Afterparty
by Daryl Gregory
science fiction
copyright 2014
read in July 2020
rated 6/10: read to pass the time
Early note: I've not yet finished this book but I expect I will finish it. So why write anything now? Well, I just noticed the comment on the front cover:
"A great, giggling psychedelic trip." That's what Paolo Bacigalupi said. I wonder if he read the book.
I'm at page 115, less than half way. I wonder if Paolo started giggling at the main characters, most of whom are psychotic due to drug use. Perhaps the giggles started when the drug dealer seemed ready to kill the heroine. Or was the real giggling started when the priest was tortured then killed? Ha ha ha.
I checked my reviews of three of Paolo's books. He does seem to prefer dystopias. I guess that a miserable future-world view makes you willing to giggle at anything.
Now I'll finish reading and add more review below...
===
Finished the book. Still nothing to giggle about.
Psychedelic trip, yes, I can see that. The book is all about drugs and their effects. Future drugs, that is, it's science fiction.
The main characters are weird, severely flawed, loyal to each other, sympathetic. As in, I am sympathetic to them. I like them.
The world is a reasonable extension of today's world. Reasonable but not (I hope) likely. Reasonable enough that I don't simply say, That's ridiculous.
The plot matches the world: if I can accept that world then I can accept the plot. Convoluted, unreal, logical.
In fact, I quite enjoy the plot.
It's possible that I would have rated this book at seven, well worth reading... but I just can't shake the negative impressions from that "giggling". One word -- yes, on the front cover -- and I just can't enjoy the book as much as it possibly deserves.
Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
... Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved
===
"Take a lesson from the weather… it pays no attention to what the critics say." … per Ginger Meggs
===Dying for you to read my blog, at https: // notdotdeaddotyet .blogspot. com. au/ :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment