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genreguy's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.5
wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
3.0
To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into here. I've enjoyed Bob Shaw in the past which is why I picked this one up. I found this story full of surprises, particularly as it doesn't do anything I expected it do. My best description of the book would be something along the lines of The Little Mermaid meets The Puppet Masters meets Pacific Rim. Except it's not really any of them either.
Initially the story chapters alternate between Myrah in the water world and Hal, in his boat in a future degenerating Earth. Initially, I had not idea what was going on with Myrah's alien world and wondered if this book was worth finishing. Hal's story was okay but because it was more relatable, I was happy when I got to his chapters. I'm glad I persevered as, once things started making sense to me, this really picked up. By the end, I was hooked.
The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that this particular edition had some outrageous editing errors. There were a couple of typos, but the first major problem was where some lines were jumbled like 1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 5, 6. And on two other occasions a paragraph was repeated halfway through its first run, so you'd get 3 lines, then the same 3 lines again followed by the rest of the paragraph.
Initially the story chapters alternate between Myrah in the water world and Hal, in his boat in a future degenerating Earth. Initially, I had not idea what was going on with Myrah's alien world and wondered if this book was worth finishing. Hal's story was okay but because it was more relatable, I was happy when I got to his chapters. I'm glad I persevered as, once things started making sense to me, this really picked up. By the end, I was hooked.
The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that this particular edition had some outrageous editing errors. There were a couple of typos, but the first major problem was where some lines were jumbled like 1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 5, 6. And on two other occasions a paragraph was repeated halfway through its first run, so you'd get 3 lines, then the same 3 lines again followed by the rest of the paragraph.
metaphorosis's review
3.0
3.5 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
Humans inhabit a mysterious, low gravity marine environment at whose core is the enigmatic Ka. When the currents suddenly shift, the inhabitants find out there is much more to their precarious world than they knew.
Like Orbitsville, Medusa's Children centers around an intriguing technical premise, but focuses its attention more on the people it affects than on shiny gimmicks. There's not a great deal of depth to most characters, but the two central figures are interesting and realistic. While they're interesting to follow, the emotional arc of the story is relatively flat, and the ending lacks impact. I wish, in this case, that Shaw had done more with the technology and the worldbuilding than just sketch it in. It's a concept that deserved more attention, along with the functioning human side of the story. Shaw’s throwaways ideas here include climate change, drones, and a number of other enticing mentions. Overall, interesting, but not transforming.
Humans inhabit a mysterious, low gravity marine environment at whose core is the enigmatic Ka. When the currents suddenly shift, the inhabitants find out there is much more to their precarious world than they knew.
Like Orbitsville, Medusa's Children centers around an intriguing technical premise, but focuses its attention more on the people it affects than on shiny gimmicks. There's not a great deal of depth to most characters, but the two central figures are interesting and realistic. While they're interesting to follow, the emotional arc of the story is relatively flat, and the ending lacks impact. I wish, in this case, that Shaw had done more with the technology and the worldbuilding than just sketch it in. It's a concept that deserved more attention, along with the functioning human side of the story. Shaw’s throwaways ideas here include climate change, drones, and a number of other enticing mentions. Overall, interesting, but not transforming.
lordofthemoon's review
3.0
The Clan live in a zero-gravity undersea world, trying to survive in a harsh environment and stay safe from the deadly Horra. But a new current is bringing change...
This was an enjoyable post-(mild)apocalypse book with a nice SF Idea at its heart. The characters are just sketches, but drawn well enough that you care about them. Worth reading.
This was an enjoyable post-(mild)apocalypse book with a nice SF Idea at its heart. The characters are just sketches, but drawn well enough that you care about them. Worth reading.
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