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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I tried with Central Station, I really did. I was pretty excited about starting it too. The blurb is fantastic, its author is from Israel but has lived in South East Asia, Oceania, and Africa, and its published locally by an independent press, PLUS it came with a tonne of awards. All in all, a very strong starter!
The problem is that it's pretentious drivel, just one token sci-fi idea after another. There is integrated AI, symbionts, androids, robots, space travel, time and memory manipulation, test-tube and vat grown babies, ghosts in the shell, lost loves, data vampires, pidgin English, songs and poems, a drug scandal, a forbidden love, war crimes, on and on and on.
Having a bunch of ideas is nothing new in the genre but these ideas are usually integrated into a sci-fi story in two ways: either to ascertain the consequences of that new science or technology on life as we know it, or to just explore its implementation for fun. Neither of these things happen with any of the Concepts-with-a-capital-C in central station.
Instead, Tidhar takes a lot of pleasure in setting up picturesque little moments with some of these choice characters, that never really go anywhere. I've seen reviews around saying that this is literary science fiction and it is if you're looking for pretentious vignette fiction to compare to.
The dialogue is also appalling:
Real people, as opposed t characters in some literary kindergarten, do not talk like that.
I read 150 pages of this book and I'm no closer to caring, understanding, or seeing an end to this story. A disappointing DNF.
The problem is that it's pretentious drivel, just one token sci-fi idea after another. There is integrated AI, symbionts, androids, robots, space travel, time and memory manipulation, test-tube and vat grown babies, ghosts in the shell, lost loves, data vampires, pidgin English, songs and poems, a drug scandal, a forbidden love, war crimes, on and on and on.
Having a bunch of ideas is nothing new in the genre but these ideas are usually integrated into a sci-fi story in two ways: either to ascertain the consequences of that new science or technology on life as we know it, or to just explore its implementation for fun. Neither of these things happen with any of the Concepts-with-a-capital-C in central station.
Instead, Tidhar takes a lot of pleasure in setting up picturesque little moments with some of these choice characters, that never really go anywhere. I've seen reviews around saying that this is literary science fiction and it is if you're looking for pretentious vignette fiction to compare to.
The dialogue is also appalling:
"She knew him on Mars. In Tong Yun City."
"I... see"
"You see nothing, You are blind like a worm."
...
"I do not want ... I do not want her to hurt you."
"I am a grown up, I can take care of myself"
"Like you ever could!"
Real people, as opposed t characters in some literary kindergarten, do not talk like that.
I read 150 pages of this book and I'm no closer to caring, understanding, or seeing an end to this story. A disappointing DNF.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Central Station is a middle Eastern border city, a huge spaceport between Israeli Tel Aviv and Arab Jaffa. Space travel is but a tiny element of the book though, as Tidhar is more interested in these scrabbling to survive at the foot of the gleaming towers. If there's a throughline to the novel, it's the Chong family and their affiliates - the book follows various Chongs, with the most pagetime given to Boris, recently returned to Earth from space. His lovers, father, cousins and various other connections (an artist who makes and kills gods, a rag and bone man who may well be immortal, a young woman infected with a disease akin to vampirism that makes her thirst for data) all take centre stage for a while before fading back into the mass of humanity that makes up Central Station. And that's really my only gripe with this book. You can throw around phrases like "mosaic novel", or "collage fiction", but there is no escaping that this book is a collection of short stories loosely lashed together. There's no overarching plot (well, there are hints of something in the background), several dangling threads and not a great deal of action. But what you do get is an outstanding depiction of this new society. Tidhar has created something recognisably human, yet quite alien at the same time. It reminds me in some ways of Ian MacDonald's great SF novels set in the world's emerging economies where the shock of the new is multiplied by our Western unfamiliarity with existing cultures and mores. The writing is tremendously evocative of this future culture. You will taste the dust of Central Station in the back of your throat by the time you finish. It's a book that has lingered in my mind, probably one of the best SF novels that will be published in 2016, but not one to be read for quick thrills.
[I received an ARC of this book from Tachyon via NetGalley]
[I received an ARC of this book from Tachyon via NetGalley]
A little weird for my taste. Takes a lot of effort to fit the pieces of the world together into a picture for the story and I found myself not caring enough to give it as much as it needed. Fun if you like to think about the different ways AI could go.
3.5 stars.
The world-building is impressive. Everything from the micro (patented eye colors) to the macro (new world religions) to the fantastic (vampires!) has been carefully remained and integrated.
Unfortunately, this felt like a series of short stories set in the same world rather than a coherent novel. Though there's some overlap, it seemed that most chapters had their own primary characters; I would have preferred to see the author take one or two or three of these characters and develop an overarching story. In some ways, this is The Silmarilion of this world, where I was hoping for The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
The world-building is impressive. Everything from the micro (patented eye colors) to the macro (new world religions) to the fantastic (vampires!) has been carefully remained and integrated.
Unfortunately, this felt like a series of short stories set in the same world rather than a coherent novel. Though there's some overlap, it seemed that most chapters had their own primary characters; I would have preferred to see the author take one or two or three of these characters and develop an overarching story. In some ways, this is The Silmarilion of this world, where I was hoping for The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This was a delightfully weird little book. It's like the moody character studies of '70s era science fiction with the themes of early '90s cyberpunk. Does anyone else remember reading Aboriginal Science Fiction magazine? The tech is what you would expect from Peter F. Hamilton and Ken MacLeod. There are several references for those of us who have read to much classic science fiction. Not in an in your face, take up half the book kind of way like Ready Player One. It won't matter if you don't know why the Louis Wu Emporium is called that.
There is no real story here. The book wanders back and forth between characters and ideas. Several times Central Station seems like it is building up to something big, but never quite gets there. Nothing is resolved, and no questions are answered, and that's ok.
There is no real story here. The book wanders back and forth between characters and ideas. Several times Central Station seems like it is building up to something big, but never quite gets there. Nothing is resolved, and no questions are answered, and that's ok.
Wow! This is up there with one of the best books I've read in a while. Tidhar has not only weaved together a creative world, but developed characters that are so alive and rich and all written in a poetically beautiful prose. This is a book that needs to be savored, and I mean that in the best way. After reading a chapter or 2 each day, I was left with a feeling of expansive wonder. It truly left me feeling light, joyful, and enriched. This is a no-brainer, go buy it, read it, keep it on the shelf, and read it often!
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
Beautiful, evocative world
Je n'ai pas été aussi emporté que je l'aurais cru au départ, mais... Je veux lire d'autres romans de l'auteur