A review by manuphoto
The Big Time by Fritz Leiber

funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This is not my kind of book.

I think this ought to be played on stage rather than read on paper. It does read like a play, a surrealist one at that. It reminded me of reading André Breton’s works when I was younger. Everything is second or third degree, every sentence is poetic, but the global sense of it all is sometimes hard to grasp.

It certainly is very different from most science-fiction I’ve read, which is a plus. However it is also confusing and sometimes sluggish, with big digressions. But the book is very short so it remains relatively palatable. It does feel more like a literary exercise than an actual story, so it’s very hard to rate properly. I’m glad I’ve read it, but I know I won’t take it if the shelf again and I can’t, in good faith, recommend it.