A World of Gray: Where Color Holds the Key to Power

Hello friends! It's me, ††The Seeker††, and we're on the hunt for some great books!

I'm excited to share my thoughts on the novel 'Shades of Grey'. This is one of those rare cases where I'm glad I didn't end up buying the book. I've got a soft spot for indie authors, and even when I don't love their work, I always try to find something unique and interesting to appreciate. But, let's face it, not every project is going to be a hit. Some are bound to fall flat, and that's okay.

There's no problem that can't be solved with a warm bath and a cup of tea.

Not everyone's going to love every book. Some projects are just going to polarize people. And, honestly, I think that's perfectly normal. With so many authors and stories out there, each of us is going to find something that resonates with us. And that's what makes it all worth it. Does my negative review make the book bad? Absolutely not. It's just my two cents, and I'm glad I didn't shell out cash for it after seeing the hype online.

I was really keen on buying this book, but somehow life got in the way and I ended up putting it off. I got distracted by other purchases and priorities, and before I knew it, months had passed. Then, I stumbled upon the book cover in the library and decided to give it a read. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the story, to be honest. To be blunt, I was really disappointed with the book. Normally, I'd be willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt, assuming they intentionally left some things unsaid or implied, but not in this case.

Skepticism is a good thing. It's a foundation that can be built upon. Add some curiosity to it, and you'll get some valuable insights, like reflection, and potentially, action.

From my perspective, this world feels raw and unpolished. We're not given any real explanations, just a few vague hints towards the end. And, as it turns out, the people who actually appreciated the book had to wait over a decade for the next installment. Apparently, the author took around 10 years to come up with the next part. I'm a bit curious – what did they do during that time? Were they so invested in this project that they couldn't move on? Or did they struggle to get out of the mess they'd created?

I have to admit, if the atmosphere of the novel grabs you, you can already read the ending. You can already do it, in fact. We're lucky to have that option. As for me, I decided to stop at the first book and not return to this strange, colorless world that's devoid of logic. If I can even begin to understand (and it's a stretch) the idea that people see the world in colors (except for gray, which is portrayed as some kind of outcast?), the author never explained why or what's wrong with spoons and chairs.

Behind a wealth of information lies a sea of lies.

Think about it for a second – spoons have become such valuable artifacts that they're expensive. Very expensive. And yet, you can't produce new ones or make more. Just like other items. Why? I have no idea. The answer is nonexistent. You can use them and find them in the ruins of abandoned cities, but you can't create new ones. That's just how it is, right? And there are ghosts. Or, rather, they're not exactly ghosts, but more like... entities.

It's the same with everything the author tries to introduce into the world.

— The best lie, Jane explained, is one people want to believe.

The world is divided by colors, essentially as a form of social inequality? We're not going to be told how or why certain colors became more important, while others are relegated to the shadows. Just accept it as a given. Instead of money, reputation and credit are used? We won't get a clear explanation of how it works or why. Just keep in mind that this world uses credit as a form of exchange, rather than money or even bartering. And if you fall to a certain negative level, you'll be sent for a rewriting. Figure it out for yourself, because there won't be any clear answers.

She's broken more bones than anyone in town.

That's a fragile thing? No, not hers. Ours. Just mention her nose, and you'll get a taste of what I'm talking about.

Are you still curious about the book, or have you started to feel that weird sense of 'I'm not quite sure what's going on, but it's kind of interesting'? That's how I felt for most of the book, starting from page 50. At first, I was giving the author the benefit of the doubt, thinking they might need some time to build the composition, lay the groundwork, and hook the reader. But after that, the arguments in favor of the book started to run out. So did my faith in the idea that I'd become engaged in reading this strange and dull world. Not because the people in it have lost their sense of color. It's just that the text itself is sparse and uninteresting.

This is one of those rare cases where I can't even praise the world's concept. Not because it's not unique or anything, but because it doesn't exist. Piling on unrelated events without explaining them properly is not world-building; it's laziness, dumping a bunch of stuff on readers' heads and hoping it'll stick. Who's going to return the book after buying it, anyway?

Published by: Fanzon

Series: Fanzon. The Magician's Nephew by Philip Pullman

Paper type in the book: Offset

Cover type: Hardback

Book type: Printed book

Language of publication: Russian

Number of pages: 480

Age restrictions: 16+

I was really impressed with how the product arrived, considering I opted for the standard shipping. The images show the packaging, which is sturdy and well-designed. It's clear that the manufacturer put some thought into how the product would be delivered to customers.

I've always been fascinated by societies where a single element holds the key to power - in this case, it's the color. The Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire award-winning novel, Цветократия, takes us to a world where the color spectrum determines social hierarchy. The more colors you see, the higher your status. The less you see, the lower you are. It's a system that's both beautiful and brutal. I was hooked from the start, especially when I met the protagonist, a young man named Eddie Brown. He's a bit of an outcast, with a unique perspective on the color red. His life is looking up - he's engaged to a woman named Constance Marren, and he's on track to become a respected member of society. But everything changes when he moves to the East Carmine district with his father, a renowned color selector. That's where he meets Jane, a 'gray' who opens his eyes to the harsh reality behind the façade. She's a rebellious spirit who challenges everything Eddie thought he knew. I was drawn to their forbidden love story, and the way it exposes the darker side of this seemingly perfect society. The novel is a thought-provoking commentary on social hierarchy, and the dangers of conformity. It's a story that will keep you guessing until the very end. The cover art, created by KillinKel (Kira Minakova), perfectly captures the essence of the novel.

I've got to say, the positives of this book are definitely there, but they're not developed enough – that's why I'm another disappointed reader.

I love the main concept behind this story – chromia. As I mentioned earlier, after that weird Cataclysm (which happened ages ago, and nobody remembers why or what exactly happened) people stopped seeing the full spectrum of colors. The world itself hasn't changed, but human perception has. This leads to a strange division among the 'castes' – basically, people are separated by their colors.

And just in case of rain, we've got a 90,000-piece puzzle. — But someone lost the picture, — grumbled Smorodini, — and there's a lot of sky.

Here's where a positive turns into a negative – there's no clear explanation of the criteria used to determine the hierarchies. Why are some colors more important and 'useful' than others? It's ironic, because the attitude towards grays is something I can understand. If someone can't see any colors at all, they're indeed an outcast, and everyone else will mock and laugh at them. That's something the author did a good job of showing and exploring.

So, where's the explanation for the rest of the division? Or was it just too much effort to come up with rules for your own world? Sorry, respected author. But if not you, then who? I'm not here to figure out what you've left out or intentionally hidden. I came to read and enjoy the story, not to try and decipher what's been omitted or left to the imagination. Yeah, I get the whole 'dripping information in small doses to create mystery' thing. But the problem here is that there's just not enough information.

The more you see, the more you might soon stop seeing at all.

And some aspects of the world are just left unexplained. Period. They just exist as a given. It's frustrating.

Secondly, I did appreciate the local humor, which was a nice surprise. I mean, it's a pretty dry text with unengaging and flat characters, but the humor was a breath of fresh air. The main character, who's narrating the story, tries to do something and deliver content, but it falls flat. It's a shame, really. With a bit of polish and some decent dialogue, we might have had a compelling hero and a thrilling plot to uncover.

But our local lad hasn't quite reached that level yet. Sorry to say it, but it's a shame.

The collective hates those who try to put square pegs into round holes.

Thirdly, if I ignore the overall mess and focus on specific details or individual chapters, there are some interesting descriptions and narrative arcs. For example, I did enjoy their final journey to the abandoned city. The atmosphere of a deserted civilization, with a mountain of old bones in the background, was well done. I love that kind of thing. Too bad it's not more of it, and not in this story.

Unfortunately, that's about it for the positives.

We kept moving and within a dozen steps, we found ourselves in front of a massive building with 'Library' written on the facade. I turned to my friend and asked, 'Library?' He just chuckled and said, 'You're really good at this detective stuff.'

But the downsides far outweigh the positives. I've already mentioned some of the issues earlier, so I won't repeat them. One thing that's been bugging me is the slow-paced storyline. The world itself isn't particularly well-thought-out, and it's even more disappointing that the author drags out the protagonist's journey, only for him to stumble upon a carefully hidden truth. It's all so secretive and mysterious that faceless, gray characters with no tools, no weapons, and no abilities can somehow outsmart the local authorities. That's just not my cup of tea.

At times, the world-building feels overly dramatic. But I'm not entirely off the mark. It could have worked if the author had put more effort into developing the world. The problem is, I don't understand why I'm supposed to care about the protagonist or see the other characters as evil. I mean, they use him as a servant, big deal. And he doesn't treat them any differently, does he? It's all a bit too convenient. If you want to show me conflict and drama, maybe make the other characters a bit more realistic.

I felt a shiver of excitement, a thrill of discovery. But along with it came a sense of irreparable loss. The setbacks were so severe that they not only made us ignorant, but also made us realize the extent of our ignorance.

Honestly, it's hard for me to get invested in the story. I mean, I've heard of people becoming attached to characters before, but this one's got me stumped. There's this brown guy who's apparently into this grey girl, but then he goes and hooks up with someone else. It's like, what's going on with his love life? I'm completely lost.

I'm also not getting why he's into the grey girl, given their awkward first encounter. I think it could've worked if the author had fleshed out their relationship, but instead, it just feels like a mess. I'm bored out of my mind, and after reading the opening chapter, I'm done. I'm washing my hands of this story and moving on.

IMHO, I'm not going to pretend like this is some profound critique, but I'm not giving it more than two stars. I wouldn't recommend it.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by. I hope to see you all again. Take care.

PS. The quotes in this review are just to give you an idea of the writing quality, and don't add anything extra.