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jenmarta's review against another edition
2.0
I kept expecting this book to have a plot. It doesn't. There are lots of interesting details and I enjoyed the discussions of faith, but I'd have been happier reading it if it was kept as related short stories instead of trying to piece them together into a cohesive narrative. It should not be necessary to have a character list for a book this short.
Also bothered me that he felt a need to mention two male barely-characters getting married 3-4 times throughout the book (for no particular reason; doesn't have a bearing on the plot or character development) but can't manage to include more than fleeting conversations between female characters.
Also bothered me that he felt a need to mention two male barely-characters getting married 3-4 times throughout the book (for no particular reason; doesn't have a bearing on the plot or character development) but can't manage to include more than fleeting conversations between female characters.
twstdtink's review against another edition
3.0
This book made me feel dumb. I spent the first half completely lost as to what was happening - there are a lot of futuristic concepts that aren't explained and left for the reader to discern, and the character POV shifts repeatedly and through different times/planes of existence. I loved some of the concepts, like the Conversation, which is a network that connects everyone through thought all the time. I loved that some people lived virtually and some, like the Others, had been born virtually. But, as a whole, this wasn't as enjoyable to read as I wanted it to be.
justinwelchsf's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating sci-fi set in a tight-knit community surrounding the base of a space station in Tel Aviv. Many classic SF concepts explored and woven together into a dreamy and sensual multi-dimensional world. You have never read anything quite like this before. Loved it!
infinispace's review against another edition
3.0
That was underwhelming, not bad, just underwhelming...and just cements the fact I'm not a fan of short story collection, fix-up "novels." There are some interesting ideas here (many I've read before), but ultimately they go nowhere. Every story ends in a dead-end. The entire fix-up ends in a dead-end. There's no resolution to any thread. The author is fond of listing out a string of smells to describe a setting, and repeated it often. Honestly, kind of frustrating.
I also noticed most of these were published as short stories in magazines. I guess I don't understand the short fiction market anymore, because many of these (at least for me) wouldn't work as standalone short fiction. They kind of work in a fix-up, world-building effort, but ultimately don't because they lead nowhere.
Now, if he wrote an actual novel in this setting it might be pretty good.
I also noticed most of these were published as short stories in magazines. I guess I don't understand the short fiction market anymore, because many of these (at least for me) wouldn't work as standalone short fiction. They kind of work in a fix-up, world-building effort, but ultimately don't because they lead nowhere.
Now, if he wrote an actual novel in this setting it might be pretty good.
aleffert's review against another edition
4.0
This is really more of a mood piece than anything, plot is thin on the ground. But it's a mood I like, of broken down machines and people on the fringe, where the storytelling is more emotional than literal, where there are offhand mentions of things like "battle yiddish" and "asteroid kibbitzum," where there's a whole sequence expanding the creepy vampire-medusa story of C. L. Moore's *Shambleau* into a moving story of love and addiction, where Cordwainer Smith is a clear influence both in literal references and the sing song repetition.
weltenkreuzer's review against another edition
3.0
Spannende Sammlung von zusammenhängenden Kurzgeschichten. Faszinierende Welt, ich finde sie allerdings recht schwer zugänglich und es fehlt mir an Handlung...
Ausführliche Rezension: http://weltenfluestern.de/17
Ausführliche Rezension: http://weltenfluestern.de/17
radbear76's review against another edition
2.0
Well written with engaging characters but not a satisfying conclusion. I think I may have missed the point.
spindleshanks22's review against another edition
2.0
No plot, no resolution. The setting, a city at the base of a huge spaceport is described as sprawling and bustling, but feels small and empty. Chapters follow a handful of characters who all know each other or are related. We seldom venture off of one random neighborhood street. Very few descriptions of background characters or activity.
kynan's review
4.0
Some of my favourite books, science-fiction or otherwise, are the ones where, after you finish them, you can close your eyes and still "remember" the places you visited, their relationships to other places and the visceral elements (the smells, the tastes, the energy) of the place. [a:Paolo Bacigalupi|1226977|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1375566282p2/1226977.jpg]'s Bangkok from [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1278940608l/6597651._SY75_.jpg|6791425], [a:P. Djèlí Clark|15117586|P. Djèlí Clark|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1638309414p2/15117586.jpg]'s Cairo from [b:The Haunting of Tram Car 015|36546128|The Haunting of Tram Car 015 (Dead Djinn Universe, #0.3)|P. Djèlí Clark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537226167l/36546128._SY75_.jpg|58277622] and of course the sprawling Castle from [b:Gormenghast|258392|Gormenghast (Gormenghast, #2)|Mervyn Peake|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480786154l/258392._SY75_.jpg|3599885]. The latter I think is a most apt comparison in this case as this book's title is quite accurate! This book is essentially a glorious world-building exercise, deftly sketching the eponymous station via stories whose characters all move in tangential but interrelated plot-arcs.
Whilst Central Station is the star of the show (and I did wonder to myself just why it was necessary to map out the relatively limited environs that make up the station) there are a number of other characters that pass through the story. This is actually the only real gripe I have about the book: although there are a huge number of concepts and characters that we get a glimpse of, it's just a glimpse. The viewfinder is pointed squarely on Central Station and if the character steps out of frame, well, so be it. Prepare yourself for no closure on any of the subplots relating to character or history.
Central Station is the first (only?) space-elevator built by humanity and is located smack in the middle of the Tel Aviv. It's location is, I suspect, a function of chance history - something that is alluded to but not specifically defined in the book. This is one of the relatively rare post-singularity...that's all I wrote, another one on the forgot-to-review shelf.
Whilst Central Station is the star of the show (and I did wonder to myself just why it was necessary to map out the relatively limited environs that make up the station) there are a number of other characters that pass through the story. This is actually the only real gripe I have about the book: although there are a huge number of concepts and characters that we get a glimpse of, it's just a glimpse. The viewfinder is pointed squarely on Central Station and if the character steps out of frame, well, so be it. Prepare yourself for no closure on any of the subplots relating to character or history.
Central Station is the first (only?) space-elevator built by humanity and is located smack in the middle of the Tel Aviv. It's location is, I suspect, a function of chance history - something that is alluded to but not specifically defined in the book. This is one of the relatively rare post-singularity...that's all I wrote, another one on the forgot-to-review shelf.