Rating: 
Summary: A disturbingly entertaining read that stays with you.
Review: ______________________________________________
Fluff or not? Not
______________________________________________Isserly - a mysterious creature with whom Faber makes it frighteningly easy to identify. Isserly's world - a place much like our own - and yet? Nothing, not even reading the entire book, will settle all the questions which arise in the first chapter and this is a journey not easily forgotton. Faber unflinchingly strips Isserly naked paragraph by paragraph and somehow manages to do the same to the reader - leaving us feeling completely resigned, utterly alone, but somehow not entirely hopeless - like Isserly. +: poetic, mysterious, unpredictable, immaginative, dark, thought provoking, and disturbing with a sense you can't easily shake.
warning: frustratingly (but rightly) inconclusive
Rating:
Summary: Dark and sinister!
Review: Michel Faber sees darkness in nearly everything. The success of Under the Skin illustrates this fact. The writing (dark, stark, ambitious), the setting (Scotland) and the plot (a very determined woman looking for a few good men -- so to speak) enthralled me from beginning to end. This isn't just a "psychosexual drama," as one critic implied. This is one of the darkest and most disarming novels out there. The language is rather strange, but that's what drew me to read it in the first place. I'm sure there will be comparisons to Faber's earlier work, but all of his novels have different goals. Under the Skin is sheer dark delight. Magical realism is thrown in for good measure. Faber shows us that thought-provoking and sinister literature is timeless.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely weird, definitely worth reading
Review: A quick, easy read (I read it all in one day's time in between the rest of my life). I won't give out details b/c you have to go into this one not knowing the story. But Faber's writing is quite interesting in this case in that he gives you a certain amount of information, you draw your own conclusions, but as the story unfolds, you realized you were wrong. A bit more information, and you're building yet another idea of what's happening and then it twists again, just like the roads she's driving along.
I didn't find it extremely scary or depressing, but it makes you think without getting preachy (don't ask, you just have to read it).
A great storyteller, and master of description, I can't wait to take on Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: I read The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber and loved it. I was wowed enough to read another of his works, Under the Skin, but man was I in for a shocker! This book is weird. I don't mean different or unusual but just weird. If you read what is on the book jacket, you get a feeling for what you think the book is about, but these aren't "ordinary" characters. Some pages I couldn't even read--they were too horrific. If you like gruesome science fiction, then this book is for you. If you were interested in another book similar to The Crimson Petal and the White, keep lookin'!
Rating:
Summary: Unique and disturbing
Review: This is a very dark, brooding, and mostly depressing--but nevertheless--extremely well written novel. Faber's style borders on the poetic at times and he writes with confidence for such an inexperienced novelist (I believe this was his first book). Part of the book is a detective story, and Faber reveals only what is needed to keep you guessing and moving along until he finally springs the surprising and grisly secret on you. It would be all to easy to label the book misanthropic also, because of all the unattractive and unprepossessing people who are abused and killed in it, were it not for the book's anti-vivisectionist message. I note Faber's bio includes a stint as a professional medical guinea pig. No doubt that had something to do with this. :-) Some readers will no doubt note the similarity of this plot element to the classic "V" science-fiction series from the 80's, but I didn't mind that too much. The story is mostly an exploration of the main character's miserable existence and consciousness, and how she relates to the plight of the humans who are being captured and prepared for export. I don't want to tell you anything more than that. Overall a very unusual and disturbing novel. I look forward to what Faber will do next.
Rating: 
Summary: Creepy
Review: This was one of the most disturbing and creepy novels I have ever read, reflecting humanity in it's most terrifying capacity. There seemed to be subtle arguments for vegetarianism littered through the novel also. It was excellent, the only problem was it does drag in spots and not everything is fully explained. I would recommend reading it all at once and not over several months though, or you'll probably lose a lot of the gory comparisons and the point of the story. It's worth it in the end.
Rating:
Summary: A winding road in the rain.....
Review: This won't be a spoiler review, so you won't learn much about the plot, but it is a terrific and haunting book to read. Faber states in his introduction that he wanted to write a book to celebrate the beauty of the planet, question our treatment of animals, and pay homage to a castle in Scotland where he lived while he wrote this book. He does all three beautifully, centering around the main character, Isserley, and her mission. Isserley drives the winding Scottish country roads a lot, and you'll hear the swish of car wheels on wet pavement as you read. You'll feel the heavy raindrops fall from trees that overhang the road. You'll be amazed by snow and it's crystalline miracle. You'll be grateful for the natural beauty of our planet, and you'll ask yourself what you are doing in your life to preserve it. If I could, I'd read this book in a rain forest, and let the sound of falling rain accompany each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Vegetarians will love this book
Review: What I enjoyed most was the utterly subtle shift between a commenplace mystery into a full-blown mindblowing sci-fi thriller. It snuck up on me. One minute I'm calmly reading, waiting for the climax I felt coming.... next thing I know my jaw's on the floor and my eyes are bulging. This is one of those strange little books that you're not entirely sure who will enjoy it, but you push it on everyone you know in the chance that they'll like it.
Rating:
Summary: great writing, so-so story
Review: I give this book a mixed review. On the plus side, I can't remember the last time when I enjoyed a book just for the sheer mastery of its writing. On the negative side, this story will be nothing new to anyone who has read science fiction in the last thirty or forty years. In fact, the aliens don't seem that advanced intellectually or psychologically, and the writer glosses over some major plotholes (e.g., how do the aliens escape detection, especially over such a long period of time?). If this is meant as satire then, well, I guess I don't really get it. Perhaps next time he'll find a story equal to his talents.
Rating:
Summary: Why Isn't This Book Better Known?
Review: Tremendous! Over the first half of this great book Michel Faber sloooowly plays out the setting, gradually answering your question of "What's going on here?" His mastery of tone and exposition is really something for a first-time author. When you finally understand the story's context, for the second half of the book Faber explores the main character Isserley's gradually arrived-at decisions about her own future, which emerge from her bitterness at her own past experiences. I know, I know, that doesn't seem to tell you much, but this is one of those books whose plot cannot be revealed in any detail -- you just have to read it! Told in wonderful prose, the book really sweeps you along. Yeah, I really couldn't put it down. It functions on so many levels, as social critique, as suspense thriller, and as fantasy. As my review title says, why isn't it better known? I can easily envision it as a "cult classic" for years to come.
|
