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antarcticsloth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Cursing, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Excrement, and Racial slurs
billyjepma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I struggled to get into this at first and found myself bristling at how little the story prepared me for its version of space travel, alien worlds, and technology. On one hand, I admired the in media res approach, but on the other, I felt like it kept me at arm’s length from the characters and the mystery they find themselves in. And then, right around the halfway point, something in me or the book clicked into place, and I tore through the remaining 150+ pages in one sitting. All those wrinkles I initially saw as obstacles unfolded and played out in immensely satisfying, exciting ways. I still think that the first half is a little rough, and there are areas I found to be slightly underbaked, but I can’t argue with the results. Once things got going, I was all in and then some.
The very concept of a single-location murder mystery in a spaceship is enough of a hook to get me. If you’re willing to be patient, Thompson’s storytelling delivers on and exceeds the expectations of that initial conceit. I love the themes stitched into the plot, appreciate how they exist analogously to the story, and pay off in simultaneously rewarding and frustrating ways. Which is a good thing in my book because the themes Thompson introduces are too big and, in some ways, too abstract to have a proper resolution. I appreciate that he lets his characters (and, by extension, his reader) sit in that vaguely uncomfortable space. Take away the headiness, though, and you still have a simmering thriller that feels like the twisted love child of Seven, The Martian, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, with some tasteful hints of a Hercule Poirot caper mixed in for good measure.
The very concept of a single-location murder mystery in a spaceship is enough of a hook to get me. If you’re willing to be patient, Thompson’s storytelling delivers on and exceeds the expectations of that initial conceit. I love the themes stitched into the plot, appreciate how they exist analogously to the story, and pay off in simultaneously rewarding and frustrating ways. Which is a good thing in my book because the themes Thompson introduces are too big and, in some ways, too abstract to have a proper resolution. I appreciate that he lets his characters (and, by extension, his reader) sit in that vaguely uncomfortable space. Take away the headiness, though, and you still have a simmering thriller that feels like the twisted love child of Seven, The Martian, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, with some tasteful hints of a Hercule Poirot caper mixed in for good measure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Murder, Terminal illness, Violence, Cursing, and Medical content
Minor: Child death, Colonisation, Classism, Racial slurs, and Cannibalism
urs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Gore
Moderate: Confinement, Terminal illness, Violence, and Body horror
sarah984's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this one. It's a sort of a combination of space thriller and detective story with a bit of a supernatural element. There are some great action scenes, and while the characters aren't super developed, they feel unique and do the job. The romance is pretty bland though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Excrement, Sexual content, War, and Fatphobia
booksthatburn's review
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
FAR FROM THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN is a locked-spaceship mass-murder mystery with a disgraced detective and a rookie ship captain.
The ensemble of characters is interesting, I especially like Joké. Her storyline was the most engaging for me, and I like how she comes into her own.
The main thing that frustrated me is that there was literally no way to figure out the answer any earlier than the extended sequence which explains the whole thing in great detail. The actual answer was fascinating enough to loop back around to regaining my interest, but it does mean the middle of the book dragged for me. I like the world that was built, but not really the way that it was conveyed, and I enjoyed the political wrangling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Blood, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Gore, Excrement, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia, Child death, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Cannibalism
bard_the_dragon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Murder, and Violence
bookishbutch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Colonisation, Cursing, and Racial slurs
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
I love the concept for this: a locked room mystery set in space. I love locked room mysteries, and so I was excited about this one. I ended up reading it in one marathon session before bed, so while there are undoubtedly things I missed I did enjoy the book as a whole. I was certainly caught up in the mystery enough to not want to put the book down.
I really liked the writing style and the Afrofuturism aspect of the world building. The main characters were also a lot of fun, though I wanted more from the AI ship, Ragtime. (I didn't get it due to plot reasons. Alas.) There were other things I liked less, though. For example, I had hoped that the mystery side of the story would follow mystery genre conventions better, where you are able to pick up clues as to the whodunnit before the reveal. This book however, was much more rooted in the science fiction genre—where mysteries are not something that the reader could theoretically solve.
I really liked the writing style and the Afrofuturism aspect of the world building. The main characters were also a lot of fun, though I wanted more from the AI ship, Ragtime. (I didn't get it due to plot reasons. Alas.) There were other things I liked less, though. For example, I had hoped that the mystery side of the story would follow mystery genre conventions better, where you are able to pick up clues as to the whodunnit before the reveal. This book however, was much more rooted in the science fiction genre—where mysteries are not something that the reader could theoretically solve.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs and Body horror
whatellisreadnext's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭?"
"𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯."
The colony ship ragtime has embarked on a long journey, to bring one thousand sleeping passengers to a new planet. However, some of the passengers, will never wake.
Two words SPACE MYSTERY. It's no secret that I absolutely loved Tade Thompson's Wormwood Trilogy, it was fast-paced and weird and I couldn't read it quick enough. Far From the Light of Heaven isn't quite as weird, but still just as gripping and definitely just as gross. I think it will definitely be more palatable to a wider audience.
From the very off, this book really doesn't hold back on the gory details, and after the initial mystery reveal I was gobsmacked. And I don't know about you guys, but I love how isolating space is. This is the definition of a locked room mystery, because you're literally stuck on a ship, in the middle of space, with no clue who the murderer is and no way to escape.
Far From the Light of Heaven is out now, and if you love fast-paced mysteries or space or both, you need this book! (AD-PR Product) Thanks so much to Orbit Books for the gifted copy!
"𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯."
The colony ship ragtime has embarked on a long journey, to bring one thousand sleeping passengers to a new planet. However, some of the passengers, will never wake.
Two words SPACE MYSTERY. It's no secret that I absolutely loved Tade Thompson's Wormwood Trilogy, it was fast-paced and weird and I couldn't read it quick enough. Far From the Light of Heaven isn't quite as weird, but still just as gripping and definitely just as gross. I think it will definitely be more palatable to a wider audience.
From the very off, this book really doesn't hold back on the gory details, and after the initial mystery reveal I was gobsmacked. And I don't know about you guys, but I love how isolating space is. This is the definition of a locked room mystery, because you're literally stuck on a ship, in the middle of space, with no clue who the murderer is and no way to escape.
Far From the Light of Heaven is out now, and if you love fast-paced mysteries or space or both, you need this book! (AD-PR Product) Thanks so much to Orbit Books for the gifted copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, and Racism
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