Dylan Palmer
Proper quirky Japanese literature. An odd story that envelops you with twists and turns of through the underground world that it is set. Very enjoyable due to its odd humour and truth of the protagonist. I did feel something was slightly missing throughout but it didn't hinder it enough to ruin any passage.
Out of the trilogy, this is the one that I feel Cixin Liu hits his stride properly. The scale is ginormous and truly baffling but what makes this a real stellar piece of work is the fact that after two other great books, you are still enraptured till the very last page. It is truly terrifying in its prophetic visions of humanities future but it is done with a grace that particularly the second book in the series lacks. A great end to a properly great series.
It's hard reviewing a sequel immediately after reading the first book as you immediately draw parallels or judge it to a different set of circumstances. While reading this I felt my self falling towards the idea that the first book was far superior due to its ideas and exploration of an entirely new world. However, once the first part of the book was over I felt this start to change and my fascination with the story grow massively. It's gripping that's for sure and the idea it proposes is stark to say the least. However, one serious issue that nearly through me off the book altogether was some of the prose being absolutely insufferable in parts. It felt child-like and far too simplistic for a story of this scale. Luckily I wasn't put off and the reward for persevering felt justified coming towards the end.
It did truly feel like reading another one of the great Sci-fi stories of our times.
Some interesting thoughts and processes are played out here, but the first half flew by without much of a whimper. It felt like it was always on the edge of something just to have lost it as it got stared. The second half was far greater in its imagination and the depth of stories greatly improved. It's a shame as this was recommended by my favourite book shop, but still a decent enough quick read.
Bbrilliant book. The ideas and follow through with it are pretty staggering. The blend of SF and History was brilliant to see and it allowed the word to become lived in, even if it was only devoted to particular aspects of Chinese/international communities. However, the dialogue at times can feel clunky and the science, particularly towards the last 50 pages became quite unrelenting and hard to track.
Nevertheless, highly recommend!
One of the astonishing pieces of literature that I have come across. It's scale and scope matches a science fiction novel while it's writing contests with the greatest of writers. At times I plodded but then strode through this novel of vivid and dark imaginings and I'm left thinking 'what have i just read?', or is that too shallow of a question.
Bolano is special, his writing pure. It's a tragedy that his talent and life was taken before this was released, particularly as I would have loved to see how he would have wanted this to be printed- in separate parts or as one connected novel? Each part smoothly negotiated with eachother, leaving new crumbs of knowledge littered throughout which became staggering to piece together.
My only qualm is the last part, part 5. The writing was immaculate and the story fantastic, but the complete tonal shift from part 4 where murder was bleak threatened to nearly capsize my growing love for this work. Nevertheless, the last 20 pages saved this for me, but did it feel a little too late? I'm unsure.
Regardless of this, I'm glad I got to appreciate these stories and to read a master at work in Bolano, what a mysterious legacy to leave.
I am not sure I fully comprehend the nature of this book. The fractured style, the cutting narratives, the muddled timeliness but it is still provoked a sense of wonder that lingers amongst great Latin American literature. The writing of this story is beautiful and the images provoke an extreme range of emotion, but if only I could understand what was happening that would be fab!
At first I thought this was another great example of Latin America literature but as each story blended into the next one it all emerged for me. I soon saw the desolate nature of the stories and characters, the isolation, the unforgiven nature of the environments and the subtly in which a story can flow from one page to the next. By the end I now had come to the realisation that although these stories seemed simple, Bolaño was the only master who could write them.
Perhaps the most insightful and layered book I've ever read but one that challenged me in a way that I haven't really seen before. The concept of time and space seemed bewildering and it did truly feel like reading a history of our universe and its components. However, at times I felt at a loss of emotion due to the broad perspective that we experience. As that protagonist in the book experiences a range of bafflement and wonder, this book has made me question a manner of thoughts never truly visted in a book. Although it won't make my top list it is a worthwhile read for any curious person about the context of our little lives in the vast cosmos of being.