Scan barcode
A review by samwreads
You Bright and Risen Angels by William T. Vollmann
3.0
I enjoyed this book, with some reservations. It is very long, and does fall apart a bit under its own weight as things move on. More of an issue for me, however, was the highly stylized prose which, while occasionally hilarious, did get to be cloying after I read the same tone for the same character the 100th time.
Another thing I struggled with was the extreme violence exhibited throughout the book. Not only that, but the lack of empathy displayed by pretty much every character in regard to the suffering of others. While some characters were innately evil or just blindly obedient to another person (Wayne) or ideology (Mr. White), other characters were almost universally brought to a point where they chose to abandon what I hope would be considered normal ethical behavior. By the end they all just seem to be automatons, big or small. This may go along with the "bright and risen angels" conceit, and if so it's impressively done but I do not personally care to read about lifeless characters for 600+ pages.
So while I was extremely impressed by the erudition and imagination on display, I would not say that this book has much heart. I do look forward to reading more by Vollmann as I see a lot of potential in his writing.
Another thing I struggled with was the extreme violence exhibited throughout the book. Not only that, but the lack of empathy displayed by pretty much every character in regard to the suffering of others. While some characters were innately evil or just blindly obedient to another person (Wayne) or ideology (Mr. White), other characters were almost universally brought to a point where they chose to abandon what I hope would be considered normal ethical behavior. By the end they all just seem to be automatons, big or small. This may go along with the "bright and risen angels" conceit, and if so it's impressively done but I do not personally care to read about lifeless characters for 600+ pages.
So while I was extremely impressed by the erudition and imagination on display, I would not say that this book has much heart. I do look forward to reading more by Vollmann as I see a lot of potential in his writing.