Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful On So Many Levels, 27 Feb 2007
It's difficult to know where to begin when describing The Raw Shark Texts. There's a temptation to make a "fugue state" styled pun then jump straight into discussing the technical aspects of the novel, but the thing that sets it aside, the thing that makes it stand out from other literary fiction, is THAT IT'S FUN. The joy of this book is that you can paddle in its shark infested waters at a depth YOU feel comfortable with because the writer has somehow managed to construct a text which feels instantly personal - it is skillful not showy, it is metered not forced, and because of this you cannot help but get involved and have a bloody good time. There will be a lot of other great reviews I'm sure (because this is set to become a cult classic) but don't be put off if many end up sounding like a Raw Shark thesis - this is a technically exciting novel, but it's the love and loss themes and the simple pleasure of being guided by such an able writer that make The Raw Shark Texts a fantastic book.
The Mark Z. Danielewski comparison is a good one, but for me House Of Leaves became overly interested in technical showmanship and at times the writing craftsmanship suffered; this is infinitely more enjoyable.... a MUST BUY novel for anyone who enjoys a great first edition, and a stunning debut to boot.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just let it wash over you, 14 May 2007
Oh my God! This is his FIRST book? This story is absolutely stunning, and kept me awake into the small hours finishing it. then awake for a few more hours ruminating on the story. Finally I decided - don't try and analyse the plot or the characters - the whole thing is a stream of consciousness. Of course there are holes in the plot; naturally there are inconsistencies; fortunately there are numerous ambiguities. These "faults" are the whole point and part of the total reading experience. Don't look for tidy plotting and a neatly presented ending that ties up all the loose ends - the story is not constructed like that. The whole thing is an absolute gem, and if you can't follow it, or don't understand it, then you need to get out more.
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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A unique, intellectually exciting, bloody brilliant novel, 26 Mar 2007
When is the last time you read an "I woke up with amnesia" novel that was actually original and unique? Probably never - unless you've read Steven Hall's debut novel, The Raw Shark Texts. Hall totally unleashes the power of words and memories in the form of a Ludovician, a powerful conceptual fish that swims in the streams of human experience and communication, a devourer of memories that, should it focus on one specific individual, will not stop pursuing that unlucky victim until he has taken everything that made that individual the person he/she was. A person's only real defense against this most relentless of pursuers is the establishment of a non-divergent conceptual loop, a bubble in the pathways of human interaction that hides the individual from the tell-tale signs of cause and effect. No matter how many words and concepts you wrap around yourself, though, you can't hide forever, not from this predator.
Eric Sanderson wakes up, face down on the carpet, with no self-identity or personal memories - but he does have a note instructing him to immediately call a Dr. Randle for help. According to the doctor, his is a rare case of disassociative disorder mixed with psychotropic fugue, its root cause tracing back to the death of a lover named Clio Aames two years earlier. Eric's former self is forgotten but not exactly gone, however, as letters from the First Eric Sanderson arrive almost daily. Eric ignores these communications on Dr. Randle's orders - until, that is, a most frightening and unexplainable event shakes the foundations of his newly rekindled world. Learning of the Ludovician-based danger he is in, Eric eventually sets off to retrace his former self's steps in an attempt to find the one man who might be able to help him, the mysterious Dr. Trey Fidorous. The First Eric Sanderson, we learn, had been obsessed with finding a way to undo Clio's death, and his desperate efforts to do so (with the help of Dr. Fidorous) led him to a hole in un-space, but rather than save his beloved he managed to unleash the text shark that now pursues the Second Eric Anderson.
Think of un-space as the unknown labyrinth beneath us and the abandoned locations hidden throughout the world around us. It's not an easy place to find, especially if you're on your own and all you have are assorted fragments of your former self's past and a coded manuscript you are still trying to decipher. You need help, and Eric eventually finds such help in the person of Scout, a mysterious character in and of herself - for a vast number of reasons. As Eric's quest intensifies, concept comes to trump reality, setting the stage for a conclusion that may push the limits of some readers' disbelief too far but will delight those with a strong literary imagination who yearn for something different. Hall's daring and experimental way of presenting the Ludovician's approach to the story's final battle was rather brilliant, if you ask me.
I've barely touched the surface when it comes to the depth and intellectual range of this most unusual novel. It's so different that I can't even begin to do it justice. It's just as emotionally powerful as it is intellectually abstract, and it serves up quite an action-packed conclusion. Action, intrigue, mystery, romance, coded messages, conceptual sharks - this novel really has it all, and its creativity and originality more than make up for any slight plot-related missteps along the way. I daresay you've never read anything quite like The Raw Shark Texts.
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