Reviews and Comments

The standout piece in this collection is Eco's excellent essay Ur-Fascism, which draws from both his intellectual background and his childhood experiences in WW2 Italy to define fascism. This essay is accessible and engaging, probably because it was written to be presented in English to American college students. The other essays are much harder to follow, relying on the forms and founding texts of philosophical argument. Most of the other essays also have very specific context—such as the trial of a war criminal or the state of Italian newspapers. I often struggled to grasp Eco's point outside that context, and even when it's possible it's arguable whether it's applicable more broadly. But as is always the case when I read Eco, I wonder if I am just not smart enough to get it.

This one was a real unexpected delight.

I got all the Pratchett books off Humble Bundle so here we gooooooo (again)

Some real gems in here. Not every story is a winner but an enjoyable trip.

Picked this one back up!

The end of this one got me right in the feelings.

Wow, what a ride.

What a viciously imaginative read!

This book is absolutely astonishing.

Decided to re-read this one on a whim and there was so much I didn't remember. Just a really, all-around fun novel. It's particularly interesting to see this more lavish version of Peters' prose, which she refines but also streamlines through the later books in the series. Here, she's willing to make more comical asides and revel in setting the scene a little more.

I picked this up at the recommendation of another Bookwyrm user just a few days ago and tore through it in just two sittings. I very much enjoyed Clarke's first novel, but its difficult language and enormous size made it difficult to grasp the whole story. Piranesi is fast, almost breezy, but still has Clarke's incredible world building. The House—an infinite collection of halls and vestibules populated with unending statues, with a sea sloshing around the lower floor and clouds filling the upper—is an incredibly potent concept, and one I know will stick with me. If you love Borges, you'll love this book.