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A review by philibin
The Ragpicker by Joel Dane
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
(2.5 Stars)
I really struggled deciding if I wanted to rate this book 2 or 3 stars, so I split the difference. It wasn't because I didn't like the book, But I also wouldn't say I loved it. Based on the other reviews, I am definitely in the minority, so maybe it is just me.
Have you ever been late getting to a movie, or maybe your friend started it before you got there and You can still follow the movie, but you feel like you might have missed an important piece of information and some things just don't make sense? Well I spent most of this book feeling like that.
I really thought I missed something, so I re-listened to the first two chapters three times, then I went and looked to see if maybe this book was written about a video game, or maybe was part of a series and I didn't read the first book, but no... This was a stand alone book
Don't get me wrong, the prose of the book was beautiful. The author is good at the craft. It was both visual and visceral, stunning and captivating. But it was also superfluous and obfuscated.
It reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Dark Tower, but Stephen King did a better job of setting up the characters and plot. Speaking of Characters and plot. The world building in this book is superb. I'd like to say the same about the character growth, but I don't know if it is. Sure, they changed and learned new things, but I can't say they really developed.
The book itself could be summed up like the "Tears in rain" monolog that Roy Batty says to Deckard before saving him, the entire book is that stream-of-consciousness rambling, but meaningless in the end.
I really struggled deciding if I wanted to rate this book 2 or 3 stars, so I split the difference. It wasn't because I didn't like the book, But I also wouldn't say I loved it. Based on the other reviews, I am definitely in the minority, so maybe it is just me.
Have you ever been late getting to a movie, or maybe your friend started it before you got there and You can still follow the movie, but you feel like you might have missed an important piece of information and some things just don't make sense? Well I spent most of this book feeling like that.
I really thought I missed something, so I re-listened to the first two chapters three times, then I went and looked to see if maybe this book was written about a video game, or maybe was part of a series and I didn't read the first book, but no... This was a stand alone book
Don't get me wrong, the prose of the book was beautiful. The author is good at the craft. It was both visual and visceral, stunning and captivating. But it was also superfluous and obfuscated.
It reminded me a lot of Stephen King's Dark Tower, but Stephen King did a better job of setting up the characters and plot. Speaking of Characters and plot. The world building in this book is superb. I'd like to say the same about the character growth, but I don't know if it is. Sure, they changed and learned new things, but I can't say they really developed.
The book itself could be summed up like the "Tears in rain" monolog that Roy Batty says to Deckard before saving him, the entire book is that stream-of-consciousness rambling, but meaningless in the end.