booksthatburn's reviews
1463 reviews

Alfie was in his mid-twenties before realizing he's gay, which is more than a little awkward when one night, back in his hometown for a brief stay, he unknowingly hooks up with the guy he used to bully when they were kids. Fen, who used to use his middle name at school and thinks at first that the flirting now is a trick, sleeps with Alfie, knowing full well who he is, at least a little bit because there's a very satisfying power fantasy in having the bully on his knees this time around. I wasn't sure how the bully/bullied dynamic would work out, but what results is a thoughtful and romantic story of taking the time to try and be better, and examining the dynamics which made things so awful in the first place. It takes them a while to figure things out, and that weird and winding process is funny and well-written. There's an understanding that someone taking the effort to bully the same person on a daily or weekly basis for years must have some kind of fascination with them, and Alfie begins to untangle the ways that his internalized homophobia and fear of being singled out meant that he took it out on Fen, who never stood a chance of hiding his queerness, even if he'd wanted to.

Four books in, I'm able to notice the connections to the other Spires titles and it's starting to feel more like a series than a smattering of individual stories. The story is very self-contained, like the others so far, but with at least one notable reference to GLITTERLAND's main character. They're not talking to each other, precisely, but the connections are accumulating. While technically someone could start here and this particular story would make sense on its own, I recommend reading them in order, generally. If nothing else, the delicate web of references can build when read in publishing order (which isn't quite chronological in-universe).

I was nervous as the ending approached, but I managed to not be too stressed as the question of "can this even work" loomed large and I wasn't sure how things would play out. The story wraps up in a manner which rings true for Alfie and Fen, and I hope they appear elsewhere as the Spires series continues.

Content Warnings

Toward Eternity by Anton Hur

Go to review page

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.

TOWARD ETERNITY is a contemplative story told as a series of writings by various entities affected by the development of nanites to form bodies. What starts out as a way to try and extend the lives of people with terminal illnesses (cancer, specifically) turns into the catalyst for a war that alters what living looks like for everyone. The style is very introspective, with each new narrator telling their own very personal ideas about their lives and what’s happening. The story is created communally, as a legacy through time, something more than a journal and something called barely less than a relic. Holy in its importance, a living document which traces people and events through time.

It chooses the more personal and calmer portions of what ultimately encompasses hundreds of years of upheaval and violence, as the nanites do not stay confined to just one or two altered persons under tight observation.

This is strange for me to read because, in many ways, it highlights an assumption of interiority (that I don’t experience) as something which is necessary for consciousness. There's also, in some sections and in the treatment of the journal as a whole, an implication that legacy and progeny (literal or metaphorical) are not just important to these particular characters, but generally. This meant that the more I read, the more it was clear to me that it's a well-crafted story about something I don't relate to at all. This dissonance was especially distracting near the midpoint, but I liked the end of the book as things made more sense to me again.

Ultimately, this was fine, though not to my taste. I don't recommend it, not because of any specific flaw, but because while I specifically enjoy stories which engage with the nature of personhood, identity, and the questions which arise from understanding consciousness as separate from embodiment, TOWARD ETERNITY seems to gesture at the idea that there could be questions and then assert that love and poetry will hold things together. It's frustrating because while it engages with ideas I care about, it does it in a manner which was ultimately alienating to me. It briefly toys with the question of whether a copy of a person in a new iteration will be a different person from the original, before asserting that the answer is "no" with little ceremony and minimal deliberation. While I do agree, it seems to miss the opportunities to explore this which I would be interested in, while doggedly pursuing an idea of legacy which is disparate and abstracted.

I don't know to whom I might recommend it, is the thing. It seemed like it would be up my alley and then I struggled to finish it at all.

Content Warnings

More...

booksthatburn's reviews 1463 reviews

booksthatburn's reviews
1463 reviews