Savages is brief, violent & bawdy good fun. While it takes the hard boiled crime thriller form and updates it in an idiosyncratic post modern style there is not much said. As though melted down to its prime elements it is still an enjoyable reading experiment.

No platitudes with original turns of phrase, it is well written & easy. Part slow rustic stew, part Harlequin springy bosom romance (almost quit), part creepy simmering noises which all led to a springy well rounded out end. Overall a bit fluffy but fairly good. The characters were brought to life.

Good construction of time and place but completely forgettable. Except for the paranoid day to day communist life there is little to surprise you, shake you, give insight to & come away with. Reminds that crime thrillers can be vacuous where others have been harrowing, memorable, consuming, or at least like getting on a ride.

An excellent book, entertaining & thought provoking, however, unmatched by the plot. A complete steady plot brought successfully to the punchline title but overall, muted. Hopefully he finds a plot equal to his writing in his next book. The Russian setting becomes a living thing. Written with an authentic, acerbic, negative feel that brings life somehow, not in a tired contrarian sense. A fine writer.

Fear and despair are created. Relentless and monolithic with protagonists who don't have names. A short story in a novel's cover. It is enjoyable to sit and see only sentences Cormac McCarthy could write go by.

An intimate, provocative and compelling book that pulls the reader in. Historical events, diaries, letters recreate what could be a modern reality TV show at times, perhaps updating the Narrative History genre. Non-Fiction history that flows like fiction. We witness the slow degradation and disintegration of society and the rule of law. It did slow in the end, perhaps making way for the overwhelming presence of the coming war. One of the best. References to other books throughout.

A police procedural with compelling mathematician vs physicist, interesting and well done. Surprising ending however completely unlikely. Memorable characters and setting enjoyable. Was missed when finished.

Truly one of the best in fiction. Not particularly plot driven but a dream. For me it is what a book does best. Evocative, curious, contemplative. A fine writer.

Sharp, overall effect is well written with realistic clarity and points of view. Transfixed by the characters. The plot was probably shocking in its day. Channeling Anne Frank

Felt like 2666 different protagonists/narrators/story lines, playing with the form. Narration via digression and frustration was successful as a refection on life but after 500 pgs absolutely painful, post modern and not necessarily worthwhile. Other successful points include hundreds of interrupting horrendous crimes against women with no resolve that just become normal. I even found I started to skip these passages which is a reflection on how we have become so inured to violence in Mexico, in our times generally but is delivered in this experimental way. Interesting parts but definitely no need to ever read another by Bolano.