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A review by marthmuffins
The Cipher by Kathe Koja
4.0
The Cipher - 4/5
Seeping wounds, metamorphosis, cosmic dread, and a lot of bodily fluids mixed with alcohol, what else could The Cipher have that you would possibly want from a novel? I's gross and grotty with lots of somewhat up it's own arse writing that is both simultaneously very aware and very ignorant of the fact that it is up it's own arse and that works in it's favour really well, with lots of long run-on sentences discoursing on the nature of reality and the Funhole and life as we know it in the abstract sense of the word, and how we as humans interact with it and each other in an endless, repetitive cycle of rote actions again and again whilst we search for some new or interesting or weird experience to distract from the boiling emptiness within. Or something like that.
Could it have probably worked better as a novella, packed more of a punch with a shorter page count? Probably, and after a while the repetitive nature of the chapters (Nicholas arguing with someone, usually Nakota, about the Funhole/life, depressed musings, argue with Nakota again, more depressed musings, grotty shit happens, go to Funhole and have some really weird shit happen, repeat) does grow stale, even if it does somewhat reinforce The Point of the novel. However, I still really enjoyed the book, and definitely found it an interesting, engaging, and fairly horrific read. Recommend.
Seeping wounds, metamorphosis, cosmic dread, and a lot of bodily fluids mixed with alcohol, what else could The Cipher have that you would possibly want from a novel? I's gross and grotty with lots of somewhat up it's own arse writing that is both simultaneously very aware and very ignorant of the fact that it is up it's own arse and that works in it's favour really well, with lots of long run-on sentences discoursing on the nature of reality and the Funhole and life as we know it in the abstract sense of the word, and how we as humans interact with it and each other in an endless, repetitive cycle of rote actions again and again whilst we search for some new or interesting or weird experience to distract from the boiling emptiness within. Or something like that.
Could it have probably worked better as a novella, packed more of a punch with a shorter page count? Probably, and after a while the repetitive nature of the chapters (Nicholas arguing with someone, usually Nakota, about the Funhole/life, depressed musings, argue with Nakota again, more depressed musings, grotty shit happens, go to Funhole and have some really weird shit happen, repeat) does grow stale, even if it does somewhat reinforce The Point of the novel. However, I still really enjoyed the book, and definitely found it an interesting, engaging, and fairly horrific read. Recommend.