This wasn't an easy book to read, I couldn't find my pace with it and I ended up not liking it.
I have appreciated the prose.

it wasn't a fun read and it soon became tedious trying to work out what the point of it all was. The premise is good, and I thought I'll enjoy the book but it was too weird and turned out to be some sort of crime thriller and I had no idea what was going on.

I just couldn’t get on with this one, and found it too clever for its own good. Post-modern, experimental? Not sure really but it wasn't a fun read and it soon became tedious trying to work out what the point of it all was. It started off promisingly, with a sci-fi feel to it – weird flesh-eating fish, birds with blood that turns to gold, killer condors made out of insects – but then it all got too weird and turned into a sort of crime thriller and I had no idea what was going on. Perhaps rather than being too clever for its own good, it was just too clever for me….

Really don't know what to make of this book - it is either a very good, cleverly written novel, or it is just a poorly written and edited one. I cannot make up my mind, but am leaning towards the later as it took me so long to read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Whew - this was a tough one. I wanted to stop reading so many times but pressed on. This is definitely a book that I just wasn't smart enough to get - it reads more like a textbook, with multitudes of footnotes, equations, scientific jargon that I just didn't get or even care about. There were some interesting plot lines where I stopped and read more slowly but most of the time I just wanted to be done reading it!

This book got generally good reviews so the fault of not getting it obviously was mine!

Fictional Non-Fiction Fragments and a Crime Novella in Search of a Book

There are a few parts of this book, a few fragments and bits and throwaways, that are so good you are pleased to have read it even though there are substantial stretches that don't really go anywhere. Think of a gifted jazz musician who wanders around on his instrument, but sometimes hits on something true and affecting. Or, maybe better, think of a collection of short pieces with a wide range of hits, misses, and almosts. That's how I found this book.

The book is set up in an unusual fashion. The first third consists of brief pieces, letters, notes, news clippings, narratives, and similar oddities that have little in common except that they all fall into the category of fictional, or made-up, non-fiction. The final two thirds of the book is supposedly a crime thriller, with the hook being that most of the material from the first third ends up being tied into this last part.

I wasn't particularly entertained by the crime thriller. But, that first third has some real gold nuggets if you're willing to pan for it. The opening description of weaver fish is stunning. The giant condors are brilliant. The mad engineer who writes an entire non-fiction book about how to survive a mid-air plane explosion by riding a wing segment safely back to earth is dry and brutal. There are jokes and subtle throwaways and puns and loads of deadpan asides and footnotes. You will read about things and places and events and people who never existed but who feel real and important. This is Borges and post-postmodern territory, and Edeson navigates it with aplomb.

Like most experimental and avant-garde material, some of this works and some doesn't. Some parts feel pat, a little too self-satisfied and precious, or just plain forced. But, when it takes off, it soars. For me, a book that takes big chances and sometimes hits the jackpot is a lot more fun than a book that plays safe. If you like a bit of a playful challenge from time to time, this could be a nice choice.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)