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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Murderous octopuses! I'm in!
Or so I thought....The concept here was top notch and the book design is absolutely stunning. But this one left me cold in the way that so much sci fi writing unfortunately does. There is no character development! Everyone is written with such a flat affectation that I found it impossible to distinguish between the various voices. This quality paired with almost no physical descriptions meant that I wasn't able to imagine, identify, or care about these people at all. I started to wonder at one point if they were ALL robots.
Also, as other readers have pointed out, there is a ton of exposition weighing down the text, and this applies not only to the hard science but to the protagonists' interiority as well. We are told a lot about WHAT our characters are grappling with emotionally but not WHY. Gobs of telling and no showing, heavy on the science with too little emotional resonance.
It also got on my nerves that the one character whose appearance is described quite a bit - is actually the one we can't see as she's wearing some sort of virtual reality shield over her face.
I wasn't sorry I read this one, I found the world building interesting - the fishing ships in particular were super disturbing and compelling. But after nearly 450 pages, I wanted to feel invested in these characters. This would make a stellar TV or movie adaptation though, good casting could fill in the blanks.
Or so I thought....The concept here was top notch and the book design is absolutely stunning. But this one left me cold in the way that so much sci fi writing unfortunately does. There is no character development! Everyone is written with such a flat affectation that I found it impossible to distinguish between the various voices. This quality paired with almost no physical descriptions meant that I wasn't able to imagine, identify, or care about these people at all. I started to wonder at one point if they were ALL robots.
Also, as other readers have pointed out, there is a ton of exposition weighing down the text, and this applies not only to the hard science but to the protagonists' interiority as well. We are told a lot about WHAT our characters are grappling with emotionally but not WHY. Gobs of telling and no showing, heavy on the science with too little emotional resonance.
It also got on my nerves that the one character whose appearance is described quite a bit - is actually the one we can't see as she's wearing some sort of virtual reality shield over her face.
I wasn't sorry I read this one, I found the world building interesting - the fishing ships in particular were super disturbing and compelling. But after nearly 450 pages, I wanted to feel invested in these characters. This would make a stellar TV or movie adaptation though, good casting could fill in the blanks.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked the linguistics part, it made me miss class
The different peoples stories coming together and how they interact and affect each other was nice
I kind of wish we found out more about the language of the octopuses
a repeated theme being indifference and how it affects us as a society with interpersonal relationships and as a society in relation to our planet ....exactlyyyyy
It wasn't too bad overall
The different peoples stories coming together and how they interact and affect each other was nice
I kind of wish we found out more about the language of the octopuses
a repeated theme being indifference and how it affects us as a society with interpersonal relationships and as a society in relation to our planet ....exactlyyyyy
It wasn't too bad overall
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This novel, through a few different character threads, explores the human consciousness, communication across species, and the human toll on the environment. Thoroughly researched and very well-written, this book offers a dark glimpse into a dystopian world that parallels our own in many ways.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The best parts of this were the ones that weren't focused on linguistics. Seeing a near sci-fi world built out was really fun and engaging, but it made the chapters with the main characters feel oddly flat.
It's a quick read, and was good for what it was.
It's a quick read, and was good for what it was.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No