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saltypandas's Reviews (50)
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
And all things end / and all that we intend is scrawled in sand / it slips right through our hand / and just knowing / that everything will end / we should not change our plan / when we begin again
That being said, you still killed that man, Frenchman. An Algerian man. In French-occupied Algeria, Frenchman. And you really thought that it didn't matter?
Seems like Kamel Daoud has something more interesting to say about that.
That being said, you still killed that man, Frenchman. An Algerian man. In French-occupied Algeria, Frenchman. And you really thought that it didn't matter?
Seems like Kamel Daoud has something more interesting to say about that.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Technically a four-star but only because I was in the right mind to read it: isolated and irrepressibly miserable. I know how it's like to receive some form of love and feels it burn through my skin, and I can't help but turn into a hedgehog and bite the fingers that are caressing me. Some old pain turns people prickly.
It lost steam about halfway in, which was why this took longer than necessary to finish. But for every moment that feels like a fever dream, there's a moment of cathartic lucidity that comes after it. But the book doesn't offer an easy way out of the rut, the madness of it all; and I'm grateful for that.
It lost steam about halfway in, which was why this took longer than necessary to finish. But for every moment that feels like a fever dream, there's a moment of cathartic lucidity that comes after it. But the book doesn't offer an easy way out of the rut, the madness of it all; and I'm grateful for that.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
A curtain-drawing testimonial borne out of the imperial bloodshed, righteous indignation, and ultimately, sincere hope for a better future still.
I was settling for a 4.5 at first because of the lack of proper citations. It fits more as a great summation of Parenti's academic speeches. But the last paragraphs especially stoked a new fire in me, so ultimately it's an indispensable foundational material.
I was settling for a 4.5 at first because of the lack of proper citations. It fits more as a great summation of Parenti's academic speeches. But the last paragraphs especially stoked a new fire in me, so ultimately it's an indispensable foundational material.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
If a collage of pictures taken from a village or a small town can tell tales, then this book is it. Simple, funny, incisive at times, surprising yet cohesive. A good light read in these dark times.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
tense
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This is the first of Le Guin's works that I've ever read. I'd known before that she's a god with pen and paper, Earthsea series draw universal praise, The Left Hand of Darkness is a timeless classic, her politics align with me quite nicely, etc. However Omelas caught me off guard in every aspect: brevity, delivery, poignancy, and beauty. Le Guin didn't need convoluted inspiration or premise as a starting point, simple observations turned into a profound philosophical exploration. No other writer invigorates me like Le Guin did in under 50 pages. I'm absolutely looking forward to delve more into her other longer works and savor them as much as possible.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
At 71%, I'd uncharitably made up my mind and summed the book up as "what if a Dan Brown book feels a lot more factual but far less entertaining." Now that I have actually finished reading it, I don't think that that characterization is entirely accurate. The suspense to the big revelations in the book was well-presented and paced, I wasn't being made aware that I'd reached certain turning points or plot beats. Too bad that by the end of it all, I was left cold and uninterested.
Ken Liu shouldered an immense responsibility of not only translating the Chinese language, but also the cultural context, intentional or not, of the text. That being said, my problem is not necessarily with the translation. There were moments where I felt like "this would be way more evocative if the author decided to 'show' it instead of merely 'tell' it."
The humanity-Trisolaran affair itself is intriguing. The author's assumption about first contact was the major selling point that got me to read 3BP. A certain twist regarding the development of this humanity's tech tree sank me deep in the sea of momentary existentialism. However, as of now, I need a lot more convincing than just proton-based supercomputer and misanthropic elites of science to know that the final fate of this version of humanity is worth learning about.
Ken Liu shouldered an immense responsibility of not only translating the Chinese language, but also the cultural context, intentional or not, of the text. That being said, my problem is not necessarily with the translation. There were moments where I felt like "this would be way more evocative if the author decided to 'show' it instead of merely 'tell' it."
The humanity-Trisolaran affair itself is intriguing. The author's assumption about first contact was the major selling point that got me to read 3BP. A certain twist regarding the development of this humanity's tech tree sank me deep in the sea of momentary existentialism. However, as of now, I need a lot more convincing than just proton-based supercomputer and misanthropic elites of science to know that the final fate of this version of humanity is worth learning about.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes