aparrish rated Frankenstein: 5 stars

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Obsessed with creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks …
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Obsessed with creating life itself, Victor Frankenstein plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, which he shocks …
This is a beautiful book, and as near to perfect as I can imagine a poem or a science fiction story could be. The English translation is a shimmering lens that draws you into the Orkney text but never overwrites it—a tremendous achievement—and the text of the poem itself is a sonic latticework that rolls and ravishes without demanding a close semantic reading. The story is told through many voices, and the focus on everyday interpersonal moments is a welcome change from the bombastic norm in science fiction. This is a work that feels whole, but not closed, and one that I anticipate returning to again and again.
“In the year 1936 a writer planted roses.” So begins Rebecca Solnit’s new book, a reflection on George Orwell’s passionate …
Darryl Cook is a man who seems to have everything: a quiet home in Western Oregon, a beautiful wife, and …
I contributed to the IndieGogo but didn't actually read my copy (#10969) until just now, and I feel so foolish for letting it sit so long in my to-read pile. The story Reed wanted to tell requires that the book's shape and distribution take the form that they do (i.e., every copy is unique and must be custom-ordered); beyond that, the richness of the prose feels even richer by virtue of the fact that any sentence you read must be read against the affordances of the system that produced it. I have adored Reed's writing since Blue Lacuna, but he really has outdone himself here. It's so rare to read a book that is this heartfelt and so true to its conceit, but that still pulls you forward through it with such momentum. It's also rare as a horror novel—it is spooky (sometimes terrifying) without gore or intense violence; and …
I contributed to the IndieGogo but didn't actually read my copy (#10969) until just now, and I feel so foolish for letting it sit so long in my to-read pile. The story Reed wanted to tell requires that the book's shape and distribution take the form that they do (i.e., every copy is unique and must be custom-ordered); beyond that, the richness of the prose feels even richer by virtue of the fact that any sentence you read must be read against the affordances of the system that produced it. I have adored Reed's writing since Blue Lacuna, but he really has outdone himself here. It's so rare to read a book that is this heartfelt and so true to its conceit, but that still pulls you forward through it with such momentum. It's also rare as a horror novel—it is spooky (sometimes terrifying) without gore or intense violence; and Reed refuses to resolve or reify the supernatural ambiguity at the story's core. I'm honestly overwhelmed by how much I loved this book and I just ordered another copy so I can read it again!
From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set …
Nearly twenty years after Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf—and fifty years after the translation that continues to torment high-school students …