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I am going to use this, because I don't feel like reviewing. James Send a noteboard - 14/02/2012 06:44:08 AM
I read the book a few weeks back and feel as though I have no read it closely enough to provide a review that I would be happy with. I plan to reread the book fairly soon, but until then I will stick to sharing a few thoughts on the matter instead of delving deeply.Your two questions are perfect for this.

1. Did you enjoy this novel?


I did enjoy this novel, but there were a few things that bothered me:

1) Switching between characters happens so often that just when I am starting to get attached to one character's story, we end up moving on to the other. This makes it harder to become attached to a character because I am not only abandoning a character mid-stride, but I will be anticipating the continuation of the story while reading through the other character's chapter, making it difficult to care for that character. This was one of my complaints with China Mieville's Embassytown, though that came around to bite me in the ass when, upon demanding to the book that it choose a narrative instead of jumping back and forth in the timeline, it chose the one I was less interested in.

2) I feel as though the book has dated itself. The parts of the book set in the present day are rooted to our time by references to world events and politics. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder about the relevance of some of these references in the coming years, especially to younger readers. I have to reread though and take note of some of these things, as the book is no longer fresh in my mind and I am becoming slightly confused as to what appears (I seem to recall mention of bendy buses being decommissioned, which already holds little relevance to the US market now... at least for those who do not watch Top Gear).


2. How does this novel compare to the first? Does it live up to expectations?


Even having read it three times, I still love The Gone-Away World. I still fight to come up with anything negative to say about it. Even without the minor issues I have with the book, Angelmaker would have a difficult time living up to its predecessor. If I hadn't read TGAW again a month ago, I'd be willing to consider my praise and preference, the bulk of it, the product of nostalgia. Instead, there is just a deep and abiding love for the book. Try as it might, and as much as I would like it to, Angelmaker does not live up to it.

It is difficult to compare the two books because they are so different from one another. Anglemaker is written in the third person perspective, features multiple point of views, and even when the book relies on the flashback, the staple of TGAW, it threads them throughout the narrative instead of leaving them in large chunks. And where I am forced to describe to TGAW as "fucking nuts" in regard to its brand of crazy and the sheer amount of it, I would go so far as to say that Angelmaker is more subdued this time around. The crazy is there, but it is less in your face.

I'd write more, but I was supposed to have been asleep forty minutes ago. Maybe tomo... later today.
"It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way."
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Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway - 12/02/2012 07:16:17 PM 8965 Views
So... this Harkaway dude... any good? *NM* - 12/02/2012 08:08:29 PM 1140 Views
*NM* - 12/02/2012 08:09:53 PM 985 Views
None of the bookshops near me have it yet. - 12/02/2012 11:18:43 PM 1983 Views
I am sure it will keep *NM* - 13/02/2012 03:46:16 PM 878 Views
Astonishing - 13/02/2012 01:22:34 AM 1544 Views
Re: Astonishing - 13/02/2012 06:02:25 AM 1619 Views
Having read this review, I have a question... - 13/02/2012 03:20:54 PM 1642 Views
Re: Having read this review, I have a question... - 13/02/2012 03:45:35 PM 1687 Views
Thank you. - 13/02/2012 06:27:20 PM 2056 Views
I am going to use this, because I don't feel like reviewing. - 14/02/2012 06:44:08 AM 1978 Views
I picked it up the other day - 13/02/2012 03:37:00 PM 1573 Views
Re: I picked it up the other day - 13/02/2012 03:48:32 PM 1530 Views
Oh, Book Collections are never a problem - 14/02/2012 11:38:14 AM 1578 Views
Turn away a free copy? - 14/02/2012 06:48:12 AM 1609 Views
It sounds really interesting Camilla - 14/02/2012 02:16:39 AM 1730 Views
Re: It sounds really interesting Camilla - 14/02/2012 07:26:02 AM 1681 Views
No Nook Book until 3-20? Moved to the bottom of the list. *NM* - 14/02/2012 04:41:04 AM 1024 Views
Question about the US edition dust jacket code. - 17/04/2012 03:53:55 AM 1466 Views

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