Customer Reviews

Kleinzeit

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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Russell Hoban, who died just recently, was without question one of the most imaginative fiction writers of the 20th century, and while it is his 4th adult novel (and his crowning masterpiece) "Riddley Walker" that is most often cited as his best work, it is all too easy to overlook his previous magical, magnificent novels, which is why I wanted to stake a claim for the lesser know "Kleinzeit" as his most enjoyable novel, bringing together (as it does) his gift for storytelling, his fabulous playfulness with language and ideas, his wonderful facility with visual and literal puns, all set in his unique re-imagining of London. For anyone who has read "Kleinzeit", travel on the London Underground (Subway) will never be the same again! It you've heard about this fantastic writer but are daunted at the thought of dealing with the strange, made-up language of "Riddley Walker", try this first. I guarantee that, if you like your literary fiction on the rare side, then you'll be hooked for life.

This is simply a great novel. A good, quick read, but heavy and rich like a delicious cake. So many layers and interesting nuance. And the language is great, a little "British" here and there but nothing too bad. I think Hoban's themes are pretty constant, and this book follows those pretty well, but it really is fantastic. Loved this one.

Quite simply the best, most mysterious, other-wordly book I've read. And re-read. Times 4. Kleinzeit, protagonist and smalltime Hero, lives in a numinous universe populated by characters such as Sky, Hospital, Bed, Death, etc. Excellent.