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haleyhbrill's review against another edition
2.0
I had to DNF this book. I was unsure on what was going on. The synopsis seemed interesting, but the first bit of the book didn’t seem to line up? I also am confused as to if this is a new book installment or one that has just been reprinted, but story was paced strangely and couldn’t get into it. The overall book seemed like it had potential but just isn’t my taste of books. Was quite strange in a “Psalm for the Wild Built” or “Spear Cuts Through Water” sort of way.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
gossamerwingedgazelle's review
5.0
For some reason, I believed that this book was pulp from the 1970s. I expected something boring, sexist and generally flat. I was very wrong. The setting and characters were interesting, the plot moved along, and there was a little mystery, a little romance, and a little trickery. Definitely worth reading.
finnh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Incredible premise that the actual plot did not live up to. The disjointed narrative was often hard to follow and superfluous.
collegeoflores's review against another edition
2.75
Gonna be honest I don't think this was for me but it is very creative
kateofmind's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
grayjay's review
3.0
A confounding novel about integrity and transcendence.
The bureaucratic lands on the planet Miranda to investigate the coming catastrophic flood and track down some stolen technology.
Every 200 years, the Jubilee Tides drown the continents of Miranda. Many animals and plants, as well as the near mythical, probably extinct, intelligence indigenous population, have evolved the ability to transform themselves to adapt to aqueous environments.
Gregorian, a magician, has stolen suppressed technology from the colonial government as the bureaucrat has even sent to track it down.
The book is filled with scenes of altered consciousness and altered reality, tantric sex, occult ritual, and obscure technology. While it is a fun, wild ride, it is sometimes barely coherent and frequently veers off plot.
The bureaucratic lands on the planet Miranda to investigate the coming catastrophic flood and track down some stolen technology.
Every 200 years, the Jubilee Tides drown the continents of Miranda. Many animals and plants, as well as the near mythical, probably extinct, intelligence indigenous population, have evolved the ability to transform themselves to adapt to aqueous environments.
Gregorian, a magician, has stolen suppressed technology from the colonial government as the bureaucrat has even sent to track it down.
The book is filled with scenes of altered consciousness and altered reality, tantric sex, occult ritual, and obscure technology. While it is a fun, wild ride, it is sometimes barely coherent and frequently veers off plot.
spikeanderson1's review
3.0
very original, very edgy (Gibson style) and some decent (but twisted) sex scenes. Kind of apocalyptic but on another world. however, lots of confusion to the point that i sometimes had no clue what had happened. worth reading good not great
sarabz's review against another edition
3.0
This book contains a lot of interesting ideas and imaginative technologies. As I was reading it, I could tell that it was carefully constructed with threads interweaving from the main story and the sub-stories. Themes deal with self-determination, personhood, colonial destruction, nature and the natural, science and knowledge.
But I had a hard time getting into the book. It didn't pull me in and the characters just didn't feel compelling or fleshed out. There was a strong flavor of New Wave sci-fi, so much so that I was surprised when the copyright page told me that the book was published in 1991.
But I had a hard time getting into the book. It didn't pull me in and the characters just didn't feel compelling or fleshed out. There was a strong flavor of New Wave sci-fi, so much so that I was surprised when the copyright page told me that the book was published in 1991.
kari_f's review
3.0
I definitely had mixed emotions about this book. I really liked the premise, with an unnamed “bureaucrat” traveling to a soon-to-be-flooded planet to track down an alleged technology thief who claims to have magical abilities. It feels very surreal for a sci-fi book, and the bizarre and beautiful setting was by far my favorite aspect of the book. There is also some great social commentary and allegory about technology and who gets to control it.
I know the book won all sorts of awards, but I don’t know that it aged well. I didn’t like how he portrayed most of the female characters, and there are some words/sentiments that wouldn’t be tolerated in a book published more recently.
Sometimes it feels like the author is long-winded in areas that didn’t need as much detail, while expecting the reader to pick up some of the more important details through context alone. This leads to the book feeling disjointed in places, with uneven pacing. That, mixed with the hallucinatory feel of the middle, sometimes made want to skim through to find out how it ended.
Overall, I’m not upset to have read the book, but I don’t think this is an author I’ll be seeking out for future reading material.
Thanks so much to Tor/Forge for sending this book to me!