Scan barcode
A review by jsdrown
Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss
5.0
One of my favorite reads of the year. In fact, of all time. This is a book that kept me on my toes. I expected your typical world building fair. But this is not simply High Fantasy dressed as SF. No, Aldiss walks a delicate line. He teeters between lush descriptions and leaving enough detail vague to allow the reader to build this world with him. It’s interesting because the first fourth of the book felt slow going. I feel like I learned how to read the book as I went. And once things clicked into place things got satisfying. Things got breathtaking.
Hothouse features an exhaustive level of creativity. The jungles of the story are densely populated in a way that must have made the writing process difficult for Aldiss. Every step of the way some strange and new is happening. Heavy emphasis on strange. As the book continues you may find yourself constantly reevaluating. By the end my “vision” of the world and characters presented evolved to the point that it didn’t resemble my initial ideas in the slightest. It’s like you’re walking a brick road, but Aldiss is laying the bricks and painting the scenery as you walk. You must trust him that this is heading somewhere.
This is not a book for people who can’t handle strong violence. Characters are dispatched without impunity. You’ll grow attached to someone and the next second they’re gone. Disposed of in a brutal, uncaring way. But! It’s appropriate. The world Aldiss has built for us is an unsafe one. A world filled with carnivorous plants. With plot armor I think some of these ideas would have fallen apart. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t fully aware of who the main character is until maybe halfway through the novel. It could have gone on different routes.
The prose here is nice. Though it doesn’t get in the way. The ideas are strong enough that we don’t need visuals clouded by too much word play. At the same time the writing is never stiff. Nor is it too purple. Which is something that should be commended given the subject. As you’ve settled into the world and characters the prose does become playful and poetic by the last fourth. In fact, I’d describe the writing in the final act as beautiful. I finished this book with a bittersweet twist of somberness enclosed in a near overwhelming sense of awe.
I fell asleep last night considering the ending. The endless doors opened by the final paragraphs. In the current year, I’m sure it would have led to three to seven sequels. Instead, you’re left to consider the possibilities. Somehow, even in the end, Aldiss kept up the balancing act. He took you two thirds of the way there. It’s up to you to decide on the full picture. I loved this book and have zero complaints. It's going into my short pile of books I'll re-read.
Hothouse features an exhaustive level of creativity. The jungles of the story are densely populated in a way that must have made the writing process difficult for Aldiss. Every step of the way some strange and new is happening. Heavy emphasis on strange. As the book continues you may find yourself constantly reevaluating. By the end my “vision” of the world and characters presented evolved to the point that it didn’t resemble my initial ideas in the slightest. It’s like you’re walking a brick road, but Aldiss is laying the bricks and painting the scenery as you walk. You must trust him that this is heading somewhere.
This is not a book for people who can’t handle strong violence. Characters are dispatched without impunity. You’ll grow attached to someone and the next second they’re gone. Disposed of in a brutal, uncaring way. But! It’s appropriate. The world Aldiss has built for us is an unsafe one. A world filled with carnivorous plants. With plot armor I think some of these ideas would have fallen apart. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t fully aware of who the main character is until maybe halfway through the novel. It could have gone on different routes.
The prose here is nice. Though it doesn’t get in the way. The ideas are strong enough that we don’t need visuals clouded by too much word play. At the same time the writing is never stiff. Nor is it too purple. Which is something that should be commended given the subject. As you’ve settled into the world and characters the prose does become playful and poetic by the last fourth. In fact, I’d describe the writing in the final act as beautiful. I finished this book with a bittersweet twist of somberness enclosed in a near overwhelming sense of awe.
I fell asleep last night considering the ending. The endless doors opened by the final paragraphs. In the current year, I’m sure it would have led to three to seven sequels. Instead, you’re left to consider the possibilities. Somehow, even in the end, Aldiss kept up the balancing act. He took you two thirds of the way there. It’s up to you to decide on the full picture. I loved this book and have zero complaints. It's going into my short pile of books I'll re-read.