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spinstate's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
elllljayyyy's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kira_dance's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mllocy's review against another edition
4.0
Great follow up to This Alien Shore
This was a great sequel, long in the making, of This Alien Shore. It was a delight to re-immerse myself in the Outrider world and especially pleasant because never did I expect a sequel. Friedman does a wonderful job of putting compelling characters into her stories and pulling all the threads together into a coherent tapestry. This book was another example of her ability to tell a great story of intrigue, suspense and action. One thing I would love to see more of is some kind of glossary or explanation of the different variants and the different Gueran variants. Can’t wait for the next book!
This was a great sequel, long in the making, of This Alien Shore. It was a delight to re-immerse myself in the Outrider world and especially pleasant because never did I expect a sequel. Friedman does a wonderful job of putting compelling characters into her stories and pulling all the threads together into a coherent tapestry. This book was another example of her ability to tell a great story of intrigue, suspense and action. One thing I would love to see more of is some kind of glossary or explanation of the different variants and the different Gueran variants. Can’t wait for the next book!
chromatick's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
After doing a re-read of This Alien Shore, which was written in 1998 I was eager to dig into this one. It's a sequel, but written twenty plus years later. How would it hold up?
For the most part it does. While it's not as densely packed as the first book, and not nearly as forward thinking as that novel was, it's still a mostly enjoyable ride. Ironically this book feels more dated than the original and while it's more fun, it's not as clever. Still, I enjoyed the two characters and the journey they take even if it did wrap up a little too quickly in the end.
I've always been a fan of Friedman's work, and there was a lot to like here, but I still prefer This Alien Shore.
After doing a re-read of This Alien Shore, which was written in 1998 I was eager to dig into this one. It's a sequel, but written twenty plus years later. How would it hold up?
For the most part it does. While it's not as densely packed as the first book, and not nearly as forward thinking as that novel was, it's still a mostly enjoyable ride. Ironically this book feels more dated than the original and while it's more fun, it's not as clever. Still, I enjoyed the two characters and the journey they take even if it did wrap up a little too quickly in the end.
I've always been a fan of Friedman's work, and there was a lot to like here, but I still prefer This Alien Shore.
interruptedreader's review
4.0
SUMMARY: After an attack on a spacestation's life support system by two gamers, authorities scramble to find the game designer behind the attack.
I was very interested to read this second book by C.S. Friedman because I loved his first book of this universe, This Alien Shore. This was a good whodunit with a nice psychological twist, but also may have been a pandemic allegory, which is not my jam right now. Kept me reading right to the end though!
I was very interested to read this second book by C.S. Friedman because I loved his first book of this universe, This Alien Shore. This was a good whodunit with a nice psychological twist, but also may have been a pandemic allegory, which is not my jam right now. Kept me reading right to the end though!
jkennedy9472's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
C.S. Friedman doesn't disappoint after so many years since This Alien Shore. This Virtual Night focuses on a virus that threatens the safety of humanity on their space stations. One game designer is pinned to take the fall. So many great scenes-- my book club loved this one just as much as the first one!
remembered_reads's review
4.0
Judged on its own, This Virtual Night is an entertaining adventure/investigative romp through a space opera-y universe. While the ending is a little rushed, the suspense-building was successful enough to keep me reading almost straight through.
But as a follow-up to This Alien Shore, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. The (relative) realism of the hacker adventures in that book has been replaced by a more generic game-designer-turns-RL-adventurer here, and the interesting social commentary on human difference that came along with the Gueran society being explored in This Alien Shore is all but absent this time around.
Love the idea of
But as a follow-up to This Alien Shore, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. The (relative) realism of the hacker adventures in that book has been replaced by a more generic game-designer-turns-RL-adventurer here, and the interesting social commentary on human difference that came along with the Gueran society being explored in This Alien Shore is all but absent this time around.
Love the idea of