I've been dedicatedly searching for niche science fiction lately. Naturally, this is like walking into an inn in a medieval town. You walk into the Inn of the Overly Specific Scribe. The noise that strikes you is a cacophony of pages turning, Bookstagrammers chatting about their most recent Romantasy choice, and indie publishers discussing the finer points of Algorithm Mastery. It smells distinctly of coffee and perhaps faintly of cinnamon candle and definitely you detect the sharp but familiar scent of ink.
Unfriendly eyes find you, wondering how much coin you might have, whether you have any free merch or novellas to offer.
You, a weary traveler with a pack full of disorganized sheets of ideas, find yourself a cozy chair in the back corner of the Inn. The bartender hands you the standard latte, to return at some later time once the caffeine has had a cheering effect on your battered soul.
I recently visited the Inn of the Overly Specific Scribe myself to read two niche tomes I found in the distant mountains of Sigh Fi.
Like I said, reading niche fiction is like walking into that inn and trying your best to enjoy yourself. That's the problem with the Inn of the Overly Specific Scribe. The Anti-Theme Gnomes come along and erase anything of meaning. They leave the little eraser threads all over your table and even garnish the foam of your latte with it. Then, the Pretentious Prose Preacher comes around and orates loudly across the table from you. In the end, he ends up saying nothing of consequence, though it does sound pretty, I'll admit.
I nearly lost it when the Character Development Demolition team arrived. Right when I thought I was seeing some arcs, they brought in their bulldozer and knocked down perfectly fine structures. The characters were flattened in the process, I'm afraid.
And on that day, the Plot gods abandoned us to ruin. Please, please, please - do not be so lyrical in your prose that you lose all semblance of a plot.
Now, all that said, it's time for my first review of the year. Let's have at it, shall we?
Shades of Grey - Jasper Fford
My overall review:
Overall, I didn’t mind the book. In fact, I’d say I was overall “mid” about it. The writing style was fantastic and right up the alley of what I like to read. The plot and character development were lacking, in my opinion, but the world-building was well done. Very deep and exceptionally unique. I also appreciated that although it is insinuated that this book takes place in the far future, the book feels set during the Industrial Revolution.
I can’t say I’ll be reading the following installments in the series, even though this book really just felt like a setup for the next book “Red Side Story.” I’m not invested enough in the characters and honestly, I predicted a few of the plot twists so I’m not terribly interested in diving deeper into them.
That’s that.
Mid, but not bad. Just not my cup of tea.
What was done well?
I genuinely enjoyed the creative style of this book. Fford writes with a polished humor that played into the unique world that he had developed. The two complemented each other very well, and I have to give him credit for that. However, after listening to that sort of narration for 5 hours without any sense of when the plot is going to begin, I discovered that it had begun to sound pretentious. Look, I really do love fun styles, but at the point I'm beginning to worry this book has structure at all is when you should focus your energy on something else.
What was not done well (opinionly):
Don't get me wrong. There was a plot. Technically speaking. But looking back, it feels muddled, and something that made me slightly invested only happened about 70% through the story. It quickly became boring again after that. As I said in my overall review, it felt like a preparation for Book 2. I predicted the plot twists. It's okay if I predict the plot twists if they are still unique. This one was a staple of dystopian fiction. Again, I think I wouldn't have minded if it had been buffered by other qualities.
I take issue with the character development as well. The main character came across as flat as a pancake. Attempts were made to inflate him with mild character arc. I think my main issue is that him beginning to see the problems in society does not qualify as a character arc.
If you read my newsletter from two weeks ago you'll remember that there's a big difference between a resolution and a concrete goal.
He saw the problems, and at the end of the book, we got to see him decide to do something about it, but I suppose we'll have to read book two to see if he ever makes a proactive action in his life. I won't be there to find out.
The love interest had the typical qualities one might hope to find in the dystopian female character. She was brash and violent and was the only one who saw the problems in society. She also had a big problem with people saying things about her nose. Fford makes sure you don't forget about her nose.
I certainly couldn't.
There's some content in this book as well, as a fair warning. I do not appreciate content, and that brought down my rating significantly, I'm afraid.
In my last post, I said I wanted to read "The Arrest" by Jonathan Lethem. Well, I read up to half of it. I have since:
- DNFd it
- Thrown it in the trash
- Warned you never to waste your time
- Regretted everything
Now, before you come at me, remember that I too adore books. I would usually never dream of throwing away a book. But I found this one in such bad taste that I have removed it permanently from my life. Please do not read it.
And for those of you who appreciate content warnings . . . There is content. Stay away.
That saaaid:
I'm currently reading "All Creatures Great and Small" by James Harriet and I couldn't have been recommended a cozier novel to read. It's everything I need after my adventure to the Inn of the Overly Specific Scribe. I'm also listening to the audiobook of "The Frugal Wizard's Handbook to Surviving Medieval England," by Brandon Sanderson.
I'm having a great time reading these. I will be venturing back to this inn with some new niche books I've uncovered, and I desperately hope they can give me a better time than these two have. I need 2025 to be kind to me.
Drop your recs or a book you read recently that you positively couldn't vibe with in the comments. Again, thank you for being here!
We'll talk soon.
Snapper out.
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