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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Was not very strong technically speaking, kept trying to reinforce the same points over and over and became a philosophical thinkpiece instead of what was promised based off of the cover and the synopsis.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book is a wonderful reminder, that we need to take better care of our environment. The way the author describes a future human society seems scarily realistic.
The characters are nicely written, Ervim was especially wholesome, and I also enjoyed the sea creatures.
Unfortunately, I feel like there are way too many stories happening at once. I would’ve loved to explore each one of them but instead got a mash up of half done plot lines. This was pretty disappointing. Additionally the end felt like a quick and dirty clean up of the remaining plot.
My last critique is the science part of it; especially as a neuroscientist I really didn’t buy the whole connectome thing. Some other things also seemed a little far fetched, but in the end it’s a Sci-Fi book, so not everything needs to be completely realistic.
The characters are nicely written, Ervim was especially wholesome, and I also enjoyed the sea creatures.
Unfortunately, I feel like there are way too many stories happening at once. I would’ve loved to explore each one of them but instead got a mash up of half done plot lines. This was pretty disappointing. Additionally the end felt like a quick and dirty clean up of the remaining plot.
My last critique is the science part of it; especially as a neuroscientist I really didn’t buy the whole connectome thing. Some other things also seemed a little far fetched, but in the end it’s a Sci-Fi book, so not everything needs to be completely realistic.
I think this book will stay with me for a while. It’s a beautiful speculation on consciousness and what it really means to be living, to be alive, in every sense of the word. From living to your full potential, to what justifies consciousness, to who controls what you do, this book manages to cover it all with characters that are complex and not always likable. I loved this, more than I thought I would.
Overall, this was an interesting read! I appreciated the author’s ability to navigate different stories and themes and eventually connect them, but there was a noticeable lack of octopus.
Going into this, I assumed I would read an Arrival-type story, one of communication and alien species and everything this book promises. Unfortunately, it feels like those promises are misguiding and exaggerated. The octopuses story is inherently tangled in Ha’s and Evrim’s stories, which I really liked, but in the end, I feel like I barely scratched the surface of this communication/species/morals question. Instead, I read way more about AI than I ever really wanted to.
Overall, I enjoyed reading most of it. Went fast in the end, writing was okay, characters were okay. An okay book.
Going into this, I assumed I would read an Arrival-type story, one of communication and alien species and everything this book promises. Unfortunately, it feels like those promises are misguiding and exaggerated. The octopuses story is inherently tangled in Ha’s and Evrim’s stories, which I really liked, but in the end, I feel like I barely scratched the surface of this communication/species/morals question. Instead, I read way more about AI than I ever really wanted to.
Overall, I enjoyed reading most of it. Went fast in the end, writing was okay, characters were okay. An okay book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No