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A review by __apf__
The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach
5.0
The Carpet Makers is the story of a crumbling empire full of strange secrets. Through a series of vignettes, you get closer and closer to unwinding the central mystery. The prose is beautiful, and each vignette introduces an interesting character.
I enjoyed Eschbach's decision to write the book as a collection of connected short stories. Each individual chapter tells the story of one or two people, but together they tell the story of a world. He skillfully connects them, giving the novel the suspense and unifying story arc that most short story collections lack.
Eschbach has a delightful sense of humor. The book itself is not funny; indeed, almost all of the vignettes are tragic. However, the central conceit is one of the funniest and surprising things I have ever read, in a dark and terrible way. I've been giggling for two days. I have never read such a commitment to a joke before. I love it.
I enjoyed Eschbach's decision to write the book as a collection of connected short stories. Each individual chapter tells the story of one or two people, but together they tell the story of a world. He skillfully connects them, giving the novel the suspense and unifying story arc that most short story collections lack.
Eschbach has a delightful sense of humor. The book itself is not funny; indeed, almost all of the vignettes are tragic. However, the central conceit is one of the funniest and surprising things I have ever read, in a dark and terrible way. I've been giggling for two days. I have never read such a commitment to a joke before. I love it.