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specs's Reviews (135)
FINALLY read this after years of having it recommended to me and I feel vastly unqualified to write any kind of review of it. So here's my middle-ground review that's neither a critique nor a personal essay:
Of course this is an important novel. And of course the gender politics (and lack thereof) are fascinating. But the writing didn't move me. Was it supposed to? (maybe) Is my lack of response a product of being a 2013 reader who has read some feminist and queer theory? (probably) Did the default to male pronouns really bother me? (yes) I just don't really know what to do with this book other than acknowledge it and move on to what came after -- which is really all of feminist sci-fi.
Of course this is an important novel. And of course the gender politics (and lack thereof) are fascinating. But the writing didn't move me. Was it supposed to? (maybe) Is my lack of response a product of being a 2013 reader who has read some feminist and queer theory? (probably) Did the default to male pronouns really bother me? (yes) I just don't really know what to do with this book other than acknowledge it and move on to what came after -- which is really all of feminist sci-fi.
This was a great concept but unfortunately I didn't know enough going in about Hindu gods and Buddhism to really appreciate everything. On the one hand -- that's great because it made me conscious of some huge blind spots in my cultural/historical knowledge. On the other hand, it made this book difficult to enjoy. Early on I realized I'd never keep everyone straight and just gave up and kind of floated along with the story. Keeping things straight was made more difficult by Zelazny's tendency to not say exactly who was in a scene, but rather to describe their aspect and expect you to know. ("Oh, this person has a sword and is drinking tea. Must be Sam.")
I also -- and this is embarrassing -- didn't realize until the end that the whole damn thing was a flashback. Whatever pointers were in there to indicate that we had just jumped back in time, I completely missed them. Yep.
But I did love the concept and wish we'd gotten more world building and details about how, exactly, this world was colonized and how the technology worked. The details about the suppression of the printing press and still were some of my favorite parts.
I also -- and this is embarrassing -- didn't realize until the end that the whole damn thing was a flashback. Whatever pointers were in there to indicate that we had just jumped back in time, I completely missed them. Yep.
But I did love the concept and wish we'd gotten more world building and details about how, exactly, this world was colonized and how the technology worked. The details about the suppression of the printing press and still were some of my favorite parts.
I love this book irrationally and completely. I won't hear a word said against it. (Not true. Let's discuss.)
I really can't even start to type out a review. The last (new) book that I loved this much was Jo Walton's [b:Among Others|8706185|Among Others|Jo Walton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1317792367s/8706185.jpg|6449955], which I said was so personal and so written-for-me that I felt a little embarrassed recommending it to other people. If you read either of these books, you will know an awful lot about me and how my brain works. This one especially because my brain has a lot of Old English rattling around in it.
I really can't even start to type out a review. The last (new) book that I loved this much was Jo Walton's [b:Among Others|8706185|Among Others|Jo Walton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1317792367s/8706185.jpg|6449955], which I said was so personal and so written-for-me that I felt a little embarrassed recommending it to other people. If you read either of these books, you will know an awful lot about me and how my brain works. This one especially because my brain has a lot of Old English rattling around in it.