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Unedited
This is a book. It is written by Barry Lyga.[i]
Yes, we know it's a very long book. We tried to get him to cut it, but he wouldn't. So there was nothing we could do about it. We understand if the length turns you off. A long book like this one represents a commitment, and if it isn't good, you'll feel like you've wasted your time and your money.
Still, we published it because we think it's a good book.[ii] Could it be shorter? Maybe. That's a very difficult call. Each person will have his or her own opinion. Some will read it and think, It could have been shorter. Others will think, It was just right. And maybe some people will wish it was longer. Isn't that the highest compliment you can pay a book, to wish it would never end?
Usually, this text here is sexy marketing-talk, designed to get you to buy the book. Did you know that most people look at the cover, then the back cover, then the flap copy, and only then do they bother even to flip to a page in the book? So you probably haven't even read any part of the book yet, but you might decide to buy or not buy it anyway. Without having read a word of it. So, we'll just say this: This book is a love story. We hope you'll give it a shot.
[i] The stuff you read on the back of a book is almost always written and edited by publishing professionals. In keeping with the spirit of this book, however, we allowed Barry Lyga to write the cover copy himself. Moreover, we didn't edit what you're reading. Trust us; the copy would be a lot shorter if we did.
[ii] It's important to remember that Barry is conning you right now, referring to himself in the third person as if he is the publisher. We don't begrudge him for it. Every talented author is also a brilliant con artist. We do, however, begrudge his laziness. Instead of putting his talent to use, he wastes space with ...we think it's a good book. Come on. What does that tell the reader? It's a missed opportunity. We would have suggested something like: ...we think it is a book about books, an all-inclusive deep dive into the music and madness of their creation; by laying bare every wrong turn, awkward phrase, and discarded storyline, Barry Lyga has unwittingly written a love letter to writing itself. But we would have asked him to make it shorter.
Yes, we know it's a very long book. We tried to get him to cut it, but he wouldn't. So there was nothing we could do about it. We understand if the length turns you off. A long book like this one represents a commitment, and if it isn't good, you'll feel like you've wasted your time and your money.
Still, we published it because we think it's a good book.[ii] Could it be shorter? Maybe. That's a very difficult call. Each person will have his or her own opinion. Some will read it and think, It could have been shorter. Others will think, It was just right. And maybe some people will wish it was longer. Isn't that the highest compliment you can pay a book, to wish it would never end?
Usually, this text here is sexy marketing-talk, designed to get you to buy the book. Did you know that most people look at the cover, then the back cover, then the flap copy, and only then do they bother even to flip to a page in the book? So you probably haven't even read any part of the book yet, but you might decide to buy or not buy it anyway. Without having read a word of it. So, we'll just say this: This book is a love story. We hope you'll give it a shot.
[i] The stuff you read on the back of a book is almost always written and edited by publishing professionals. In keeping with the spirit of this book, however, we allowed Barry Lyga to write the cover copy himself. Moreover, we didn't edit what you're reading. Trust us; the copy would be a lot shorter if we did.
[ii] It's important to remember that Barry is conning you right now, referring to himself in the third person as if he is the publisher. We don't begrudge him for it. Every talented author is also a brilliant con artist. We do, however, begrudge his laziness. Instead of putting his talent to use, he wastes space with ...we think it's a good book. Come on. What does that tell the reader? It's a missed opportunity. We would have suggested something like: ...we think it is a book about books, an all-inclusive deep dive into the music and madness of their creation; by laying bare every wrong turn, awkward phrase, and discarded storyline, Barry Lyga has unwittingly written a love letter to writing itself. But we would have asked him to make it shorter.
794 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2022
3 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Barry Lyga
71 books2,195 followersBarry Lyga is a recovering comic book geek. According to Kirkus, he's also a "YA rebel-author." Somehow, the two just don't seem to go together to him.
When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul'd is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject.
When he was a kid, everyone told him that comic books were garbage and would rot his brain, but he had the last laugh. Raised on a steady diet of comics, he worked in the comic book industry for ten years, but now writes full-time because, well, wouldn't you?
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl is his first novel. Unsoul'd is his latest. There are a whole bunch in between, featuring everything from the aftermath of child abuse to pre-teens with superpowers to serial killers. He clearly does not know how to stick to one subject.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2022
The blurb for this book calls it a "love story." I don't really even think that this book is a story (much less a love story, which at least implies that there will be characters you can root for).
It's not a story. It's more like a ramble. A vagabond stumbling through the desert, parched, meandering, hopeless, and boring.
I feel so strongly of "It's not you, it's me." I had a 1star amount of fun. But it feels like it's my (and the publicity team's) fault that I went into this book expecting characters to ship, a speculative fiction plotline, and humor similar to Princess Bride.
Here's who I would recommend this book to: people who love the movie 500 Days of Summer (loser protagonist, pining after a doomed relationship). People who like when the author is a character in the book (not in a John Green way, more like in a Lego Movie way). People who like it when books prioritize Weirdness over Plot. I know those people are out there, and I hope this book finds them.
I have a lot to say about this book¹, but most of it would be an angry rant², so I'll just abstain³.
* MY THOUGHTS ON EDITED VS UNEDITED: *
This book has a partner book, which is Edited. It's a shorter edited version of Unedited.
If Edited is a (sometimes barely coherent) pererration, Unedited is so much more. It truly does read like a rough draft, difficult to follow and full of extraneous details.
However, if that is the kind of book you're looking for: a drift through abysmal characters and an Ode to Writing, Unedited is the superior version.
[ Just as an FYI: ]
Unedited could also be called "Uncensored." Edited could be passed off as an older YoungAdult book, but Unedited has way too much (sex, language, etc) to keep that label. For context (at least in the copies I read), Unedited is 3.2 times longer than Edited. It also has 5.1 times more F-bombs. The density is somewhat increased.
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.
¹ The part of this book that bothered me the most is when Lyga is complaining that no one likes his endings, how he can't write good endings, and how they're problematic for him, and. And I've read other Lyga books; I LOVED THE ENDINGS. It was my favorite thing about the books. So to have our page time wasted with a pity party is lame. But to have it wasted on critique that ISN'T EVEN ACCURATE, even worse.
² This book seriously angered me. I had high hopes for it, and it bombed every one.
³ Of course I couldn't help myself. I had⁴ to include some pretentious and contradictory footnotes to help you understand what reading this book is like.
⁴ Or maybe I didn't write a review at all. Maybe this is all in your head; a complicated and irrelevant dream⁵ sequence.
⁵ You're on Goodreads. The beige colorscheme reminds you of the stucco Walmart building you once kissed a girl in. But wait, you don't have lips, they're all blurry. They say to you, the⁶ password is broccoli. You nod, then panic. Where does that key go! You try it in your bikelock? Finally, a way to escape. You wake up, only to find your blanket has been replaced by a mat of woven bacon.
⁶ Dream sequences don't have quotation marks. You would know that if you'd ever dreamed before.
It's not a story. It's more like a ramble. A vagabond stumbling through the desert, parched, meandering, hopeless, and boring.
I feel so strongly of "It's not you, it's me." I had a 1star amount of fun. But it feels like it's my (and the publicity team's) fault that I went into this book expecting characters to ship, a speculative fiction plotline, and humor similar to Princess Bride.
Here's who I would recommend this book to: people who love the movie 500 Days of Summer (loser protagonist, pining after a doomed relationship). People who like when the author is a character in the book (not in a John Green way, more like in a Lego Movie way). People who like it when books prioritize Weirdness over Plot. I know those people are out there, and I hope this book finds them.
I have a lot to say about this book¹, but most of it would be an angry rant², so I'll just abstain³.
* MY THOUGHTS ON EDITED VS UNEDITED: *
This book has a partner book, which is Edited. It's a shorter edited version of Unedited.
If Edited is a (sometimes barely coherent) pererration, Unedited is so much more. It truly does read like a rough draft, difficult to follow and full of extraneous details.
However, if that is the kind of book you're looking for: a drift through abysmal characters and an Ode to Writing, Unedited is the superior version.
[ Just as an FYI: ]
Unedited could also be called "Uncensored." Edited could be passed off as an older YoungAdult book, but Unedited has way too much (sex, language, etc) to keep that label. For context (at least in the copies I read), Unedited is 3.2 times longer than Edited. It also has 5.1 times more F-bombs. The density is somewhat increased.
Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.
¹ The part of this book that bothered me the most is when Lyga is complaining that no one likes his endings, how he can't write good endings, and how they're problematic for him, and. And I've read other Lyga books; I LOVED THE ENDINGS. It was my favorite thing about the books. So to have our page time wasted with a pity party is lame. But to have it wasted on critique that ISN'T EVEN ACCURATE, even worse.
² This book seriously angered me. I had high hopes for it, and it bombed every one.
³ Of course I couldn't help myself. I had⁴ to include some pretentious and contradictory footnotes to help you understand what reading this book is like.
⁴ Or maybe I didn't write a review at all. Maybe this is all in your head; a complicated and irrelevant dream⁵ sequence.
⁵ You're on Goodreads. The beige colorscheme reminds you of the stucco Walmart building you once kissed a girl in. But wait, you don't have lips, they're all blurry. They say to you, the⁶ password is broccoli. You nod, then panic. Where does that key go! You try it in your bikelock? Finally, a way to escape. You wake up, only to find your blanket has been replaced by a mat of woven bacon.
⁶ Dream sequences don't have quotation marks. You would know that if you'd ever dreamed before.
April 30, 2023
How to even describe this...
The book begins with Mike editing reality and smelling chocolate syrup - so odd. Mike edits reality, trying to get back together with his gf who dumped him.
The "editing reality" is really the exact same chapter word for word until the last page. I started skipping rereading the same sequence of events and would jump right to the "edited" part.
The it takes a weird turn.
The author makes himself "God" of the universe and centers the story around the characters seeking him (the author) to confront and make him change the story's ending.
All in all, it was interesting because of the weirdness of it all, which I think is what the author wanted. I still don't know how I was able to read 800 pages of this jumbled word vomit.
The book begins with Mike editing reality and smelling chocolate syrup - so odd. Mike edits reality, trying to get back together with his gf who dumped him.
The "editing reality" is really the exact same chapter word for word until the last page. I started skipping rereading the same sequence of events and would jump right to the "edited" part.
The it takes a weird turn.
The author makes himself "God" of the universe and centers the story around the characters seeking him (the author) to confront and make him change the story's ending.
All in all, it was interesting because of the weirdness of it all, which I think is what the author wanted. I still don't know how I was able to read 800 pages of this jumbled word vomit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2024
this book is like a fever dream , idk if i would reread it at any time. it’s supposed to be a love story but it feels like the author just enjoys talking and was like let me put this as a book and have an existential crisis, either way it was kind of hard to read through and the ending was expected even tho it spends almost a big chunk of it saying no happy ending for it to be a vague happy ending 🙄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2024
loved some of the messages within this book but it was pretty difficult to read at times. i will definitely be reading more from this author because i love how he can convey emotions and put you in the moment with his writing style, but this book wasn’t really for me
April 2, 2024
i liked it a lot, this was an impulsive good read
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews