Bats of the Republic
This is an extraordinary work – a complex and rather beautiful mixed media project telling a tale of the past and the future through letters, drawings, transcripts, telegrams, and other documents bound together with not-quite-standard storytelling. In the past, a young man undertakes a journey to prove himself worthy of the girl he loves; in the future, his descendant struggles to find his place in a controlled and controlling society where all documents are secured by the government and bloodlines are all.
I wish I could have connected with the story. I felt distanced from it; I only had a limited time to read it, as it was a downloaded e-pub from Netgalley (received in exchange for an honest review, thanks!), and I wound up skimming most of it. It's all very beautifully designed… I'm sure there were all sorts of layers I missed; it feels like this was one of those books that layer in anagrams and puzzles and hidden clues and whatnot. Nick Bantock – that's who this reminded me of.
So: no, I didn't read it, but I think I experienced enough to appreciate it. It's definitely worth investigating – in a paper edition, I think, or a more interactive digital version; the e-pub didn't quite cut it.
I wish I could have connected with the story. I felt distanced from it; I only had a limited time to read it, as it was a downloaded e-pub from Netgalley (received in exchange for an honest review, thanks!), and I wound up skimming most of it. It's all very beautifully designed… I'm sure there were all sorts of layers I missed; it feels like this was one of those books that layer in anagrams and puzzles and hidden clues and whatnot. Nick Bantock – that's who this reminded me of.
So: no, I didn't read it, but I think I experienced enough to appreciate it. It's definitely worth investigating – in a paper edition, I think, or a more interactive digital version; the e-pub didn't quite cut it.
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