Hospital
- Downloads：4731
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-26 04:20:48
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Han Song
- ISBN：B09SYSD8VH
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Laura Novakoski
，
This is possibly the worst book I have read， ever， and as a lifelong book lover and scifi fan I do not say that lightly。 It bothers me to not finish a book so I forced myself to at least skim it all。 Even allowing for cultural differences or the possibility that I just "don't get" the author's deeper meaning， I found it overtly crude， misogynistic， and wallowing in descriptions of filth and grotesqueries that were repetitive and added nothing to the story。 I'm beyond disappointed that Amazon rec This is possibly the worst book I have read， ever， and as a lifelong book lover and scifi fan I do not say that lightly。 It bothers me to not finish a book so I forced myself to at least skim it all。 Even allowing for cultural differences or the possibility that I just "don't get" the author's deeper meaning， I found it overtly crude， misogynistic， and wallowing in descriptions of filth and grotesqueries that were repetitive and added nothing to the story。 I'm beyond disappointed that Amazon recommended this for Prime Reading - one should have to actively seek this out rather than encountering it accidentally。 Yuck。 。。。more
Laura Savage
，
What did I just read？I was prepared for this book to be weird， but honestly， it made no sense。 I was determined to finish this book but in the end my questions were not answered and the journey was not worth it。 There are several truly disgusting moments; a waterfall made of phlegm， incest with the main character's daughter， and plenty of mention of shit， piss， and gore。 I have no idea what was a metaphor， what was a hallucination， and what was 'real' interms of this dystopia world。 Were there p What did I just read？I was prepared for this book to be weird， but honestly， it made no sense。 I was determined to finish this book but in the end my questions were not answered and the journey was not worth it。 There are several truly disgusting moments; a waterfall made of phlegm， incest with the main character's daughter， and plenty of mention of shit， piss， and gore。 I have no idea what was a metaphor， what was a hallucination， and what was 'real' interms of this dystopia world。 Were there problems with the translation？ Did I struggle because I dont understand the health care system in China， or the Chinese point of view on medicine， or know much about Buddhism？ Maybe partly， I dont know！ There may be some interesting theories and philosophies about Buddhism，but again， it was all very confusing， and any real themes and plot must have gone over my head。 。。。more
Nicole
，
This book was an absolute slog to get through。 I completely lost my patience with it 60% through and skipped to the end to read the last few chapters。 Even then I was getting annoyed， trying to reach the end， and do not feel like I missed out on much。 I liked the premise， but hated how long and drawn out everything was。 It felt like the same concepts were being repeated ad nauseum。 Do not recommend。
Gabi
，
This book called me dumb in 12 different ways lol
Chris MacKechnie
，
Not my thingI really disliked this book。 It's like a Chinese version of a Kafka novel with some Vonnegut thrown in to make it even weirder。 Not my thingI really disliked this book。 It's like a Chinese version of a Kafka novel with some Vonnegut thrown in to make it even weirder。 。。。more
Val Ras
，
I thought first quarter of the book was a masterpiece。 very Kafkaesque， satire on modern medicine。 Loved it。 The novel then became something bigger， philosophical ruminations on the society， and despite sometimes feeling a little too heavy， I did appreciate author's original thoughts。 It is an unusual book and although it's written by Chinese author with China in mind， it could have been written by Western writer as well。 I thought first quarter of the book was a masterpiece。 very Kafkaesque， satire on modern medicine。 Loved it。 The novel then became something bigger， philosophical ruminations on the society， and despite sometimes feeling a little too heavy， I did appreciate author's original thoughts。 It is an unusual book and although it's written by Chinese author with China in mind， it could have been written by Western writer as well。 。。。more
Betty Bennett
，
This book has an intriguing and well thought out plot line。 Unfortunately author's descriptors of the environment and actions were revolting and detracted from the story。 By fast forwarding the reader might get the fist of the story， but there was little of worth in the gory details This book has an intriguing and well thought out plot line。 Unfortunately author's descriptors of the environment and actions were revolting and detracted from the story。 By fast forwarding the reader might get the fist of the story， but there was little of worth in the gory details 。。。more
Rachel （TheShadesofOrange）
，
3。5 StarsThis is a really unique piece of dystopian science fiction novel that explores the dark side of the medical system。 The narrative feels especially dark because so much of the story pulls on the medical technology and ethics that exist in the present day。As a translated work， I found the prose to be plain and not terribly pleasing。 Likewise， I found the characters unfortunately quite flat。 I've often found these challenges with translated Asian works so I wonder if it's a bit of a cultur 3。5 StarsThis is a really unique piece of dystopian science fiction novel that explores the dark side of the medical system。 The narrative feels especially dark because so much of the story pulls on the medical technology and ethics that exist in the present day。As a translated work， I found the prose to be plain and not terribly pleasing。 Likewise， I found the characters unfortunately quite flat。 I've often found these challenges with translated Asian works so I wonder if it's a bit of a cultural barrier。I would recommend this to readers looking for an complex and challenging story that explores a future medical system that feels terrifyingly real。Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher。 。。。more
Darrell Cale
，
The slog that is the final 3/4 of this book make Jordan's slog feel like The Fast and The Furious， which is frustrating because the first quarter of the book had so much promise。 The slog that is the final 3/4 of this book make Jordan's slog feel like The Fast and The Furious， which is frustrating because the first quarter of the book had so much promise。 。。。more
Gareth Sefton
，
Weird。 Not sure I understood it， TBH。 Towards then end， it felt more like a chore to finish it。
Amber
，
When Yang Wei travels to C City for work， he expects nothing more than a standard business trip。 But after drinking a complimentary bottle of mineral water that results in excruciating stomach pain， Wei is sent to a "hospital，" where he receives no diagnosis or discharge date， just a guide to the labyrinthine medical system he's now circulating through。 Set in a future dystopia where medicine has transcended all its technological bottlenecks and can treat any disease， HOSPITAL reads like a fever When Yang Wei travels to C City for work， he expects nothing more than a standard business trip。 But after drinking a complimentary bottle of mineral water that results in excruciating stomach pain， Wei is sent to a "hospital，" where he receives no diagnosis or discharge date， just a guide to the labyrinthine medical system he's now circulating through。 Set in a future dystopia where medicine has transcended all its technological bottlenecks and can treat any disease， HOSPITAL reads like a fever dream as we follow Wei's journey of navigating the complicated medical system。 The story examines fascinating medical advancements， such as gene therapy， artificial organs， stem cell treatment， and designer babies。 Apart from the futuristic sci-fi plots， Song brilliantly examines the extreme power imbalance between doctors & patients。 He challenges the notion of powerful institutions （the hospital） requesting the people they serve （patients） to blindly trust their decisions without any repercussions and how that extreme power corrupts the foundations of tradition， family， and humanity。 Some parts of HOSPITAL contain quite misogynistic descriptions that may be uncomfortable for readers。 I'd say from the scale of Cixin Liu to Murakami Haruki， the majority of the gender dynamic is closer to Liu， with one particular scene really pushing to the Murakami extreme。 The translator's note is extremely helpful in understanding and interpreting HOSPITAL。 It actually validates some of my hypotheses while reading the book， and I'm glad it wasn't all in my head， especially when the other Goodreads reviews seem to be very different from my interpretations。 Those with a better understanding of the Chinese political landscape may be able to derive more nuance from HOSPITAL。 I encourage interested readers to start with the translator's note before reading the book。 HOSPITAL is a thought-provoking and unsettling book that challenges me to examine my attitude towards politics， power， and technology and how they intersect with traditions and humanity。 Thank you to Wunderkind PR for the gifted copy。 。。。more
Emma Wade
，
This is a DNF for now。 I slogged through 25% over nearly two weeks。
Mandy
，
Dnf。 Could not get into it。
Bob Miller
，
I noted some aspects of Kafka and Orwell in the themes presented。 I thought the ideas of Medical punk， and furthermore Medical punk geek were amusing。 I was clearly written from a Chinese （Middle Kingdom） perspective， yet it had the Oceana aspect with Rockefeller and the western medicine。 Then there was the establishment - the medical-academia-establishment， and trust the hospital， and the doctor patient relationship。 In the translator's afterward I came to realize the names of the characters ha I noted some aspects of Kafka and Orwell in the themes presented。 I thought the ideas of Medical punk， and furthermore Medical punk geek were amusing。 I was clearly written from a Chinese （Middle Kingdom） perspective， yet it had the Oceana aspect with Rockefeller and the western medicine。 Then there was the establishment - the medical-academia-establishment， and trust the hospital， and the doctor patient relationship。 In the translator's afterward I came to realize the names of the characters had meanings， as I suppose most Chinese names do， but here the meanings participated in the theme。 I was a dark， dystopian tale。 。。。more
Nisha
，
I see this book has a lot of low reviews， which is a little surprising。 It is a great concept for a book。 I agree with the people who have actually read the book and say it is tedious。 There is way too many details and listing。 At one point a list of medical technology goes on for 3/4 of a page。 I skim-read a lot of the pages because it really was not going anywhere and just gave way too many details and monologues。 I kind of understand adding that for thorough world-building， but it got a bit b I see this book has a lot of low reviews， which is a little surprising。 It is a great concept for a book。 I agree with the people who have actually read the book and say it is tedious。 There is way too many details and listing。 At one point a list of medical technology goes on for 3/4 of a page。 I skim-read a lot of the pages because it really was not going anywhere and just gave way too many details and monologues。 I kind of understand adding that for thorough world-building， but it got a bit boring since there isn't much that really happens。 The concept is really interesting， but the execution is slow and it drags the story down。 I did overall like the book， just probably would not recommend it to most people。 。。。more
Ry Herman
，
Wow， this was tedious。 A few arresting images （like a waterfall of phlegm） were far from enough to rescue this boring， meandering， incoherent， pretentious， poorly structured mess of a book。 Add in a main character whose attitude towards women was frankly revolting， and reading this felt like， well， drowning in a waterfall of phlegm。
Chris
，
Like if Dr。 Strangelove met Refer Madness met the Twilight Zone。 Certainly not everyone’s cup of tea， and while I found it tedious at times， I appreciate what the author was trying to do。
Mary Beth Prescott
，
Too philosophical！Unless you are a huge fan of Nietzsche don't bother with this one。 Admittedly I didn't understand where the author was heading and grew bored almost immediately。 Too deep for the average reader， which is me。 Too philosophical！Unless you are a huge fan of Nietzsche don't bother with this one。 Admittedly I didn't understand where the author was heading and grew bored almost immediately。 Too deep for the average reader， which is me。 。。。more
Carol
，
One star because you can't do zero。 I didn't last more than 50 pages。 The writing was so amateurish I couldn't continue。 Just terrible。 One star because you can't do zero。 I didn't last more than 50 pages。 The writing was so amateurish I couldn't continue。 Just terrible。 。。。more
Hen
，
Thankfully this piece of trash was a free first of month procurement。 Ground thru 15% and quit。
Alondra Miller
，
If you have Amazon Prime; this is up for free this month。 Great selection this month， so choose wisely！！
Jeannette Darcy
，
Kafka on steroidsThis book was tortuous to finish。 It was too long， too repetitive， the same Kafka-esque nightmare over and over， with the protagonist losing all sense of reality。 Long passages of brainwashing techniques went on and on and on。 The initial chapter was a spaceflight to Mars that had nothing to do with the rest of the book， it was just a metaphor apparently。 The story was obviously meant to be a critique of Chinese political and social life。 It started out with mild dystopia and ju Kafka on steroidsThis book was tortuous to finish。 It was too long， too repetitive， the same Kafka-esque nightmare over and over， with the protagonist losing all sense of reality。 Long passages of brainwashing techniques went on and on and on。 The initial chapter was a spaceflight to Mars that had nothing to do with the rest of the book， it was just a metaphor apparently。 The story was obviously meant to be a critique of Chinese political and social life。 It started out with mild dystopia and just kept getting worse with every chapter detailing some new degradation of the character's humanity。 Depressing beyond belief with no redeeming virtues。 。。。more
Dayanara Ryelle
，
Ah， my first "did not start and would not recommend" of 2023！Fellow reviewer Adrienne explained precisely why anyone with a drop of sanity would not want to read this book:Song writes of the ill as just wanting to be sick， finding comfort in pain， desiring diagnosis because they want to have the condition， and wanting unnecessary treatments。 Sorry， is chronic illness a joke to you， Mr。 Author？ You think my father being in pain for nearly twenty-eight years is something he made up to get attention Ah， my first "did not start and would not recommend" of 2023！Fellow reviewer Adrienne explained precisely why anyone with a drop of sanity would not want to read this book:Song writes of the ill as just wanting to be sick， finding comfort in pain， desiring diagnosis because they want to have the condition， and wanting unnecessary treatments。 Sorry， is chronic illness a joke to you， Mr。 Author？ You think my father being in pain for nearly twenty-eight years is something he made up to get attention？ Maybe you think that I invented twenty-six years of depression and panic disorder to get out of going places and mooch off the system？ Checking myself into the hospital 11½ years ago。。。was that a polite fiction to cover my laziness， so I didn't have to train for my new job or do my homework for a week？Soulless， brainless people like this author disgust me。 。。。more
Ines
，
I admit I just ended up skipping some parts to try to get to the good bits。 Perhaps some meanings were lost to me because it is a translated fiction （I find a lot of English translations awkward， even the best of them）， but I found this just mainly bizarre and I don't think I liked it。 I admit I just ended up skipping some parts to try to get to the good bits。 Perhaps some meanings were lost to me because it is a translated fiction （I find a lot of English translations awkward， even the best of them）， but I found this just mainly bizarre and I don't think I liked it。 。。。more
Intriga WH
，
A twisted dystopian story about Yang Wei。 Yang is an imaginative character who is put into some difficult situations and all he wants to do is the right thing。 This story is a rollercoaster ride that will keep the reader engrossed in the story until the very end。 Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for this ARC， I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。
Dee Hancocks
，
“It’s not important who you are; the only thing that matters is what kind of illness you suffer from”This book is intelligent and makes you think。A good piece of social satire that’s a bit bizarre。 I don’t know if I enjoyed the book but I will definitely remember how it made me feel uncomfortable and questioning about how illness is perceived in society and power dynamics in particular。 This is a book you could read at anytime and take something new from it！Thank you for the E-ARC。
Rachel Dawn
，
Oh wow。 This book。 It's going to cause a quite a bit of controversy！ Why？ Because in a lot of ways， the way the author portrays illness in some ， is very true。 （ In my opinion） In other ways， it could be taken as unsympathetic to chronically ill people。 I do believe it was excellently written。 It makes you think。 It tells a lot of harsh truths。 It is just going to be one of those books that people either love or had。。。。take the wrong way or completely understand。 I do look forward to reading mor Oh wow。 This book。 It's going to cause a quite a bit of controversy！ Why？ Because in a lot of ways， the way the author portrays illness in some ， is very true。 （ In my opinion） In other ways， it could be taken as unsympathetic to chronically ill people。 I do believe it was excellently written。 It makes you think。 It tells a lot of harsh truths。 It is just going to be one of those books that people either love or had。。。。take the wrong way or completely understand。 I do look forward to reading more from this very talented author。 。。。more
Adrienne
，