garden

A good book, but not necessarily an enjoyable read. It feels like it plods along quite slowly to the ending that it's constantly hinting at, resulting in a feeling of “just get there already” instead of the perhaps desired “I can't wait until we get there”. Everything about this is a journey, and luckily the end of the journey–while hard to get through–is powerful and not without hope despite the overarching themes.

A must-read for anyone who enjoys a good story focused on the subjective nature of reality, which I certainly do. The only reason I'm rating it as “liked it” instead of “really liked it” is the second half doesn't quite pull its weight (not that the conclusion was completely dissatisfying or anything) and my ratings heavily favor a strong ending.

Regarding the context of the ideas that are played with in this book, I immediately thought of Steins;Gate, though the tone and underlying plot machinations completely diverge from that one point of commonality. But both share the circumstance of a single person given power they do not want, struggling with memories no one else remembers as they do their best to make things right despite the world (or the subconscious) apparently skewing itself towards chaos.

A classic and enjoyable alien invasion story.... sans the alien invasion. This story is all about the personal, social effects of a truly bizarre and nonhuman first contact. The influence on the also-enjoyable Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer is exceedingly obvious.

A very quick read, but not one that affected me much after putting the book down. The authors' info at the end was rather bland, but it was interesting hearing the circumstances around the novel's publishing.

A story about stories, from the point of view of a storyteller.

Of course, it's really just one main story, but the lore of the world is interwoven throughout in a more-or-less seamless manner. However, I'll admit I misinterpreted the tone of the book because of the opening “story”, and was rather confused when I realized this fantasy tale does not shy away from dark and uncomfortable territory.

As someone who's not necessarily a fan of the “folk tale” style employed by the insert stories, I often found myself waiting for the main plot lines to return, though some were alright.

This felt like the literary equivalent of being unceremoniously boarded onto a not-quite-whitewater raft with a reliable guide whose presence you trust despite repeated declarations that you shouldn't trust anything that he says. Then, before you know it, you're hurtling downstream, taking in the scenery and truly enjoying yourself even though you don't have a clue where you're going, but watching time and again as every detail and circumstance flows perfectly into the next. But even as things start to go wrong and your snarky co-passengers begin bailing overboard en masse, everything is as it should be.

I find that you can apply this to the plot, the structure, and the meta-narrative without issue. I've never read Vonnegut before, and I'm sad it's taken so long.