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A review by clawfoot
The Mirage by Matt Ruff
3.0
I couldn't help but think the first portion of the book was Matt Ruff showing off how clever he is. Yes, the book is very clever, and a lot of the reversals and the adjustments made to the world were extremely well-done. My favourite was "Green Desert." However, it took long enough to get to the plot that I started to wonder if there actually was one, and this wasn't just a very long "look how clever I am" exercise.
There is a plot, happily, and it's an engaging one.
There is a lot -- A LOT -- of exposition in the book, however. Several times I thought there was probably enough material covered to make a series of several novels if Ruff would stick to showing us the story, rather than just having a character (or even just the narrative) tell us what happened. There is a lot of backstory to cover, and the alternate "Library of Alexandria" entries (another piece of cleverness) are kind of required reading so you don't get lost. Familiarity with US history, politics and political names and nicknames are also a must. Keep Wikipedia handy if you aren't normally up on such things.
Overall, a good read. Not a fantastic read, mostly due to the slow start and the mountains of exposition and backstory. But a good one.
There is a plot, happily, and it's an engaging one.
There is a lot -- A LOT -- of exposition in the book, however. Several times I thought there was probably enough material covered to make a series of several novels if Ruff would stick to showing us the story, rather than just having a character (or even just the narrative) tell us what happened. There is a lot of backstory to cover, and the alternate "Library of Alexandria" entries (another piece of cleverness) are kind of required reading so you don't get lost. Familiarity with US history, politics and political names and nicknames are also a must. Keep Wikipedia handy if you aren't normally up on such things.
Overall, a good read. Not a fantastic read, mostly due to the slow start and the mountains of exposition and backstory. But a good one.