Chris's review
Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
Chris's review
rating:
recommended for: people that like a good sci-fi, thriller, mystery novel now and again
status: Read in November, 2007
rating:
recommended for: people that like a good sci-fi, thriller, mystery novel now and again
status: Read in November, 2007
Talk about blown away--this book had all right things going for it: immediately gripping story; morally ambiguous characters; plenty of psychological and philosophical themes; and enough clever plot twists to keep you guessing until the very last page.
In terms of an overarching theme, it's obvious and it's immediately known: Good versus Evil. But on another level, it's a book about the human conscience and what kinds of things it's capable of. But it's how Ruff colors those terms, how he uses those archetypes of good and evil to explore the gray area underneath them, that really fuels the story along. It's brilliant, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.
If we're talking shop here, and you want to know the truth, this guy creates a fictional dream without a hitch in it. Sure, questions are raised about the "randomness" of story while you're reading, but as much as they seem like part of a crazy woman's delusions, there is always that sense that she might be telling ...more
In terms of an overarching theme, it's obvious and it's immediately known: Good versus Evil. But on another level, it's a book about the human conscience and what kinds of things it's capable of. But it's how Ruff colors those terms, how he uses those archetypes of good and evil to explore the gray area underneath them, that really fuels the story along. It's brilliant, and it's a hell of a lot of fun.
If we're talking shop here, and you want to know the truth, this guy creates a fictional dream without a hitch in it. Sure, questions are raised about the "randomness" of story while you're reading, but as much as they seem like part of a crazy woman's delusions, there is always that sense that she might be telling ...more
