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areidjohnson's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kleonard's review against another edition
3.0
A solid space opera in which salvagers discover that an alien race, supposedly long-dead, isn't, and that the historiography of their universe has been covering up quite a bit of information. There are some invented terms and jargon for readers to work out and get, as well as some physics, and the characters didn't feel completely developed, but a lot of SFF fans will enjoy it.
nikomedes's review against another edition
2.0
Desperately needed a firm editor who wouldn’t baby the author. So much of this book is repetitive, first-person digressions repeating concepts or thoughts explained chapters, pages, and even scant paragraphs before. The density of this book is totally pointless.
Setting that aside, this book aspires to be a character study as much as a scifi novel, but unfortunately works from the perspective of a character who spends so much time picking herself apart she makes the moral and conceptual ramifications of a humanity able to manage their own brain chemistry at a whim boring.
This book has also been touted for its diversity, but recent revelations about the author’s past and current troubled history with race only serve to make this diversity obviously shallow. (Search for “racefail fanlore” for past info, and look to the accounts of mentees of color who worked with Bear for current info.) The protagonist is supposed to be a black lesbian, but aside from a few mentions of her brown skin (in one instance likened to cocoa), you could be forgiven for finding nothing authentic in her character as a black woman considering how much she fawns over ancient (in her time) British literature and finds past humanity on the whole to be “atavistic and barbaric primates.” Her lesbianism boils down to a disinterest in men and repeatedly calling her antagonist throughout the book a “sexy bad girl pirate.” As a lesbian myself, I saw nothing to relate to here. “Diversity” has become a kind of meaningless buzzword, but please, have higher standards for representation— for yourself and others.
I give two stars because I do like a bit of hard scifi and a lot of the tech and phenomena in this story at least have an intriguing skin of scientific jargon. There are interesting concepts too: “rightminding” and mental biochemistry self-regulation, the extremes to which that could be taken, a galactic government built on social debt, white space drives, and surgical modification to optimize for zero G environments, to name a few. Unfortunately, that’s all swimming in a sea of repetitive, self-anxious rambling and blunt force attempts at examining moral relativism. I cannot recommend this book.
Setting that aside, this book aspires to be a character study as much as a scifi novel, but unfortunately works from the perspective of a character who spends so much time picking herself apart she makes the moral and conceptual ramifications of a humanity able to manage their own brain chemistry at a whim boring.
This book has also been touted for its diversity, but recent revelations about the author’s past and current troubled history with race only serve to make this diversity obviously shallow. (Search for “racefail fanlore” for past info, and look to the accounts of mentees of color who worked with Bear for current info.) The protagonist is supposed to be a black lesbian, but aside from a few mentions of her brown skin (in one instance likened to cocoa), you could be forgiven for finding nothing authentic in her character as a black woman considering how much she fawns over ancient (in her time) British literature and finds past humanity on the whole to be “atavistic and barbaric primates.” Her lesbianism boils down to a disinterest in men and repeatedly calling her antagonist throughout the book a “sexy bad girl pirate.” As a lesbian myself, I saw nothing to relate to here. “Diversity” has become a kind of meaningless buzzword, but please, have higher standards for representation— for yourself and others.
I give two stars because I do like a bit of hard scifi and a lot of the tech and phenomena in this story at least have an intriguing skin of scientific jargon. There are interesting concepts too: “rightminding” and mental biochemistry self-regulation, the extremes to which that could be taken, a galactic government built on social debt, white space drives, and surgical modification to optimize for zero G environments, to name a few. Unfortunately, that’s all swimming in a sea of repetitive, self-anxious rambling and blunt force attempts at examining moral relativism. I cannot recommend this book.
elllljayyyy's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? No
3.75
rilkegriffin's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
arhgee's review against another edition
5.0
It's soooo good. Elizabeth Bear's scifi stories might not be for everyone but for those that it appeals to it is page turning and leaves you wanting more.
druv's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Brainwashing and such has a very high squick factor for me, and when the book was going heavily in that direction* I had to push through it a bit, but I think it paid off a 100%.
The book had incredibly enjoyable characters, asked interesting questions about issues of society, self, and self-determination. It also presented a vast space opera galaxy reminiscent of the best parts of the Mass Effect universe.
*some people might think that the entire book is heavily about that, but let's just say I agree with the main character about the consensual nature of rightminding
The book had incredibly enjoyable characters, asked interesting questions about issues of society, self, and self-determination. It also presented a vast space opera galaxy reminiscent of the best parts of the Mass Effect universe.
*some people might think that the entire book is heavily about that, but let's just say I agree with the main character about the consensual nature of rightminding
samwreads's review against another edition
3.0
Weird book! But in a good way.
I love the story and imaginative world building. It's big and ambitious and the author actually does a pretty good job of creating a relevant and interesting backstory and tying it in with the current crisis-du-future-jour. I especially love the ethical questions posed (and contested) regarding mood/mind regulation. I know (or it certainly seems) that science fiction as a genre has long been a haven for libertarian fantasies, and to some degree one could argue that the ability to self-regulate one's own cognition and emotions in real-time is a form of individualist empowerment. But it's pitted against the also individualist and more romantic separatist pirate factions who eschew "right-minding" and instead advocate for the primacy and immediacy of emotional engagement. It's a fun thought experiment.
As for my issues with the book: first off, there are a few pacing issues with the plot. Not going to get into spoilers but there's a large section where two characters are trapped together that dragged a lot for me, and interrupted the larger "space opera" chase and mystery. Also the climax and denouement were only marginally satisfying for me. I feel like there was space for a lot more. Lastly, I'll admit that I struggled a fair amount with the degree to which Bear (the author) seemingly goes out of her way to incorporate technical jargon and information into the narrative. I get that this is an immersion thing and supposedly some people like it, but it is just not for me.
Recommended for people who are fans of "technical jargon-y" science fiction and great big space mysteries.
I love the story and imaginative world building. It's big and ambitious and the author actually does a pretty good job of creating a relevant and interesting backstory and tying it in with the current crisis-du-future-jour. I especially love the ethical questions posed (and contested) regarding mood/mind regulation. I know (or it certainly seems) that science fiction as a genre has long been a haven for libertarian fantasies, and to some degree one could argue that the ability to self-regulate one's own cognition and emotions in real-time is a form of individualist empowerment. But it's pitted against the also individualist and more romantic separatist pirate factions who eschew "right-minding" and instead advocate for the primacy and immediacy of emotional engagement. It's a fun thought experiment.
As for my issues with the book: first off, there are a few pacing issues with the plot. Not going to get into spoilers but there's a large section where two characters are trapped together that dragged a lot for me, and interrupted the larger "space opera" chase and mystery. Also the climax and denouement were only marginally satisfying for me. I feel like there was space for a lot more. Lastly, I'll admit that I struggled a fair amount with the degree to which Bear (the author) seemingly goes out of her way to incorporate technical jargon and information into the narrative. I get that this is an immersion thing and supposedly some people like it, but it is just not for me.
Recommended for people who are fans of "technical jargon-y" science fiction and great big space mysteries.