Reviews

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Nicole Galland, Neal Stephenson

noirverse's review against another edition

4.0

It should be no secret that I was immediately interested in this book from the moment of reading the blurb. I'm a very big fan of fantasy and science fiction and the mingling of the two is one of my favorite things to read about if done well. And this was a book that was done well.

This is a brick of a novel but don't let that hold you back on giving this book a chance. I went into it uncertain what the concept would be but was very pleased that it was taken in a direction that I found highly engaging and exciting. It does have its humor to it which sparked a grin from me several times. My favorite parts were the characters getting right to it with time travel and dealing with subsequent mess that it brought. It was the characters interacting with the world that I liked the most.

However, it did have some flaws. The book felt like it was plagued by an undercurrent of sexism that the authors simply didn't notice. I highly doubt that they intentionally meant it and it shows through in the book.

Spoiler

The one specific thing that I was particularly bothered by was the fact that Belvin, Stokes' former superior, was mentioned to have sexually harassed Melisande. Nothing comes of this. Instead, Belvin more or less fades away into irrelevance to the plot altogether near the end. Here I was thinking that Melisande would be able to have her moment of glory against Belvin but, to my great disappointment, that didn't happen.

This is just one example of several that other readers might pick up on. It brought down my enjoyment of the story and felt like a flaw that could've easily been done away with. Make of that what you will.

There was also some lingering problems with pacing and giving detail to things that I honestly didn't care about and less so towards things I did, such as actual adventures on going time traveling. It dragged in some places but was made up for by when the characters took over the action.

I liked the ending which for the most part, neatly tied up any lingering questions and would eagerly look forward to a sequel. All in all, this was a greatly enjoyable read that I sped through in the course of two days. It brought in fresh and new concepts that I have not seen done before. I would highly recommend at least giving this a chance if you are at all interested in a fresh spin on Time Travel and Science Fantasy.

peytonsimmons's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

amgbskate26's review against another edition

funny mysterious slow-paced

3.0

cdoors's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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? No

3.75

klparmley's review against another edition

3.0

This was fun. If you liked Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel books, you will probably enjoy this. And vice versa.

helloiammikki's review against another edition

3.0

I guess it was just something other than what I expected, and I had a hard time really getting into it. I didn't care much for all the cloaks and dagger mystery stuff; I just wanted to read about witches and time travel. You also reeeaaally need to suspend your disbelief in order for the story to make sense. I know there are people who feel like scifi and fantasy don't need to 'be realistic', but if you're going to set something in a real world setting, it does. The science obviously doesn't have to be infallible, but stuff about procedure, communication and security was very unrealistic here, in my opinion. I also felt the story was very drawn out, and there was a part in the middle where it dragged so much I almost gave up. And the ending was a tad unsatisfying to me too. Giving it three stars because the idea is fun, and the writing is decent, but the reading experience was closer to two stars for me.

darrahsteffenwrites's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

4.25

heybalestoo's review against another edition

4.0

Magic, which was once prevalent and useful, disappears in 1851. And, though witches survive through the generations, their skills and knowledge are no longer being handed down from mother to daughter.

katieinca's review against another edition

4.0

Neal Stephenson for Connie Willis fans. And Neal Stephenson fans whose favorite Stephenson includes the Baroque Cycle and Reamde.
Time travel! Magic! Banter! 700+ pages filled with absurd acronyms and bureaucracy-mocking! It almost felt like it was pandering to me. I really couldn't shake the feeling that I was reading a not-quite-right Connie Willis book, which was distracting. And the character building was hit-and-miss - the male lead, in particular, remained kind of a sketch.
The end is a bit quick and tidy, and feels like a start to a series. Which... I guess I would read? It'd some hybrid creature that takes some of the style of my vacation reading (Ilona Andrews, Seanan McGuire) but grafts it onto Neal Stephenson plotting, so sure, sign me up. Apparently I should check out some more Nicole Galland.

crimsoncor's review against another edition

5.0

Oh wow this was fantastic. A real blend of Stephenson's historic novels (The Baroque Cycle) with his early humor stuff (Zodiac, the criminally under-appreciated The Big U), with more than a generous hint of Connis Willis' time-travel excellence. Completely not what I expected but maybe even more enjoyable because of that.