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Sep 23, 2011

محمد rated it:

ترجمة ممتازة لقصة مملة.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 23, 2011

NG rated it:

لا بأس بها شريطة أن تقرأها دون ان تقطع قراءتك لفترة طويلة..
بدأتها ثم تركتها لثلاثة أسابيع أو شهر تقريبا قبل أن أعود إليها، مما جعلني أنسى الأحداث، المبعثرة أصلا، فلا استطيع استجماع الأفكار المفككة أو الشخصيات ، على قلتها..
الفصل الأخير يجمع كل القطع الناقصة ويصل إلى مرحلة التنوير.
لو قرأتها متتابعة ربما اعجبتك اكثر مما أعجبتني. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 07, 2009

Patrick rated it:

What's the lab test for MDMA after burn? Does one dip litmus paper into the periosteum lining the cranium to see if the brain has burned out? I don't know. I'm not versed in such things. I could never figure out the basics for pseudoephedrine based meth production. And I sure as hell wasn't a chemist back then, or even a pseudo chemist, or a biker with unlimited supplies of red phosphorous. The whole "chemist" deal sort of left me confused. Just as confused as I felt reading the first More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 08, 2011

Sam added it

I can only describe this novel as a slog!! The amount of sections I had to re-read just grasp what was going on and what ad just happened meant that I felt like I was reading forever!! Its not a book that you can easily pick up and put down, you almost need to read it in one go with no pauses otherwise you can quite easily loose track of where you are. I found it very confusing and almost felt like it was me who was on the drugs as my mind was having to work overtime to try and process what ws More...

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Jan 26, 2009

Robert rated it:

Craig Clevenger is a brilliant writer, and I'm quite excited to read a great follow-up to "The Contortionist's Handbook". "Dermaphoria" just wasn't that "great follow-up"; a fellow reviewer remarked that this book was a classic example of "the sophomore slump", and I'd have to agree.

"Dermaphoria" doesn't break any new ground; it's almost a carbon copy of "Contortionist's..". The protagonist in this one is an intelligent ch More...

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Jan 26, 2009

Snotchocheez rated it:

Craig Clevenger is a brilliant writer, and I'm quite excited to read a great follow-up to "The Contortionist's Handbook". "Dermaphoria" just wasn't that "great follow-up"; a fellow reviewer remarked that this book was a classic example of "the sophomore slump", and I'd have to agree.

"Dermaphoria" doesn't break any new ground; it's almost a carbon copy of "Contortionist's..". The protagonist in this one is an intelligent ch More...

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Apr 09, 2011

Lady of the Lake rated it:

While this second book by Clevenger, does not rate for me anywhere near his first, the Contortionist, (which I totally adored) I still found it fascinating in it's imagery and it's cleverness and how it made me think and pay attention to the details... It was very much like his first only different....but not nearly as strong. I'm hoping when he comes back with his next work it is a Powerhouse and shows he has depth to him where he can reach down into that dark lunacy and pull out something cra More...

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May 21, 2009

Glenn rated it:

3.5 stars if I could. For those not familiar with Clevenger, his first book "The Contortionist's Handbook" became somewhat of an underground sleeper hit in 2003. I gave that 4 stars, so liked that a bit better than this one, as it made me think more, and had more of a psychological aspect to it. Clevenger is a writer similar to Chuck Palahniuk and Will Christopher Baer - if you like either of these authors you'll probably like Clevenger. The Goodreads book description gives a precise s More...

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Jul 28, 2011

Mooderino rated it:

Quite a fragmented narrative, which is intentional due to the main characters memory loss, but still makes for a difficuly read at times.

The story is a little familiar, maybe even cliched, the guy who can't remember what he's done, and finds out it's worse than he thinks. Some good bits but a lot of jarring moments. Every time it gets going (and it gets in a cool groove quite often) it suddenly cuts back to some nonsensical 'drugs make you think weird thoughts' schtick.

Th More...

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Mar 09, 2008

Paul rated it:

"Wow", he says, with the realization that this is more than a little understated as way to begin a review but... Wow! With prose dense, intricate, and hallucinogenic as anything Burroughs wrote on a thoroughly lucid day, this book is most definitely not light reading for a summer day or your something to skim morning commute. As with his previous novel, The Contortionists' Handbook dysregulation and Amnesia are the pilots at the helm of this turbulent ride of a novel. In many ways, More...

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Dec 07, 2009

Joel rated it:

I love this book, it is from a great new author. The main character is under the influence of a new experimental drug that he has been developing. From what I can tell it is a mash up of meth and acid, so his thoughts are pretty intense and most of the story through passages like this one:

"After my heart has bloomed to the size of the universe and all the love from the big bang to the last whisper has been cycloning through my chest for what feels like days on end, the world is More...

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Aug 28, 2007

Jason rated it:

(The much longer full review can be found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:].)

Okay, I confess: that of all the different types of underground artists out there, I have a particular affinity for the weird quiet ones on the edge of every scene, who frequently engage in cutting-edge experiments just for the sake of engaging in them. For example, when I was involved with the performance-poetry community of the 1990s, I tended to spend a lot of time wi More...

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Sep 23, 2011

Amr rated it:

الرواية هلوسة ممتعة توقظ رغبة مشتعلة لمعرفة أحداث أكثر .. ورغم ذلك قاطعتها عدة مرات
يوم أو يومين وأعود فهي رواية مرهقة فعلا .. (أحمد خالد توفيق) عبقري التراجم .. رغم أني معترض على قراءة ترجمة ولكن العلاقة التي يصنعها أحمد خالد توفيق بيني وبينه وبين الكاتب والأبطال كأننا جميعا في مكان تحت سقف واحد تجعلة شديد التميز في الترجمة ..
أعجبتني فواصل هلوسة فلسفية التي تظهر أحيانا مثل الصفحة التي فيها "الفارق بين شخص حر ومحكوم عليه بالأعدام لحظة تردد واحدة أو بةصتين من باب الحمام المغلق More...

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Jul 06, 2009

Fin rated it:

I also wish there were half stars to award, I feel like 3 is not doing it justice. I didn't get properly into the book until about half way through, due to life not the story line. I am not sure if I had just started it properly from the begining would I feel different. I loved it by the end and want to read it again. His writing is great in my eyes and that is perhaps as well why I feel I owe this novel a second shot of undivided attention.

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Jul 24, 2010

Andrew rated it:

Psychedelic noir. A little Hitchcock through a Burroughs head trip. While Clevenger can certainly pull off some evocative lines, and the book is full of them, I found the story too leaden with cliches. Seedy motels, junkies, hard-ass cops, parasitosis, etc. all seemed a little too by the book.

A quote from a review on the back cover says the build up of the story is more significant than the resolution. That's quite true.

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Sep 23, 2011

حازم rated it:

هلوسة الكاتب في البداية قد تجعلك تلقي بالرواية بعيداً لو كنت قارئاً سريع الضجر. لكن لو كنت تقرأ بتركيز حتى وأنت في سأم ستدرك الكثير في النصف الثاني من الرواية. كما قال د. أحمد خالد توفيق الذي برع في الترجمة كعادته أنها تداخلت مع الواقع بشكل أستاذي. رواية تجعلك تسأل كثيراً هل هذا حدث بالفعل أم هي هلوسة. هل دريزيه حقيقية أم من صنع الخيال.. ومن الأمور التي تُضفي مزيداً من الصعوبة فكرة الكلمات التي تحتمل أكثر من تأويل.. راقت لي نهايتها.. رغم أنني فكرت كثيراً ألا أكملها.. وتشعر أنها تصلح كفيلم سينما More...

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Feb 16, 2011

Pghbekka rated it:

I thought Clevenger's debut novel was absolutely fantastic! Engaging, inventive, insert superlative here! So I think I was even more disappointed in this sophomore effort than I might have been if I'd never read him before. To be fair, this novel is one of those riddle types (think Memento), that I absolutely abhor. If you loved Memento, you'd probably love this.

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Jan 02, 2009

Andrew rated it:

This book reads like some kind of drunken dream. I love it for it's sparseness and the utter loneliness the main character suffers. I don't remember many exact quotes, but when I think back on it, I don't see it as words - I see it in dark, shadowy images filled with anxious, sweaty, dusty interiors. Kids, don't do drugs.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 06, 2010

Nathan rated it:

The imagery Clevenger used throughout this book was breathtakingly beautiful and disturbing all at once. Though the plot was a little worn thin, his style of writing really carries his characters where they need to go in style. All in all, a good book to read, especially if don't mind looking at the dank underbelly of humanity.

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Aug 09, 2011

Katie rated it:

It was really great! I started reading it with only the interest of the jacket and reviews, but I was really surprised! It was well written and interesting. It reminded me a lot of Chuck Palahnuik but definitely had it's own identity. I really enjoyed it more and more as the story unfolded and he definitely captured the problems and paranoia that comes along with drugs. The drug-creation-system he explains is really interesting and intricate -- definitely something I would never expect to h More...

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Dec 17, 2008

Austin rated it:

This one was quite incomprehensible, mostly due to Clevenger's style, which hinges upon surreal prose as well as heavy use of metaphor and simile. When compared to his first novel, "The Contortionist's Handbook," this one suffers the horrible fate of falling into the Sophomore Slump category.

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Sep 23, 2011

Ahmed rated it:

الشيطان ليس سوى ملاك اراد المزيد !

هذه هي الرسالة التي يريد الكاتب ان يوصلها خلال احداث متتضاربة بين الواقع والهلوسه , بين الذكريات الحقيقية والأحلام , يغوص بك الكاتب في عالم المخدرات من مدخل مختلف , فيسرب اليك كل المشاعر والأحاسيس المتملكة في شخصية البطل , بأسلوب سلس وعميق في آن واحد

قد تكون الاحداث رتيبة بعض الشيء في بدايتها , ولكن ما ان تنتهي القصة , وتجتمع الخيوظ المبعثرة , فتتضح لك الصورة , حتى تستسعر جمال الرواية ورونقها ... More...

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Nov 11, 2011

Amblingbooks.com marked it as to-read

"Gloriously shifty puzzle-fiction whose resolution is much less important than the kaleidoscopic journey towards it." - Kirkus Reviews

Listen to Dermaphoria on your smartphone.

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Aug 03, 2011

Miki rated it:

If you don't mind a bit of a mind-fuck then this book is about as good as they come. The characters and the story are brilliantly woven together. I was so sad when this book was over because I wanted to just keep reading it forever.

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May 09, 2010

Tlnorz rated it:

This is one of those strange reads where I really didn't like the main character at all but had to keep reading to see if what I thought had happened, had happened. It's not everyone's kind of book, but it was surely worth reading.

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Mar 11, 2009

Erin rated it:

Not as good as contortionist handbook but sort of the same lost, confused, amnesiatic, possibly on drugs, main charactor. I felt at times the author was trying way too hard to create a beautiful line that it ended up sounding pretentious. Like chewing up light bulbs and firefly's to recreate the feeling of heartbreak in his mouth.

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Sep 15, 2011

Gary rated it:

The spelling errors, so invisible to spellcheck software, suggest that no human involved in the production of this book ever bothered to read it...

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Nov 28, 2010

Neospooky rated it:

Again, Craig Clevenger is incredible. The man is the yardstick by which transgressional fiction writers should measure themselves.

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Feb 24, 2010

Richard rated it:

His second book, such rich sensations, a powerful, riveting story, and the questioning of reality abounds. A fantastic read.

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Nov 10, 2010

Charles Dee rated it:

Clevenger takes the familiar noir scene in which "the hero is given drugs," and spins it into a novel. The story, told by a drug-addled amnesiac who faces both a court date and a hit team from his former boss, is enjoyably seamy from the start and gets only more so the more the reader finds out. The transition the propels the novel to its conclusion seems abrupt, but the discoveries it provides hold up to bring the crazy story to it conclusion. Everyone seems to agree that this is not More...

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