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taylor_hohulin's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of a slow starter, but fun once you get through the first third. There's planet-hopping, aliens, weird dreams, and a mystical sense throughout.
josiahdegraaf's review against another edition
4.0
Very good story. Some parts of it seemed a bit mismatched, but overall it was pretty compelling. The newest edition of the story also comes with a very interesting introduction by him about the different scientific advances that have come about in the thirty years since he wrote it. The other reviewer commenting how the villain in the wheelchair is basically a slander of Stephen Hawking amuses me, given that, as Lawhead admits in the new intro, this book was written before Hawking became famous, making it one of those odd coincidences in old sci-fi books. Lawhead is a very skilled writer; this book, while kind of inconsistent in theme and general vibe, is a good example of his skill.
3.5 Stars. (Good)
3.5 Stars. (Good)
katmarhan's review
3.0
6/10
There were many aspects of this book that I loved—the space station, the Martian city and Guardian Kyr, the adventures on Earth and the resistance on Gotham, and certain characters like Adjani and Gita—but the spiritual message was too often a heavy-handed bludgeoning rather than a deftly woven part of the story. And the sexism of the early 1980s was blatant—no women scientists, administrators, or main characters at all, with the predictable exceptions of the love interest of the protagonist and her mentally ill mother.
There were many aspects of this book that I loved—the space station, the Martian city and Guardian Kyr, the adventures on Earth and the resistance on Gotham, and certain characters like Adjani and Gita—but the spiritual message was too often a heavy-handed bludgeoning rather than a deftly woven part of the story. And the sexism of the early 1980s was blatant—no women scientists, administrators, or main characters at all, with the predictable exceptions of the love interest of the protagonist and her mentally ill mother.
rosenectur's review
5.0
My favorite book by my favorite author, Stephen R. Lawhead. I've read it 5 or 6 times now, and have to come back to it every few years. It's a sci-fi story about God, friendship, and Hindu beliefs colliding over alien control of mankind. I love a sci-fi book that takes you somewhere unique.
pussreboots's review
2.0
I don't remember the details but from reading the description I don't think I would care for it if I re-read it.
reanne's review
4.0
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I don't read a lot of Christian fiction, mainly because I find the Christian elements are usually clumsy and heavy-handed. This book didn't have that problem. I thought the Christian elements blended well with the rest of the story. I also don't read a whole lot of sci-fi, mostly because I find the concept overshadows the characters and I end up not caring about any of it. This book didn't have that problem either. I liked the main character well enough, and the others were enjoyable. My favorite was the friend, Adjani. The plot was interesting and the ending satisfying.
There were some things I thought could have been handled better. The only two female characters of any note are the love interest and the love interest's mother, and for a large chunk of the book, the love interest is only there to play the damsel in need of saving. It would have been nice to have at least one important (or even notable) female character who was interesting on her own account. The villain was pretty generically evil, so it would also have been nice to see him be a bit more complex. This book took me much longer to read than average, partly because it's just much longer than average, and partly because it's pretty slow moving. Which is a bit annoying, but at the same time, I can't point to any parts that could be cut or significantly shortened. I guess that's just a warning that if you're an impatient reader who has to have something exciting happening all the time, you might get tired of this book quickly. Also, even though my copy was the ninth printing, there were still at least a dozen or so typos, and those are always jarring when I come across them.
So, not a perfect book, but a solid, entertaining story, and in my opinion a very successful blend of the Christian and sci-fi genres.
There were some things I thought could have been handled better. The only two female characters of any note are the love interest and the love interest's mother, and for a large chunk of the book, the love interest is only there to play the damsel in need of saving. It would have been nice to have at least one important (or even notable) female character who was interesting on her own account. The villain was pretty generically evil, so it would also have been nice to see him be a bit more complex. This book took me much longer to read than average, partly because it's just much longer than average, and partly because it's pretty slow moving. Which is a bit annoying, but at the same time, I can't point to any parts that could be cut or significantly shortened. I guess that's just a warning that if you're an impatient reader who has to have something exciting happening all the time, you might get tired of this book quickly. Also, even though my copy was the ninth printing, there were still at least a dozen or so typos, and those are always jarring when I come across them.
So, not a perfect book, but a solid, entertaining story, and in my opinion a very successful blend of the Christian and sci-fi genres.
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