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A review by gabalodon
The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
3.0
This was clearly a well-researched passion project blending ~literary~ and fantasy and it shows in both good and bad ways. For me I consider it a 2-star book sprinkled with 4-star moments, and I rounded up for the ravens and very excellent crocodile. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're looking for something to sink your teeth into and enjoy a read that's vague and weird and melancholy and a ~commentary on the human experience~ this may be the one for you.
The setting and physical descriptions were meticulous but excessive while plot points and dialog were underexplained and depended on the reader's intuition and institutional knowledge (e.g. about fae lore, Norse mythology, history, and Arthurian legend) to fill in the gaps. The writing style in general was murky and oblique and I'm still not sure what happened or why at several moments in the story. The characters themselves were especially difficult to understand or like or even sympathize with (and it didn't help that they didn't really understand or seem to like or sympathize with each other) which made their actions and reactions truly inscrutable and resulted in almost no emotional tension.
That all being said, the structure, worldbuilding, and plot beats were fascinating, especially in the back half of the book. On paper (lol) the characters are an intriguing collection of backgrounds and motivations (when you can get any handle on motivation at all). And there were some chapters that were enjoyable to read and made the book hard to put down, right up until the plot got distracted or a character made another confusing logic or emotional leap that I couldn't follow.
The setting and physical descriptions were meticulous but excessive while plot points and dialog were underexplained and depended on the reader's intuition and institutional knowledge (e.g. about fae lore, Norse mythology, history, and Arthurian legend) to fill in the gaps. The writing style in general was murky and oblique and I'm still not sure what happened or why at several moments in the story. The characters themselves were especially difficult to understand or like or even sympathize with (and it didn't help that they didn't really understand or seem to like or sympathize with each other) which made their actions and reactions truly inscrutable and resulted in almost no emotional tension.
That all being said, the structure, worldbuilding, and plot beats were fascinating, especially in the back half of the book. On paper (lol) the characters are an intriguing collection of backgrounds and motivations (when you can get any handle on motivation at all). And there were some chapters that were enjoyable to read and made the book hard to put down, right up until the plot got distracted or a character made another confusing logic or emotional leap that I couldn't follow.