Daniel

A decidedly subjective narrativization that turns history into an allegory for how established power structures might hinder progress, that’s open enough about the fact that it’s a story about history more than anything else to make it into an entertaining read full of anecdotes for the next party smalltalk and/or business pitch meeting.

This books just sucks you in and takes you on a rollercoaster ride that quite early leaves the tracks without you even noticing. The dry, pragmatic perspective of bureaucrats and scientists on the unspeakable cosmic nightmare they're delving into makes it funny and unsettling at the same time. And the last chapter especially is a reminder that in the end this is their perspectives through with we view and sometimes historical horrors.

Every time the story goes beyond the fictional games as a reflection of the characters inner feelings it starts to drag, bordering on „hello fellow kids“-cringe with unneccecary (and implausible) references, which is a shame, because the rest of it is a fascinating examination of the complexity of relationships.

As much as this book is a retelling of the movie itself, you might get more out of it if you haven’t watched it (which you should because Showgirls, indeed, doesn’t suck).