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pam_d's review against another edition
5.0
As a fan of hard science fiction, I had a lot fun reading this. The science was well thought out, the plot pulled you in with surprising twists and the galaxy that has been created leaves lots of room for the story to go in interesting directions from here.
masterofdoom's review against another edition
5.0
The more you know of the universe the darker, colder and more frighten it beco,mes in this brilliant dark space opera. The same you can say about the characters, the more you know them the more shocking, terrifying and revolting they become. But the more you know them, the more you become addicted to them. A dystopian future that you have no choice but to love and embrace. A masterpiece!
buckeram's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bookish_maddy's review against another edition
4.0
Those last hundred pages or so! What a ride! I really enjoyed this one and am definitely going to read the next one in the series! Big THANK YOU! to my Goodreads friends who hyped this up and encouraged me to give it a shot.
brainstrain91's review against another edition
2.0
Reynolds piles everything on the altar of his plot.
This is a book much, much longer than it needed to be. It is a wasteland of the kind of incidents which demand the exhaustive detail of Reynolds' writing.
There are glimpses of Reynolds' talent - flashes of evocative description, a few moments where characters shine through the roles prescribed to them. And the last 100 pages are breathtakingly paced, enough to gloss over many faults.
In the end, his universe is not well-considered enough to suspend my disbelief. His characters lack empathy or sufficiently explored motivation to make any compelling arguments. And Reynolds has too little respect for my time to engender much sympathy. This will be my last foray into his writing.
This is a book much, much longer than it needed to be. It is a wasteland of the kind of incidents which demand the exhaustive detail of Reynolds' writing.
There are glimpses of Reynolds' talent - flashes of evocative description, a few moments where characters shine through the roles prescribed to them. And the last 100 pages are breathtakingly paced, enough to gloss over many faults.
In the end, his universe is not well-considered enough to suspend my disbelief. His characters lack empathy or sufficiently explored motivation to make any compelling arguments. And Reynolds has too little respect for my time to engender much sympathy. This will be my last foray into his writing.
maderschramm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
richardem's review against another edition
5.0
information density creates eternal simulations
The style of writing is quite good. The characters are engaging and the story worth reading…. Highly recommended! Big ideas with interesting premise.
The style of writing is quite good. The characters are engaging and the story worth reading…. Highly recommended! Big ideas with interesting premise.
artistry's review against another edition
I couldn’t follow it. Jumped around all the time, characters I couldn’t remember, and a slow burn plot.
I might try again another time
I might try again another time
martfarty's review against another edition
3.0
Looong. Enjoyed it, felt it was too epic space opera and lost some of the story nuances.