A review by dylanberman
The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Carters prose conjures crystal clear imagery in the absurd, terrible, fairytale world of this post modern gullivers travels. An impactful and tragic story of a man stumbling into and ultimately being burned by a variety of different groups and their meta narratives about life. A sadistic, demonic count, a traveling circus, a boat dwelling native tribe, zealous centaurs, a BDSM whorehouse, and an African despot, the story follows desiderio as he joins, understands, appreciates, and ultimately rejects and is hurt by  the contradictory ‘absolute truths’ presented to him by the groups he falls in and out with. A beautifully disturbing story about the search for meeting the dangers of adherence to grand narratives.