Concept: 4 stars
Magical realism: 5 stars
Symbolism: 4 stars
Literary merit: 4 stars
Narrative coherence: 3 stars ( )

Contains child abuse and multiple rape scenes.

After a really interesting first quarter it suddenly lurches into grotesque stuff and it was too much for me. There's rape and pedohilia. The latter is the capper on a racist depiction of indigenous people of the Americas - I was thinking oh this is a fantasy and the narrator is unreliable anyway then I got to that and suddenly it's like oh no shes actually racist and thinks this is an appropriate thing to label indigenous people as doing.

Other reviews suggest there's even more so yeah I just don't think I could make it through. It's a shame because there's a lot in the first quarter that's amazing. Really beautiful language. And then... Yeah.

El diabólico doctor Hoffman se ha propuesto librar una guerra sin cuartel contra las estructuras de la razón, y liberar así definitivamente a los seres humanos de las cadenas del principio de realidad. El campo de batalla de esta guerra será las mentes y corazones de hombres y mujeres. En las ciudades pobladas de espejismos nada es lo que parece, y la vida cotidiana se ha convertido en un complejo laberinto donde caben todas las posibilidades. Sólo Desiderio, que vive en la ciudad desde los comienzos de la guerra, puede detener al doctor Hoffman.

One of those rare books that is as excellent in execution as it is in conception. Carter's imagination is astounding, and nothing about this book is ordinary. Each episode, from the first where the protagonist's city is bombarded by waves of unreality sent by the mysterious Doctor Hoffman, to the last, where the protagonist finally confronts the doctor, is memorably brilliant. In fact, the ideas, the language, and the depth of meaning in each section are like a huge multi-course feast, and you'll probably need a break before proceeding to the next one. I'm sure there are some who try to take everything here literally and balk at some of Carter's more indecipherable passages, but those are all part of entire affect of this book and just need to be experienced, not understood. There are also violent and horrific scenes, rape, and various depravities you'll have to endure--but don't let those stop you either. This is the first of Carter's novels I have read and it won't be the last. I have read and been entertained by some of her short stories, but after this experience, I'll have to look at everything she wrote in a new light. You owe it to yourself to give this incredible book a chance to astound, amuse, and entertain you. Don't be one of those reviewers who expects everything to make sense; just appreciate how this book takes you into another world and makes you THINK. ( )