10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
samsara from all angles, September 26, 2008
Despite a mere 200 pages you too can experience what seems like an epic, multi-volume heap of guilt vomited upon the vulgar vanity with which us humans tuck ourselves in each night. We describe ourselves as civilized, perhaps even progressive, yet in her book The Stone Gods, Jeanette Winterson skillfully reiterates what what we humans are so good at, and obliterates such vanity like a bear would to a sausage pinata.
The problem with us, Winterson reminds, is that for all our abilities, we just can't seem to learn anything from history. This recurring idea is the theme of 3 and 1/2 short stories, vignettes maybe, all intertwined within The Stone Gods. The first story, centering around the newly discovered Planet Blue, deals with a very advanced "civilization" coming to terms with its interplanetary recolonization, or at least it's inevitable effect upon colonization. The second story, a historical speculative taking place on Easter Island, illustrates the more aged impulses involved in worshiping your chosen god while sacrificing your home in the process. The third + 1/2 story deals with our near-future hubris after the inevitable Post-3 War, or a not-so-subtle hint at World War III.
This novel is a brilliantly conceived yet complex mix of science fiction and dramatic literature. It's up to the reader to discern what worlds, time periods, even places Winterson is alluding to, and she does fantastic job of speculating human behavior, if it is indeed human, within each. She grapples with relevant concepts of today such as war, artificial intelligence, global warming, cosmetic enhancement, all the stuff we humans turn toward when we we turn away from ourselves. Our nuance is that we accept how flawed as a species we are, yet we still are too lazy to do anything about it.
Because of this, Winterson unleashes three apocalyptic scenarios upon the reader, both with beauty and inanity. It's a profound exposition on what it means to be human; dare I say it's vividly gonzo. Although it's an excellent book, for me it tended to degrade a bit at the third + story, amounting to more an effort of stream-of-consciousness than a coherent storyline. Here she also gets a little too complex in referring to the book within the story itself.
In any case, this is an imaginative and important work, good for both China Mieville and Cormac McCarthy fans.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
a fast and fun read with aspects of depth and brilliance, May 21, 2008
a pleasant and enjoyable book with powerful ideas sprinkled through that make it well worth reading. while the political issues are timely as the world slides further into the destructive ideology of violence, these are not treated with much depth, nor are the characters very thoroughly crafted. great pushing of conceptual boundaries of sexuality for those who do not live in metropolises where we've seen (done? ;-) it all perhaps. implausible plot points occasionally bordering on silly. that said i'd still recommend it for the interwoven aspects of truly deep, touching, and thought provoking associations between characters and existential concepts.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Three Ways To Threaten Earth, March 29, 2008
Similiar in plot structure with the DVD "The Fountain," "The Stone Gods" has a three part setting of time and space in this apocalyptic warning tale of human self-destruction. Opening 65 million years ago, an advanced human civilization looks for immigration to Earth to escape the ecological damage and wars that plague their planet Orbus. The middle section takes place on Easter Island in 1774 while the finale is set in the future with civilization trying to rebuild among the ruins. The author is the writer of "The Passion" and "Oranges are not the Only Fruit." This book may not be for every reader, as the writing is an acquired taste of brief sentences and paragraphs. But it is a book that will make you think and rue Earth's future.
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