The Slynx
by Tatyana Tolstaya
translated from Russian by Jamey Gambrell
fantasy
copyright 2003
started reading Nov 2020
rated 6/10: read to pass the time
Clever satire, I thought, as I started reading. Clever, humorous, imaginative. I wonder what will happen next?
Well. Nothing happened next.
Okay, I only read 50 pages (of 300) but nothing had happened. A lot is what I would call, scene setting. Great stuff but, so what.
I skipped to the end. Why did you not die in the fire, a character asks. We decided not to, is the reply, as the not-dead people float away... Okay, fantasy.
I believe that this book is satire. Poking fun at -- I guess -- Russian society. There's a limit to how much satire I can handle -- making points about a society that I know little about. Maybe something happens in the 250 pages I skipped? Who cares.
The main character is narrow-minded and ignorant. Not "a product of his times" rather, born thick in a society which discourages thinking. He has no interest in improving his life, I have no interest in the rest of his life. I stop reading.
Note on the translation: Brilliant! Just like Asterix: the language of the original must be very clever, the English version is both clever and... it's hard to believe that it is translated from a different language.
The style is distinct. The word-plays are cleverly used. The story is -- at least to page 50 -- boring.
Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
... Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved
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