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A review by asterope
Famous Men Who Never Lived by K. Chess
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
The idea of refugees from a parallel timeline suddenly arriving in our world is fascinating, along with being able to pinpoint when the timelines split. This book is more literary than scifi though - an exploration of the refugee experience through this concept.
This reminded me of Station Eleven and the other related ESJM books. It also has in-universe literature as the focal point, with snippets appearing throughout. I liked what we got of these, but I couldn't quite make the link with the main story. Most of it went over my head.
Another similarity is the writing - it's just as smooth and intimate. I found it easy to grasp what's going on with the characters early on. The main character Hel is not particularly likeable, but you can empathise with why she's like that. I still enjoyed reading her story. It was like a slow-moving car crash you can't look away from.
I liked this book, but I can't imagine it'll stick with me. It was missing a stronger thread that stitches all the vibes together. Things just kind of...happened. And then the ending turned out more dramatic than expected. I thought the book was just going to peter out, but there's a strange plot development right at the end that doesn't quite work. It seemed like it was tacked on at the last minute. I'll keep an eye out for more of the author's work though because I really enjoyed their style.
This reminded me of Station Eleven and the other related ESJM books. It also has in-universe literature as the focal point, with snippets appearing throughout. I liked what we got of these, but I couldn't quite make the link with the main story. Most of it went over my head.
Another similarity is the writing - it's just as smooth and intimate. I found it easy to grasp what's going on with the characters early on. The main character Hel is not particularly likeable, but you can empathise with why she's like that. I still enjoyed reading her story. It was like a slow-moving car crash you can't look away from.
I liked this book, but I can't imagine it'll stick with me. It was missing a stronger thread that stitches all the vibes together. Things just kind of...happened. And then the ending turned out more dramatic than expected. I thought the book was just going to peter out, but there's a strange plot development right at the end that doesn't quite work. It seemed like it was tacked on at the last minute. I'll keep an eye out for more of the author's work though because I really enjoyed their style.