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josephplz's Reviews (34)
dark
did not interest me nearly as much as the film, sorry to say but daniel craig’s portrayal of lee far excels beyond anything i can conjure up in my head. and i guess drew starkey is there.
anyway, i would recommend reading only if you’ve read Naked Lunch and Junkie first (i haven’t read either).
listened while crocheting heart-shaped coasters <3
anyway, i would recommend reading only if you’ve read Naked Lunch and Junkie first (i haven’t read either).
listened while crocheting heart-shaped coasters <3
dark
reflective
tense
i listened to a fully-cast version that employed dialogues drawn from the text. so not true to the written page, but the voice actors did a very good job of creating an engaging listen that didn’t cut out any exposition but rather reinterpreted it for a listening audience. boxer’s actor in particular sounded like ralph ineson! which was very pleasing mhm mhm.
i have already discussed this with oomf, but georgie was certainly prototyping his ideas for 1984 in this novella. except instead of going for straight up dystopian speculative fiction, it’s cute little farm animals all playing together in the field with absolutely no allegorical connections to the russian revolution and stalinist communism in the soviet union whatsoever! :3
listened while crocheting a tie :D
i have already discussed this with oomf, but georgie was certainly prototyping his ideas for 1984 in this novella. except instead of going for straight up dystopian speculative fiction, it’s cute little farm animals all playing together in the field with absolutely no allegorical connections to the russian revolution and stalinist communism in the soviet union whatsoever! :3
listened while crocheting a tie :D
funny
reflective
a very brief yet amusing exploration of what it means to “fit in” with society; the personal relationship we have to our work; how that work brings about meaning (or lack thereof) for ourselves and to others in the capitalist machine system; and some good ole incel-ism!
the protagonist’s strong, if not all-consuming, connection to her identity as a convenience store employee spurs me to think about how much of my own identity is tied to my job, at least at this point in my life. there’s a hazy blur over the line of this being a good or bad thing, or if this is something even worth moralizing over given the seeming inevitability of socially- and state-sanctioned capitalistic entrapment. fantastic!
listened while crocheting a tie :3
the protagonist’s strong, if not all-consuming, connection to her identity as a convenience store employee spurs me to think about how much of my own identity is tied to my job, at least at this point in my life. there’s a hazy blur over the line of this being a good or bad thing, or if this is something even worth moralizing over given the seeming inevitability of socially- and state-sanctioned capitalistic entrapment. fantastic!
listened while crocheting a tie :3
dark
mysterious
two queens stand before me, and they’re weird af! idk if this is a flex or not, but i saw the act ii twist from a mile away like she is nottt slick with it. i was expecting some paranormal stuff to happen, but i’m glad that was not the case. the tension and unease building up to the confrontation is great to follow, but i was let down by the aftermath.
the rot that accumulates from never getting over the past, the intentional isolation from patriarchal society, the mythologizing of suffering to assuage guilt, etc.
listened on the treadmill and on the drive to jax
the rot that accumulates from never getting over the past, the intentional isolation from patriarchal society, the mythologizing of suffering to assuage guilt, etc.
listened on the treadmill and on the drive to jax
adventurous
best entry in the series by far! mostly because there’s more sex in this one than the rest of the books combined…
i am honestly impressed by the author’s ability to make me flip flop between loving and hating nesta from chapter to chapter. like no disrespect to Women (#feminist#girlboss#yassqueen), and i get she’s Very Traumatized, but damn nesta is a bitch! which is entertaining when she’s talking to other characters but really annoying when she’s deprecating herself in her inner monologue. like maybe i just haven’t been traumatized enough to get it but i simply cannot relate to hating yourself that much and it’s kinda grating even if it’s to build a nuanced character. but then to see her (very slow, drawn out) transformation over the course of the story is pretty gratifying, and it makes you feel proud and happy for her. i felt that way, at least.
despite the author’s strong ability to craft a nuanced, multi-faceted portrait of nesta (and cassian too, i guess. but who cares about him amirite) and to write laughably serious sex scenes, the story suffers throughout from pacing. i am all for long books in the age of short-form content brainrot, but this did not need to be a 751-page book! i appreciate the time spent developing characters and their relationships (see above), but then random, essentially episodic, bits of action meant to advance the overarching plot were peppered in that felt very forced. normally, i might be welcoming of this, but these types of action-packed, adventurous, and/or court-drama-esque scenes are actually where the author is weakest at writing by far. like the last 100 pages… don’t even get me started. either the author spent so long writing the first 651 pages that she was just ready to wrap everything up in a messy bow and dust off her hands, or she spent so long writing the first 651 pages that her publisher was lighting a fire underneath her to get the book out. probably both!
i obviously missed a lot for such a large book, but idc i write these as soon as i’m done reading lmao. all in all, i did enjoy this one, and i am looking forward to the next entry! whether this is felt in earnest or in irony, i truly do not know. i will allow acotar to be the one romantasy series that i indulge in because it’s fun to discuss with jenna and i know she’ll have a copy i can borrow, trusttt
i am honestly impressed by the author’s ability to make me flip flop between loving and hating nesta from chapter to chapter. like no disrespect to Women (#feminist#girlboss#yassqueen), and i get she’s Very Traumatized, but damn nesta is a bitch! which is entertaining when she’s talking to other characters but really annoying when she’s deprecating herself in her inner monologue. like maybe i just haven’t been traumatized enough to get it but i simply cannot relate to hating yourself that much and it’s kinda grating even if it’s to build a nuanced character. but then to see her (very slow, drawn out) transformation over the course of the story is pretty gratifying, and it makes you feel proud and happy for her. i felt that way, at least.
despite the author’s strong ability to craft a nuanced, multi-faceted portrait of nesta (and cassian too, i guess. but who cares about him amirite) and to write laughably serious sex scenes, the story suffers throughout from pacing. i am all for long books in the age of short-form content brainrot, but this did not need to be a 751-page book! i appreciate the time spent developing characters and their relationships (see above), but then random, essentially episodic, bits of action meant to advance the overarching plot were peppered in that felt very forced. normally, i might be welcoming of this, but these types of action-packed, adventurous, and/or court-drama-esque scenes are actually where the author is weakest at writing by far. like the last 100 pages… don’t even get me started. either the author spent so long writing the first 651 pages that she was just ready to wrap everything up in a messy bow and dust off her hands, or she spent so long writing the first 651 pages that her publisher was lighting a fire underneath her to get the book out. probably both!
i obviously missed a lot for such a large book, but idc i write these as soon as i’m done reading lmao. all in all, i did enjoy this one, and i am looking forward to the next entry! whether this is felt in earnest or in irony, i truly do not know. i will allow acotar to be the one romantasy series that i indulge in because it’s fun to discuss with jenna and i know she’ll have a copy i can borrow, trusttt
dark
sad
tense
oh, did you say something, meat-eater? i can’t hear you all that well from up here on my vegan moral high ground… jkjk (but only a little bit)
would not recommend reading this one during lunch, as the premise of a state-sanctioned cannibalism industrial complex that is integral to the global economy and human society is thoroughly explored in words and vignettes that are, somehow, simultaneously painfully sparse and painfully detailed.
i am kinda glad that all the dystopian world-building is necessarily limited by the story being told through Marcos’s singular perspective; otherwise, i’m sure the reader would’ve gotten many more chapters on all the explicit and juicy details of what it’s like to be a “head” being “processed” into “product” for sale as “special meat” at your local butcher’s.
don’t be mistaken, it’s fuck Marcos all my homies hate Marcos, but i was very interested in having a protagonist who is tragic, grieving, jaded, but not to be entirely (or at all) sympathetic toward. and maybe not even tragic at that! i mean i guess he got what he wanted in the end, and so we are left to wonder what he may have lost to get it.
side note, i really take issue with the way literally every woman is characterized/treated in this novel. i think there’s an obvious convo to be had about how Marcos specifically treats women, but really i can see it all leading back to the primary critique of the insatiable appetite of the capitalist machine, now that i think about it. or maybe the author just doesn’t like to write a decent woman character, but i digress.
capitalism will devour us all, but not before we start devouring each other first! xoxo
would not recommend reading this one during lunch, as the premise of a state-sanctioned cannibalism industrial complex that is integral to the global economy and human society is thoroughly explored in words and vignettes that are, somehow, simultaneously painfully sparse and painfully detailed.
i am kinda glad that all the dystopian world-building is necessarily limited by the story being told through Marcos’s singular perspective; otherwise, i’m sure the reader would’ve gotten many more chapters on all the explicit and juicy details of what it’s like to be a “head” being “processed” into “product” for sale as “special meat” at your local butcher’s.
don’t be mistaken, it’s fuck Marcos all my homies hate Marcos, but i was very interested in having a protagonist who is tragic, grieving, jaded, but not to be entirely (or at all) sympathetic toward. and maybe not even tragic at that! i mean i guess he got what he wanted in the end, and so we are left to wonder what he may have lost to get it.
side note, i really take issue with the way literally every woman is characterized/treated in this novel. i think there’s an obvious convo to be had about how Marcos specifically treats women, but really i can see it all leading back to the primary critique of the insatiable appetite of the capitalist machine, now that i think about it. or maybe the author just doesn’t like to write a decent woman character, but i digress.
capitalism will devour us all, but not before we start devouring each other first! xoxo
challenging
hopeful
reflective
reread this one (or listened to it for the first time, again) while crocheting tf outttt like i made one and a half lunch totes and still thoroughly enjoyed this story!
anyway, if there’s one, two, three things UKLG is gonna do in a novel, it’s 1) explore the concept of utopia as both an unobtainable farce and as a goal worth striving for; 2) link the cyclical nature of the universe to the human condition of voyage and return (and, especially in this story, dream and waking)(my Taoist queen); and 3) conjure up some dope ass words to express the effect that language and linguistics have on how we think about and perceive reality.
and that’s not even mentioning the cute turtle-aliens! maybe not her most renowned work, but the lathe of heaven certainly holds a special place in my heart.
anyway, if there’s one, two, three things UKLG is gonna do in a novel, it’s 1) explore the concept of utopia as both an unobtainable farce and as a goal worth striving for; 2) link the cyclical nature of the universe to the human condition of voyage and return (and, especially in this story, dream and waking)(my Taoist queen); and 3) conjure up some dope ass words to express the effect that language and linguistics have on how we think about and perceive reality.
and that’s not even mentioning the cute turtle-aliens! maybe not her most renowned work, but the lathe of heaven certainly holds a special place in my heart.
challenging
hopeful
reflective
from:
“We know that there is no help for us but from one another, that no hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand. And the hand that you reach out is empty, as mine is. You have nothing. You possess nothing. You own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are, and what you give.”
to:
“His hands were empty, as they had always been.”
is absolutely insane, UKLG has fuckin BARS man
… anyway! a deeply profound, deeply moving novel about eternally timely ideas and themes that i occasionally have existential crises over, which i would rather take my time to contemplate and reflect on and internalize offline than discuss here (sorry). forever grateful to oomf for putting me onto UKLG and the world(s) she has opened up for me, you’re the best! xx
dark
tense