| Title | : | Paperclip (The City-States Cycle) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1946154571 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781946154576 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 148 |
| Publication | : | First published August 17, 2021 |
Paperclip (The City-States Cycle) Reviews
-
Oh goody, I’m the first to review this book. Lovely.
Back to New Babylon and the intriguingly surreal world of Seb Doubinsky’s imaginary city states of a neodystopian future. I’ve actually only read one of these books, the Paperclip’s predecessor, the Invisible, and that alone was enough to merit further interest, so when the publisher offered me a free copy of this book to review I was all for it. The good thing about this series is that while all the books are interconnected, they seem to be perfectly readable as standalones. Each one tells its own story. And each one does it very succinctly, this book only took 100 minutes or so to get through and was well worth a read.
Trivia time… Operation Paperclip was a secret US intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from former nazi Deutschland to the United States for government employment after the end of World War II in Europe, between 1945 and 1959. That’s just so you don’t think this is a novel about office supplies.
In the story, a grandchild of one of these nazis named Klaus Wagner dreams Elon Musky dreams about rescuing mankind by taking them to space. Kurt is your prototypical megalomaniac who echoed his granddaddy politics in some quietly disturbing ways, though seems to be completely unaware of it. Klaus, understandably, rubs many people (his security detail, a famous actress one night stand, etc.) the wrong way, whether they are directly in his life or just know of him, so he ends up being a target of various, variously amusing assassination plots. There’s also a charmingly sentient feathered character for some offbeat commentary. And that’s basically it, an entertaining and clever story, subtly (and darkly) humorous with just the right kind of wacky that the author does so expertly.
All in all, a quick fun read. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely read other books in the series. Might the publisher be so kind as to…? Anyway. This book…just the right kind of weird. Recommended.
This and more at
https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/ -
Full Review
4.5 Stars
Paperclip is an entertaining read, in addition to being an insightful look into modern political problems. This is well-worth picking up. Reading the other City-States novels before this one isn’t necessary, as each one stands on their own, but I know I’ll be checking them out myself. -
An engaging speculative fiction novel. I requested this book because of the intriguing cover design, which I rarely ever do, so kudos to whoever was responsible for it. I was rewarded with interesting worldbuilding, several POV characters (which I always enjoy) and some cool story ideas. Oh, and I love birds, so that helped.
"Paperclip" is not the first novel in Doubinsky's alternate reality universe of competing city-states, but the first one I have read and for me, it totally worked as a standalone. I never had the feeling I was missing some vital information from a previous book. This seems to be the case with all his novels, so if this fictional universe sounds like something you might be interested in, I suggest you chose whichever book appeals most to you.
I found a lot to like about this book. The bird chapters were what I loved most, not just because I like birds, but because I found them to contain the best writing and some very interesting insight and inner monologue. The worldbuilding is interesting, fans of speculative ficiton will find some creative, yet believable ideas. The characters are layered, not simply good or bad. Everyone is good, but everyone's also an asshole in some capacity. Their motivations are clear and understandable. All in all, just what I like in my POV characters.
The story is driven by the characters and their actions, it has layers and touches on a lot of subjects. Things that do not seem connected in the beginning tie together in the end, motivations that are not clear at first glance become understandable later. There are some disctinct surreal elements that, in my opinion, go nicely with the more down-to-earth and plausible worldbuilding. Not everything is explained or even resolved. I like this in a story, but I am aware this is a matter of personal taste. The choice pays off and makes this story more intriguing.
What I did struggle with was the writing. The chapters were too short for my taste, so there was a lot of jumping around between the different POVs. The characters all seem to have the same voice; although they are different, they are not written differently. The author sometimes jumps from one thought to another without transition and the inner monologues are rather matter-of-fact, very short or not there at all. I would have wished for more insight into the character's minds. This made the writing seem incoherent and a little bland to me and contributed to the fact that, even though I enjoyed the world, the story and the characters, I did not particularly enjoy the process of reading the book. This is not due to lack of talent or editing, but rather a creative choice, because the bird chapters are written very differently and show that Doubinsky can write and knows what he is doing. So I might of course be wrong here, but I think the distinction between the story-focused and the more instrospect writing is intentional, and it does fit the content of the respective chapters. It might just not be my cup of tea. I guess I will have to read more and find out. Because I am intrigued.
tldr; I am glad I read this book and will read more of Doubinsky's works. I struggled a lot trying to decide if I wanted to give "Paperclip" 3 or 4 stars, but ultimately landed on 3.5 stars, rounded down.
Thank you to Netgalley and Meerkat Press for the eARC. -
Kurt Wagner is the head of a massive arms manufacturing company, hated by millions around the world. Susan deVeere is an award-winning filmmaker who is feted for her progressive work. How the two ended up sleeping together fuels the start of “Paperclip,” but is soon superceded by the activities of Omar, Kurt’s bodyguard and an ex-patriot from SankaraVille in Africa; Jet, Kurt’s driver who is studying magick (definitely *with* the “k”); and the newly minted International Court for Economical Crimes in SankaraVille, which is prepared to kidnap industrialists to force them to stand trial for their crimes. And that’s not even to mention Waldo, a human who has somehow become a bird…. This novella is part of Mr. Doubinsky’s “city-state cycle,” depicting a world containing many city-states in competition with one another rather than countries doing the same; otherwise, though, the world is rather like our own. He tends to write in short chapters, in this case alternating between the various voices of his main characters, and even though the chapters are often only a few paragraphs long, there is never any confusion as to who is describing what because each character is so well delineated, and this reader at least found herself rooting for each of them in turn (well, not for Kurt obviously). Not quite sure what Waldo’s there for, but other than that, I found the author’s storytelling to be very much flowing in nature, and a joy to read. Recommended!
-
Jet, who is forming his abilities in actual magick-with-a-k, is trying to death-spell Kurt Wagner. Wagner is in the habit of taking "synth," a popular pill that gives him control over hallucinations for several hours and meanwhile no one can tell he's high. Jet prefers magick, just magick. The story has some roots in realism but is also a bit campy.
Wagner's grandfather, a missile engineer, had exited Nazi Germany through Operation Paperclip. The book is titled partly for that historical military operation but more so for a different reason that manifests at the end.
There is also a bird, Waldo, who used to be human. To Waldo, exulting in flitting around, “everything felt like a déjà-vu, a déjà-written somewhere else,” and he “suddenly realized that he would never touch the ground again.”
Took a little time for me to figure out the contours of this magicky, trippy version of our world. Once I was most of the way through, I'd gotten the hang of it. It does work as a standalone, though I understand there are other installments in this series. I am curious about the other stories these characters might have to tell.
I received a free advance copy. -
A high-paced, brilliant escapade in the city-state series.
-
I was introduced to bilingual writer Seb Doubinsky by The Invisible, a political crime drama set around a hallucinogenic drug in an alternative reality. Paperclip is another book in Doubinsky's neodystopian city-states series, where Synth again plays a strong role albeit in a different narrative of imaginary cities.
Just like The Invisible had a system for a perpetrator instead of a person, Paperclip does not feature any protagonist, but human behavior that takes centre stage in this story of scheming and plotting. An award-winning filmmaker who wants to make it big as a documentarian, an occult practitioner who hopes to turn his life around through magic, a spy desperately seeking to make his mother proud, a tarot reader and her divination website, a man who believes he's a bird, or a bird that thinks it might have once been a man - we see an assortment of characters, each one leading a specific chapter as an omniscient narrator gives the reader their backstories, present states, and future plans.
Doubinsky is an exceptional storyteller, both in the plots he conceives and his writing skills in delivering a novel to the reader. As a genre, speculative fiction can often be hit-or-miss if the alternative reality presented gets too convoluted. Doubinsky strikes just the right balance in his Synth series. And that cover! Another stellar one from the cover designer - publishing house Meerkat Press does come out with some very different, but very good books. The city-states series is interconnected, though they read very well as standalone stories. The author's dark humor and play on words deserve a mention too. -
Paperclip was a really engaging, speculative fiction, that held my attention and was very unique. Sometimes the cover is the reason I pick up a book, and that was the case here. I love when this happens, and I find a book I really enjoyed because of that!
This can be reasonable as a standalone, which, honestly, just makes me want to read more from this author. (As if I need more books on my TBR list!) I love the characters and the world building. Speculative fiction is an interesting genre and I enjoyed the blend of creativity and reality.
Interesting, engaging, and containing great characters and writing. I liked Paperclip a lot and I definitely recommend it!
Thank you to Meerkat Press for the review copy and opportunity to honestly review this book on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased. -
"In New Babylon, leader of the Western alliance of the city-states, armament mogul Kurt Wagner has a secret dream: to build a space station to save mankind. Little does he know that he is the target of competing plots involving geopolitics and black magick." This summary and the cover of Paperclip drew me in. Thank you to Meerkat Press for letting me read and review a pdf arc of this book.
The writing style was unique, the characters were interesting, and Seb built a gripping world. I enjoyed most of this book. I liked the dystopian world, politics, and the black magick throughout for the most part. At times I got lost while reading, and didn't always enjoy the writing style. But it's just my personal preference. 3 out of 5 stars. I will read other books of his for sure. -
Paperclip is a magic realist tragi-comical ensemble political noir fantasy, and it succeeds beautifully as all of them. Seb Doubinsky brings it smooth, honest and tricky, off-hand, elegant, genre-defiant, trope twisting, and the second read is even better than the first.
-
I am not quite sure about this book.
I loved a lot of things: the talking bird for example, the fears of the billionaire, the different threads and complots in the book.
What I liked less, was the writing sometimes: it did not go smoothly always, I read sentences which could have been written better. That was in the beginning of the book, I had no problems after that.
(I am myself not a native speaker of English by the way, I am sure you will have noticed.)
The end - yes, indeed, the wishes were fulfilled, but not in a way the subjects expected.
I finished the book today, so I am still thinking about the end. -
Marvellous and multilayered dystopian world, morally grey characters (yay!), deft genreblending, pitch perfect dialogue, and wry humour. Reminded me of PKD. I loved it. I didn’t realise this was part of a series until I was well into the book which is a testament to how well it also reads as a standalone. Will definitely be reading more Doubinsky.
-
In a dystopian science-fiction universe, political philosophies are at the heart of the conflict; protagonists fight for their freedom from tyranny, or they seek to create a better world from the ashes of an oppressive government. Doubinsky’s Paperclip serves us our own common fantasies of a system rocked by revolution from unlikely sources with a captivating tale that will keep the pages moving.
I absolutely loved this book. I appreciate how deliberate each novel and plotline from Doubinsky is constructed, and it’s never more evident than in Paperclip.
Paperclip’s characters are immediately unique and relatable. Personalities in Paperclip are distinct, but they almost seemed to be “leveled” by social class; from the casual despot who dreams of a master race, to a filmmaker on a mission to expose the consequences of racism and oppression—to go further here would begin to spoil themes, but the idea of revolution is addressed at the most primal level in this novel. Doubinsky explores the shape and form of “revolution” through the dreams and goals of each character; each fantastical dream of a better world drives conflict through each short chapter, allowing us to become addicted to the narrative quickly and easily.
MINOR SPOILER *** More importantly, Doubinsky parallels dreams with motivations until they become one and the same., I really enjoyed the idea that love is a sort of revolution that is both an internal event and a war. Love and government both require, or perhaps must rely on, a kind of “magick” that is a mixture of fate and coincidence. ***
For those readers who have not explored Doubinsky’s City-States cycle, it should be noted that each book can serve as an introductory point for readers; the cycle can be started from any point, a concept that should be mentioned with each review of Doubinsky’s work. Part of a larger, dystopian universe that is barely fictional, Paperclip gives returning readers plenty of connections that expand and include new ideas and characters.
Within the entire cycle, each book exudes it own stylistic identity. Whether it’s the tone, characters, structure, or theme, each book is unique. Paperclip is perhaps the most balanced entry in the cycle, and here Doubinsky’s poetic approach is masterfully adapted into a composition that is thought-provoking and entertaining, without any idea or philosophy becoming so heavy-handed as to suggest that the author wants to direct or steer readers into a specific perception or thought. Paperclip’s characters are neatly tucked into their own stories—while there is overlap, each chapter has a very distinct voice and tone, which enriches the story by inviting us to explore individualistic worldviews. I would suggest that readers could easily start with Paperclip to get a firm grasp on the various ideas and conflicts Doubinsky offers in the entire cycle. I should also note that nobody concludes chapters better than Doubinsky.
Paperclip is a masterwork, and I can’t wait for the next City-States book. -
This is an interesting book with some intriguing concepts, painting a picture of a society not too far removed from reality. Magic, politics, and ethics all play pivotal roles.
It doesn't feel like it's put together quite right, though. The Waldo chapters are good in their own right, but don't have a function in the narrative that I could identify. As for the rest of the book, it could have been pared down to a single story line and made into a dynamic short story (or two). For a longer piece it needed more fleshing out, development and connections to work to its full potential. -
This book is so delightfully out there and really in a category of its own in terms of how it blends the surreal, poetic, speculative and thought-provoking in fiction that still remains suspenseful. This author also writes poetry and this is evident in the way the book is constructed. There are certain associative leaps that are particular to poetry here. I also enjoy any book that can provide insight into our current sociopolitical situation while remaining page-turning, and bonus points for a philosophical bird character.
-
Paperclip is a fast-paced genre bend on science fiction with some magic on top. For the fellow rendezvous readers returning to Seb’s dystopian “City-States” and the new: this surprising number shows Doubinsky’s unique writing styles in many forms.
I’m hoping for an expansion with the two characters Velma & Jet and more of their black magic antics.
