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dylan_tomorrow's review
5.0
well, this was fucking phenomenal and frigging fabulous. a great character- driven sci-fi story with a fascinating world and two gorgeous outstanding people at the heart of it. got the ebook from humble bundle and grew to rather love the narrator's voice :-). recommended to all lovers of character driven imaginative sci-fi
p.s. Warren was right about the elimination of the y chromosome and everyone having the same DNA being a bad thing long term.
I hope they reintroduce women and men into hollow world.
I really loved the geomancers, great bunch of folks keeping everyone safe.
thanks to Michael Sullivan for this great book! @-}--
p.s. Warren was right about the elimination of the y chromosome and everyone having the same DNA being a bad thing long term.
I hope they reintroduce women and men into hollow world.
I really loved the geomancers, great bunch of folks keeping everyone safe.
thanks to Michael Sullivan for this great book! @-}--
mir_mortal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
brianpipa's review
4.0
Received the ebook yesterday and finished it today. I stormed through the first six chapters before getting sleepy and going to bed. Finished the rest the next morning/afternoon. It kept me interested and was the fastest I have finished a book in some time.
I wavered between a 4 and a 5 star rating. It uses the time travel theme but only to really look deeper into the human condition and thoughts on god and religion, individuality, gay rights, and more... All wrapped up in a look into the future.
I enjoyed the book, but I'm not sure I would be interested in a sequel. I will be recommending this one to my friends though.
I wavered between a 4 and a 5 star rating. It uses the time travel theme but only to really look deeper into the human condition and thoughts on god and religion, individuality, gay rights, and more... All wrapped up in a look into the future.
I enjoyed the book, but I'm not sure I would be interested in a sequel. I will be recommending this one to my friends though.
songwind's review
5.0
Hollow World is an enjoyable and interesting imagining of the far future, and, in my opinion, a step up for Sullivan as an author.
Ellis Rogers is dying. He's trapped in a loveless marriage, and blames himself for the tragic death of his son. He's on the far side of fifty, and his best friend is a bitter old man longing for a Golden Age that never existed.
Ellis is also a gifted engineer and MIT graduate. He's been poking at an inspired but flawed paper on time travel for years, and thinks he's found the mistake in the author's math. He's built a rig to implement the concept. He's even gone as far as packing up a survival kit. But until he knew he was going to die, he never had the nerve to push the button.
The world that greets him on the other side of his one-way trip is vastly different than he expected.
Hollow World deftly weaves together speculation, social commentary, mystery and adventure. Sullivan's vision of the far future (and why it turned out that way) is ambitious but plausible. It avoids the most common far future tropes - it's neither a perfect paradise nor is it a wasteland. Instead, it's an advanced society that's quite alien in many ways, but also beautiful. It's conquered many of our problems, but those solutions have brought problems of their own. Ellis' own invention introduces new elements of chaos into this mostly-peaceful mix.
Where Hollow World really shines is in its handling of characters. Ellis Rogers in particular is forced to confront his own feelings and preconceptions, and experiences notable growth. It's fascinating to watch his attitudes and perceptions change under the influence of new ideas - and even change back under the influence of old ones.
There's definitely social commentary in HW, but it's not always clear what the final message of the book should be. Characters at various points on the political and social spectra are nuanced, complicated and fallable. For a significant portion of the book, it's unclear where Ellis Rogers himself is going to come down due to the extremity of the changes in his life. It made for excellent reading and down-time speculation. Sullivan does all this without pointing it out himself, allowing us to follow Ellis, Pax, and others on the journey and draw our own conclusions.
Ellis Rogers is dying. He's trapped in a loveless marriage, and blames himself for the tragic death of his son. He's on the far side of fifty, and his best friend is a bitter old man longing for a Golden Age that never existed.
Ellis is also a gifted engineer and MIT graduate. He's been poking at an inspired but flawed paper on time travel for years, and thinks he's found the mistake in the author's math. He's built a rig to implement the concept. He's even gone as far as packing up a survival kit. But until he knew he was going to die, he never had the nerve to push the button.
The world that greets him on the other side of his one-way trip is vastly different than he expected.
Hollow World deftly weaves together speculation, social commentary, mystery and adventure. Sullivan's vision of the far future (and why it turned out that way) is ambitious but plausible. It avoids the most common far future tropes - it's neither a perfect paradise nor is it a wasteland. Instead, it's an advanced society that's quite alien in many ways, but also beautiful. It's conquered many of our problems, but those solutions have brought problems of their own. Ellis' own invention introduces new elements of chaos into this mostly-peaceful mix.
Where Hollow World really shines is in its handling of characters. Ellis Rogers in particular is forced to confront his own feelings and preconceptions, and experiences notable growth. It's fascinating to watch his attitudes and perceptions change under the influence of new ideas - and even change back under the influence of old ones.
There's definitely social commentary in HW, but it's not always clear what the final message of the book should be. Characters at various points on the political and social spectra are nuanced, complicated and fallable. For a significant portion of the book, it's unclear where Ellis Rogers himself is going to come down due to the extremity of the changes in his life. It made for excellent reading and down-time speculation. Sullivan does all this without pointing it out himself, allowing us to follow Ellis, Pax, and others on the journey and draw our own conclusions.
celtic_oracle's review
4.0
Slow to start, and a bit overwrought in places, but an addictive read all the same.
horoxv's review against another edition
3.0
Very good story and unique ideas. Some was predictable, and the relationship was a little odd for my taste but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
I prefer Michael J Sullivan's fantasy works and can't wait for his First Empire series!
I prefer Michael J Sullivan's fantasy works and can't wait for his First Empire series!
tricapra's review against another edition
4.0
I definitely enjoyed this novel more than I probably should have. I've noticed that I always feel uncomfortable reading about religious protagonists. But, it is most certainly a page turner. The world building/setting was the real standout to me. It's only sci-fi/time travel novel in the loosest sense, really it's about love and humanity. Reminds me a bit of Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time in that sense.
karinlib's review
4.0
Actually, I would give this 4 1/2 stars, if it was an option. This book was great. It is post-apocalyptic, but so much more. Hollow World is filled with new ways of looking at things, which make you think. I highly recommend this book.
franklyfrank's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
amybraunauthor's review against another edition
4.0
Really unique story about serious time travel, human evolution, and how people from our current world might respond if they encountered a utopia. Really enjoyed this!