Magnesium replied to Wild Woila's status
@wildwoila This is considered as a masterpiece in France, but honestly, I never really understood the hype around it neither...
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Magnesium reviewed L'âme de l'Amérique by Sylvie Brieu
Terre d’aventures et de liberté, l’Ouest américain fascine avec ses grands espaces, les traditions de …
Road trip dans le Montana
3 stars
A travers ce livre, Sylvie nous invite à la suivre dans son voyage à travers le Montana et à rencontrer tout une série de personnages hauts en couleur.
A travers les différentes étapes de son voyage, on a l'occasion de comprendre que cet état est vraiment extraordinaire en ce qu'il est sauvage et repose sur un équilibre entre l'environnement et l'homme différent de ce qui existe ailleurs. On a l'occasion de voir comment cet équilibre est menacé et comment ses habitants se mobilisent pour le préserver, voire le restaurer.
Une force de ce livre est notamment de mettre en lumière et donner la voix à des membres de tribus indiennes. On a ainsi l'occasion de voir que les plaies infligées par les colons sont loins d'être de l'histoire ancienne et ne sont certainement pas refermées. Il est également de voir que leur relation avec la nature est fondamentalement différente du …
A travers ce livre, Sylvie nous invite à la suivre dans son voyage à travers le Montana et à rencontrer tout une série de personnages hauts en couleur.
A travers les différentes étapes de son voyage, on a l'occasion de comprendre que cet état est vraiment extraordinaire en ce qu'il est sauvage et repose sur un équilibre entre l'environnement et l'homme différent de ce qui existe ailleurs. On a l'occasion de voir comment cet équilibre est menacé et comment ses habitants se mobilisent pour le préserver, voire le restaurer.
Une force de ce livre est notamment de mettre en lumière et donner la voix à des membres de tribus indiennes. On a ainsi l'occasion de voir que les plaies infligées par les colons sont loins d'être de l'histoire ancienne et ne sont certainement pas refermées. Il est également de voir que leur relation avec la nature est fondamentalement différente du mode de raisonnement occidental et qu'ils pourraient bien être une aide, voire nos guides, dans les temps qui suivent pour équilibre de société prenant vraiment en compte notre environnement.
Le seul point qui m'a rebuté dans ce livre est la narration, qui oscille entre un lyrisme très marqué et des discussions qui ressemblent vraiment à des entretiens journalistiques. Ce mélange curieux a rendu ma lecture de ce livre fastidieuse. A cela s'ajoute la frustration de s'entendre dire que c'est un endroit qu'il faut ressentir, qu'on peut que le vivre, ce qui est agaçant quand on est soi-même à l'autre bout du monde en train de le lire au milieu de sa banlieue...
Magnesium reviewed Fatherland by Robert Harris
What if the nazis had won ?
5 stars
Of course, when the scenario involves a different world in which the nazis won, one probably thinks about the novel "Man in the high castle" from Philip K Dick. Or maybe not, I don't know, I think it's a classic.
There are two strong points in this novel. First, the plot itself which grows in intensity until it reaches its peak, both in suspense and emotion. By the way, please don't read the book's description in other versions of this book on Bookwyrm. It very very very stupidly spoils the entirety of the plot in 2 sentences. I'm glad I avoided it at first.
Second, you get to watch a world ruled by nazis, and it is very much believable and well thought out. You get to watch power struggles between different branches of the administration, you get to watch a society triumphing in brute force and at the same …
Of course, when the scenario involves a different world in which the nazis won, one probably thinks about the novel "Man in the high castle" from Philip K Dick. Or maybe not, I don't know, I think it's a classic.
There are two strong points in this novel. First, the plot itself which grows in intensity until it reaches its peak, both in suspense and emotion. By the way, please don't read the book's description in other versions of this book on Bookwyrm. It very very very stupidly spoils the entirety of the plot in 2 sentences. I'm glad I avoided it at first.
Second, you get to watch a world ruled by nazis, and it is very much believable and well thought out. You get to watch power struggles between different branches of the administration, you get to watch a society triumphing in brute force and at the same time crushed by its own system. And you almost get the feeling that this is normal, until you are heavily reminded, much like the protagonist, that it is everything but.
Definitely an excellent sci-fi novel, and definitely different from "Man in the high castle", you'll enjoy them for completely different reasons.
Magnesium reviewed La Servante écarlate by Margaret Atwood (Pavillons)
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published in 1985. …
Not so speculative fiction
5 stars
I was warned this book is not a fun one. Indeed it is not.
You get to see the omnipresent fear and violence of a patriarchal surveillance state. You get to see how it got there, little by little, and how it got accepted. The disturbing part is that it is very much believable...
I hadn't seen since Orwell's "1984" the effect of a totalitarian system on an individual so well described, especially at an individual level. You get to see how a single mind resists or breaks when faced with such overwhelming brutal and oppressive environment.
It is definitely worth reading, especially when you keep in mind the fact that Atwood has been censored in several US states.
Magnesium reviewed Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.
Miyamoto Musashi …
The journey of a legendary samurai
What a journey this has been.
I had a break of several years between the first part and the second one so my memories of the beginning are getting blurry. Still, two things made me enjoy this reading.
The first one is the description of the places, the people, their clothing, their way of life, and the atmosphere of the time. I knew nothing of history of Japan and this gave me a vivid, if not historically accurate, glimpse of the life then.
The second one is Musashi himself who you can really see evolve gradually from an excellent swordfighter to more than that. The author fleshes out throughout the book the idea that there is more to being an accomplished samurai than sword technique and I believe this is where the rivalry lies between Musashi and Kojiro.
Magnesium finished reading Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman.
Miyamoto Musashi was the child of an …
Magnesium finished reading The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
This nontechnical description of modern genetics is based on the insight that replicating structures have a built-in drive for self-preservation. …
Magnesium reviewed The warren by Brian Evenson
"The Warren is a tense, thoughtful exploration of a battle for survival between two beings …
What is man? A miserable little pile of secrets.
And there are so many secrets in this little story, with most of them left undiscovered. The author manages to share with us all the confusion and existential dread of the main protagonist. An excellent evening read !
Magnesium finished reading The warren by Brian Evenson
The warren by Brian Evenson
"The Warren is a tense, thoughtful exploration of a battle for survival between two beings with competing claims to humanity."--Publisher's …
Magnesium finished reading Le piège américain by Frédéric Pierucci
Magnesium reviewed Le piège américain by Frédéric Pierucci
Un scandale sans fin
5 stars
Ce livre est un témoignage de première qualité de ce qu'est la guerre économique et des pratiques de gangsters du gouvernement américain en matière de commerce. On pouvait s'en douter, mais c'est une chose de le deviner, et une autre d'en voir un exemple noir sur blanc.
Mais au delà de ce coup de poignard, qui est en définitive la routine des conflits entre états, on reste soufflé par le comportement absolument scandaleux du comité exécutif d'Alstom (surtout de son PDG) et du gouvernement français. On ne peut également qu'avoir des sueurs froides devant l'iniquité totale du système judiciaire américain, une machine à broyer les gens...
A lire absolument si vous portez un minimum d'intérêt à la géopolitique.
Magnesium reviewed Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Up in the clouds
What a book ! There is much to say and yet it is hard to give a coherent summary of what unfolds in this story. The narration is fluid and I was able to swallow this massive book in little time, and yet, NOTHING in this story is written at random. Much like the Diogene theater piece, this book conveys hope and wisdom.
Magnesium finished reading The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood
Magnesium reviewed The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood
Let's have a walk in the woods !
This novel is short and well written. I found in it what also charmed me in Lovecraft's novels like "At the mountains of madness". You are alone in a hostile environment, however, what bothers you the most is : what else is out there besides you ?... I enjoyed this book thoroughly !
Magnesium reviewed Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Stories of Your Life and Others is a collection of short stories by American writer …
Science fiction at its best
This is my favorite format of science fiction : short but thought provoking stories. Surprisingly, the story that gave the name to this book is far from being the best in my opinion. If you want mind-bending novels that are both fun and at the same time disturbing, this book is a must-read.