Reviews

Deception Well by Linda Nagata

crimsoncor's review against another edition

5.0

Radically different from the first book. Make a big timeline jump. Lot is such a fascinating character for exploring ideas of free will vs biological heritage.

Spoiler

The ending coming full circle with Nikko showing up was wild

. I really like how Nagata doesn't stress too much about the "how" of the tech instead dealing with the impacts. Reminds me a lot of Peter Hamilton's from a decade later (yup, she got there first again). Assuming this level of technology, what sort of crazy things might a human civilization be capable of.

beefmaster's review against another edition

5.0

Vast improvement over The Bohr Maker. Very intricate plot, almost too intricate.

buchanator's review against another edition

dude abuses his power for sex which makes me feel icky. nothing against the book it is just not something I can handle myself

mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition

3.0

Disappointing. There are good ideas here but way too hard to read. Never flowed and not sure I ever cared. 3 of 5.

alex_mc's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring fast-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

3.0

ineffablebob's review

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I felt Deception Well has promise that it can't fulfill, due to a bad combination of confusing and boring. The beginning is promising enough, with the protagonist Lot taking part in an assault with his father's army, headed through the space-elevator-city of Silk to the planet below. They fail, Lot and half the army is captured, his father is lost, and then there's a ten year gap. And this is where the boring comes in, as the rest of the first half of the book is taken up with Lot and friends in Silk trying to fit in, find out what happened to his father, and eventually escaping. This entire section feels like about 2 chapters of content stretched into half a book, taking forever before the story started moving again. Which it does, turning into an adventure as Lot finally gets out of Silk and explores the planet, discovering what exists there and even answering some of the mystery of what happened to his father. But through this whole section, it's hard to understand what's actually happening, because it depends on centuries of history that is only hinted at throughout the book. I think by the end I finally figured out what "Hallowed Vasties" and "Chenzeme" and similar terms were referring to, but it's never clearly explained to the reader and the characters themselves seem to have only a foggy idea. There's certainly some interesting world-building along the way, with people who live effectively forever due to medical nanotechnology, and the resulting societal implications and resource constraints and new kinds of disease. I just wish the story told in that world was related in a more coherent and concise way.

cindywho's review against another edition

2.0

This one did not grip me as much as the Bohr Maker. My life and other books may have been too distracting... In the far future, nanotechnology is fully integrated with humans and may have interacted with alien technology to detriment or for the better? It's never quite sure. Lot has inherited his father's genetic fate - to be a cult leader with senses that can read emotion and faith - come up against a planet that either kills or saves the people drawn to it. (July 09, 2006)

zetasyanthis's review

4.0

I genuinely don't know what to write about this book, other than is being really trippy and somehow really terrifying re: free will???

cobe54's review

slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Not sure about the connection to the first book - perhaps I need macrovision 

tundragirl's review

3.0

These books just don't resonate with me, which is a shame because I ate up the Red trilogy like it was chocolate.