City of Saints and Madmen

I really do love Jeff VanderMeer. But let’s cut to the chase. I didn’t care for this book. I can absolutely see how some people love it. But, it just isn’t for me.

I’m not a big fan of short story collections, to begin with. So, even though I really did try to like this one because of the author, I just found it boring. I love the concept of all stories being tied together with a common thread (the fictional city of Ambergris), and some stories were really great, but most were tedious to me. This makes me a bit sad, honestly. Because creating an entire city, history, inhabitants, events, etc is supremely creative. And I recognize that this book really is unique and interesting. But it just wasn’t for me. That said, I will be reading the rest of the books in the series. I believe they are more spin-offs rather than direct sequels, so maybe those will grab me.