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hetzelah's review
adventurous
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
carireadsbooksandtarot's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I heard about this book on BookRiot’s All the Books! podcast, and thought it sounded like an entry-level sci-fi that I might enjoy. Set in the near future, Sensus, a gigantic tech company run by two sisters, is building a space station between the earth and the moon. The first residents are a team of scientists tasked with making the station habitable as Earth is ravaged by daily climate disasters. We follow several characters: Alex, a scientist working to create algae specialized for increased carbon capture, his daughter, Mary Agnes, a teenagrer trying to navigate in a world where phones are implanted aurally, and Tess, who watches their lives through their eyes in an attempt to create an algorithm for human behavior. As the story progresses, and people are both hurt and helped by technology, questions arise about the ethics of big technology.
There are no good or bad characters here, just people doing what they think is right in this completely plausible future scenario. I love a story with realistic characters relating to one another in the flawed way that we humans do. While the book brought up many questions, none of them are new to me, despite only rarely dipping my toes into science fiction. We live in a time when science fiction, depicting a vastly different existence, is set just ten or twenty years in the future. We see new technologies every day and wonder “What will they think of next?” We are inundated daily by messaging from big tech companies and the rules of social engagement online change constantly. This book could be set in the present with only a few changes. It feels familiar and its frightening.
I’m not sure this is a book that I could say I enjoyed reading. It was uncomfortable and tense. But it was also definitely engaging and thought-provoking. I think I was right in thinking it was a good entry-point into sci-fi for those like me with an interest to dip their toes in. I doubt that more experienced sci-fi fans will find much that is new here. The writing is great and the narration was enjoyable, I was able to listen at 1x speed, which is a rarity (I usually speed it up).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Sexual assault, and Bullying
proserpina_mist's review
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
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