bratatouille's reviews
204 reviews

Hm. This was. Good? It was so very odd and I still don’t think I understand it, but I’ve never been privy to the secrets that sci-fi locks up in itself. I’ve never really gotten it. The premise is A Lot and so much is left without explanation. There’s the concept of The Objects, whatever they are, and how they are so captivating to the occupants of the ship; organic or not. They seem to love, lust, admire and even despise these incredible objects. What they do, what they’re for, and why they were in this story. This is basically a human/humanoid/weird object sci-fi book where the employees in question all anonymously talk about their experiences on the ship. It’s written entirely in statements and you don’t quite know who human or humanoid unless they tell you. This focuses largely on what it means to be human and what the definition of death is! There’s a notable quote of “Is it a question if a name? Could I be a human if you called me one?” I gave this three stars because I didn’t Get It. Like I sort of did? But I didn’t. If you’re a fan of sci-fi and absurdism I rly recommend giving it a go? It’s incredibly short and intriguing I just. Sci-fi no ty.

I thought this was a fun short story! It’s a bit heavy handed, but I didn’t mind too much. It’s like a religious horror Wandaverse and was definitely worth the time, IMO. I listened to it so my opinion could be swayed by the work of the voice actor. One to get it, you get it, but luckily it’s not long enough for anything to be dragged too far. It’s got that graceful gothic vibe I like, but I wouldn’t give it a reread.

This is a whimsical book about learning to murder; very Snicket-esque. It’s written as a textbook released from the university that includes three narratives following students who are attempting to murder their employees. This was super quirky and fun but I struggled through the pacing of the first half. I had to stop and come back to this story. I blame this on how incredibly British the book is. It’s entertaining and I adored hearing about all the different ways to kill people without traces! I enjoyed it, but wouldn’t reread it. This style of writing is a little out of my wheelhouse but if it’s your jam I recommend it. I suppose you could call it dark academia due to the concept? But it’s much too silly. Neil Patrick Harris narrates it for god’s sake.

I kept expecting this book to eventually stumble into some profound train of thought, but instead it colorfully bored me. Twenty year age gap is a lot even when it’s 50 something and 80 something. Mix that with adultery AND a murder trial nobody is taking seriously enough? Smh I judged this book by its pretty cover and shouldn’t have. Maybe I just didn’t get it? But I certainly didn’t love it. The writing felt dry and too concerned with keeping the protagonist’s image as misunderstood and teetering on the cusp of beauty.