Dear Cannonball Readers: I am so sorry. I voted for The Devourers for this Book Club Read. I thought it looked awesome.
I hated it.
This review is a two-star review. Because yes, I hated it, but the end was just okay. It finally picked up. Something finally happened. There was a point. The point was aggravating and boring and seriously not worth it, but it was finally there.
These shapeshifters are full of some damn nonsense. You’re a superior creature, but your social rules don’t evolve? You live with the souls of your victims inside you, but you don’t have any empathy for them whatsoever? Oh wait, you do? Because you and basically every other shapeshifter that isn’t a red coat extra in the story is an outlier? You consider yourself superior to humans, but you’re subject to pettiness and shunning? Et cetera.
The book takes great pains to ensure that the rules of this world are clear to the reader. Such great pains, in fact, that about the first nine tenths of the book are devoted to laying them out for us, so that when there finally is some PLOT in the final tenth of the book, we can apply those rules as they have been explained to us. Just, shut up, and tell the story, man.
Anyway, it’s essentially the story of a young prostitute several centuries ago in what is now India being raped by an ancient shapeshifter because he has some kind of desire to procreate even shapeshifters don’t do that. She gets pregnant, and teams up with the rapist’s best friend who is in love with “him” (SHAPESHIFTERS TRANSCEND GENDER, FYI, DON’T FORGET, THEY’RE BETTER THAN YOU EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE ALSO RAPISTS), who has some sort of impulse to find him even though by the rules of their shapeshifter society, he has to be exiled now. He thinks he’s in love with her even though he doesn’t know her and never listens to her about what she wants or needs or likes (don’t get me started on this, ever, in any medium). She doesn’t know what she wants, but she does know that she’s mad as hell and definitely not going to take it anymore except that she’s seeking him out because question mark?
Anyway, it’s garbage nonsense, and woman-as-vessel-for-baby as only a southern Congressman could do better. As horror, it’s a paper airplane that can’t catch air. I’m sorry I voted for it, and subjected us all to it. That said, I won’t abstain from the vote for the next Book Club Read, because democracy.
Oh man, I loved this book. I was thrilled when it was chosen so I’d have the chance to discuss it. Fascinated to see how the rest of the reviews shake out and if I’m going to be the outlier.
Me too! I was very nervous to post such a negative review, because what if I missed something AMAZING. So looking forward to the discussion!!
“They’re better than you even though they’re also rapists.” Oh man, thanks for the warning!
I mean, just one is technically a rapist. But it’s really insane to me how effectively (to himself) he normalizes his behavior.
It’s alright to vote for something and, with new knowledge, come to regret it. As long as you are actively working to fix your mistake in the future…
LOL!!!
I admit, I didn’t finish it and don’t plan to. I’ll still try to participate in the discussion, but I just couldn’t get into it and didn’t care. Sorry, book club!
I support you!!!
Oh noooo. I was going to start this soon. I hope I like it better than you did, although at least my conscience is clear if I don’t ;D I voted for His Majesty’ Dragon.
And I would have read Temeraire again! But I voted for something new, because there are so many books in the world to read!! And I really thought this could have been amazing.
I voted for this too, and was really excited to start reading it. In the end, I rated it 3 stars, but this was such a divisive read for me. Parts of it bored me so much, whilst other parts had me so enthralled I completely lost track of time. Bits super grossed me out, whilst others fascinated me. The different explorations of shapeshifters and the elements of folklore from different cultures was interesting to me, but for a lot of the story, I was just forcing myself to keep reading to finish the book. It was certainly a very different reading experience for me, and I’m looking forward to the discussion.
Also, in strange coincidences on the internet showing how my worlds collide – I’m almost 99% sure that this book was written by the brother of someone my husband and I befriended on a Hellblazer fan forum back in the day, and who I’ve now met twice when we were in New York (the brother, not the author).
I was most engaged during action moments. The long narration about feelings and history, those were what really lost me, and they shouldn’t have because I really WANTED to know the wheres and hows and whys of it all. But we mostly just got descriptions of people’s greasy lips and curly hair. And, I swear to god, if anyone pissed themselves ONE MORE TIME….!!! :-P