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sking055's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sambolin'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? No
4.5
Such an interesting sci fi concept, with so many differing points of view! I loved some of the twists, called others, and while the ending doesn’t wrap everything up with a happily ever after, it is satisfying!
justbriithe's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? No
4.75
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
2.0
This one was painful. How can you have a 16 hour audiobook that says nothing? Maybe it was the narrorator doing the same monotone voice the entire thing, making it hard to tell when someone new was talking? Or the author just jumping into a new character like we were suppose to know who they were this whole time? Perhaps the abysmal characters and how they interact? Either way I will not be continuing with this series
cjplants's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bcozy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
mfsquared's review against another edition
Ended up getting distracted and then just not getting around to diving back in!
willrefuge's review against another edition
3.0
6.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/10/02/station-eternity-by-mur-lafferty-review/
Mallory Viridian is a walking death-trap. For as long as she can remember, death has followed her, often striking those closest. Her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her college professor, even her uncle. Adjacent to three deaths in her early years, Mallory solved her first murder shortly after, a crime that baffled the police.
But detectives were not impressed. Soon, Mallory was a suspect in not only that murder, but an entire string of them—some even going so far as to accuse her of being a serial killer. While she continued to solve these murders, it did little to help her case.
After one particularly bizarre and traumatic double-murder, Mallory had had enough. She left Earth behind, seeking asylum aboard Station Eternity, a sentient space-station not far from Sol. A station that bans humans. Her plan: to stay as far away from other humans as possible; if she’s not near them, they won’t die.
When the station agrees to allow human visitors, Mallory is nearly catatonic. But before she can run, a tragedy befalls the human shuttle prior to its arrival. And when the survivors are finally brought aboard, bodies continue to drop. Not to mention Eternity, who’s in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. And Mallory must rush to solve this case before humans and aliens alike are killed.
—
“It’s a small base. Shouldn’t be too hard to find that guy who ran.”
“Yeah… this is the part you’re really going to hate,” Mallory said, wincing. She’d been trying to figure out how to drop this bit of information, and she hadn’t come up with a good opener, so she just told him,” You won’t find him. He’s been abducted by aliens.”
—
Six Wakes was one of my favorite releases of 2017—a mystery set aboard a vessel in the depths of space, where a murdered crew must find the perpetrator before they kill again. Five years later, Station Eternity aims to replicate its success, to nominal results.
See, Six Wakes succeeded because it was isolated, claustrophobic, and tense. A classic whodunnit, with a twist: clones, spaceships, and a secret worth dying for. Likewise, Station Eternity is a whodunnit, with a different twist. Mallory knows where the murders will happen—after all, they follow her around—she just doesn’t know when, or why they do so. And in solving one, she just might discover it all.
But it’s not only the setup that has changed between these two stories, but also the tone. Where Six Wakes was tense and thrilling, Station Eternity attempts to be light and comedic. At least, at first. Later it has a go at introducing some tension, to mixed results. Neither did the tone immerse sell me on this, not the way the author’s earlier works managed. That said, it’s still an entertaining mystery. The setting is interesting—a sentient space-station in a universe that is still wary of humanity—as is the the mystery. And while nothing is as simple as it seems, neither is it as immersive. While I enjoyed the characters, I didn’t love the conflicting threads. While I liked the mystery, I didn’t love the plot. And when it all came together, I’d argue that everything was just too convenient, too readily explained—in the way that only sentient space-stations and hive minds can get away with.
Additionally, there was one remaining loose end to this mystery, one that annoyed me upon reaching the final wrap-up. It was (probably) a meaningless detail, but still—if you’re going to explain everything else via a hive mind, it makes no sense to overlook this.
TL;DR
As much as it pains me to admit, Station Eternity and Six Wakes are just two different beasts. While I loved the latter, the former filled me with mostly indifference. The most recent Lafferty release attempts a different tone, a wider setting, a less immersive experience but with on a grander scale. And it… I guess kinda works? An entertaining read, if not an amazing one. A decent mystery, if not a repeat of the last one. All in all, Station Eternity ends up being a little meh, much to my disappointment.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/10/02/station-eternity-by-mur-lafferty-review/
Mallory Viridian is a walking death-trap. For as long as she can remember, death has followed her, often striking those closest. Her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her college professor, even her uncle. Adjacent to three deaths in her early years, Mallory solved her first murder shortly after, a crime that baffled the police.
But detectives were not impressed. Soon, Mallory was a suspect in not only that murder, but an entire string of them—some even going so far as to accuse her of being a serial killer. While she continued to solve these murders, it did little to help her case.
After one particularly bizarre and traumatic double-murder, Mallory had had enough. She left Earth behind, seeking asylum aboard Station Eternity, a sentient space-station not far from Sol. A station that bans humans. Her plan: to stay as far away from other humans as possible; if she’s not near them, they won’t die.
When the station agrees to allow human visitors, Mallory is nearly catatonic. But before she can run, a tragedy befalls the human shuttle prior to its arrival. And when the survivors are finally brought aboard, bodies continue to drop. Not to mention Eternity, who’s in the middle of a full-blown panic attack. And Mallory must rush to solve this case before humans and aliens alike are killed.
—
“It’s a small base. Shouldn’t be too hard to find that guy who ran.”
“Yeah… this is the part you’re really going to hate,” Mallory said, wincing. She’d been trying to figure out how to drop this bit of information, and she hadn’t come up with a good opener, so she just told him,” You won’t find him. He’s been abducted by aliens.”
—
Six Wakes was one of my favorite releases of 2017—a mystery set aboard a vessel in the depths of space, where a murdered crew must find the perpetrator before they kill again. Five years later, Station Eternity aims to replicate its success, to nominal results.
See, Six Wakes succeeded because it was isolated, claustrophobic, and tense. A classic whodunnit, with a twist: clones, spaceships, and a secret worth dying for. Likewise, Station Eternity is a whodunnit, with a different twist. Mallory knows where the murders will happen—after all, they follow her around—she just doesn’t know when, or why they do so. And in solving one, she just might discover it all.
But it’s not only the setup that has changed between these two stories, but also the tone. Where Six Wakes was tense and thrilling, Station Eternity attempts to be light and comedic. At least, at first. Later it has a go at introducing some tension, to mixed results. Neither did the tone immerse sell me on this, not the way the author’s earlier works managed. That said, it’s still an entertaining mystery. The setting is interesting—a sentient space-station in a universe that is still wary of humanity—as is the the mystery. And while nothing is as simple as it seems, neither is it as immersive. While I enjoyed the characters, I didn’t love the conflicting threads. While I liked the mystery, I didn’t love the plot. And when it all came together, I’d argue that everything was just too convenient, too readily explained—in the way that only sentient space-stations and hive minds can get away with.
Additionally, there was one remaining loose end to this mystery, one that annoyed me upon reaching the final wrap-up. It was (probably) a meaningless detail, but still—if you’re going to explain everything else via a hive mind, it makes no sense to overlook this.
TL;DR
As much as it pains me to admit, Station Eternity and Six Wakes are just two different beasts. While I loved the latter, the former filled me with mostly indifference. The most recent Lafferty release attempts a different tone, a wider setting, a less immersive experience but with on a grander scale. And it… I guess kinda works? An entertaining read, if not an amazing one. A decent mystery, if not a repeat of the last one. All in all, Station Eternity ends up being a little meh, much to my disappointment.