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zoeelizabethk 's review for:
The Seventh Perfection
by Daniel Polansky
Wow, I'm both so happy and a little shocked that The Seventh Perfection worked for me! Imagine playing one of those older style PC click adventure/mystery games. You know, the ones where you walk up to people and they act as if you have talked to them, but you don't choose your words. The Seventh Perfection is sort of like that.
You (the reader) are Manet, a highly-trained slave of the God-king. And Manet is going through the novel looking for answers about something, and the entire novella is various people talking to Manet. I cannot really tell you much more about the plot without spoiling things. But it's basically a sci-fi(ish) mystery novella that immerses you into the story in a unique and very compelling way.
It is in 2nd person, which I know for some people is pretty much going to be a non-starter, but I really think you should give it a try anyway! I requested the ARC because the premise sounded super interesting. Then I found out about the 2nd person and I kind of freaked out. But it ended up not being like most 2nd person books I've tried.
And, wow, Daniel Polansky has blown me away, because even though you only every get one side of the conversation, there is a fully fleshed-out world and sense of place and atmosphere that is revealed to you by the end. While The Seventh Perfection is only about 175 pages, I really recommend that you take a little time to read this novella, because it will be a much better experience if you allow yourself to question and discover along with Manet, and to fill in those dialogue gaps for yourself.
I think Polansky has done a MASTERFUL job inviting the reader to participate in the story while not sacrifing on ideas, worldbuilding, and nuance. I think really focusing in on the mystery element made it feel more like a game and I was much more invested. No question that this is rather experimental, but The Seventh Perfection is an absolutely immersive reading experience, and I already want more stories like this. 4.5/5 stars.
Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
You (the reader) are Manet, a highly-trained slave of the God-king. And Manet is going through the novel looking for answers about something, and the entire novella is various people talking to Manet. I cannot really tell you much more about the plot without spoiling things. But it's basically a sci-fi(ish) mystery novella that immerses you into the story in a unique and very compelling way.
It is in 2nd person, which I know for some people is pretty much going to be a non-starter, but I really think you should give it a try anyway! I requested the ARC because the premise sounded super interesting. Then I found out about the 2nd person and I kind of freaked out. But it ended up not being like most 2nd person books I've tried.
And, wow, Daniel Polansky has blown me away, because even though you only every get one side of the conversation, there is a fully fleshed-out world and sense of place and atmosphere that is revealed to you by the end. While The Seventh Perfection is only about 175 pages, I really recommend that you take a little time to read this novella, because it will be a much better experience if you allow yourself to question and discover along with Manet, and to fill in those dialogue gaps for yourself.
I think Polansky has done a MASTERFUL job inviting the reader to participate in the story while not sacrifing on ideas, worldbuilding, and nuance. I think really focusing in on the mystery element made it feel more like a game and I was much more invested. No question that this is rather experimental, but The Seventh Perfection is an absolutely immersive reading experience, and I already want more stories like this. 4.5/5 stars.
Thanks to Tor and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.