burnoutbooks's reviews
160 reviews

i thought this was exceptional and to call it a “cinematic thrill ride” per the jacket blurb really does a disservice to the nuanced social commentary that underpins the story 
characters were great and i actually appreciated that their development was tertiary to the 1. linear heist plot and 2. the picturesque depiction of morality in a speculative world 
(what did i just type? circle back to that)
i am going to recommend this to a lot of people, i reckon
and honestly it has reinvigorated my inclination to be gay do crime, and that feels apropos to the current moment

i am BUMMED - i really thought i would love this!! 
1. i was looking for space exploration more than a book about the ISS but that’s my fault - i also think the jacket blurb was not written very well
2. i think it was about fifty pages too long
3. it couldn’t decide if it was an ode or a treatise or a character study which means it was none of them
4. the language is undeniably beautiful in 95% of the book

what a fascinating little book - i think dissertations will be written on this
i think i loved it but i also don’t know that i’ve achieved a full Understanding of the text so will have to reread for sure
honestly it reminded me of reading the sound and the fury, where you just have to let the prose happen to you
written in 2019 and almost disturbingly prophetic in a few ways when read in 2025 - there’s so much to think about and the story invites meditation on the questions rather than proselytizing on the answer… much to consider
shares themes with eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, among others
also - i know A Lot of polysyllabic words and i had to look up, like, a couple of new ones when reading this

this is much more of a reinterpretation than a retelling and i think i was hoping for a more faithful literary adaptation
that said i think it was pretty well done for being turned into a fantasy novel
the language in the first 3/4 of the book seemed appropriately complex but really lost that Shakespearean tone towards the end

this is CRAAAAZY GOOD and honestly i’m appalled that i’ve never had it recommended to me
jorge luis borge’s prologue is arguably the best i’ve ever read for any novel
i was totally engaged, the writing evokes a really clear picture of the setting, i knew i would get an answer but had no idea where it would go 
i want to recommend and discuss this with my continental philosophy professor from college
{[(robinson crusoe + the time machine)*(what moves the dead)]/(phenomenology)}+ meta narrative

sicilian rights
this is incredible and exactly what i want a ~political~ murder mystery to be
it is deeply deeeeeeeply philosophical and reminded me a bit of thomas pynchon/crying of lot 49 just in the feeling i got from reading it
i think there are lessons to take away, its wonderful written, and it is the first of many sciascia books in my repertoire!

hugely apropos in the context of the militarization and criminalization of immigration at the border - reading in san diego is almost surreal
the language is definitely surreal and is a masterful translation - minor plug to always read the translator’s note
story is immediately engaging with a small cast of characters that are well developed and as layered as the plot
i immediately want to read it as originally written so working on that 

game of the worlds was also great in an entirely different way 
reminded me of the game that oryx plays in the maddaddam trilogy by margaret atwood
and takes an INCREDIBLY metaphysical turn at the end which i personally loved but most readers i know would hate 

this is a perfect collection to me!! clark does weird girl books like no one else - they contain real violence but they’re also inexplicably light and avoid morally preachy overtones
faves here are 
1. the king 
2. she’s always hungry 
3. extinction event

bizarre and engrossing! three quick stories - i recommend reading “record of a night too brief,” the first story that appears, last
very surreal, dreamlike tales with strong visuals and ambiguous settings - plots are largely vibe based