By far my favorite Poe story to date. The gothic setting was beautiful and atmospheric, the plot twist dramatic and full of cinematic effect (if that By far my favorite Poe story to date. The gothic setting was beautiful and atmospheric, the plot twist dramatic and full of cinematic effect (if that could be a thing at all in the 1800s). The ending felt slightly flat for me, but overall a creepily cool story that finally proved I'm not entirely incompatible with Poe's style....more
I liked this a lot for the anthropological exploration of an alien culture, though I have to admit that I didn't feel nearly as much of an emotional iI liked this a lot for the anthropological exploration of an alien culture, though I have to admit that I didn't feel nearly as much of an emotional impact as most five-star reviews suggested.
This is the first book I've read from Le Guin, as part of my mission to catch up on SFF classics. Incidentally, the main reason that I felt the need to check some of her works off my list is that N.K. Jemisin has named her a major influence, and now I clearly see the proof from just this book alone. The depth of worldbuilding and exploration of humanity is amazing. Even after half a century, the messages on gender and bias are still profoundly thought-provoking, and it's all elegantly delivered through the viewpoint of imperfect but completely relatable characters.
On the other hand, my main grievance with Jemisin applies here as well--this should have been a deeply emotional story, but somehow I couldn't feel it. I could imagine what it would be like to go through all that trauma if I were the main characters, but I couldn't feel it from the words because the writing was just too distant for my taste.
I've been told that Le Guin is great at creating very unique voices for different books though, so I'm curious to see if the next one I pick up will end up leaving me with a completely different impression....more
This could've been a weak 3 stars--the overall plot was ok, and the ending successfully creeped me out, especially with the illustration that came witThis could've been a weak 3 stars--the overall plot was ok, and the ending successfully creeped me out, especially with the illustration that came with the version I read. But it just so happens that I have a black cat, and it just so happens that I tend to easily project myself and people/things around me into stories I read... So unfortunately I have to take a star off for what happened to the poor animal....more
3.5 stars with a bonus for the illustrations, which can be found online here for free, with images and text side by side.
One of my goals this year is 3.5 stars with a bonus for the illustrations, which can be found online here for free, with images and text side by side.
One of my goals this year is to catch up on classics, which hasn't quite been my cup of tea ever since I stopped reading them for school. This was pretty good given my expectations. The language and cadence and rhymes were beautiful. The plot might have taken me a few tries to fully understand, and didn't feel as special, but I have a weak spot for lyrical writing so I enjoyed this overall. Now, this is the first poem I've read in like ... maybe ever? So consider my sample size limited and my rating skewed. I'll very likely be reading more in order to fix that soon....more
2.5 stars. The only Poe I've read so far are The Raven and The Black Cat, and this one feels like the combination of the two, only without the poetic 2.5 stars. The only Poe I've read so far are The Raven and The Black Cat, and this one feels like the combination of the two, only without the poetic language of The Raven that I liked. Maybe I just don't vibe with lunatic narrative characters, since it makes the story way too hard to connect to or feel realistic....more
2.5 stars, rounded up mainly for that ending twist.
There were a few times last year when I had to rest in bed a lot due to health reasons. My husband,2.5 stars, rounded up mainly for that ending twist.
There were a few times last year when I had to rest in bed a lot due to health reasons. My husband, who is a Lovecraft fan, read this book to me on some of those days. And every time he managed to put me to sleep within five minutes. So... That should tell you how boring I thought it was (although the fact that someone was reading it for me was sweet, which may have also contributed to the rounded-up rating).
Apparently, The Shadow over Innsmouth is a fan favorite, so don't take my layman's opinion too seriously. Lovecraft just isn't quite my thing. I love his worldbuilding, the cosmic grandness of Mythos, and the occasional cool quotes, but I'm not that into his writing style. It's a bit too dry and filled with rambling monologues (both in the sense of inner thoughts and one-sided dialogues... his main characters must all be mute). This story is much more stylized compared to, say, The Call of Cthulhu, so maybe that's what makes Lovecraftian fans like it more and non-fans such as me like it less.
That said... The ending was pretty cool!
PS. I didn't take off any stars for the xenophobia/racism oozing from the pages, because that's unfortunately the way Lovecraft was, given his time limitations. But for anyone who might disagree and/or will absolutely not tolerate such undertones, don't read this. The issue is much more obvious here than in many of his other books....more
Rereading to give it a review because I was casually recommending it to a friend and needed to make sure it wasn't a stupid choice.
This was my first LRereading to give it a review because I was casually recommending it to a friend and needed to make sure it wasn't a stupid choice.
This was my first Lovecraft, also my favorite out of a limited sample size of his work (probably six or seven pieces). The prose is richer than his later stories. The plot, although not quite eldritch or directly a part of Mythos, is still characteristic of weird tales, and I preferred it to the meandering journal style of his longer books. It's not one of Lovecraft's best known stories, but I thought it was lucky of me to have started with this one, since it definitely feels less "classic" (which is oftentimes synonymous with "boring" in my dictionary) than his more famous books, and that left me with a much better first impression of him than I otherwise would've gotten....more
I started reading this because I just finished Ted Chiang's Understand (as part of Stories of Your Life and Others), which was also about a person witI started reading this because I just finished Ted Chiang's Understand (as part of Stories of Your Life and Others), which was also about a person with scientifically enhanced intelligence. Not quite satisfied with the ending of that one, I got curious about how the same idea was executed in its classical version, and wow I did not expect to like it so much more.
Flowers for Algernon, in both its short story and novel form, has always been a popular choice for reading materials in English classes. While I generally hate reading assignments as much as everyone else, I now understand how this one in particular earned its place. The characterization is amazing. There's no "telling" of what kind of person Charlie is from beginning to end (except the very basic description of dumb/smart), but every word and every sentence shows you exactly who he is. There aren't excessive details of his interaction with other characters either, but through every simple dialogue and expression, we glimpse so easily into their thoughts and the many facets of humanity reflected through them.
And those facets of humanity are so accurately portrayed. It's a bit scary to think that I could still relate so easily to a book written over 60 years ago, and even scarier to think that I can totally think of people I know in real life that would match Charlie's behavior at all the different stages of his intelligence. Does that simply mean I'm subconsciously holding some type of prejudice or stereotype against these people, which the author also shares? Or do intellectual levels truly affect certain personality traits, resulting in these correlations and projections? Now I need to go do my research.
An artfully, creatively written story that definitely makes you think, and not lacking an emotional punch either. Glad I'm reading it now instead of in middle school, because otherwise all of its greatness would've flown right over my head....more
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