I have loved so many of Cassandra Khaw's other books and short stories, but this didn't feel like her - instead of the punky, rebelliously ornate scifi that I think it was meant to be, it just felt like a mess.

Plenty of other reviewers have covered the points I want to say, so I'll keep this brief, because I hate writing negative reviews for books - no matter what else, writing a book is deeply personal, hard work, and reading is so subjective that just because I didn't like it doesn't make it bad (in most cases - bad books absolutely do exist). But The All-Consuming World feels like Cassandra Khaw attempting Tamsyn Muir and not finding her own voice within it, losing the writing that makes her usually so excellent in the process.

If you're new to the author, don't start here - she's written so many excellent works, and I'd hate for them to be missed if this doesn't catch your imagination.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

On my first try I didn't make it very far into this book, but that was on me - I wasn't in the right headspace for the type of world building that just sort of drops you in the middle of the world and expects you to catch up. However, on my second attempt I finished it and wound up liking it a lot. The Rochelle chapter got me right in the feels and there were parts when I felt I could feel the rage of characters like Maya and Elise viscerally. I had a hard time visualizing some aspects of the book but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. It was a wild ride from start to finish.

✨⭐ 8 stars out of 10 ⭐✨
I've seen reviews saying this book is all vibes and no plot. It is unfortunately, true :(

Keyword: scifi, space opera, far future, transhumanism, cloning, AI, cyberpunk(?), noir(?)
Trigger and content warning: gore and violence, abusive relationship, suicidal imagery
Representations: sapphics, non-binary, genderfluid

REVIEW
At a glance, The All Consuming World is a story about ragtag team of criminals coming back after disbanded to do their final heist. The setting is in far future where spaceship's AIs has gaining sentience and have a hateful relationship with humankind. Add some space queer in it and sprinkles of badassery to spice it up then you got this book.

At thorough read though, it's more than that. Boy, what a CONCEPT this book is. Transhumanism and noir vibes that reminds me to Altered Carbon. Cyberpunk stuffs. Fun and interesting worldbuilding (for me). But mostly, it's about navigating personal hurts and the relationship between the crews.

I like some of the scifi concepts it bring. Like how the cloning technology has changed human's society and the way they are thinking. How it explore the ethics and humanity aspect of cloning. What it takes to be human. The AIs and their community, how they conflict against humankind. About sentience and power. Lots of interesting ideas packed in a small book.

And the characters intrigued me too. Even the side roles. Too bad some of the most important one are not explored more in the story. And I don't really like how the author treat a certain character without bringing closure to her arc.

The Big Minus
Unfortunately, it's a book that is hard to get into. Alas the big turnoff is the prose itself. It's not your typical third person point of view but closer to the character. The character bled to the prose and as result the narrative is too full of swearing. You can find "fuck" and "fucking" in every page and it could take away reading enjoyment.

The next thing is also the author's way of using big, complicated words in a sentence that totally has no meaning at all. Like it try to be flowery but doesn't hit right. You can get used to it, after a while. But for most people it also hinder the enjoyment of reading.

And the last thing, I think this book reads like a short fiction. The author themselves is notorious for their short fictions and maybe it's why the book feels like all vibes and no plot at all. Typical of short fiction. Some might still enjoy it (like I did) but others might dislike it.

In the end, this is a fun book but also really a hit or miss. If I'm being objective, this would be 7.5 or 7.8 (3 stars). But I am biased because I still like the vibes so I rounded it to 8. I would still definitely read another Khaw's book in the future though.

Thank you Netgalley for lending me e-ARC of this book in an exchange of honest review.

Khaw has slowly been turning into an author I need to read everything they write. Unfortunately, this one just did not do it for me. The premise was A+, but the plot was confusing and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Sadly, I DNF at around 50%.

DNF - unfortunately I think Cassandra Khaw's writing isn't for me. I love the ideas behind this, and what I read of the execution was well done, but I couldn't focus on it at all. I think this just isn't for me unfortunately!

The synopsis of The All-Consuming World talks about a diverse team of former criminals, on one last mission. It talks about highly evolved AI who don’t want humans controlling the universe again. It even mentions sapient ageships.
All in all, the synopsis says a lot of things that sound really interesting. Things that completely grabbed my attention and made me know I needed to read this. If you’re anything like me, these things all sound super intriguing to you too.

The problems come in when you actually start the book. The synopsis is written in a way that catches you attention, and also make it clear exactly what you’re reading. The book itself? Not so much. I found this to be one of the most unclear, and unnecessarily wordy books I’ve eve encountered. Verbose in such a way that comes across as pretentious. This is not the first time I’ve read Khaw either so this felt very different to read. Normally, Khaw is still verbose, but in a lyrical, clear way, a writing style that manages to draw you in. The All-Consuming World lacked that feel and it someone managed to read like some sat down with a thesaurus and looked up the biggest and longest option for every word.

Based on other reviews I’ve seen, I’m not the only one who felt like this, and I’m also not the only one who felt utterly baffled by whatever the heck they read. I can’t explain what I read, it feels like I didn’t understand the story at all. So I wish I could give more opinion about the book itself, but I can’t. I was baffled, and it wasn’t the fun read I was expecting from the synopsis.

The prose of this one just wasn't for me—made me unable to picture it in my head, but that's totally a personal qualm and others may find enjoyment in it.

I was very excited about reading The All-Consuming World but unfortunately, it failed to capture my interest and I found the world-building very confusing. I'll still try other books from this author!

I enjoyed this debut novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the idea of the plot. It was such a great scifi novel and I look forward to seeing what Ms. Khaw comes up with next.

The concept of this novel is fascinating and the cover is absolutely gorgeous. The world in which it is set is super interesting and whilst I enjoyed parts of it, I couldn't ever get properly invested and it took me a very long time get through it. I nearly dnf'ed several times but managed to finish it and am glad I did. The characters all read as very similar and there seemed to be a lot of unnecessary little things happen. Very well written though and I'd check out more Cassandra Khaw in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cassandra Khaw is one of 2021's most exceptional authors. As their first full-length published novel, The All-Consuming World is an astonishing and lovingly written tale that continues to prove Khaw's excellence as a unique and upcoming author.

DNF @ 20%

This book wasn't for me. I really tried to like it, but it was just not meant to be. There were too many words that I didn't understand or words that were kind of unnecessary. I was really tired of googling what each word meant, and that's also the reason why I lost interest in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

dnf @ 21%

While this book has some deft descriptive prose and really interesting vocabulary, I just couldn't get into it. I found it hard to make sense of the plot and the characters. The ultra-dense prose turns into a mushy soup that makes it hard to follow the story.

As other reviewers have noted, this book also features a <i>lot</i> of profanity. I have zero issues with profanity in prose—a well-timed 'fuck' can elevate a dialogue to greater heights—but when I have to suffer through a tsunami of repetitive lines like "what the fuckity fuck is your fucking problem" just to find a tiny morsel of plot, something's wrong with the ratio. Another reviewer used the phrase "profanity-as-personality" and I think that's a very apt description of the character Maya.

I did like the crazy vocab Khaw employs in her prose (my dictionary didn't have some of these words, haha! I never hate learning new words), and some of the vivid description peppered around. I think she did a great job portraying a shitty, dystopian, cyberpunk-esque future that I'd hate to live in. But this book isn't for me, unfortunately.

The blurb of this book sounded right up my alley, and the story would have been, too. If I hadn't been so distracted by the writing.

This book has ... words. So many words. It seems the author lost a bet and now needed to incorporate every single word in the Oxford English Dictionary in this one book. Especially the verbs, adjectives and adverbs. I found this very distracting and, frankly, unnecessary. It took a lot away from the story, which could have been told in have the pages and, if you took away all the overuse of language, was unfortunately not that exciting after all.

Which makes me sad, because I did like the premise and the worldbuilding was super interesting. I wish we would have learned more about that. I also liked getting to know the characters one after the other. Unfortunately, the writing took away from both.

The characters did not seem too different from each other, because they all spoke with the same voice and used the same flowery language. On top of that, they didn't really do much in the story, didn't make many decisions that would allow them to show who they were, so they were not very distinguishable. Or maybe they did and I just didn't recognize it beneath all the words. I can get behind one or two characters speaking like that, but all of them? The no-bullshit, down-to-earth killing machine (who's the POV for most of the chapters) that is literally described as "just a weapon" speaks AND thinks like that? I don't believe it.
There were also a lot of spelling mistakes and parts of sentences that will probably be corrected in editing. The pronouns for two of the characters were all over the place, first they were established and then they were constantly misgendered in dialogue and inner monologue. I hope this will be corrected, too.

The worldbuilding I liked a lot, it was something new and interesting and it excited me. But again, do AIs speak and think in flowery language? All right, maybe those AIs are so far evolved from machines that they developed like that, it's her world, her choice. But then add all the references to current pop culture on top of that and I couldn't believe any of it, it didn't make sense.

The story that was there was entertaning and I wish I had gotten more of the characters interacting with each other and the world around them, going through friendship, love, hate, betrayal, and just basic survival in this strange, dangerous world.
But all in all, the writing took away too much for me to enjoy the experience of reading this book.

Thank you to Erewhon books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating, intricately built novel with some amazing worldbuilding and great representation of marginialized identities. I will say that the writing does take some getting used to (this isn't a book that's easily skimmable, by any means), and it was tiring to read sometimes--you need to stay alert to follow Khaw's blend of complex prose, neologistic slang, and noir-ish turns of phrase. It's a lot, and I might've preferred the heavy style more if it were limited to a short story, but reading this in smaller chunks made it enjoyable.

3 stars just because giving it any lower feels wrong.

I wanted to love this so bad. I really, really did, especially since I've been on a sci fi kick for so long so this just felt perfect for me. Looking through other reviews of this book, I would roll my eyes and scoff, because surely they were overreacting.

They were not.

The good: I enjoyed the characters and their dynamic a lot. Despite my big, big, BIIIG issues with the prose, I can't exactly say it was bad or juvenile or unfitting. Also, anything that's just "queer people... IN SPAAACE" gets big pointers for me. Also, the abuse was real and raw and I really connected to Maya's experience.

The bad: Okay, I don't know if english is Khaw's first/native language, but if you handed this book to me, I would assume it was. English isn't my native language but I'm sufficiently fluent, and usually, if I don't know a word I'll just search and move on, but reading this... pretty much required a thesaurus. It just wasn't accessible to me at all, and I know that's a personal flaw, but it was really disappointing and frustrating because I just couldn't picture scenes half the time.

Also, I'm never one to complain about cursing in books (I wrote a fanfic once that culminated with about 100 'fucks' in it), but wow did the fucks feel strangely jarring in this? I'm not sure if it's the combination of the bombastic prose with the cursing. When the only thing you really understand from a paragraph is a character going, like, "Fucking fuck this stupid fucking ship" or whatever, it's kind of hard to connect.

Definitely not enough of a bust to stop myself from reading more of this author, but this one wasn't for me and I'm so upset about it.

A week has passed since I finished The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw, and while I initially had some incredibly conflicted feelings about it, the more I think about this novel, the more I have to admit it is exactly My Brand (TM). The mood is bloody and dark and cyberpunk af, everyone is queer in a variety of ways and no one is fully human, it’s raw and messy, and though some may call it purple, the prose in this novel is rich enough to feast on through several re-reads. No one in the entire cast is without flaw, and Khaw unapologetically leans into those flaws with an alluring combination of the elevated and the lowbrow profane.

Maya, who easily gets the most page time in the novel, compelled me from the start. I have a soft spot for the character archetype of relentless bruiser with deep seated self-esteem issues, especially one who has latched on to a toxic figure as their only sense of self worth, and Maya checks off the whole list. “Strobic rivers of booze, blood, and bad decisions” was one of the many, many lines I highlighted from this novel, and its a fitting depiction of Maya’s character. Each time Maya dies and needs to be placed in a new cloned body, Rita oversees the process. Maya’s intense loyalty to Rita, who was the organizer and mastermind back in the days of the criminals known as the Dirty Dozen, juxtaposed with hyper-awareness of Rita’s abuse and her refusal to change her own character or actions makes for a compelling narrative.

Conversely, we have Rita, the manipulative and sociopathic brains behind the operation. Much like Maya, I probably loved Rita too much for my own good. Touch averse, distant, and calculating, Rita leverages her knowledge and position to exploit Maya and other characters with little to no regard for their well-being. The novel does an excellent job of establishing her as a pristine, untouchable, larger-than-life figure while at the same time indicting her relentlessly through the viewpoints of other characters. She’s compelling in the same way as a train wreck or plane crash; you know she’s awful, yet she still demands your attention every time she’s on page.

The other characters we’re introduced to over the course of the novel also shine in their own rights, though for many I wish more time had been afforded to their character growth. Ayane, Constance, and my personal favourite of genderfluid Verdigris are worth novellas on their own. We also get to see the perspective of an AI in the digital sphere known as the Conversation, which made for highly intriguing, otherworldly chapters.

There were a few elements that didn’t quite work for me. The first and the veritable elephant in the room, if you’ve looked at other reviews: the overwhelming usage of the word ‘fuck’. 674 instances in the 288 pages of my ARC, to be exact. Since the advance copy I received came earlier than usual, I have high hopes maybe some of these usages will be trimmed from the final copy. Don’t get me wrong—I swear like a sailor in real life, and I am wholeheartedly here for filthy, vulgar language. My issue comes mostly in dialogue, where several exchanges read almost verbatim as “Fuck you!”/”No, fuck YOU!” instead of utilizing an opportunity for more character-specific dialogue. (Maya should not be counted in this, as I fully believe profanity is 70% of her vocabulary.) The other element I already mentioned above, where I wish some characters had been afforded more opportunities to take center stage.

Aside from this… y’all, this is the first book I’ve read by Khaw, and they have established themself as an author I will be keeping close tabs on in the years to come. A large percentage of this novel could have been plucked out of the deepest recesses of my id and it satisfied me in a way few books do. I am in awe of the range displayed in The All-Consuming World and, while I think this novel’s tone and content will definitely polarize readers, I am glad to be on the ‘appreciative and inspired’ side.

Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

Initially, I was so confused… and not good confused… just confused… but then, I got accustomed to being confused and it all got better. 🤣

Official title: The All Consuming World
My title: It’s Okay to be a Raging Maniac of the Cosmos
Author: Cassandra Khaw
Publisher: Erewhon
Fav character: Ex-Audra
Type: Book
4.7/5

Space, clones, bots and ghosts… 💁 because, why not?! A final mission we don’t fully understand until the last 60 or so pages of the book. Lots of cursing, screaming, shooting and condescending a**holes. Sexless unrequited love and desire is everywhere and you may need access to a dictionary (which I adooooore),

Pretty Ayane, Mad Maya, Puppet master Rita, Special Dead Johanna, Cagy Elise, Super Audra and Staid Constance, were part of the Dirty Dozen; badass females who made the galaxies quiver, the roaming Minds groan and complain, and the Conversation buzz incessantly. That was 40 years ago… before one of them died-died, before another ended up uploading themselves into the conversation like a persistent parasite and before another settled down with a wife and child.

Forty years ago, the 11 marched to the tune of Rita. Rita, who insisted they kill each other repeatedly to ‘bond’; Rita, who used Maya to violently keep everyone in check; Rita, who didn’t try to save the two who died… now, Rita, is sending her rabid dog Maya, knocking. She is pulling the girls who have survived back together for a mission which may mean the end of them all. A mission that is only clear to Rita, the psychopath.

The two-hundred year old clone refuses and criminals come respectables will fight, claw and bludgeon their way to the edge of space after resisting the deadly pull of Rita. They will lose limbs, have their existence questioned by vastness and be pursued by the most dangerous beings in the universe… GIANT SENTIENT SPACESHIPS WITH WEAPONS… wtf Khaw?! 🤣

A fun read for those who don’t mind lot’s of cursing, random people with temper issues, abstract concepts and nice juicy words. 😁

Cassandra Khaw is a name that has lurked in the back of my mind for a long while now, even though I have never read her other works. A review of one of her previous works exists on the site, and though I didn’t get to those stories (yet), those words ring true about her debut novel, The All-Consuming World.

The story follows a now disbanded crew of outlaws, who were once notorious throughout the galaxy, as they get back together to solve the mystery of why their last heist went so poorly. Maya, the crew’s feral gunwoman, and Rita, the mastermind of the group, find out that a long dead comrade may still be alive, and they set out to gather the rest of the crew for one last mission. They will return once again to the forbidden planet of Dimmuborgir and attempt to find the secret that the AIs of the universe keep hidden there. In the background, the sapient AI that call themselves ageships are running their own schemes, making sure the group fails, and that humanity will never have a chance at controlling the universe again. Can Maya and Rita convince the rest of the crew that their comrade is still alive, and keep tensions between them all mitigated enough to complete one final mission?

Having never read Khaw’s previous works, I can say one thing for certain, she has capital S – Style. While it may not work for some folks, I was completely enamored with her mastery of the English language. While this book is short, it is dense with million dollar words that fit oh so perfectly into every nook and cranny grammar allows. It’s also the most times I’ve seen the word “fuck” and probably some of most creative ways I’ve seen it used. While there are a lot of people who might be put off by Khaw’s exponential use of the word, I found it fascinating because it never became a background word and was tied to a very specific character. On top of that, different points of view had different ways of narrating their experiences, switching between a computer that follows branching ideas and a rabid guard-dog of a woman constantly pulling at her chains with ease. It takes a little getting used to, but Khaw establishes a flow early on and I was swept up in her currents without much of a fight.

If there is one thing heists always need, it’s a colorful cast of characters, and does The All-Consuming World blast through that criteria with reckless abandon. Maya, the character we see most of the story through, is unhinged, ready to kill at a moments notice. Her introductory chapter is one for the books, with an absolute blast of an ending that really sets the tone for the rest of the story. Rita is elusive and manipulative as the group’s founder and leader. She always feels there, without necessarily being present, trying to find the weak points in her crew’s psyche to needle them into their next mission. Verdigris is a showy peacock (fitting that they’re a pop star) hiding from their past in an incredibly ostentatious style. There are several other characters that I could just list here, but I feel it would diminish their stamp on the book to just describe them. Each one is fun and interesting in their own weird way, and somehow feels rounded given how short of a time the reader spends with them.

Khaw introduces tension between the characters in natural ways, allowing pots to stir and stews to simmer until the last possible moment when the last thing the crew needs is personal drama to get in their way. It doesn’t feel contrived, as she strikes the right balance of giving them opportunities to relieve pressure, before they double down and just tamp down their emotions one more time. Some of the characters try to ease the pain and burdens of others, only to be rebuked and create distance. Khaw lets this tension play out in the forming of the plan, and the reforming of the group, delivering fast paced plot interlaced with character development that makes the book always feel as if it’s approaching light speed.

The story itself is tight and focused, feeling like the montage scenes of every heist movie boiled down to their essences. It’s fun, it’s furious, it’s also gruesome. Like the writing, it’s packed to the brim with action, dialogue, and tension. Like a perfectly designed roller coaster, the slight moments of calm are just prelude to the next down slope. What I enjoyed most was how much Khaw made the emotional and material arcs fit together. It wasn’t so much that they lined up as much as they were long time dance partners that knew how each other moved.

My only complaint with the novel is that I wish there was more, but really it felt just right. The worldbuilding is just enough to make the mystery of Dimmuborgir worth solving. The characters and their internal dynamics are pitch perfect. The action is well written, fleshed out with colorful language. There are tender moments and there are gruesome ones. It’s the complete package in a small, thoroughly enjoyable book. It’s hard to quantify this sort of thing, but this might be one of the best books I have read this year so far.

Rating: The All-Consuming World 10/10
-Alex