This book was so boring, I could have gnawed my own leg off. The very idea of having to write this review makes me want to pull my hair out in frustraThis book was so boring, I could have gnawed my own leg off. The very idea of having to write this review makes me want to pull my hair out in frustration. Now, I’ve read plenty of boring books. Boring is something I can tolerate. But monotonous, repetitive, predictable and cliché? No, thank you. Why did I go on with it? I don’t know, I’ve been wondering that myself and I’m furious that I was patient enough to finish it. I hated every single character (well maybe not Nesta, she seemed like the only real, strong character, too bad we didn’t get enough of her) and every single chapter. There wasn’t a single redeemable line in this entire book.
I should’ve known I wouldn’t like this, romance novels are not my thing after all. But I thought there would be enough fantasy here to salvage it. Nope. You take a beautiful setting full of faeries and mysterious woods and this is what you churn out? Revolting. I do not want to waste any more words on this. ...more
As I'm facing my first real winter, I find myself gravitating towards fiction that explicitly features ice, snow and severely cold climate. Spinning sAs I'm facing my first real winter, I find myself gravitating towards fiction that explicitly features ice, snow and severely cold climate. Spinning silver had all of this and more. I've always found fairytales incredibly fascinating, and this Rumpelstiltskin retelling was not only satisfying, but also sexy. I am so in love with the male protagonists of the book, they made me swoon. This is how you write good male characters. As though that wasn't enough, the female characters were fierce, courageous, ambitious and oh-so-feminist. It's rare to see such characters and character development in SFF.
I loved the playful duality between good and evil, or more precisely, the duality between comfort and danger in this book. Are they sharp jaws or soft, smooth pillows? Should I kill my husband or make love with him? It's also interesting that the characters in this book truly started living when they knew how they'll die. Something about fairytales in general taps into the collective consciousness of humanity, and this book was not an exception. We relate to all of the characters, understand them and live through them. Because we know how they'll die. Novak drew this book like a blade from a sheath, smooth and sharp....more
This is apparently a feminist fantasy book, "a feminist successor to the lord of the rings" one of the reviews featured on the back cover of the book This is apparently a feminist fantasy book, "a feminist successor to the lord of the rings" one of the reviews featured on the back cover of the book says. I suppose it's feminist in some ways. Except, I don't understand why dragons had to be the villains, you can't even claim historical accuracy on this one. (This isn't a spoiler by the way, you read about this right in the beginning. In fact, I read on to see if the dragons are not the actual villains.) I mean, you have dragons at your disposal and you make them villains? I also don't understand why the only other villains in the book had to be power hungry women. I guess it shows women are just as bad as men when it comes to power, and I appreciate that. But the book was very clickbaity .
The author seems to have prioritised romance over individual character development. Not that I ask for character development in SFF. (Wait, I actually do. That's why Ursula K Le Guin is my favorite SFF writer.) But I'm not gonna stick around just for the romance and predictable plotlines. Except I did, and I hated it.
The book was repetitive, reductive and redundant. I just wish it had been at least a bit more recalcitrant....more
And there are some stories that can devour you whole. Angela Carter is a master at the craft of writing such stories. There are some eyes can eat you.
And there are some stories that can devour you whole. Angela Carter is a master at the craft of writing such stories. We all love fairytales, because despite the regional differences there is something universal about them, it's as though they hark back to a distant past when humanity was united by silence and terror. And perhaps that's also why we like fairy tales when they're darker, when for instance, the red riding hood fucks the wolf-man who killed her grandmother. And Angela Carter seems to have known this, that we are a world made up of dreams and darkness.
And now--ach! I feel your sharp teeth in the subaqueous depths of your kisses. The equinoctial gales seize the bare elms and make them whizz and whirl like dervishes; you sink your teeth into my throat and make me scream.
These stories are so pure in their depiction of debauchery and decadence, they're almost erotic, painfully sensual. Like when you want someone to sink their fangs into the throbbing pulse point beneath your skin, gushing with blood. (I'm apparently in my goth-vampire era. Again!)
Reading these stories is like dancing to the beats of some ancient, primeval drum. Perhaps to the first ever circadian rhythm.
I only wish they'd been even more darker and twisted. I don't care for happy endings anymore.
Two weeks out, the road to Tikany became a mosaic of human suffering.
This quote essentially sums up the entire series. I have no idea what the author Two weeks out, the road to Tikany became a mosaic of human suffering.
This quote essentially sums up the entire series. I have no idea what the author was trying to get at for most of the three books. It had an ensemble cast of the most annoying bitches I’ve ever read. Now, I have a difficult relationship with unlikeable characters, I do not demand that fiction endlessly supply me with well-likeable, goody-goody-two-shoes sort of characters. It’s very unfair of us to ask as readers that the characters we read just be likeable, to reduce them to some sort of one-dimensional stick figure. We need nuance, we need layers. But you know, the fact that your character (or all your characters, in this case, smh) are just unlikeable renders them one-dimensional. The only thing these characters have going for them is that they’re all severely traumatized, but even that’s written in such a way as to make a caricature of all the suffering. Everyone is traumatized, but there’s never anything to be done about it. Almost everything that happens is pathetically predictable. Of course, it’s inspired by actual Chinese history, so the predictability might just be because of the familiarity. I don’t know enough about Chinese history to comment on this sort of correlation, but from the little I know, I can confidently say that the characterizations were very unfair. And Rin, the protagonist, this burning caricature full of just anger and hatred and vengeance, is inspired by Mao Zedong? Give me a break. As if it’s ever that simple.
This entire series is just a motley grotesque tapestry of suffering, hunger, and death. A lot of people seem to be hailing it as anti-imperialist, which it definitely is. But the same people also seem to think it’s a critique of war, which I did not see at all. If not outrightly glorifying war, then this series at the very least, makes heroes of those who revel in wars. ...more
Imagine drowning in the sea. Or at least almost drowning. But not just any sea, imagine drowning in a sea of pink soda. Sugary-sweet-will-definitely-kImagine drowning in the sea. Or at least almost drowning. But not just any sea, imagine drowning in a sea of pink soda. Sugary-sweet-will-definitely-kill-you-even-if-you-don't-drown pink soda. Maybe you're one of the lucky ones who knows to swim. So you swim to the surface and gaze at the moon made of buttercream frosting and stars that are really candy. Infact, if you look closely you can still see the stripes on the humbugs and the sugar speckles on the gumdrops. You wonder for a split second if you somehow inherited the house made of gingerbread, cake and pastries. You know the one owned by the witch in Hansel and Gretel. Come on, you know there's always been something witchy about. Except this is no mere house, it's an entire world. And now you wonder if you've been blessed or cursed. See? This is the conundrum, the pathetic adult condition. Because no child would pause and question, they'd just grab cake from the nearest tree and chomp it down.
Are we really surprised then that we're not allowed into such worlds? Nonsensical fantasy worlds don't tolerate logical questions. Curious and curiouser. Adulthood robs us of the magic that we saw everywhere as children. We are constrained by gravity and linear time. But children aren't. And even though we can never be like them again, we can certainly read about what it looks like, feels like, smells like. A second-hand experience of magic is better than no magic at all.
Want a psychedelic sugar rush without having to consume enormous amounts of candies and ice cream? (Because let's face it, we're adults apparently. I'm still getting used to the idea.) Then read this book....more
Jack the ripper. Laughing Jack. Jack Half-a-Prayer. Jack from The Shining. Jack Scissorhands. Oh no, that was Edward. I'm certain there's an eccentricJack the ripper. Laughing Jack. Jack Half-a-Prayer. Jack from The Shining. Jack Scissorhands. Oh no, that was Edward. I'm certain there's an eccentric character named Jack played by Johnny Depp, although I can't remember now. Nevermind. There's clearly an abundance of Jacks in literature and cinema who mostly have a penchant for cutting, splitting, mania, and anatomy related grotesquerie. So it was utterly fascinating to me that one of the protagonists of this book, Jack transforms from mommy's pristine girl to a nearly mad scientist. However, while she does cut things open (ahem, people) it's mostly from a disinterested, distant, drony perspective.
Her twin Jillian though, she eats people simply because she likes to, or because she benefits from it. She's whimsical and a dangerous femme fatale even as a little girl, which is disturbing to say the least. She's prone to extreme mood swings, and you don't want to cross paths with her. Ask Jack's girlfriend, she'll tell you.
What we cannot assimilate or comprehend, or what we try to contain within labels and stereotypes, is here let loose. In fact, it's made more volatile and violent because it was forcefully imprisoned for a long time. Ever seen a mad king/queen escape from the dark dungeons? You don't want to....more
When I read, I not only try to map the words to images in my mind, but I also see if I can somehow hold these images in my hand, gently - and if I canWhen I read, I not only try to map the words to images in my mind, but I also see if I can somehow hold these images in my hand, gently - and if I can, that's the mark of a good writer. With this book, my mind struggled with forming images. It's probably because I don't know much about the cold and ice, or ironically, it's because this book is so well-researched and detailed that it all went over my head.
There's no denying that the writing here is potent. Especially the extremely well written sections on Esquimaux culture. Hovering under the general themes of horror, starvation, disease and death is the eternal western struggle of imposing the meaning of 'civilization' on native populations. Dan Simmons shows brilliantly how the west's notion of superiority is only shallow. He shows how their beliefs backfire, with almost all character stories ending badly except for a lone who figure who survives by embracing native culture.
I also loved the portrayal of the archetypal collective self within the native Esquimaux practices. Even though the book is quite long, dry and at times boring, it's still worth the read because of its commentary on imperialism, colonialism and the ironic ending wherein a British man survives only by setting aside his individualism....more
Welcome, to another episode of benevolent colonialism vs barbaric indigenous culture, and this from the celebrated annals of science fiction. Oh, but Welcome, to another episode of benevolent colonialism vs barbaric indigenous culture, and this from the celebrated annals of science fiction. Oh, but what's this? The indigenous people are winning?! And without a white savior or a colonialist deflecting to the good side? No transformative hero's arc? No construction of entire narratives centred around a white dude that realises the value of indigenous culture and saves the day? So you're telling me, science fiction, a world of comple make-believe, a world belonging to Meinong's jungle, can actually imagine healthy, hopeful alternatives? Man, what a bummer. Ursula Le Guin clearly did not know how to play by the rules.
I had trouble with this book in the beginning, mostly because the first chapter is about the hyper-masculine, misogynistic, racist, rapist, pro-pro-colonialist, protagonist-antagonist. I wondered if this was finally going to be that one Le Guin book that I would absolutely hate. But as always, she surprised me in no time.
There is a madness to this story, a sacred insanity. As Selver comes to grips with his own divinity and the vicious dreams that he sees seeping into reality around him, he has to battle that other insane divinity, the crazy God, the protagonist-antagonist, Davidson. With the knowledge of death and murder dawning upon him, Selver counters oppression with destruction, with rebellion. And what could be more punitive than a forced exile, than a prolonged life, to a God that wants an end? So Selver bestows upon Davidson with the one thing he has never known, the one thing he abhors: mercy.
And with this I complete my 2021 goal of reading the six main books of the Hainish cycle. ...more
This book should probably be a wake up call for me to stop judging books based on their cliche titles, but it most certainly won't. In my defense, I rThis book should probably be a wake up call for me to stop judging books based on their cliche titles, but it most certainly won't. In my defense, I read the dreadful City of Bones as a teenager and immediately fought the urge to cleanse my mind with sanitizer. (I know how this sounds, okay? It was just that bad for my brain cells.) And fantasy writers aren't exactly remarkably creative with their book titles. I also disliked the first two books from The Hainish Cycle (to my great dismay) so I had low expectations from this one to begin with.
But, this is my first five star review of 2021 and I can easily vouch for its brilliance.
The book deals with many themes, the central one being about the illusory nature of the self and the city one inhabits - about how each of us can be lost amidst a myriad of possibilities, shackles, dead ends and lies. It is also about how language deceives us into substituting truth with propoganda. As with its central character, silence is sometimes the only solace one can find.
What I personally liked the most about the book is its witty deconstruction of the idea of the state machinery. Le Guin masterfully and rightly shows that a defensive society simply hides behind a conformist facade, thereby forcing its residents to live in a suspended state of perpetual slavery.
Despite its dreary setting, the book conveys a very important message (especially for our times) - that ultimately the only way forward is to accept the truth of all the various selves we carry within us, even with all their mutual contradictions
I alone am confused confused desolate Oh, like the sea adrift Oh, with no harbor to anchor in…...more
One of my reading goals for 2021 is to the read the six main books from the Hainish cycle (including re-reading The Left Hand of Darkness and The DispOne of my reading goals for 2021 is to the read the six main books from the Hainish cycle (including re-reading The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed - two books that are amongst my absolute favorites.) I hate to admit that I was entirely disappointed by this book which is first in the reading order recommended by Le Guin herself.
I first came to know of Le Guin through my partner who read her as a child and was thoroughly enchanted. While I tried to see for myself what the whole deal was about, I fell in love with Le Guin myself. I sincerely believe that there's no other writer like her, and to this day I am scornful of many of those literary awards that fail to recognise the merit of genre fiction. Anyone who's read Le Guin knows how unfair it is that she died without receiving a Nobel prize in literature. (Really, Bob Dylan's songs are literature, but science fiction isn't? Especially science fiction that's as nuanced and intricate as Le Guin's?)
However, what usually stuns me when it comes to Le Guin's writing was entirely missing in this book. Most of it was messy and aimless. The characters weren't as complex as the ones from her other popular books. The most admirable thing about Le Guin's writing to me is how reified her characters seem - they weave their stories around them in a way that makes them palpable. But Rocannon and his companions failed to make any memorable impression on me. In fact, I already can't recall most of the story.
I want to say that you can see the beginnings of Le Guin's brilliant literary career here. But if I have to he honest, I almost couldn't believe that it was written by her. It lacked the subtle amalgamation of profound themes and refined characters that I've come to expect from Le Guin's writing....more
Iron Council, Mieville's most political work of fiction explores Marxist philosophy and views history through the lens of materialism. It concretizes Iron Council, Mieville's most political work of fiction explores Marxist philosophy and views history through the lens of materialism. It concretizes the concept of revolution by setting it on the filthy, war-torn, destructive grounds of New Crobuzon.
With its many species, remades, renegade freemades, the militia and the parliament, New Crobuzon is immersed in economic inequalities, species and class based oppressions, police brutality, war, elitism and crime. Its numerous factions are constantly trying to fight or fit in with the friction between their real conditions of existence and the false images of the city and its well-being endorsed by the government.
While meeting in secret and seditiously, many of the revolutionary vanguards plot the takeover of the city - drawing inspiration from the apocryphal Iron Council, a perpetual train of workers that fled the clutches of the New Crobuzon militia.
I was certain that this would be one of my favourite books. I love Mieville's writing and I am deeply interested in Marxist theory. But most of the time I just felt lost and underwhelmed. Mieville's strength lies in the indomitable gallantry of his protagonists. While Iron Council's characters are interesting, their interactions and actions leave little room for character growth, some of their storylines almost seemed impossibly synthetic. While trying to offer an extravagant view of history, Iron Council does not actually allow itself to flourish naturally....more
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