Rating: Summary: Carroll Rip-Off or Trbute? Review: If you've read any of Jeff Noon's other novels, you know that he's maniacally brilliant and quite off-the-wall. Automated Alice doesn't do anything to dissuade readers of that notion.Noon tries, rather successfully in my opinion, to write a third Alice story...one in which she finds herself in present day Manchester, England after climbing through a grandfather clock. Noon uses Carroll's fine use of language and wordplay to create this very entertaining story which does fit into the Manchester he created with Pollen and Vurt. This is a story written as only Noon could write it. Some will say it's a rip-off and a poor imitation of Carroll but I think it's a great tribute and a fun read.
Rating: Summary: A Sweet Treacle...I Mean...Trequel...erm Review: If you've read any other Jeff Noon, you'll realise there are a ton of 'Alice' references in his writing. Being a BIG fan of Carroll's stories I enjoy picking up on these, and when I saw Noon had written a follow-up to Carroll's Alice stories, I was admittedly wary, but intrigued. Clearly the reviewer who wrote a wonderfully detailed review three sentences long has no idea who Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson was, or any concept of use of nonsensical verse, and probably not much appreciation for any sort of wordplay. Honey, you're missing out. 'Automated Alice' is a lovely tied-in sidetrack to the worlds of 'Vurt' and Noon's other novels. If you like either Noon or Carroll (or even better and highly probable - BOTH), chances are you'll like this. It's playful, very funny, and means only well. Don't overanalyze it, or take it too seriously - it's a fun read, and particularly good if you want to kill an hour but not with anything heavy-hitting that requires a high degree of cranial chewing. That's not to say there's nothing to analyze, but you don't have to to enjoy it. After all, that's what fiction's for. I'm sure if Carroll was alive, he'd have a chuckle at this one.
Rating: Summary: A Sweet Treacle...I Mean...Trequel...erm Review: If you've read any other Jeff Noon, you'll realise there are a ton of 'Alice' references in his writing. Being a BIG fan of Carroll's stories I enjoy picking up on these, and when I saw Noon had written a follow-up to Carroll's Alice stories, I was admittedly wary, but intrigued. Clearly the reviewer who wrote a wonderfully detailed review three sentences long has no idea who Lewis Carroll/Charles Dodgson was, or any concept of use of nonsensical verse, and probably not much appreciation for any sort of wordplay. Honey, you're missing out. 'Automated Alice' is a lovely tied-in sidetrack to the worlds of 'Vurt' and Noon's other novels. If you like either Noon or Carroll (or even better and highly probable - BOTH), chances are you'll like this. It's playful, very funny, and means only well. Don't overanalyze it, or take it too seriously - it's a fun read, and particularly good if you want to kill an hour but not with anything heavy-hitting that requires a high degree of cranial chewing. That's not to say there's nothing to analyze, but you don't have to to enjoy it. After all, that's what fiction's for. I'm sure if Carroll was alive, he'd have a chuckle at this one.
Rating: Summary: Wit and intelligence Review: Jeff Noon allegorizes the arts and sciences with the use of some brilliant wordplay. The chapters alternate between laugh-out-loud set pieces and ideas that would make Neal Stephenson turn green with envy, all written in a hilarious style that puts Douglas Adams to shame.
Rating: Summary: What an amusing book! Review: Jeff Noon has done a decent job of writing what could easily be consided a third "Alice" book. Instead of having Alice travel to Wonderland, Noon places her in a very bizarre "modern day" Manchester. Now, having never been to Manchester, I can't say for sure that it is not like what Alice encounters, but let's just say that I'm pretty sure it's not. Regardless, the whole book was oodles of fun, and I was quite sorry to see it end.
Rating: Summary: What an amusing book! Review: Jeff Noon has done a decent job of writing what could easily be consided a third "Alice" book. Instead of having Alice travel to Wonderland, Noon places her in a very bizarre "modern day" Manchester. Now, having never been to Manchester, I can't say for sure that it is not like what Alice encounters, but let's just say that I'm pretty sure it's not. Regardless, the whole book was oodles of fun, and I was quite sorry to see it end.
Rating: Summary: The Trequel Review: Jeff Noon wrote this amazingly entertaining and imaginative book as a trequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Alice suddenly finds herself transported to 1998 Manchester and becomes the prime suspect in the Jigsaw Murders, as she tries to gather the pieces and find her way back home to her own time and reality. As she is escorted on her journey by Celia, an automated version of herself, she makes the acquaintance of many strange creatures, all suffering from Newmonia (not to be mistaken for pneumonia). In true Carroll fashion, Noon uses crazy wordplay throughout often confusing not only the fictitious characters, but the unsuspecting reader as well. I found this book very delightful!
Rating: Summary: Guess it's just me Review: Jeff Noon... I really hadn't read nothing about or from him untill the day my cousin gave me this book. I'm 14 years old and I'm portuguese, but I love everything about the english culture and specially reading books and magazines. When i got this book, I got myself in a challenge. It's quite a big one, and I promised myself that I would finnish it! It wasn't hard as the book is fantastic and I love Alice. The only thing I have to say to everyone is: read it! It's quite an exciting book, easy to read for the non-english speakers, and it's above all good ol' Alice!
Rating: Summary: Mr. Zenith O'Clock wrote another fine book just for me... Review: Jorge Luis Borges said that some books were written for you and others weren't -- if you didn't like a book, it wasn't written for you, so you should put it aside and pick up another. Jeff Noon has written another book just for me -- I liked Vurt and Pollen quite a bit and have been looking for Automated Alice for a while now. I finally found it on a remainder pile at a book outlet and devoured it in a single afternoon (I'm starting it again tonight). Auto Alice is full of references to Vurt, Pollen, Carroll (of course), Borges, Hofstaeder (sp?), and to himself. So, judging from the one star reviews by others, it may not have been written for you, but it is worth checking out from the librarinth...
Rating: Summary: Good bedtime reading... Review: Noon is not Carroll, alas, and his language-play is nowhere as delightful and to-the-point. A very basic adventure-game plot is not even disguised by intolerably frequent - and quite poor - puns and jokes, that make the book almost intolerable to read. I can only recommend it as a sleeping aid: you can't stay awake for more than 2 pages.
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