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aether's Reviews (111)
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a kaleidoscope of imagery, histories, and feelings. It feels like A Clockwork Orange in that you can read whole pages and only get a glancing sense of what's happening in the book. But VanderMeer's writing is captivating even if at times indecipherable. The dying world(s) that he describes in this books are still vibrant, if only made so by the characters he expounds upon
The book starts off with 3 warriors who are trying to siege The Company, across infinite timelines. Those timelines then bleed into the story of a giant fish, one of an unhoused woman living by a factory, and another of an artificial bird that struggles to find purpose against the death it has to inflict on others. Nothing in this book is stagnant, everything is fluid. But throughout it there is still a nugget of hope.
The book starts off with 3 warriors who are trying to siege The Company, across infinite timelines. Those timelines then bleed into the story of a giant fish, one of an unhoused woman living by a factory, and another of an artificial bird that struggles to find purpose against the death it has to inflict on others. Nothing in this book is stagnant, everything is fluid. But throughout it there is still a nugget of hope.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
What a fascinating delve into some of the previously unshared history behind Charles Manson. I wish this story came to a clear conclusion, but alas most mysteries that involve the CIA, the FBI, the police, and psychedelic drug researchers hardly have a clear outcome. O'Neill's story is compelling, well written, and each chapter escalates in credible absurdity the events surrounding the infamous murders.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I don't think I have ever cried more while reading a book. These letters are so heartfelt, the perspectives so diverse, I cannot recommend it enough for my trans femme sisters out there!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism, Transphobia
challenging
informative
slow-paced
This book is slow, mostly thorough, and interesting. It certainly gives a good history of the events before the trial, an in-depth discussion of the trial, and a small summary afterwards. This book is certainly NOT an outsider's perspective though, as the main prosecutor himself wrote it. It was an interesting read and I'm glad to finally put this book on my "read" shelf.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The proto-cyberpunk best-seller is quite a ride. Gibson discusses what it would mean for corporations to rule society, and what "freedom" for an artificial intelligence might look like. The scenes he describes in the matrix are intriguing, surreal, and unlike any programming I've ever done.
This book was quite a roller coaster. But I'm sure that was the point; full circle, ALMOST like A Clockwork Orange. It's a brilliant and rather short read, I knocked it out in about 4 days. What's really funny is about 3/4ths of he way through the book I began envisioning Charlie as the eleventh Doctor from Doctor Who. This is likely just a side effect of me watching so much of that recently, but I found the comparison to be proper nonetheless. Throughout the entire book I was wondering about the title, and I'm glad Keyes was able to answer my questions about it. A true classic!
Hamilton is a wonderful storyteller. The trouble is there's so much going on in this universe that he's built that it is a little difficult to keep track of it all. I read this book less than four years ago and already I had mostly forgotten the idiosyncrasies of the plot. This was nice because it gave me a nice chance to start fresh, but I would not be able to pick up on the more subtle details of the plot (as would be the case for viewing a film the second time). Another turn of for most people is again the thickness of the Commonwealth (see: Four Lines, All Waiting). One thing Hamilton does that I love is he describes the technological or scientific occurrences in detail. The Dark Fortress is the perfect example of this: describing everything. The dealings with the SI are also fascinating. This book is long, and it's an investment! It literally sets up everything for the second novel, Judas Unchained. I'd say it's a good read, just takes a while to chug through it all.
