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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Polostan is really intriguing, weaving a complex tale of revolution and espionage. It could use some work in the pacing department, but overall, it sets a solid foundation. I'm curious to see where the second installment goes.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm hesitant to be too sweeping in my assessment as this is the shortest Neal Stephenson and is already set up to be a trilogy. It may make sense to compare this more directly to the first third of any of his other books and as such, the review may be premature. I've been a big fan of Neal Stephenson since the 90s and I've read nearly every book he's written. On a scale of the Cobweb to Anathem, I'd put this just a bit better than Reamde.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
A provisional rating only until books two and three are released. Could even be a five by then. This is clearly just a foundation for the next volumes. I don't mind Stephenson's 1,000-page tomes; I assume that the release of this slim volume was a marketing decision. In any case, it is still good Stephenson. Info dumps and l-o-n-g lists of attractions at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair (Century of Progress). BTW, you don't find out what the title means until the last couple pages of the book.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have loved lots of Stephenson’s books and read nearly all of them. This was just a bit boring for me. Its main character also feels creepily a little like the novel version of the straight guys you encounter on gaming forums who design female main characters with little clothing and post pictures of them.
The political “critique” here is tedious - basically “those silly leftists are silly and don’t realize how silly they are! Thank God there are and always will be real non-ideological mid-level engineers and technocrats to keep our world safe.” More or less retread of the same “critique” Stephenson has offered in a bunch of other books. He seems really enamored with the explanatory power of these lessons. Feels like he’s just preaching to the choir- roughly, the members of the 2600 Facebook group.
The political “critique” here is tedious - basically “those silly leftists are silly and don’t realize how silly they are! Thank God there are and always will be real non-ideological mid-level engineers and technocrats to keep our world safe.” More or less retread of the same “critique” Stephenson has offered in a bunch of other books. He seems really enamored with the explanatory power of these lessons. Feels like he’s just preaching to the choir- roughly, the members of the 2600 Facebook group.
“What is this, Neal Stephenson for ants?” - text from my friend when we saw the mere 300-something page length of this book.
Took a minute to hook me - 50 pages or so. I can’t say I have a huge interest in the early 30s, but Stephenson’s great research and captivating interest in his subject eventually pulled me in.
I felt he looked more directly at some of the repeating patterns of male-female dynamics in his works, albeit through a darker lens. There was also some really interesting play with power dynamics.
I get the sense that Stephenson is very much thinking about worse case scenarios in front of us, through the lens of history.
There were some of course some truly enjoyable Stephensonisms, such as the inevitable stick based sport, a mention the human processes of elimination, and a super smart and charismatic teen girl protagonist.
I look forward to seeing where he goes with this series.
Took a minute to hook me - 50 pages or so. I can’t say I have a huge interest in the early 30s, but Stephenson’s great research and captivating interest in his subject eventually pulled me in.
I felt he looked more directly at some of the repeating patterns of male-female dynamics in his works, albeit through a darker lens. There was also some really interesting play with power dynamics.
I get the sense that Stephenson is very much thinking about worse case scenarios in front of us, through the lens of history.
There were some of course some truly enjoyable Stephensonisms, such as the inevitable stick based sport, a mention the human processes of elimination, and a super smart and charismatic teen girl protagonist.
I look forward to seeing where he goes with this series.