h_motionless's reviews
351 reviews

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.75

William Burroughs is an author I am incredibly ambivalent about - Junky and Queer were two novels I found to be genuinely captivating, through the narration style and subject matter, while novels like The Soft Machine and The Wild Boys were gratuitous displays of depravity that seemed to be thrown together with little to no thought or artistic ability. Unfortunately, despite it being his most well-known novel, Naked Lunch fit into the latter category. I couldn’t follow along with a single plot point, and nothing about this novel is enjoyable to read. Naked Lunch may be an important novel in breaking down the barriers and limitations of literature at the time, but makes no sense to a modern reader, and genuinely reads as a drug-infested pornographic rambling. After now reading five of Burroughs’ works, I am eager to read more, as two of his novels appealed to me greatly and I am sure that there is more within his bibliography that I would enjoy - this novel though, I didn’t enjoy in the slightest.

In the Miso Soup by Ryū Murakami

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

In The Miso Soup is a complex novel to discuss, as I enjoyed a large portion of it, and I’m more ambivalent about the rest. The first half is fantastic, but it starts to trail off after that point - after the mystery part of the novel is revealed, and the chaotic climax takes place, there’s not much to drive the plot forward. Ryu Murakami is an incredible writer and I would love to read more of his work, as the writing drew me in immediately, but this didn’t entirely work for me. Regardless, there’s a lot to enjoy here, such as the more psychological discussions raised, and the commentary on the Japanese sex industry.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Never Let Me Go is brutal and melancholic yet absolutely stunning. I’m leaving this novel feeling like I’ve been punched in the gut, in the best way possible.

Haunted by James Herbert

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Haunted is an enjoyable ghost story but largely predictable - it wasn’t anything revolutionary and felt one-dimensional at times, but it was still a lot of fun and very eerie. This is the type of book that was perfect for Halloween, as the atmosphere was built expertly, but lacked in plot and characters. I’d rather turn to a writer like Shirley Jackson for innovative ghost tales, but Herbert has something so visceral and eerie about his writing that I can’t stay away from.

Skirrid Hill by Owen Sheers

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

I am dreading having to study this for my A Levels - it’s just over-pretentious drivel relying way too heavily on obvious metaphors, but these metaphors hold no weight to them, and have no layer of complexity to them. This poetry tries to be clever and innovative, but ends up falling flat. I appreciate the symbolism of the strong link between nature and humanity, and also the ephemerality of life, but these are not fresh ideas and Sheers brought no new life to them.

On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts by Thomas De Quincey

reflective slow-paced

1.5

One of those books where the topic itself is far more interesting than the book’s contents. De Quincey had interesting ideas, but failed to communicate them in an entertaining way. The style of presenting this as fiction was fun to start with, but descended into boring drivel.

Nobody True by James Herbert

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This novel was genuinely such a surprise, I was expecting a pulpy horror-thriller and got something far deeper and philosophical. So many themes and moral dilemmas were touched on here which added an intense layer of complexity to it, while also being very simple to understand and follow. I loved this novel a lot, my one criticism is the unnecessary footnotes - they came across as annoying more than anything, and they either could have just been a regular bit of prose, or omitted entirely. Regardless, I adored this.

Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Memnoch the Devil is largely hated in relation to the rest of Anne Rice’s novels, but is far better than people give it credit for. Large sections of it are fascinating, and the general reading experience of it is enjoyable. But I never want to read about Lestat drinking period blood from a pad ever again.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Merricat is one of the most fascinating protagonists and narrators I have encountered in literature recently - she just made the novel addictive from beginning to end.

The Tale Of The Body Thief by Anne Rice

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This novel is a departure from the first three Vampire Chronicles novels and heads more towards urban fantasy, and it’s close to being my favourite in the series. Lestat is just walking chaos in this one, so every page makes you want to grab his shoulders and shake him, but in the best way possible.