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smalltimereads) wrote2021-07-25 11:46 am
smalltimereads) wrote2021-07-25 11:46 am
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Post: The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw
The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw will be published by Erewhon Books on September 7 of this year. I received a copy of it through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Also- finally done with the ARCs I requested and will never go on a spree again.
The All-Consuming World throws you into the deep end from the get-go. It's confusing at first, especially if, like me, you pick it up on four hours of sleep, but once you pick things up it's very cool. Khaw doesn't hand-hold you through a lot of explanations, which works on a meta level because this is not a story with a lot of holding hands.
The All-Consuming World is about getting the band back together for one last adventure, only the band does not want to get back together. It's about a woman realizing she's trapped in a toxic relationship and that there are other options. It's about a bunch of ex- and current mercenary assholes up against massive machines who want them dead.
I love the prose, which is very atmospheric (although the word I keep thinking of is 'flavorful' so maybe it's that, too?). It's violent and often stream-of-conscious in a way that works for the characters and world here. It creates an air of mess and violence and anger that really is half the story. I also liked the switching between pronouns for Verdigris!
There were some things I was less into- the book feels simultaneously too long and too short. I enjoyed the last scene, but I also didn't realize it was the last scene until I scrolled to the next page and it was blank. It felt like it could have been a tighter novella or a longer book. The mission was perhaps less important than the character work, but at times that lack of importance was more obvious than others.
Overall, though, I enjoyed the story, and I will look out for other stuff by Khaw in the future! Their tastes line up with mine a lot.
The All-Consuming World throws you into the deep end from the get-go. It's confusing at first, especially if, like me, you pick it up on four hours of sleep, but once you pick things up it's very cool. Khaw doesn't hand-hold you through a lot of explanations, which works on a meta level because this is not a story with a lot of holding hands.
The All-Consuming World is about getting the band back together for one last adventure, only the band does not want to get back together. It's about a woman realizing she's trapped in a toxic relationship and that there are other options. It's about a bunch of ex- and current mercenary assholes up against massive machines who want them dead.
I love the prose, which is very atmospheric (although the word I keep thinking of is 'flavorful' so maybe it's that, too?). It's violent and often stream-of-conscious in a way that works for the characters and world here. It creates an air of mess and violence and anger that really is half the story. I also liked the switching between pronouns for Verdigris!
There were some things I was less into- the book feels simultaneously too long and too short. I enjoyed the last scene, but I also didn't realize it was the last scene until I scrolled to the next page and it was blank. It felt like it could have been a tighter novella or a longer book. The mission was perhaps less important than the character work, but at times that lack of importance was more obvious than others.
Overall, though, I enjoyed the story, and I will look out for other stuff by Khaw in the future! Their tastes line up with mine a lot.