Ben Harris-Roxas reviewed Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what …
Charming
4 stars
Charming and original. I want to see more fiction like this!
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Researcher and educator from Sydney, Australia. You’ll usually find me on the forgotten parts of the web.
My ratings ★ Not recommended ★★ Not for me, but may be okay for you? ★★★ Good ★★★★ Very good, recommended ★★★★★ Exceptional, couldn't put it down
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Ben Harris-Roxas finished reading Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving …
Ben Harris-Roxas started reading Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
"In the second volume of the Southern Reach Trilogy, questions are answered, stakes are raised, and mysteries are deepened. In …
Ben Harris-Roxas reviewed Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature …
Masterful, visceral, ethereal
5 stars
Hard to describe without spoiling. It has a propulsive style that belies the almost physical senses the words and the text evokes. Wholly original.
Ben Harris-Roxas started reading Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Area X has been cut off from the rest of the world for decades. Nature …
A re-read. The first time I read this I was in a deep depression so I recall almost nothing. As a result everything I’ve read so far is familiar and unfamiliar, and deepens the unnerving nature of the text.
Ben Harris-Roxas finished reading Matter by Iain M. Banks
Matter (EBook, 2009, Orbit)
Matter by Iain M. Banks
In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it …
Ben Harris-Roxas reviewed Matter by Iain M. Banks
Matter (EBook, 2009, Orbit)
In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a …
Long, hard to get into
2 stars
My failure to connect with this on rereading may be more about changes to me, and perhaps changes to reading itself in the intervening years. It seemed unnecessarily drawn out and kind of… dull? I hasten to reiterate that I think this reflects on on me than the author or the work. I struggle with books that resemble shaggy dog stories or don’t seem to really be about anything other than the plot. That means there are many narrative forms that are artful that I now feel… alienated from perhaps?
If I have a chance to revisit this again in my life I think my view will change.
Ben Harris-Roxas wants to read The Care of Things by Jerome Denis
The Care of Things by Jerome Denis, David Pontille
What does a coffee machine, a car, road signs, a smartphone, a cathedral, a work of art, a satellite, a …
Ben Harris-Roxas started reading Matter by Iain M. Banks
Matter (EBook, 2009, Orbit)
Matter by Iain M. Banks
In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it …
Ben Harris-Roxas replied to Dr Ms Kat's status
@pelagikat It’s v good imho
Ben Harris-Roxas replied to sneedy maccreedy's status
@crumbleneedy@aus.social @ben_hr@old.mermaid.town They were amongst my most-loved books as a young adult (in the not-a-teenager sense, not the current book marketing one) but they're much more flawed that I recalled. I think my tastes are now more literary, but I've also read a lot of dumb shit over the years so I may also be less tolerant? 🤷🏽♂️
Ben Harris-Roxas reviewed Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks
It was one of the less glorious incidents of a long-ago war.
It led to …
Huge themes, muddled
4 stars
This should clearly be understood as a companion to Consider Phlebas. That book devotes so much time to world-building, it doesn’t fully explore the characters’ motivations. In contrast Look to Windward is all about the characters.
It’s a novel about regret, trauma, and revenge, and it does it well. I didn’t care for the revelations at the end of the book. It’s a crutch that Banks relies on in almost all Culture novels – the Minds knew all and manipulated everyone all along! That’s not quite what was going on here, but it is in part.
Banks’ concern for the impact of war on those who fight it is clear. This is a compassionate book. This coda was hidden and only revealed at the end, which, to me, is a sign of an author who doesn’t fully trust or respect their readers. We need “the prestige”, to borrow that magician’s …
This should clearly be understood as a companion to Consider Phlebas. That book devotes so much time to world-building, it doesn’t fully explore the characters’ motivations. In contrast Look to Windward is all about the characters.
It’s a novel about regret, trauma, and revenge, and it does it well. I didn’t care for the revelations at the end of the book. It’s a crutch that Banks relies on in almost all Culture novels – the Minds knew all and manipulated everyone all along! That’s not quite what was going on here, but it is in part.
Banks’ concern for the impact of war on those who fight it is clear. This is a compassionate book. This coda was hidden and only revealed at the end, which, to me, is a sign of an author who doesn’t fully trust or respect their readers. We need “the prestige”, to borrow that magician’s phrase.
This project of re-reading the Culture novels has been interesting. It makes me realise that Banks was a good writer but not a great one. I wonder how long his works will endure and be read.
Ben Harris-Roxas finished reading Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks
Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks
It was one of the less glorious incidents of a long-ago war.
It led to the destruction of two suns …
Ben Harris-Roxas replied to Dr Ms Kat's status
@pelagikat Please report
Ben Harris-Roxas replied to Emily Gorcenski's status
@EmilyG@bookwyrm.social Enjoying it? I know some find it slow or alienating.