Finch, by Jeff VanderMeer Synopsis: A noir murder-mystery set in a city occupied by a totalitarian alien race. Brief Book Review: I’m torn on this one. It does some things extremely well. The city is half-flooded and overrun with mold and fungus, and that’s portrayed excellently – I constantly felt damp while reading it. VanderMeer also does creepy brilliantly, there’s a constant level of dread and ickiness, especially whenever the alien Grey Caps are around. They feel downright Lovecraftian. Perhaps most notable is the portrayal of living under the heel of a totalitarian government. The menace is ever-present and inescapable. You are always under threat from forces you cannot fight. Not just you personally, but the things you value and the people you love. Any perceived disobedience will cause your loved ones to be hurt. It’s very effective, and makes for a character who has been believably broken, struggling merely to get from day to day without drawing the attention of the authorities. On the other hand, the villains are flat and only have the one trick (threat) – they quickly blur together. The protagonist is fairly passive and occasionally incoherent in his actions. The stakes aren’t made clear until far too late, and after about the halfway point of the book (at which point you still aren’t sure why any of this matters) the story really starts to drag. It’s a slow, plodding read. This is primarily due to the writing style used. Short, chopped sentences. Staccato. Obviously intentional. Effective in short bursts. Writing an entire book that way? Tiresome. Exhausting.
SF/F Review - Finch
SF/F Review - Finch
SF/F Review - Finch
Finch, by Jeff VanderMeer Synopsis: A noir murder-mystery set in a city occupied by a totalitarian alien race. Brief Book Review: I’m torn on this one. It does some things extremely well. The city is half-flooded and overrun with mold and fungus, and that’s portrayed excellently – I constantly felt damp while reading it. VanderMeer also does creepy brilliantly, there’s a constant level of dread and ickiness, especially whenever the alien Grey Caps are around. They feel downright Lovecraftian. Perhaps most notable is the portrayal of living under the heel of a totalitarian government. The menace is ever-present and inescapable. You are always under threat from forces you cannot fight. Not just you personally, but the things you value and the people you love. Any perceived disobedience will cause your loved ones to be hurt. It’s very effective, and makes for a character who has been believably broken, struggling merely to get from day to day without drawing the attention of the authorities. On the other hand, the villains are flat and only have the one trick (threat) – they quickly blur together. The protagonist is fairly passive and occasionally incoherent in his actions. The stakes aren’t made clear until far too late, and after about the halfway point of the book (at which point you still aren’t sure why any of this matters) the story really starts to drag. It’s a slow, plodding read. This is primarily due to the writing style used. Short, chopped sentences. Staccato. Obviously intentional. Effective in short bursts. Writing an entire book that way? Tiresome. Exhausting.