Only Forward
by Michael Marshall Smith | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
ISBN: 0553579703 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 0553579703 Global Overview for this book
2 journalers for this copy...
I debated about what rating to give this book because even now, a few years after I first read it, I'm still not sure whether I liked it or not. I can say this with absolute honesty -- it is one of the strangest books I have ever read.
I liked the first half. It started out seeming like a fun hard-boiled P.I.-type novel set in a zany science fictional alternate universe, filled with action and wacky hijinks. In this world, everthing is divided into different neighborhoods. There's Action Center, where everything is all about business and being productive; Color, where artists live and experiment with, you guessed it, color; Red Neighborhood, where you can get anything you want if you've got enough money; and so on. Everyone is divided into these little sub-sections of humanity and almost no one ventures outside of their little corner of it. All you know is your Neighborhood. I liked the concept of the Neighborhoods, and the author certainly seemed to have a lot of fun with it. But that's just the tip of the iceburg.
Every other novel I've ever read follows a pattern. A roadmap, if you will. Once you've read the first few chapters; once you know what kind of book you've got, you know in general where it will end up. You may not know all the twists and turns of the plot, but you're familiar with the general landscape. Not so with Only Forward. This book ended in a completely different place than it began. It began with wacky hijinks and wisecracking P.I.s, but it ended...somewhere else entirely. I don't what to be more specific than that, so I don't spoil it for unsuspecting readers out there. I'm still not sure if I'm glad I went there, but it was interesting, without a doubt. Original, unquestionably. Intense, with plenty of food for thought.
At the beginning of this review, I said I wasn't sure what to rate this book because I wasn't sure if I liked it. I'm still not sure. But I gave it an 8 because I didn't dislike it, and I still think about it and ponder the issues it raised to this day. Only Forward is unusual. It stays with you. It's worth a read for that alone.
I liked the first half. It started out seeming like a fun hard-boiled P.I.-type novel set in a zany science fictional alternate universe, filled with action and wacky hijinks. In this world, everthing is divided into different neighborhoods. There's Action Center, where everything is all about business and being productive; Color, where artists live and experiment with, you guessed it, color; Red Neighborhood, where you can get anything you want if you've got enough money; and so on. Everyone is divided into these little sub-sections of humanity and almost no one ventures outside of their little corner of it. All you know is your Neighborhood. I liked the concept of the Neighborhoods, and the author certainly seemed to have a lot of fun with it. But that's just the tip of the iceburg.
Every other novel I've ever read follows a pattern. A roadmap, if you will. Once you've read the first few chapters; once you know what kind of book you've got, you know in general where it will end up. You may not know all the twists and turns of the plot, but you're familiar with the general landscape. Not so with Only Forward. This book ended in a completely different place than it began. It began with wacky hijinks and wisecracking P.I.s, but it ended...somewhere else entirely. I don't what to be more specific than that, so I don't spoil it for unsuspecting readers out there. I'm still not sure if I'm glad I went there, but it was interesting, without a doubt. Original, unquestionably. Intense, with plenty of food for thought.
At the beginning of this review, I said I wasn't sure what to rate this book because I wasn't sure if I liked it. I'm still not sure. But I gave it an 8 because I didn't dislike it, and I still think about it and ponder the issues it raised to this day. Only Forward is unusual. It stays with you. It's worth a read for that alone.
I lent this to huntersmith, a friend of mine and a fellow BC'er.
Just found this. I'll be reading this and getting it back to SheWhoReads asap.
This is actually an astounding book. I was wrong about the ending twice--not something that happens often. However, it has a definite metaphysical/philosophical component that I'm not sure if I followed properly. And I have to admit I was skimming those parts by the end because it was slowing down the action.
Donating to Better World Books.
