that I liked, Way Station, All Flesh is Grass just seemed to miss the mark. The writing seemed to be worse, but that may have been because of the increased amount of dialogue. Lastly, seeing things through the main character's eyes was just tiring. In his own words, what a heel.
While it shared themes with his other novel that I liked, Way Station, All Flesh is Grass just seemed to miss the mark. The writing seemed to be worse, but that may have been because of the increased amount of dialogue. Lastly, seeing things through the main character's eyes was just tiring. In his own words, what a heel.