Acceptance - Bøkur.fo

352 pages

English language

Published Dec. 20, 2015 by HarperCollins Publishers Australia.

View on OpenLibrary

(2 reviews)

1 edition

Johnny reviewed Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

A synthesis of mysteries

4 stars

A worthy conclusion to the trilogy. It ties together the mysteries of the previous two books, but leaves open the meaning of the big picture. While there were some pointers as to what Area X actuallly is, I was longing for a bit more material to make sense of it. It makes sense that we can never fully understand it, but I will admit it leaves me slightly unsatisfied.

I wasn't a huge fan of the changing perspectives, although I saw their benefit for the narrative.

In general, a bit of the spark of the first two entries was lost for me here – not because Acceptance was worse, but because of the immense increase in available context from the other books to guide you through what's happening, reducing the unsettling nature somewhat. Which isn't to say Acceptance doesn't make you feel uneasy. It certainly does.

sifuCJC reviewed Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

How can I be coherent about a story that is about confusion?

4 stars

This is a review about the whole series since the success of this final book is completely dependent upon how it resolves. And it does conclude well. Of course in a jittery, amorphous plot, nothing will be completely resolved, but that's what you expect. If it were tied up nicely, it would be a cop-out, a Disney-fication. If you like the first book, continue through the rest of the series.

If, like I usually enjoy, you are looking for an emotional story, then you will be disappointed. I already knew VanderMeer's propensity toward the plot-driven, so I expected it. But I only lost the thread in the last part of the second book. The first and last are strongly consistent.

There are some really neat things done with these books. You do get to know the characters well despite the bouncing around in space and time. And the prose can …

This is a review about the whole series since the success of this final book is completely dependent upon how it resolves. And it does conclude well. Of course in a jittery, amorphous plot, nothing will be completely resolved, but that's what you expect. If it were tied up nicely, it would be a cop-out, a Disney-fication. If you like the first book, continue through the rest of the series.

If, like I usually enjoy, you are looking for an emotional story, then you will be disappointed. I already knew VanderMeer's propensity toward the plot-driven, so I expected it. But I only lost the thread in the last part of the second book. The first and last are strongly consistent.

There are some really neat things done with these books. You do get to know the characters well despite the bouncing around in space and time. And the prose can be both technical and poetic. It also gives the reader the feeling of what it might be like to loose one's self in the world; not a comfortable feeling but very interesting.

Subjects

Fiction, science fiction, general